Board Minutes

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
September 19, 2006

The regular meeting of the Des Plaines Public Library Board of Trustees was held in the second floor conference room on Tuesday, September 19, 2006. President Noreen Lake called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.

ROLL CALL.

Roll call indicated the following board members were present: Mary Bahamon, Eldon Burk, Mary Ellicson, William Grice, Noreen Lake, George Magerl, Jerry Mahony, Rhys Read.

Members Absent: Elaine Tejcek.

Also Present: Sandra Norlin, Hector Marino, Martha Sloan, Leslie Steiner, Carol Kidd, Wally Meyer.

OATH OF OFFICE

Rhys Read, William Grice and Maria G. Bahamon took the Oath of Office.

CONSIDERATION OF THE AGENDA.

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by William Grice, 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 Carla Brookman was ill and did not attend the meeting.

CONSENT AGENDA

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

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

1. Over the Counter Receipts $ 11,199.39
2. Petty Cash Expenditures $ 19.00
3. Budget Expenditures for August $ 573,704.98
4. Expenditures Year to Date $ 3,498,494.52
5. Revenue for August $ 41,396.16
6. Revenue Year to Date $ 2,749,491.27

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

August 07, 2006 $ 35,852.93
August 21, 2006 $ 66,942.30
Total $ 102,795.23

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

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

August 03, 2006 $ 120,394.64
August 17, 2006 $ 119,248.14
August 31, 2006 $ 123,220.67
Total $ 362,863.45

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

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

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

PERSONNEL

New employees for August 2006: Stephen Galt, Claire Greene, Anna Andreeva, and Chang Hong, Pages and James Clair, Clerk, all in Circulation Services.

Resignation/Separations: David Choi and Sue Roberts, Technology Pages and Rodrigo Lopez and Naman Patel, Pages.

The Reclassification Committee has held five meetings to review job descriptions and to make recommendations for salary ranges for 2007-2009. We hope to conclude our work within the next two weeks. We will present our recommendations to the Management Committee for approval.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Several staff members attended a morning seminar on Web 2.0, the new term for the interactive use of the worldwide web. They are enthusiastically behind the plan to create a new position at the library: Web Services Librarian. This person will be responsible for continuously learning about new technological advances that are applicable and useful to public libraries; informing staff of the possibilities, coordinating the planning for introducing new services, and coordinating the implementation. We are taking advantage of a vacant position to create the new one.

PATRON SERVICES

After last month’s large increase, circulation has settled down somewhat. Print materials counted for 63% of the circulation of Children’s’ materials and 31% of Adult materials. Patrons used the self-check equipment to checkout 23% of the items circulated from the main library. August is the month for regular maintenance of the Mobile Library. Attendance at the library has increased by 17.3%, year to date over 2005. Meeting Room attendance also increased (9.3%).

Computer use topped 13,000, a record for us. This was an increase of 10% over July, 2006. Use of our online reference resources increased by 5.8% with over 15 thousand searches.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

I attended the Library Cable Network Executive Committee meeting on 8/17, the Friends of the Library meeting on 8/22, a Focus Group of Library Directors on Advocacy at NSLS on 8/30, the Rotary Golf Fundraiser on 9/7, a Chamber of Commerce Board Membership meeting on 9/8, the First Lady’s Luncheon on 9/9, the Intellectual Freedom program at Glenview Public Library on 9/11, the NSLS Board Management meeting on 9/11, the NSLS Board Development Committee on 9/12, the Chamber Board Meeting and CCS Executive Committee meetings on 9/13, the NSLS Workshop of Friends Groups and Fundraising, a Women Library Directors Luncheon, and the Senior Center Subcommittee on Accreditation on 9/14.

NEW BUSINESS

MOTION by William Grice, seconded by George Magerl, to approve the Per Capita Grant and submit the application to the Illinois State Library. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Eldon Burk will attend the October 2 City Council meeting; George Magerl the October 16 meeting; Jerry Mahony the November 6 meeting and Rhys Read the November 20 meeting.

William Grice reported that the Building and Grounds Committee met on September 19, 2006 to discuss the Friends of the Library request for access to library property. The Committee consensus was to continue to have designated Friends volunteers sign in and out when working in the book storage room and to have a key to the Friends book storage room at the desk, to ask the Friends to make the book storage room safer by clearing off top shelves that are close to pipes, to have the Committee view the room after the booksale, to have volunteers wear security picture badges and to encourage volunteers for the Friends of the Library to complete health and medical history forms. The Building and Grounds Committee will meet again on October 17, 2006 at 5:30 p.m.

