Board Minutes

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
March 15, 2005

The regular meeting of the Des Plaines Public Library Board of Trustees was held in the second floor conference room on Tuesday, March 15, 2005. President Noreen Lake called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM.

Members Present: Eldon Burk, Susan Burrows, William Grice, Noreen Lake, Rhys Read, Susan Weinberg.

Members Absent: Mary Ellicson, Jerry Mahony, Elaine Tejcek.

Also Present: Sandra Norlin, Martha Sloan, Carol Kidd, Leslie Steiner, Hector Marino, Holly Richards Sorensen, Roberta Johnson, Sue D’Hondt.

CONSIDERATION OF THE AGENDA

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by Susan Burrows, to accept the agenda, as written. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

DEMONSTRATION OF THE LIBRARY’S WEBSITE FEATURES

Holly Richards Sorensen, Head of Adult Services, demonstrated how to navigate and use the library’s website. Holly also explained how to use the library’s online resources. Sandra Norlin stated that there has been a substantial increase in the remote use of library materials.

PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

None.

CITY COUNCIL COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE – Alderman Carla Brookman.

Alderman Brookman was not in attendance due to illness.

CONSENT AGENDA

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

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by Eldon Burk, to approve the Financial Reports for February 2005, as presented. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

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

1. Over the Counter Receipts $ 14,582.46
2. Petty Cash Expenditures $ 45.50
3. Budget Expenditures for February $ 376,555.59
4. Expenditures Year to Date $ 624,471.38
5. Revenue for February $ 10,538.92
6. Revenue Year to Date $ 122,031.08

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

February 07, 2005 $ 34,076.87
February 22, 2005 $ 75,090.93
Total $ 109,167.80

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Burk, Burrows, Grice, Lake, Read, Weinberg. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

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

February 03, 2005 $ 113,298.98
February 17, 2005 $ 112,777.16
Total $ 226,076.14

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Burk, Burrows, Grice, Lake, Read, Weinberg. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

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

PERSONNEL

Michelle Meyer-Edley resigned her position as Fulltime Reference Librarian, Adult Services and accepted a Part-time Reference Librarian position, effective 2.25.05.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Four staff members are attending the Bi Annual Spring Symposium of the Public Library Association in Chicago.

We held our quarterly All-Staff meeting on March 8. Gail Johnson of Face to Face Communication began our year-long customer service training and staff members demonstrated our assistive technology software, online program registration and meeting room reservation system, and explained the physical changes on third and fourth floors.

The annual In-Service Day planning committee has recommended that we take a bus trip to the Annual ALA Conference in Chicago this June. We can take 80-90 staff members and furnish a box lunch for the amount budgeted for the event. We will receive free ($25 value) passes to the exhibits from Demco, the library supplies and furniture company. We will need permission to close the library on Monday, June 27 rather than Thursday, May 12, 2005.

Miriam Pollack’s work with the Department Heads will begin with the Department Heads weekly meeting on March 23.

PATRON SERVICES

Circulation has decreased from one year ago, as has patron attendance. Patrons used self checkout for 22% of all circulation. Forty-five percent of all materials checked out were audio visual items (53% of the adult collection and 31% of the children’s). Out number of cardholders has grown slightly. Reciprocal borrowing (patrons of other libraries coming into our library to check out our materials) grew by 8.7% and Interlibrary Loan (sending our items out to other libraries and receiving items from other libraries for our patrons) grew by 17.5%. Searches of our databases increased by 73% in one year. Our patrons have used the online reference service MyWebLibrarian more than any other library in North Suburban in January (160 sessions) and February (161). I think we are seeing a growing trend of remote use of our electronic resources for reference and information purposes as well as an increase in use of our audiovisual collection. It is interesting to note that the decrease in circulation was in children’s materials.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

I participated in a discussion for library directors, led by Miriam Pollack, on global trends and how they affect library planning and services on 2/18. I also attended the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner/Dance on 3/18. I attended the annual NSLS Legislative Breakfast on 2/21, the Friends of the Library Roundtable Meeting on 2/22, a CCS Budget Committee meeting and a Public Library Administrators’ Forum on 2/23. The main topic of discussion at the PLA was a review Reciprocal Borrowing tenets and practices. The conclusion was that the statement needs to be updated. I attended a Do the Dewey planning meeting and was interviewed by a library science student on 2/24. I attended a luncheon meeting of woman library directors of 3/3, and the CCS Executive Committee meeting on 3/9. I will meet with Helen Guevara Cox from Guadalajara on 3/11 to discuss Sister Libraries and will attend the Chamber of Commerce Legislative Luncheon.

NEW BUSINESS

Rhys Read will attend the April 4 City Council meeting, Eldon Burk the April 18 meeting, Rhys Read the May 2 meeting and Noreen Lake the May 16 meeting.

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by Susan Burrows, to approve the purchase of two 3M Model 325 Media Checks and a one-year Maintenance Agreement in the amount of $6,268.00, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Burk, Burrows, Grice, Lake, Read, Weinberg. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Sandra Norlin asked for Board approval to close the library on Monday, June 27, 2005 for staff in-service training instead of Thursday, May 12, 2005. Sandra stated that Demco will provide exhibits passes for all staff to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 27, 2005.

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by William Grice, to close the library on June 27, 2005 instead of May 12, 2005, so that library staff can attend the American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Sandra Norlin asked for Board approval to enter into an agreement with NetLibrary/OCLC to provide E-audiobooks in a downloadable format to library patrons at a cost of $12,000.00. Roberta Johnson, Manager of the Readers’ Services Department explained how patrons would be able to download the E-audiobooks to their personal computers or MP3 players and have the material available to them for three weeks. Roberta explained that new book titles would be available monthly.

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by William Grice, to authorize Library Director Sandra Norlin to enter into an agreement with NetLibrary/OCLC for E-audiobooks in an amount not to exceed $12,000.00, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library. The funding for the E-audiobooks will come from the fiction and audio books 2005 budget. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Burk, Burrows, Grice, Lake, Read, Weinberg. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Hector Marino, Head of Computer & Technical Services, explained some of the benefits of becoming a sister library to the Benjamin Franklin Library in Guadalajara, Mexico. Sandra Norlin asked the Board if they were interested in partnering with the library in Guadalajara and the Board agreed to move ahead with the idea.

MOTION by William Grice, seconded by Susan Burrows, to move ahead with ideas to partner with the Benjamin Franklin Library in Guadalajara, Mexico, as a sister library. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eldon Burk reported that R. Franczak & Associates will tear down the old library building in the near future and has offered some of the bricks from the old building to the library. Eldon stated that the bricks could be used for fund raising purposes and asked if the Board was interested in selling the bricks. The consensus was to ask that about 2,000 bricks be saved for the library.

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by Rhys Read, to adjourn the regular meeting. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

The meeting adjourned at 8:58 PM.

Minutes prepared by Carol Kidd.

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