Scottsbluff Public Library

Board

Regular Meeting –8:00 a.m.

Library Meeting Room

April 29, 2009

Minutes

 

  1. Roll Call

    2. President Teresa Clark called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Present were Library Board members Teresa Clark, Carol Holyoke, Eric Vath and Kristin Wiebe. Library Board member Marg Dredla was absent. Also present were Library Director Bev Russell and Deb Carlson (acting secretary for meeting).

    A notice of the meeting had been published on April 24, 2009, in the Star Herald, a newspaper published and of general circulation in the city. The notice stated the date, hour and place of the meeting, that the meeting would be open to the public. Anyone with a disability desiring reasonable accommodation to attend the library board meeting should contact the Library Director’s office. An agenda of the meeting, kept continuously current, was available for public inspection at the office of the Library Director. The Library Board could modify the agenda at the meeting if it is determined that an emergency so required. A similar notice, together with a copy of the agenda, also had been delivered to each Library Board member.

  2. For public information, a copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act is posted by the doors in the library meeting room.

    3. Teresa announced that a copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act was posted by the doors in the meeting room.

  3. Notice of changes in the agenda. (Additions may not be made to this agenda less than 24 hours before the beginning of the meeting unless added under item 3 of this agenda.)

    4. There were none.

  4. Citizens with business not scheduled on the agenda. (As required by state law, no matter may be considered under this item unless the board determines that the matter requires emergency action.)

    5. There were none.

  5. Approve special Library Board meeting minutes of March 19, 2009.

    6. Eric Vath moved the minutes of the March 19, 2009 be approved. Carol Holyoke seconded.

    Yes – Vath, Clark, Holyoke, Wiebe. No – None

    The minutes were approved.

  6. Correspondence: Letter from City Manager appointing Marg Dredla to the Library Board to fill the unexpired term of Sue Waite.
    7.

    Bev read a letter from City Manager Rick Kuckkahn, appointing Marg Dredla to the Library Board replacing Sue Waite.

  7. Reports and recommendations from the Library Director and/or Library Staff:
    1. Library statistics and activities for March 2009 (See Board Packet)

      2. Bev has been reviewing the declining statistics and Jenni Powell realized that the library has been closed nearly one month over the course of a year with the reduced hours (closed Sundays, closing at 7:00 p.m. rather than 8:00 p.m., two snow days, etc.). This could account for the drop in statistics. Bev mentioned the scheduling crisis at the library. We are faced with being quite short staffed in May. She said that we may need to review using additional library volunteers as a possible help here. However, there are some concerns with using volunteers. Therefore, we will need to weigh all of the issues. Kristin had the idea of developing a core base of volunteers who would be aggressively trained to actually do the jobs and have designated work times.

      Sara Davis recently resigned her position as Library Technician to pursue another career opportunity. The library is in the process of hiring a replacement.

    2. Welcome new Library Board member Marg Dredla.

      3. Marg Dredla was absent from the meeting.

    3. Discussion of response to City Council regarding Essential/Desirable Services at the library and the Council’s draft Vision and Mission Statements.

Essential Services: Bev distributed the City Manager’s report to Council on Essential and Desirable services for the General Fund departments. The report will be filed with these minutes. The library is funded through the general fund.

Discussion began with the library’s essential service, which are as follows:
    1. Internet Access
    2. Print Materials
    3. Audio visual materials
    4. Educational programs
    5. Public computers
    6. Star-Herald on Microfilm
    7. Building upkeep and maintenance

Discussion focused primarily on the Star-Herald on microfilm. The library has the only archive of the Star-Herald’s back issues. Board members felt that the Star-Herald should pay for this service since the library housed their archive and provided reference service for them. The Board decided to have President Teresa Clark write a letter to Jim Holland, Publisher of the Star-Herald, and request them to pay for this subscription. The subscription price increases every year. During the 9 years Bev has been Library Director the cost has increased from $1,100 to $2,650 for the coming year.

The Board felt the other essential services were self-evident and basic to the successful operation of the library.

Desirable services: Bev explained that many of the "desirable" services had either no cost or minimal cost to provide. Kristin asked if there is a

way to estimate or weigh the cost of Interlibrary loan. Bev explained that staff time and postage are basically the only real expenses with it. Bev also commented that the budget for CE is minimal, and that we wrote grants for some of it.

Regarding the Federal Depository Collection, all materials are provided free to us. The only expense is the time that it takes staff to maintain it. Bev is going to review the merits verses the problems with government documents and make a decision. The public use copy machines are making back our costs. The fax machine use is going extremely well. Bev is contemplating going to only one public use copy machine. When we get the new building

the plan is to put money on a card and pay "up front" for the copies.

Special – There will be minimal impact and no real expenses on those

services under "special".

Vision and Mission Statements: Bev told the Board that the City Council wants their input or "spin" on the Vision and Mission Statements. Overall the Library Board felt that it was too wordy, and also somewhat vague and ambiguous.

Teresa Clark will write a letter to the Star-Herald asking if they will begin covering the cost of having the Star-Herald microfilm done. Bev also indicated that she will look at increasing the use of new technology self check stations, etc.) to streamline procedures since we have had to cut the number of library staff.
    1. Library Board Accreditation with the State of Nebraska: Visit to new public library in Cheyenne – CE hours to be arranged

There was discussion from the Library Board as to whether it would

work for the group to go on a Sunday. If the Leo Daly team goes it

will have to be sometime during the week. After considerable

comparing, it was decided that the Board would try to go visit

Cheyenne Library independently and respond to a "pre-prepared" list

of topics, in order to get CE accreditation.

  1. Library building project and funding update and report on meetings with Leo Daly team on April 8 & 9, 2009

    2. Bev read John Massey’s letter. Thursday morning the group is going to meet to refine the new brochure. John believes the City of Scottsbluff should pay one half of the Leo Daly bill. John Massey thinks we should communicate with the Lied people again and ask if we could do a personal presentation on the library project with representatives from Leo Daly.

  2. Action Items:

    3. a. Formal response to the City Council about the recommended essential and desirable services at the library as well as the City vision and mission statements.

    Bev will draft a letter to the City Council, summarizing the Library Board’s response to the City Manager’s report on essential and desirable services at the library. She will e-mail it to each Board member for their suggestions before it is submitted to Council.

  3. Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 a.m. The next meeting will be June 3rd at 8:30 a.m. at the library.