Meeting Minutes
Board Members Present: Mary Burchill, Jill Fincher, Ron Hurst, Terry Leibold, John Nalbandian, and Jeff Shmalberg
Board Members Not Present: Craig Penzler
Staff Present: Carole Dibben, Bruce Flanders, Louise Hanson, Tricia Karlin, Joyce Steiner, Sherri Turner
Guests Present: Mary Michener (League of Women Voters), Ron Schorr (Friends of the Lawrence Public Library Board of Directors)
Terry brought the meeting to order at 4:32 p.m.
There were no public comments.
The minutes of the October 18, 2004 Library Board meeting were reviewed. John moved to approve the minutes. Ron seconded the motion, which carried by voice vote.
Financial and Statistical Report: Bruce reviewed the financial report, as well as library usage statistics. He noted that the expenditure of funds indicates that there may be funds to transfer to the Capital Improvement Fund at the end of the year. Library usage statistics were up for November, and for the year to date.
Access Control and Print Management System: Bruce noted that the installation of this system was problematic, but that once installed it has been running fairly smoothly and appears to be well accepted by most patrons.
Library Friends Grant Request Funded: Bruce thanked Ron on behalf of the Library Board for the recent gift of $16,500 to the Library. A significant portion of this gift will be used to upgrade older Internet and word processor computers so that the access control and print management system will operate more effectively. Funds will also be used to acquire the licensed database BookLetters for another year, and to enhance the foreign film DVD collection.
Library Foundation Grant Request Funded: Bruce noted that the Library Foundation recently provided full funding for the Library’s annual request. A significant portion of this request will be used to acquire additional cleaning equipment for the library.
Article for The Lawrencian: Bruce will be writing an article about the library’s plans for expansion for the new monthly magazine, The Lawrencian. This article is slated to appear in the December issue.
Holiday Decorations: Bruce noted that the department coordinators have recently discussed the advisability of enhancing the appearance of the library during the upcoming holiday season by placing greenery in the building. Decorations that would be symbolic of any particular religious tradition would be avoided. Bruce is also investigating the possibility of installing lights on the building in a manner similar to that at City Hall.
Legislative Breakfast: Bruce is working to develop a breakfast at the library for Lawrence-area legislators. This time will be used to highlight our library’s recent advancements, and our needs, and to promote library issues for the upcoming Kansas legislative session. The breakfast is tentatively scheduled for January 3, 2005, and Library Board members are highly encouraged to attend. More information on this will be forthcoming.
Douglas County Community Foundation: The annual grant application is due on December 1. Bruce intends to develop a grant application that relates to a study of state-of-the-art young adult service in public libraries, and how the service at our library could be enhanced, building upon the tremendous program already in place.
Fiction Move: Jill asked about plans for moving the adult fiction collection to the main level of the library. Bruce said that he is working on this, and will have a further report at the December meeting. Jill and Mary expressed interest in seeing this project move forward.
New Direction Task Force: John asked for clarification regarding the scope of the library consultant RFP. He noted that the RFP could focus exclusively on the development of an enhanced library, or it could be expanded to ask for information about how an enhanced library would positively impact the environs in downtown Lawrence. He believes that we now have a once in a lifetime opportunity to enhance an entire area within downtown Lawrence. The Library Board could promote this view of the RFP’s scope through communications with the City Commission and with those who are planning for the redevelopment of the Eldridge Hotel. The Library Board supported John’s view that the RFP should require the consultant to assess not only the potential sites for the library but also evaluate how the area surrounding the library could be developed as a result of this initiative. Bruce was instructed to draft a letter to the City Commission. Jeff will review the letter prior to its being sent. John will contact City Commissioners and City staff to let them know that the letter is forthcoming.
Compensatory Day Policy Revision: Bruce asked the Library Board to consider a revision to Section 506 of the Employee Handbook, allowing for a more extended period of time for the use of compensatory time earned for work during three holidays each year. Ron moved to approve the revised policy. Mary seconded the motion, which carried by voice vote.
Langston Hughes Center Partnership: Bruce reviewed his recent conversations with the group that is planning for the development of the Carnegie building as a literacy center. He noted that this group has approached him, and would like for the Library to administer this center, and provide for its funding through an expanded library annual budget. Bruce explained his thoughts regarding this opportunity. The Langston Hughes Center planning group has requested to meet with the Library Board in January 2005. Mary requested more information regarding this potential initiative for review at the December Library Board meeting.
Internet Access Policy Revision: Bruce presented a revised Internet Access Policy for the Library Board’s consideration. The revised policy contains an additional sentence that refers to the library’s access control system: “The Library may establish limits on the length and number of sessions available to individual users.” Jill moved to approve the revised policy. Mary seconded the motion, which carried by voice vote.
Library Director Annual Evaluation: Bruce asked that a committee be formed to review his performance during 2004, and bring a recommendation to the Library Board for their December meeting. Craig and Terry were selected to serve on this committee.
Jeff moved to approve the bills in the amount of $64,138.39. Jill seconded the motion and it carried by voice vote.
The meeting adjourned at 5:42 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Flanders
Approved _________________________________________________
Date
Secretary _________________________________________________
Jill Fincher
Chair _____________________________________________________
Craig Penzler
Director ___________________________________________________
Bruce Flanders