Board Minutes

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
September 20, 2005

The regular meeting of the Des Plaines Public Library Board of Trustees was held in the second floor conference room on Tuesday, September 20, 2005. President Noreen Lake called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM.

Members Present: Susan Burrows, William Grice, Jerry Mahony, Noreen Lake, Rhys Read, Elaine Tejcek, Susan Weinberg.

Members Absent: Eldon Burk, Mary Ellicson.

Also Present: Sandra Norlin, Martha Sloan, Leslie Steiner, Hector Marino, Alderman Carla Brookman, Sue D’Hondt.

CONSIDERATION OF THE AGENDA.

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

PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.

None.

CITY COUNCIL COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE – Alderman Carla Brookman.

Alderman Brookman was in attendance, but did not give a report.

CONSENT AGENDA

Elaine Tejcek asked that V.D.2. Friends of the Library Report be removed from the Consent Agenda.
Elaine Tejcek asked that Mr. Dairus Rivera be changed to Mr. Darius Rivera.

MOTION by Susan Weinberg, seconded by Susan Burrows, to accept the Friends of the Library report, as amended. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Sue D’Hondt reported that the Friends of the Library will implement changes to the booksale so that it can run more efficiently.

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by William Grice, to accept the Consent Agenda, as amended. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by William Grice, to approve the Financial Reports for August 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 $ 11,536.37
2. Petty Cash Expenditures $ 32.05
3. Budget Expenditures for August $ 576,621.10
4. Expenditures Year to Date $ 3,652,036.51
5. Revenue for August $ 28,624.02
6. Revenue Year to Date $ 2,888,116.10

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

August 01, 2005 $ 46,351.06
August 15, 2005 $ 79,440.06
Total $ 125,791.12

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

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

August 04, 2005 $ 117,202.29
August 18, 2005 $ 115,942.90
September 01, 2005 $ 111,779.81
Total $ 344,925.00

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

NEW BUSINESS

Sandra Norlin distributed her director’s report to the Board.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

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

PERSONNEL

Resignations or separations for July/August: Vincenzo Brunetti, Ruben Rodriguez, and Devangi Patel, Pages, Part-time, Circulation Services; Heidi Hilton, Reference Librarian, Part-time, and Jaye Domecq, Circulation Assistant, Full-time.

We have completed our hiring process to fill two vacancies for full time positions in Circulation Services and have begun the process to hire a full-time Technical Services Assistant.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Our quarterly staff meeting on September 22 will feature Mayor Arredia, who will present an update on the community projects in Des Plaines. Our reference staff will give a brief training session on the community information that we have available to the public.

This year we will send three staff members (Hector Marino, Martha Sloan, and Christina Tropea) to the Guadalajara Book Fair. In addition to the fair, they will all participate in activities to advance our Sister City partnership. Hector will present a program on how we have developed our partnership with the Benjamin Franklin Library in Guadalajara.

PATRON SERVICES

We are holding a slight increase in circulation for the month and holding at almost level for our Year to Date circulation activities. Of the total number of materials that are checked out, 52% are print (64% of Youth items and 47% of Adult items). The total use of our online databases was over 14,000 for the month of August. Our attendance count is down by 6.6%. Use of our self check machines remains steady at 22% of the total items checked out at the main library. We are making progress on increasing the number of library cards issued to residents, now at 62%.

We received great news this week that we have been awarded the $37,174.00 grant for “Building Community through Creative Conversations.” Our grant writers, Margie Borris, Martha Sloan, and Joanne Griffin are to be congratulated. Joanne will be the administrator of this grant project.

Margie Borris has been attending organizing meetings for the community response to the arrival of families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We will provide full library service to our new residents and are considering ways to take our services to their new home on the Maryville campus.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

I attended a farewell reception for Sharron McCoy, who is retiring as Director of the Morton Grove Public Library (8/20), the Friends of the Library Roundtable meeting (8/23), a welcome reception for the new Director of the State Library, Anne Craig, at NSLS headquarters (8/26), and the Library Cable Network annual Strategic Planning meeting (9/15).

On September 16 I, along with Hector Marino, Martha Sloan, and Margie Borris, provided a tour for a committee of librarians and architects from Mexico. They were in the Chicago area to gather information and ideas for their construction planning for the new Benjamin Franklin Public Library in Guadalajara. In addition to our library, they toured the Harold Washington library in Chicago and the Oak Park Public Library. They praised our facility for its warm and inviting atmosphere.

FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Rhys Read reported that the Finance Committee met to discuss the proposed FY2006 budget documents. Sandra Norlin distributed the budget papers to the Board.

Rhys Read reported that the Finance Committee recommends that the line item for natural gas be increased from $20,000 to $26,000 and that administrative charges provided by the City of Des Plaines not be included in the first draft of the budget, but be added after the charges are approved by the City Council. The approximate costs for the administrative fees are $33,000.

MOTION by Committee, to present the 2006 library budget to City Manager, David Niemeyer, on September 21, 2005, as modified. VOTE: AYES: Burrows, Grice, Lake, Mahony, Read, Tejcek, Weinberg. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by Susan Weinberg, to approve the Per Capita Grant application. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Eldon Burk will attend the October 17 City Council meeting, Elaine Tejcek the November 7 meeting and Jerry Mahony the November 21 meeting. All board members will attend the October 3 City Council meeting.

MOTION by William Grice, seconded by Jerry Mahony, to approve payment to Thomson Gale in the amount of $9,381.75, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library. VOTE: AYES: Burrows, Grice, Lake, Mahony, Read, Tejcek, Weinberg, NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Rhys Read will write the next column, Splinters From The Board, for the library newsletter, Foreword.

OTHER

The Board will review changes to the library personnel policy and vote on the changes at the October 18 board meeting.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by Susan Weinberg, to enter into an Executive Session at 8:15PM To Discuss Probable or Imminent Litigation. Vote: Ayes: All. Nays: None. MOTION CARRIED.

The regular session reconvened at 8:26PM and was called to order by President Noreen Lake.

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

The meeting adjourned at 8:26PM.

Minutes prepared by Martha Sloan.

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