Library Board

June 18, 2012 Board President Larry Jirsak called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. in the library board room with the following members present: Larry Jirsak, Courtney Fedde, and Connie Schmeichel, Sheila Sookram and Jenice Wolfe. Also present was Director Janet Davenport. The meeting was preceded by publicized notice in the Fremont Tribune and Radio KHUB and the agenda displayed in the municipal building, the Keene Memorial Library, Fremont Police Station and the Dodge County Courthouse and distributed and emailed to the Library Board members on June 15, 2012 and is open to the public. A copy of the open meeting law is posted continually for public inspection and is located near the entrance to the Board Room. Moved by Board Member Schmeichel and seconded by Board Member Fedde to approve the legality of the meeting. Carried. Board Member Schmeichel moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting on May 21, 2012. Board Member Wolfe seconded the motion. Carried. Unfinished Business – Adult Literacy Program - Board members all agreed that supporting an adult literacy program would be a good fit for the Library’s mission and a good service for the library to offer. They also expressed concern over the necessary staff time it would require to support a literacy project and coordinate planning. The Board felt budgetary support was crucial to implementing such a project. Roof Replacement – Three proposals were received in response to the RFP for engineering services for this project. They were reviewed by the Planning Director, the Parks & Recreation Director and the Library Director. Berggren Architects were selected as the best proposal and recommended to the City Council and approved on May 29, 2012. The engineering services fees will be up to $36,850 if asbestos work is necessary. An initial meeting with Berggren’s Wim Kersten reviewed two options for the roof to be used. A ballasted adhered membrane roof, similar the current roof was the most cost effective and within our budget. We would recycle the ballast to both save cost and provide a “green element to the project. Budget - The proposed budget document submitted to the City Finance Department on June 12 was shared with the Board. Returning the materials budget to the 2010-2011 level and adding a Library Assistant III were the major additions to the Library request. The library Assistant III position would be involved in adult programming and provide a staff resource for a literacy project should we go forward with that project (see adult literacy program above). The Capital Budget request is due at the end of the week, June 22 2012. Projects including ADA remodeling of the bathrooms, rebuilding the 40 year old elevator, adding an east vestibule, removal of the wall separating the two library parking areas, masonry repair and tuck pointing and furnishings will be proposed. Added funds to complete the roof replacement are also being sought. Finally a 4 year staged expansion project will be proposed with a needs study to be completed in 2012-2013. Many of the separate projects proposed would be rolled into a broader expansion/renovation project should it be approved. Advisory Board roles – Discussion - the Board held a good discussion of their role as an advisory board. Among their thoughts were that the board should get to know individuals in city council and advocate to them on the library’s behalf. Communication with the City Council, support of the director at presentations and council meetings were determined to be important. Educating the City Council see the Board as a resource to come to for advice on library issues was considered to be important. Being aware of what is happening at the library and participation in state wide activities such as the Nebraska Library Association Legislative Day and youth volunteer recognition activities were also suggested. New Business – No new business was presented Director’s Report: It isn’t yet summer by the calendar, but the Library’s summer activities are already in full swing. Summer Reading Program480 registrations already in place before the June 1 Kickoff party. The June 1 Kickoff was held at John C. Fremont Park. The Library provided booths for SRP registration and for library card applications. Also a bubble station for kids to enjoy. Summer activity staffers from the Parks and Recreation Department joined us and provided many activities, kickball, sidewalk chalk, face painting and a bounce structure with climbing wall. Hy-Vee Grocery and San Anna’s Pizza & Mexican provided refreshments. An estimated 300 children and caretakers attended the event and 61 more readers signed up for SRP bringing the total to 541. At the end of week 2 we have 607 registrations and counting. Magician Jeff Quinn and Adventurer Dean Jacobs each provided 3 programs to full capacity, 294 attendees for each performer our younger readers have completed 912 books and older readers (10 yr +) have read 2400 pages. Data on week 3 will be available later today. Movies on the Lawn, sponsored this year by the Friends of the Library, has been a success so far with 50 attendees the first week and over 75 the second. Other significant events over the past month you may be interested in include: In preparation for the Capital Improvement Plan Budget process, Rian Harkins, Planning Director, did facilities audits of all city buildings. He visited the library on May 21 and was joined by councilmen Larry Johnson and Steve Navarrette. The councilmen arrived a bit early and we had a good discussion. They were interested in our services and the use of computers within the library. A number of ADA issues are known to exist, but I believe the facility was generally found to be in fairly good condition. We have had HVAC issues with a high pitched humming coming from a motor on the cold air intake when it is very hot outdoors. We replaced the motor, but the humming was also evident in the new motor. The HVAC technician believes it is just the nature of the equipment. In the process much needed regular maintenance was carried out with all filters being changed and all needed lubrication performed. Regular maintenance of the equipment slipped through a crack when the maintenance worker responsible for the library was laid off due to budget reductions last year. I am in the process of developing specifications to hire a service provider to come in and do regular maintenance.  The Dodge County Collaborate Team, an organization of organizations providing services to in need individuals in our county, invited me to give a short presentation to their group on May 21st. Keene Memorial Library has been a member of this group in the past and we will continue to send a representative to their meetings in the future. We will also make their community service directory available for pick up at the library. Continuing education options abound on the web, this month I took part in two. o A PLA Webinar on Managing Traditional and Social Media. o Attracting youth to Rural Nebraska – highlighting a project that uses local community information available in libraries to educate and build a sense of ownership by young people in their community. Much of my time this month has been devoted to budget preparation. Susan Luebbert has proven her worth yet again in having all the numbers and information at her finger tips when needed. My gardener side has enjoyed seeking information on native grasses and plants to revise the planting plan for the Keno Match Grant Project. What lies ahead? The remainder of June and July will be filled with summer reading events, budget reviews, CIP budget discussions and implementation of the Keno Matching Grant projects. We have started materials purchases through “shelf ready, cataloged “processes Laura England Biggs has worked to set up. We are making special efforts to expend all materials money available to us. The City’s fiscal year ends on Sept 30 and we will be monitoring the budget closely to see that we effectively use what is available to us. It is hoped unspent funds in other categories can be channeled towards materials. Youth Services staff will implement the “Every Child Ready to Read “program this fall and work to expand programs for teens. Strategic Planning is in a holding pattern, I have asked the City Administrator for an opportunity to discuss the convergence of the traditional strategic planning process and the directions he and the Mayor might have for the library. Following is the report of the Library Director for May, 2012: May May Year to Year to 2012 2011 Date Date 2011-12 2010-11 No. of items issued: 14,377 12,049 98,021 91,566 Attendance: 10,179 8,946 76,832 76,302 Days Open: 30 30 Av. Daily Circulation: 479 402 Av. Daily Attendance: 339 298 Reference Questions: 593 297 4,188 3,077 Magazine Articles Accessed: 13 1 95 48 Database Searches: 1,551 292 5,187 4,576 Overdrive (downloadable bks) 343 143 2,382 1,453 Interlibrary Loans: 106 95 864 846 Borrowed 18 17 87 114 Lent 88 78 777 732 Meeting Held: 70 64 611 580 Internet/Computer Use: 2,834 2,413 20,412 20,687 Items Added: 287 Items Discarded: 114 Vol. in Collection: 94,670 Friends of the Library’s Report – No report With no further business, Board Member Fedde made a motion to adjourn at 11:25 a.m. Board Member Schmeichel seconded. Carried. (Signed) by Janet Davenport, Library Director