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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE PARK RIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY HELD AT 7:30 P.M. ON MARCH 20, 2007 IN THE FIRST FLOOR MEETING ROOM OF THE LIBRARY CALL TO ORDER Mr. Schmidt called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL TRUSTEES PRESENT: John Schmidt, President; Richard Van Metre, Vice President; Shlomo Crandus (7:35 p.m.), Secretary; Dorothy Hynous, Treasurer; John Benka, Arthur Davis, Margaret Harrison Patricia Lofthouse, Eileen O'Neill-Burke TRUSTEES ABSENT: None. OTHERS PRESENT: Mary Wynn Ryan, Park Ridge City Council Liaison to Library; Janet Van De Carr, Library Director; Jodi Bemis Whitney, John Doyle, Linda Egebrecht, Kate Hall, Larry Kleckner, Gretchen Kottkamp, Vivian Mortensen, Kathy Rolsing, Tom Weiland, Library Staff; Chuck Baldacchino, Park Ridge Resident. CONSENT AGENDA Prior to discussion on the Consent Agenda, Mr. Schmidt welcomed the new Library Board Trustee, Mr. Arthur Davis, to the meeting. The Board trustees introduced themselves to Mr. Davis and Mr. Benka welcomed Mr. Davis to the Resources and Building & Grounds committees. Mr. Davis thanked those assembled for the warm welcome and stated he was delighted to be a member of the Library Board and looked forward to adding his talents to the Board and having a productive tenure. Mr. Schmidt asked if there were any comments regarding the Consent Agenda. Mr. Benka stated he had some follow up points regarding the February minutes. He stated that, per the first paragraph on page 3, Mrs. Van De Carr reported that year-to-date circulation was higher than last year at this time (3%). Mr. Benka noted that in the week prior to the February meeting, Mrs. Van De Carr had sent the Board some reading material including a long range planning study from Evanston Library, which showed that during times when there is increased technology use in the Library, the staff may see circulation drop. Mr. Benka commended the staff on the fact that while the Library added computers, the circulation numbers continue to be positive. He also commended the staff on keeping patrons interested in reading through programs like the reading clubs and book discussions. Mr. Benka asked Mrs. Van De Carr how many of the12 eligible employees, as stated in her February report, had announced that they would be taking advantage of the early retirement incentive package being offered by the City. Mrs. Van De Carr replied that two had, Mr. Larry Kleckner, Access Services Manager, who had already planned to retire in the summer, and Mrs. Eleanor Pierce, the Information Coordinator, has announced that she will retire April 30 and that the Library would be looking to fill both positions. Mr. Benka stated that on page 4 of the February minutes, the Board had discussed video games and the possibility of beginning a dialog with District 64 and/or 207 regarding the issue of video games for educational purposes. Mr. Benka asked if in the short time since the Board meeting any contact had been made, to which Mrs. Van De Carr replied that it had not and that she and Mrs. Hall, Children's Services Manager, needed to speak about it more before contacting the schools about the subject. There being no more discussion on the Consent Agenda, Mr. Benka MOVED to approve the Consent Agenda. Mrs. Lofthouse SECONDED the motion. Roll call vote was taken on the Motion. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COMMENTS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC None. For the benefit of Mr. Davis, Mr. Schmidt introduced Mr. Baldacchino, stating he is a regular attendee at the Library Board meetings and a candidate for Alderman in the upcoming election. SECRETARY'S REPORT Mr. Crandus circulated two folders of correspondence and information, which included the following:
TREASURER'S REPORT Ms. Hynous reviewed the financial reports for January, stating that the Summary by Line Item Report showed that with 83% of the fiscal year elapsed, 76% of the budget (excluding the Capital Budget) had been expended. Mrs. Van De Carr added that March is one of the months when there are three payrolls, and so although the Salary line item shows under spent for the year-to-date, that would rectify itself in March. LIBRARY DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mrs. Van De Carr stated that she had sent the Trustees a lengthy report this month and so asked if there were any questions before she began. Mr. Benka stated he had a question regarding the Battle of the Books program, where Mrs. Van De Carr stated there were 8 schools that participated in the annual reading challenge program this year he asked if all of the District 64 schools participated. Mrs. Van De Carr replied that, yes, they all did, as well as St. Andrews, St. Paul of the Cross, and Mary, Seat of Wisdom. Mrs. Van De Carr reported that she and Ms. Hynous and Mr. Van Metre had attended the City Budget review on Saturday, March 10 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. She stated that there was not any discussion about any of the Library budget items, and so everything that had been submitted was satisfactory. The City Council did spend some time on the other long-term projects and whether or not the City should complete the long-standing City projects all a once (such as the alley paving project, etc) by borrowing the money for them. They also discussed putting back into the budget a few items like the tree-trimming program which had been reduced over the last few years to the point to where the city is on a 20 year cycle for tree trimming instead of 6 years, as it used to be. Some discussion ensued regarding particulars of the meeting. Mr. Benka stated that one of the Aldermanic candidates (Mr. Zavala) had made a statement to a newspaper that one of his goals would be to have a City think about establishing a cultural center, in which there would be meeting places and concentration