BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
April 17, 2007

The regular meeting of the Des Plaines Public Library Board of Trustees was held in the second floor conference room on Tuesday, April 17, 2007. President Noreen Lake called the meeting to order at 4:06 p.m.

ROLL CALL.

Roll call indicated the following board members were present: Maria Bahamon, Eldon Burk, Mary Ellicson, William Grice, Noreen Lake, George Magerl, Elaine Tejcek.

Members Absent: Jerry Mahony, Rhys Read.

Also Present: Sandra Norlin, Martha Sloan, Leslie Steiner, Hector Marino, Carol Kidd, Roberta Johnson, Jill Franklin, Susan Farid, Barbara Saletnik, Mei-Na Chen, Christine Posinger, Kelli Phillips, Judy Reiss, Judy Clar, Matthew Bogusz.

CONSIDERATION OF THE AGENDA.

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by William Grice, to accept the agenda, as presented. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

INTRODUCTION OF STAFF MEMBERS – NATIONAL LIBRARY STAFF APPRECIATION DAY.

Sandra Norlin explained to the Board that the library was celebrating National Library Workers Day and introduced staff who were in attendance at the Board meeting. Sandra introduced Roberta Johnson, Readers’ Services Manager, Jill Franklin, Librarian II, Susan Farid, Head of Circulation Services, Barbara Saletnik, Assistant Head of Circulation Services, Mei-Na Chen, Page Supervisor, Christine Posinger, Librarian II, Kelli Phillips, Youth Services Assistant and Judy Reiss Youth Services Assistant. Staff who attended the meeting gave a brief description of the work that they do in the library.

PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

None

CITY COUNCIL COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE – Alderman Carla Brookman.

Alderman Brookman was not in attendance.

CLICKABLE CONTENT DEMONSTRATION – Roberta Johnson & Jill Franklin.

Sandra Norlin introduced Roberta Johnson, Readers’ Services Manager and Jill Franklin, Librarian II who demonstrated three components of the grant project “Clickable Content.” The new services are currently being previewed by library staff and will be available to the public later in the spring.

CONSENT AGENDA

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by Elaine Tejcek, to accept the Consent Agenda, as written. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

CONSENT AGENDA

Following monthly reports to be reviewed and placed on file for audit:

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by Elaine Tejcek, to approve, subject to audit, expenditures authorized by the Library Director and Board Representatives for library Warrant Registers as follows:

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Tejcek. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by Elaine Tejcek, to approve, subject to audit, expenditures for salaries made by the Library Director as follows:

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Tejcek. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

LIBRARY DIRECTOR’S REPORT
April 17, 2007

Please note: I have received no official requests for confidential patron information since my last report.

PERSONNEL

New employees for March/April 2007: Oswaldo Calvopina, Jr., IT Assistant, 03/29/07.

Resignations/Separations for March/April 2007: Naman Patel, Page, 04/06/07.

We have completed our interviews for the new Web Services Librarian position and have made an offer to our selected candidate.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Three staff members received Employee Bonus Awards for the first quarter of 2007. They are: Jill Franklin, Librarian II, Adult Services; Courtenay Simeone, Assistant Clerk, Circulation Services; and Becky Wenzel, Circulation Assistant, Circulation Services. They were nominated by other staff members and selected by me. They receive a cash award in addition to some small mementos.

The Inservice Day Committee is working on the plans for our annual Inservice Day on May 10. Martha Sloan is the committee chair.

We will be celebrating National Library Workers Day on April 17 with a brief reception with refreshments for the staff in the Library Conference Room immediately preceding the Board meeting.

We will continue our training for Coaching for Commitment on April 18. All supervisors attend these sessions led by Mary Jane Kepner.

Gail Bradley is the coach for the library’s first book cart drill team. The team, as yet nameless, will give its first public performance at Des Plaines’ Fourth of July Parade.

PATRON SERVICES

We have experienced a decrease in all areas of service except reference and readers’ advisory in the youth services department. Use of the self-check has increased again, doubling its use from a year ago and increasing to 46% of the circulation of materials from the main library.

Circulation of materials continues its pattern of growth in use of non-print materials. In March, print materials represented 50% of the total items circulated. Of the youth services collection, print circulation represents 66% of the total circulation, and in the adult services collection, print circulation represents 41% of the total circulation. There were slight increases in circulation of DVDs and in foreign language fiction from the youth services collection.

