Library Board

May 17 and 18, 2013 Special Meeting Strategic Planning May 17th - Board Member Larry Jirsak called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. in the library large meeting room with the following members present: Larry Jirsak, Connie Schmeichel, Cindy Slykhuis and Jan Therien. Also present was Director Janet Davenport Board Member absent Jenice Wolfe. 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, online at www.fremontne.gov/library and distributed and emailed to the Library Board members on May 14, 2013 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. Approval of Minutes – April 15, 2013 – postponed to June 17, 2013. New Business: Youth Summer Reading Library Card for Non-Residents : Keene Library had offered a free Summer Reading Program Library Card to Non-Residents in 2000. This program successfully served 169 youth that summer. The library staff has requested to once again offer access to the Summer Reading Program to non-resident youth by via a Summer Reading Program Library Card. With the adoption of an online registration and logging program for Summer Reading Program a library card will be required. Board Member Slykhuis moved the Library Board would recommend a Youth Summer Reading Library Card at no cost to non- resident youth to the City Council for approval; Board Member Schmeichel seconded. Carried. Board Introduction to Strategic Planning: Pat Wagner, of Pattern Research, Inc., was introduced. Discussion of what is strategic planning and how it helps in setting parameters and decision making included several examples from public libraries around the country. The five steps of strategic planning and the work to be done on Friday May 17 and Saturday May 17 were reviewed with the Board. The session concluded at 11:00. Two members needed to leave. No longer having a quorum, the meeting was adjourned to reconvene Saturday May 18 at 9:00 a.m. Community Input Board members Schmeichel and Therien participated with Director Davenport and members of the public in attendance. Turnout was disappointing, despite 48 invitations and press coverage we had two citizens present to share thoughts with the Board. Despite the small nature of the group, the discussion of trends impacting the Fremont community and visions for the future was lively and resulted in identifying community issues around which Board discussion on Saturday would be based. The Community Input session ended at 1 p.m. Further Non-Board Strategic Planning session, Friday May 17 Staff Introduction to Strategic Planning and Input Keene Memorial Library was closed the afternoon of May 17, with permission of City Administrator Dale Shotkoski allowing staff to participate in strategic planning. Pat Wagner met with Library staff to introduce strategic planning and discuss their roles in planning and carrying out the goals of the strategic plan. Staff members were invited to share their ideas and concerns about the future of the community and the library. May 18th - Board Member Connie Schmeichel called the meeting to order at 9:20 a.m. in the library board room with the following members present: Connie Schmeichel, Cindy Slykhuis and Jan Therien. Also present was Director Janet Davenport Board Member absent Larry Jirsak and Jenice Wolfe. Review and Development of Strategic Plan: Ms. Wagner shared a Summary of Main Community Issues developed from the Friday May 17 Community Input Session. Community issues identified included economic factors, education, population shifts, poverty, immigration, political involvement and community enthusiasm and pride. She Indicated that the staff input session had been very productive and was impressed by the staff participation noting everyone present had contributed to the discussion. The Board and Director Davenport were asked to brainstorm goals by completing a statement of “What if the Library….. “proposing what the library could due to respond to community issues. Resulting ideas and thoughts were recorded on flip chart pages and posted for the group to review. Related ideas were then identified into seven themes. Of these three were programmatic areas of focus and 4 represented principals we would apply when possible across all library activities. Programmatic areas of focus would be: • Economic/Business/Job Seeker oriented services • Support of Intergenerational Lifelong Learning • Services promoting inclusiveness. Principals which will apply to all library activity are: • Technology! Technology! - utilize and provide access to technologies that support the focus areas for the library • Partnerships –develop partnerships with local agencies and organizations to provide and enhance services • Creative PR – find creative methods of informing the public of library offerings • Coffee – working with an attitude of hospitality and welcoming that a good coffee get- together would suggest The group concurred these were the themes and areas the Strategic Plan should address. In summary the Library Board defined a vision for Fremont: A community where everyone is welcome, residents can find employment, get a good education reinforced by a library rich in intellectual resources. Director Davenport was tasked with taking these focus areas and developing a proposed set of goals and outcomes to be represented in the Strategic Plan and present them to the Board at the June 17, 2013 Board Meeting. Gratitude was expressed to the Friends of the Keene Memorial Library for providing refreshments for the Friday sessions and lunch on Saturday. Following is the report of the Library Director for April, 2013: April April Year to Year to 2013 2012 Date Date 2012-13 2011-12 No. of items issued: 10,606 11,983 75,468 83,644 Attendance: 10,338 9,131 68,694 66,653 Days Open: 30 29 Av. Daily Circulation: 354 413 Av. Daily Attendance: 345 315 Reference Questions: 353 563 2,571 3,595 Database Searches: 1,295 1,381 7,415 3.636 Overdrive (downloadable bks) 545 302 2,985 2,039 Interlibrary Loans: 83 113 645 758 Borrowed 10 13 65 69 Lent 73 94 580 689 Meeting Held: 72 62 591 541 Internet/Computer Use: 2,516 2,442 17,363 17,578 Items Added: 375 Items Discarded: 402 Vol. in Collection: 96,910 Board Member Therien moved to adjourn and Board Member Slykhuis seconded, with no further business, meeting was adjourned at 2:20 p.m. (Signed) by Janet Davenport, Library Director