on serving the underserved. Mr. Benka stated that he believes this is consistent with one of the Library's goals to serve the underserved and that the Library should offer the opportunity to the citizens to identify themselves as underserved as well as devise strategies to identify those less-visible underserved constituents. Mr. Benka mentioned that when the referendum was brought to the Council and the Library Board Trustees spoke to the City Council, then-Mayor Wietecha response was to incorporate into the new Library the concept of the Library as a giant meeting place which is what Mr. Zavala wants as well as what the Library Board wants, and so whatever can be done to promote that concept and be part of it he believes that Library should find the ways to get that accomplished. Mrs. Van De Carr informed the Board that she and Mrs. Rolsing would be meeting on March 23 with a local advisory group regarding plans for the NorthStarNet migration from the NSLS servers which needs to occur prior to June 30, 2007. Mrs. Van De Carr explained that Mrs. Rolsing is serving on a sub-committee working to consider hosting alternatives and support for the libraries to insure that the considerable community resources now hosted on NSN are preserved through this transition. Mrs. Van De Carr explained that the directors and library coordinators have brainstormed about possible hosting solutions available to the libraries both as a group and individually, and have considered networking opportunities for the future. An additional meeting with several NorthStarNet (NSN) member libraries is scheduled for March 26 at the Park Ridge Library to share the information that they have gathered. Mrs. Van De Carr added that the Library is looking at service providers that can host the Park Ridge Community Network and that it may be less expensive than what the Library currently pays. She asked Mrs. Rolsing to explain, to which Mrs. Rolsing stated that it currently costs $1,200 a year to North Suburban for the service that they provide and what is being looked at is a reseller where, although the Park Ridge Community Network would not get the kind of support it is used to, PRCN would still have the a full hosting option for all of its providers for about $480 for two years. Going forward, if additional support is required, that would be paid from those savings to hire someone. Some discussion ensued about how some of the NSLS libraries are dealing with the upcoming demise of NSN and the impact to their own websites. Mrs. Van De Carr explained that the Library had a successful opening reception on Sunday, March 18 for the “Art & Architecture in Illinois Libraries” traveling art exhibit which is situated in the second floor lobby of the Library. The large 7 foot high panels are very nicely done and have a lot of photos and information about art elements of various Illinois libraries. Mrs. Van De Carr stated that although the Park Ridge Library is not represented on any of the panels, one painting does appear in the accompanying booklet. She distributed a copy of the booklet compiled by Library staff which highlights all of the artwork, art elements and history about the Park Ridge Public Library. Mrs. Van De Carr added that representatives from local arts organizations were at the reception in the first floor meeting room to share information about their organizations and the participants included Brickton Art Center, Kalo Foundation, Park Ridge Art League, Park Ridge Cultural Arts Council and the Park Ridge Historical Society. She stated that local resident and pianist Eugene Kwok provided background music for the event and that about 75 people visited the reception and had refreshments. For the occasion, Mr. Kupjack loaned the Library a large diorama of a 17th century library room which was spectacular. Mrs. Van De Carr distributed a copy of a scavenger hunt highlighting different art and architecture elements throughout the community, patrons can complete the form and qualify for a prize drawing. She added that Children's Services also has a scavenger hunt game for children. At the conclusion of the month Mrs. Van De Carr explained that the display would be given to Riverside Library for their scheduled time. Mrs. Van De Carr reported that the Library had received the letter from the State today announcing that the Library had been awarded the Fiscal Year 2007 Public Library Per Capita Grant in the amount of $46,217.71. She added that the Library would present the Board with a budget for approval regarding how the Library proposes to spend the grant funds. In response to an inquiry by Mr. Van Metre, she explained that this is the highest or one of the highest awards the Library has received for this grant; there were years in which it was funded at only 74 cents per capita while this one is about $1.17 per capita. Mrs. Van De Carr stated she had attended a meeting with City staff regarding the City Commons/Library Commons project which will re-landscape the area all around the Library as well as the corner of the parking lot. The City Council approved the contract on Monday night and next week there will be a pre-construction meeting with the contractor; the plan is for the project to begin in April and to be substantially complete by mid July, which includes the Reading Garden. The first set of bricks will be ordered within the next week there have been 27 sold thus far. Mrs. Van De Carr added that she will reiterate to City staff the importance of uninterrupted, safe access to the Library during all of the construction. She has provided the business hours of the Library so that the construction can be arranged around those hours. In closing, Mrs. Van De Carr reviewed the Library's statistics for the month, reporting that year-to-date circulation continues to be higher than last year's circulation, although February 2007 was a little under February 2006. She stated that it's not surprising considering the weather, and