Sandra Norlin asked for Board approval to purchase a book drop from Midwest Library Systems in the amount of $5,856.00. Sandra explained that one of the book drops located in the parking garage was damaged last year by a patron and that the library received a check from the patron’s insurance company to pay for damages.

Rhys Read asked why the library did not go out for bid for the book drop and Sandra Norlin responded that a price was also obtained from Demco, but that Midwest Library System was less expensive.

MOTION by Committee, to approve payment to Midwest Library Systems in the amount of $5,856.00 for the purchase of an outside book drop that includes book carts, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Mahony, Read. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Sandra Norlin introduced Hector Marino, Coordinator of Computer & Technical Services, who presented a short video on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) as it is used at the Warren Newport Library in Gurnee. Sandra Norlin explained how this technology would streamline circulation processing and be used as a new theft detection system that would replace the current 3M equipment. The cost of the system would be approximately $500,000, which Sandra Norlin proposed be added to the 2007 and 2008 budget line items.

The Board discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the RFID system and agreed to postpone making a decision on this project until discussions for the 2008 budget begin in 2007.

The Board made the following changes to the proposed FY2007 draft budget:
Transfer $84,950 from line item 980410 Computer Hardware from Fund 201 to Fund 202.
Add $50,000 to line item 990940 Trans to Capital Projects Fund.

MOTION by Rhys Read, seconded by Jerry Mahony, to approve the first draft of the FY2007 budget, as amended. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Mahony, Read. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Sandra Norlin distributed a list of items to be declared surplus property.

MOTION by Committee, to declare the following equipment surplus property and to dispose of the equipment according to library policy. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Quantity Description Condition
Meeting Room Storage
26 Bretford Concave Style 30” x 60” Tables Good
1 Table Cart
1 Miscellaneous Box of Table Parts

Storage Room 1st Level
8 Red Chairs with Arms
1 Blue Chair / No Arms
4 File Cabinets
3 Wooden Book Bins
3 Table Lamps Non-working
1 Floor Lamp Non-working
1 Television and Metal Cart
25 Canvas Bags for Framed Art
1 Wooden Cart with Cloner Parts
1 DVD Monitor Non-working
1 Rotating Art Display-Wood/Plexiglas
1 Liberty Bell Replica
1 Laminator
20 Metal Puzzle Racks

Youth Services
10 Egg footrest/stool - Baleri Italia Tato

Adult Services Work Room
30 Princeton Files


Sandra Norlin asked the Board to approve the purchase of 25 tables from Mity Lite Incorporated at a cost of $5,000.00. Sandra stated that the library would purchase 25 tables and the Friends of the Library would purchase 25 tables and that the Friends of the Library would have use of the tables for their booksales.

MOTION by Committee, to purchase 25 tables from Mity Lite Incorporated at a cost of $5,000.00, which is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Mahony, Read. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

Sandra Norlin asked the Board to approve a contract with Lohan Anderson for the redesign of the first floor atrium circulation area in the amount of $15,000.00.

Motion by Committee, to enter into an agreement with Lohan Anderson to redesign the first floor atrium circulation area, which is a budgeted item, and is in the best interest of the Des Plaines Public Library. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: Bahamon, Burk, Ellicson, Grice, Lake, Magerl, Mahony, Read. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

William Grice will retire in 2008 and plans to stay with the library board as long as possible.

Noreen Lake stated that she made Committee assignments for 2006/2007.

The Board discussed planning a retreat for board development. Sandra Norlin will contact facilitators.

President Lake welcomed George Magerl and Maria Bahamon to the Library Board.

The Management Committee will meet on October 16, 2006 at 4:30 p.m. to discuss C-8 Rules of Conduct, which will address patron complaints about noise levels and to discuss setting policy for Friends of the Library request for access to library property.

Noreen Lake stated that the Veterans of Foreign War received the Governor’s Hometown Award and has asked Sandra Norlin and Veronica Schwartz to attend the ceremony in Springfield on October 18, 2006.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

MOTION by Eldon Burk, seconded by William Grice, to enter into an Executive Session at 9:13 p.m. to discuss Compensation, Discipline or Performance of a Specific Employee. Vote: Ayes: All. Nays: None. MOTION CARRIED.

The regular session reconvened at 9:27 p.m. and was called to order by President Noreen Lake.

MOTION by William Grice, seconded by Maria Bahamon, to affirm the decision made in Executive Session regarding Compensation, Discipline or Performance of a Specific Employees. VOTE: AYES: All. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

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

The meeting adjourned at 9:28 p.m.

Minutes prepared by Carol Kidd.