There were 13,483 uses of our online reference sources during the month of March, but that, too, was a decrease (15%) from March 2006.

As you will see demonstrated, the Adult Services Department is addressing the potential for expanding library services to readers and researchers through our website. The Clickable Content grant will add interactivity to our web-based services.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Since my last report I have attended the following meetings: Friends of the Library Roundtable (3/27), CCS Governing Board (3/28), Library Production Studio Videopalooza (3/29), and Chamber of Commerce Board Scholarship Committee (4/5). I gave a program on the library’s history to the Women’s Club at the Frisbie Senior Center on April 6. I will have attended the CCS Executive Committee (4/11) and the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (4/12).

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Noreen Lake asked for Board participation at “Defending Access with Confidence” at North Suburban Library Systems on May 10, 2007 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Board members who are interested in attending will contact Carol Kidd.

NEW BUSINESS

MOTION by William Grice, seconded by George Magerl, to purchase two tickets to attend Super Star Volunteers Awards Program for Sandra Norlin and Maria Bahamon on April 26, 2007. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

President Lake asked Board members if they wanted Sandra Norlin to prepare a resolution that states that the Board of Trustees of the Des Plaines Public Library opposes state mandated internet filtering. The Board consensus was to “wait and see” what lawmakers propose in the Illinois House of Representatives.

The Board will participate in an all day retreat on Saturday, September 15, 2007.

President Lake asked for Board approval to purchase a wreath to be presented at the Des Plaines Memorial Day ceremony, which is held at the Lake Park.

MOTION by William Grice, seconded by Mary Ellicson, to authorize Library Director Sandra Norlin to purchase a wreath for the Memorial Day ceremony in an amount not to exceed $100.00 and to present the wreath at the ceremony. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

President Lake asked Maria Bahamon, Eldon Burk and Mary Ellicson to send a letter to Mayor Arredia if interested in serving another term as Library Board Trustee.

Elaine Tejcek will resume writing a brief report about business conducted at the monthly Friends of the Library meetings, which will be included in the monthly board packets.

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by Maria Bahamon, to approve payment to KD Repair in the amount of $7,075.00 for a replacement generator for the mobile library, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library and is a budgeted expense. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Tejcek. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

MOTION by George Magerl, seconded by Elaine Tejcek, to approve the purchase of an APC Server Rack in the amount of $11,878.50, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library and is a budgeted expense. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Tejcek. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by George Magerl, to approve the purchase of 80 Dell Computers in the amount of $64,640.00, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library and is a budgeted expense. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Tejcek. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Board members asked if preteens and teenagers could use laptop computers in study rooms to minimize the noise on the fourth floor. Sandra Norlin stated that the laptop computers will be available for patron use inside the library and that library security monitors noise levels in the library.

MOTION by Elaine Tejcek, seconded by Mary Ellicson, to approve the purchase of 12 Dell Laptop Computers in the amount of $14,783.88, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library and is a budgeted expense. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Tejcek. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sandra Norlin reported that the Des Plaines Public Library and Rotary Club of Des Plaines will host the “Do the Dewey” fundraiser on April 21, 2007. Sandra thanked Eldon Burk for procuring the food donations and Elaine Tejcek for acquiring raffles prizes and asked for volunteers to work at the “Dewey”.

CORRESPONDENCE

President Lake stated that she received a letter from State Representative Fred Crespo asking for Board support for House Bill 1434 to expand access to affordable higher education by enabling Harper College to offer bachelor degrees in Technology Management and Public Safety Administration/Homeland Security. The Board consensus was to support this legislation and to sign the petition sent by Representative Crespo and to ask Library Director Sandra Norlin to write a letter in support of the bill.

MOTION Elaine Tejcek, seconded George Magerl, to ask Library Director Sandra Norlin to compose a letter to State Representative Fred Crespo supporting House Bill 1434 and to send the letter to elected area officials in the House and Senate. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Noreen Lake informed the Board that in the April 2007 issue of the ILA Reporter that there was an article titled Electronic Attendance at Meetings and asked the Board if they wanted to discuss this or forward to the Management Committee. The Board asked that this subject be discussed at the next Management Committee meeting.

MOTION by William Grice, seconded by George Magerl, to adjourn the regular meeting. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

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