the fact that the Library closed at 6:00 p.m. one day due to a blizzard. She had read an article in the Chicago Tribune last week that stated that retail sales were way down in February this year and they attributed it to the poor weather. Mrs. Van De Carr stated that 4,000 items is not even two full days of circulation, so February was still a good month, just a little slow due to the weather. Mrs. Van De Carr reviewed other statistics in the packet, including the audiovisual collection, and explained that the book collection for the year will continue to show a negative because of the shift that was done to accommodate the audiovisual collection and that she would be adjusting next year's target figures. Mr. Benka stated that it should be noted that the 10,000 volume decrease in the collection was due to a shift to make more room for the audiovisual collections, to which Mrs. Van De Carr agreed. Mr. Crandus asked how the door counts were determined, to which Mrs. Van De Carr replied that there is a laser counter at the front doors, although it is not 100% accurate, such as if 3 people walk in together they may not each be counted, but this is the most efficient way to obtain a tally. She added that staff does a head count at each Library program, and any community group that uses a meeting room is asked to fill out a form and return it within a week of their program indicating how many people attended their event; these are ways the Library shows how the building is being utilized. Mr. Benka asked Mrs. Van De Carr to look into what accounted for the difference in the outreach statistics for February 2007, which was about 2,000 people less that those reached in February 2006. Mrs. Hall stated that part of the reason for the difference could be that Children's Services visited all of the first grade classes, whereas in 2007 visits were done differently. Mrs. Van De Carr stated that she would look into the reasons and report back to the Board. COMMITTEE REPORTS Mr. Schmidt apologized for not having the Library staff introduce themselves to the new Library Board Trustee, Mr. Arthur Davis earlier. The assembled staff, and Alderman Wynn Ryan, introduced themselves. Planning & Operations: Mr. Crandus stated that the Committee had discussed talking points with the Aldermen and determined which Board members would speak to which aldermanic candidate. Points to discuss about the Library with the candidates included: quality, relevance, and that the Library be “at the table” when there are discussions about City services and City facilities. Mr. Crandus invited the individual Board members to summarize their meetings with the candidates, and discussion ensued regarding those meetings. It was decided that a dinner at the Library should be held for the newly elected candidates soon after the election, somewhere in late May or early June. Mrs. Van De Carr stated she would look into potential dates. Mr. Crandus reported that the Committee also discussed which library they would be visiting, and it was decided that they would visit the Elmhurst Library. Mr. Benka asked Mrs. Van De Carr to obtain copies of that Library's newsletters and in-house publications, if possible, to which Mrs. Van De Carr stated she would also give them the website information for Elmhurst. Mr. Crandus stated that Mrs. Van De Carr reported to the Committee that the newly developed Technology Survey would now be given to new hires in order to tailor their training and that Library staff has expanded computer training workshops for the public to meet demand. He added that the Committee also did a walk-through of all of the Park Ridge Library's financial information just to get everyone on the Committee on the same page. Marketing & Fund-Raising: Mrs. O'Neill-Burke reviewed the Committee meeting minutes, stating that the Committee discussed possible future fund raising possibilities and Mrs. Harrison had discussed a proposal for obtaining more donations for the Buy-A-Brick project during the Taste of Park Ridge to get people to donate smaller amounts and then have that matched by businesses in town. Mrs. Harrison stated that she and Mrs. Van De Carr will work together to come up with a process for this. Mrs. O'Neill-Burke reported that the Committee voted on the 2007 Annual Library Award Nominations. After discussion, the Committee voted that the 2007 Annual Library Award be awarded to Richard and Dorothy DuSold. Mrs. Van De Carr stated that a number of nominations were received and the feeling of the Committee was that the DuSolds do a lot for the Library and have always been very supportive of what the Library does, and they are always very active in working for the betterment of the Library. Since the April Board meeting falls during National Library Week, she suggested that the DuSolds be invited to the Board meeting and be given the Award at the meeting. Mr. Benka asked why there isn't a formal motion. Mr. Crandus stated that there were a lot of nominations for the award. Mrs. Van De Carr added that many Library staff were among the nominations. Alderman Wynn Ryan asked that the nominees be recognized as well, to which Mrs. Van De Carr stated that in 2006 letters were also sent to all nominees. Mr. Benka made a MOTION: formally recognize the selection of Richard and Dorothy DuSold as recipients of the 2007 Annual Library Award. Mr. Schmidt SECONDED the motion. Roll call vote. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mrs. O'Neill-Burke mentioned that the Committee also discussed the sign for the outside of the building which is to be installed this summer, and that a decision will be made after final decision on the font is made for the other signs on the City Commons. She added that welcome packets were sent to all the new townhomes. Mrs. O'Neill-Burke asked Mrs. Van De Carr what the grant was that the Library applied for, to which Mrs. Van De Carr replied that it is a safety grant which is a joint project with the Fire Department to provide libraries with funds to provide information to the community on personal safety and disaster preparedness. Library Resources: Mr. Benka reported that the Committee had asked Mrs. Van De Carr to look at the Library's internet access policy in preparation for the Library's annual spring policy review. Mrs. Van De Carr will gather information about filtering and share with the Committee prior to the April Committee meeting. Mr. Benka stated that Mrs. Lofthouse had reported on her attendance at the February 24 Illinois Library Association Trustee Seminar: An interesting item she shared was that Senator Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge is interested in advocating through the Legislature a curriculum for parents about Internet use by their children. Mr. Benka added that Mrs. Lofthouse would be giving a presentation at this evening's meeting regarding that meeting. Mr. Benka said the Committee also discussed the possibility of Library Administration contacting District 64 and possibly District 207 to see if they would be interested in a combined effort to develop a curriculum for parents regarding internet use if they don't already have one, and if one already exists, for the Library to find out that information. Mr. Benka added that the Committee looked at the action plans and determined that they are being implemented in a timely fashion. The Committee also reviewed the list of aldermanic candidates and the talking points to be highlighted during conversations with each as Board members meet with them. Building & Grounds: Mrs. Lofthouse reported that at the Committee meeting Mr. Weiland reported on the front door project, stating that now was the time to begin. Mr. Weiland reported that JTS, one of the bidders appears to be out of business and therefore he recommends that the Library go with MJB Contractors for $9,785. Mrs. Van De Carr explained that the Library has worked with MJB Contractors before and have been pleased with the quality of their work, and MJB is willing to work during the overnight hours (after 9:00 p.m.) while the building is closed. Mrs. Harrison asked if the security gates would be changed when the doors are replaced, to which Mrs. Van De Carr stated that no, they would not. Some discussion ensued regarding the temperature change in the lobby when the doors are wide open, what things are done to negate that, and the possibility of installing an air lock door. On behalf of the Committee, Mrs. Lofthouse made a MOTION: to accept the bid from MJB Contractors to replace the two front Library doors (on Prospect Avenue) at a cost of $9,785.00. Roll call vote. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Mrs. Lofthouse stated that Mr. Weiland reported that the work on the wall in the Young Adult Loft was almost complete, that the cleaning crew was working well, and that the HVAC work would begin on April 19. Mr. Benka had suggested that the Library switch the light bulbs in the building to the energy-saving bulbs, to which Mr. Weiland reported that most of the lighting in the building had already been converted to the more energy efficient lighting the areas waiting for the retrofit are the Young Adult Loft and the new Reader Services third floor office, where the construction of a wall has just been completed. Mrs. Lofthouse stated that the Committee discussed the parking issue in the Central Lot, and Mrs. Van De Carr reported at the meeting that she and Mr. Benka had met with Mr. Derifield at the City. At that meeting they were told that the parking permits for the tenants across Prospect Avenue will be shifted this spring prior to construction on the central lot and that the Library staff will have the row of parking behind the building that faces Touhy. Alderman Wynn Ryan spoke briefly about the City's Strategic Plan, stating that it was finally committed to paper, and then after some objections by various aldermen, it was voted down and no longer exists. Alderman Wynn Ryan added that with a new Council, the Library has a new opportunity to present their ideas and requests. She added that she doesn't understand how the new police station has gotten to this point, nor how infrastructure for new condos is going to get in the way of putting the Library next, but so much of the emphasis in the Council is how the city is going to cope with the new residential development, and it seems that the new police station and the new residents are the only items on the radar. Alderman Wynn Ryan added that she hopes the new Council will be amenable to treating the Library with the prominence that it should have. Mr. Benka thanked her for her comments. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY Nothing to report. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Mrs. Van De Carr presented Alderman Wynn Ryan, as City Council Liaison to Library, with a special Library coffee mug as thanks for her work with the Board and Library. Alderman Wynn Ryan is not running for reelection to the Council. NEW BUSINESS Mrs. Van De Carr directed the attention of the Board to the stack of copies of information that Mrs. Lofthouse had picked up at the February 24 Illinois Library Association Trustee Seminar. Mrs. Lofthouse gave a Power Point presentation to the Library Board regarding what she had learned at the seminar about “The Big Shift” in library services and objectives from internal to global. And even though it is thought that library space has to shrink due to so much being available online, the viewpoint of the user is still that the library is a place to get books. A Library's online presence is also important. COMMENTS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC None. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Crandus MOVED to adjourn the Board meeting. Ms. Hynous SECONDED the motion. Voice vote. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting adjourned at 8:57 p.m. |
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