JOHNSTON LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MINUTES

February 21, 2008

The Johnston Public Library Board of Trustees met for a regular meeting at 5:30 pm on Thursday February 21, 2008 in the Archive Room.  Present were Shirley Weuve, Steve Scott, Stephan Johnson, Ellen Jessen, Taena Fowler, Council Liaison Gerd Clabaugh, Director Willona Goers and Assistant Director Maurine Myers.

Approve Agenda

Steve Scott moved approval of the agenda.  Ellen Jessen seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.

Citizen Comments

Comments in the Patron Comment/Suggestion book included questions about why the library does not have a telephone for public use, why printer copies cost $.25 and why the loan period is shortened for high demand items.

Meeting Minutes 

Steve Scott moved approval of the minutes.  The motion was seconded by Taena Fowler and unanimously approved.

Approve bills

Library claims for the month total $19,536.53 with city back charges of $12,351.06.

Ellen Jessen moved approval of the bills.  The motion was seconded by Stephan Johnson and unanimously approved.

Petty Cash reserve

Steve Scott moved that the petty cash fund be raised by $75.00.  Ellen Jessen seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.

Automatic Door Annual Maintenance Agreement

Willona was directed to sign the Automatic Door annual maintenance agreement per the approval of the Board.

WILBOR Downloadable Audio Consortium Contract

Willona presented the WILBOR Downloadable Audio Consortium proposal for discussion. Stephan Johnson moved approval of the WILBOR Downloadable Audio Contract contingent upon approval by the City Council.  Taena Fowler seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.

Library Trust Policy

A draft of a Trust Policy for the Johnston Public Library was presented and discussed.

Steve Scott moved approval of the policy.  The motion was seconded by Stephan Johnson and unanimously approved.

Policy Revision

Steve Scott moved approval of changes to the policy manual that remove references to the public typewriter which is beyond repair and has been retired from service. These changes are as follows: 1) Table of Contents 2) Services on p.65 and 3) the Typewriter policy on p.70 is to be removed.  The newly approved Trust Policy will be inserted on p.70 and the TV/VCR policy moved to p.71.  Stephan Johnson seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.

Board Evaluation

Willona distributed a synopsis of last year’s Board evaluation.  Following discussion, the Board agreed to follow up on areas where improvement was indicated and to reconsider a new evaluation in August that would be completed in September.   Also discussed was the process for recruiting/selecting new board members as two trustees’ terms will expire this year.

Budget and Finance

As of January 31, 2008, total expenditure was $540,867.79.  Spending represents 56.71% of the budget with 58.33% of the year having passed.

Shirley and Willona met with State Representative Walt Tomenga to discuss concerns about the state funding for libraries.  Willona reported no further update on the Polk County negotiations and the Amended Budget for FY07/08 was approved by City Council.

Statistics

• Circulation was up slightly; however, we are continuing to feel the impact from the winter’s inclement weather.
• Four adult programs were held in January with a total of 40 attendees.  There were a total of 26 youth programs with 659 in attendance.  This is just over 200 more program attendees (+42.6% increase) compared to January 2007.

Director’s Report

Building and Grounds:

• The concrete grinding work done by Public Works in the Meeting Room was somewhat successful in resolving the divider problems.
• Interior painting of selected public areas and the Meeting Room was begun on President’s Day while the library was closed and completed that week.
• Public Works has done a great job keeping up with the snow removal during the month of January.
• Chief Nichols is arranging for a trained security officer to do a building survey to identify security vulnerabilities.

Public Relations and Networking:

• The 2nd email notification from the Library’s website to publicize upcoming events was sent in early February.
• The newspaper project with the Johnston Historical Society continues as Society volunteers have been preparing library materials for filming and digitizing.
• The Central Iowa Library Service Area (CILSA) board met here on February 20th.  Willona hosted the meeting, providing details about Johnston’s library services and a tour of the building.
• The Iowa Library Association president-elect visited the library for a tour in preparation for the ILA annual planning session that will be held in the meeting room on November 7. 
• Willona has committed to the Library hosting a Johnston Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Before Business event on June 10.  Willona will also attend the Chamber’s annual banquet on February 12.
• The Johnston Community Education Resource Council is considering conducting a new community assessment to update the one last completed in 2003.  Willona is on the subcommittee that is working on this.
• Willona participated in a strategic workshop for the Partnership for a Healthy Community in January.
• Willona will present a program titled “Intellectual Freedom Issues and Challenges” to Delta Kappa Gamma on March 4.
• In an effort to increase our programming options at the Library, we will be offering several events during MoneySmart Week @ Iowa.  This initiative, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank, will focus on financial education during the week of April 5 – April 12, 2008.
• AARP will offer the usual tax assistance on the two Saturdays.
• There will be a class on April 6 for middle-schoolers and their parent/grandparents to introduce the basics of money management. 
• April 8 a presenter will offer a class on the ABCs of Retirement Accounts. 
• April 12 will be free “Shred Day”.  In an effort to prevent identify theft, participants can have up to 100 pounds of paper shredded.  This will be courtesy of Document Destruction and Recycling Services of Altoona who is donating its truck, staff and shredding free of charge.
• Upcoming programs for adults will include a program on Traditional Chinese Medicine and a joint program on Johnston history with the Johnston Historical Society.

Technology, Telecommunications, Networking:

• The EnvisionWare project is nearing completion.  Willona, Dreama and Maurine worked to decommission the old computers, rearrange and setup the 12 new computers, the reservation station and the print release station.
• On Monday the 18th, we worked with the EW technician on a remote install of the software and MBS on the setup of the laser printer and coin-op unit.
• We are continuing testing, policy decisions and training this week. 

Staff & Training Update:

• We are compiling a list of the continuing education classes taken by staff members during the fiscal year.  Nearly every staff member has taken at least one class and we have accumulated more than 90 CEU’s for those who are tracking hours for re-certification.
• Interviews are being conducted for the part time Circulation Clerk position.  Through a reallocation of hours, we will be hiring for 11 hours/week.
• Willona will be attending the Public Library Association exhibits on March 26 & 27 and Maurine will register for the virtual conference activities.
• Willona & Maurine will attend the Computers in Libraries 2008 Conference from April 7-9, 2008.

Foundation Report:

• The Foundation Board held its annual meeting in February.
• A copy of the Foundation’s Annual report was distributed.
• The Lions Club Book Sale is scheduled for Thursday, March 6 – Saturday March 8, 2008.  The Foundation annually receives a substantial donation from the Lions from this event.

Trustee Comments

Ellen and Shirley presented an update on the upcoming Foundation, Staff & Trustee event.  The event will be February 22 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm with remarks by Shirley and Willona scheduled for 5:40 pm.

March Board Meeting

Reminder:  the March Board meeting was rescheduled for Monday March 24 at 5:30 pm.

Adjournment:

Stephan Johnson moved adjournment of the meeting.  The motion was seconded by Ellen Jessen, unanimously approved and the meeting adjourned at 6:50 pm.

Stephan Johnson, Secretary