Chambana Sun

Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees met Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Here are the minutes as provided by Champaign Public Library:

Agenda Item #5 (a)

Library Board of Trustees

Minutes of Meeting

3rd Floor Conference Room, Main Library

October 26, 2016

1. The meeting was called to order at 5:34 p.m. by Vice President La Due.

2. Members Present: Mark Ballard, Katie Blakeman, Trisha Crowley, Michael La Due, Charles Lansford, and Minnie Pearson

Members Absent: Deb Busey, Orlando Thomas, and Martin Wolske

Library Staff Present: Donna Pittman, Amy Al-Shabibi, Jill Bouvet, Brent Colclasure, Debbie Keith, and Michael Rogalla

Visitors Present: Natalie Frankenberg, League of Women Voters

3. Approve the Revised Agenda:

• MOTION by Blakeman to approve the agenda as revised; seconded by Pearson. All: Aye.

4. Approve the Minutes:

a. Regular Meeting Minutes, September 21, 2016

• MOTION by Lansford to approve the minutes as presented; seconded by Pearson. All: Aye.

5. Director’s Report:

• Pittman reported we launched our new website which has a lot of photos of our library users. It has a very colorful, clean look. This was a two-year project involving many staff members, especially Amy Al-Shabibi and Evelyn Shapiro.

• Pittman announced there were 16 applications received for the Deputy Director position and a search committee of herself and three managers has been formed to review the applications.

• Pittman explained we have begun hanging frames with student artwork in the FriendShop area and on the east wall in the Children’s area. On November 6, the exhibit will be launched and the students and their families will be invited to view the work.

• Pittman is now a member of the Champaign Rotary Club. A Cannon grant application was completed for mobile meeting technology which would allow us to turn two of our study rooms into small meeting rooms where groups can gather and patrons can bring devices in to plug in and project information on the screen. Rotary has provided more than $50,000 in donations over the last 10 years to the library.

• Pittman attended ILA and went to a number of good programs while networking with other attendees.

• Pittman discovered the Naperville Public Library has a business startup center at their library and has held programs for entrepreneurs which has been very successful. Pittman talked to the Naperville librarian who has offered to consult and meet with us to find out what we could do here, using the Naperville experience as a model.

• Pittman made presentations to Ambucs and the Lions Club about the Library.

• Pittman met with Martin Wolske, Celeste Choate, Director of the Urbana Free Library, and Chris Scherer, Urbana Free Library’s Board President, to discuss how the libraries can work together more in the future.

• Our library applied for a grant together with Urbana Free Library for mobile hot spots and laptops that both libraries can check out to patrons.

• Pittman attended a property tax joint meeting held by the City of Champaign to find out about tax revenue projections for next year and beyond. There seems to be good news coming. Molly Talkington from City Finance will be at the November 16 Board meeting.

• Pittman informed the Board the Busey Computer Room is no longer designated a quiet computer room. There have been many problems which resulted in fights between adults. If patrons need quiet, we encourage them to use earbuds or headphones. If they have their own devices, they many use the quiet study rooms. We are ordering a few Chrome notebooks for patrons to check out for use anywhere in the library.

6. Strategic Planning:

• Pittman indicated she would like to consider delaying the strategic planning process at this time due to Wolske’s unexpected leave and until new staff are in place (Deputy Director, Children’s Services Manager, Teen Librarian, and Security Manager).

• The Board agreed to postpone at this time and revisit the subject and timeline in January, 2017.

7. Committee-of-the-Whole Policy Committee - Review of Library Card Registration Policy:

• La Due explained the Board will begin reviewing one policy per month to make sure it is current and update if necessary. The review of the Library Card Registration policy is now required.

• MOTION by Crowley to move into the Committee-of-the-Whole process for policy review, seconded by Ballard. All: Aye.

• Roll call was obtained – Busey, Thomas, and Wolske were absent.

(a) Reciprocal Borrowing:

Pearson explained the Library Card Registration Policy allows two items only for reciprocal borrowing for Mahomet and Tolono residents at the present time. This limit was created due to heavy use. At this time, Pittman is recommending increasing the limit on reciprocal borrowers from two items per card to 10 items per card beginning December 1, 2016 due to our circulation being lower and the possibility that increased use will help boost revenues for fees collected due to rental items and overdue items. It is unusual for a public library to have a limit as low as two items.

• MOTION from Committee to move to rise and report: Starting December 1, 2016 reciprocal borrower’s limits will be increased from two items to 10 items as discussed, all in favor: All: Aye. Motion passes.

8. Parking Lot Lease (605 S. Randolph St.):

• Pittman reported the parking lot behind the township building (now demolished) was leased by the library for $12,705 per year for staff parking. Staff also parks in the Do It Best hardware store parking lot at no cost. Green Street Realty has approached us about taking over our lease because it is adjacent to the new apartment building they are constructing and would like use of the lot.

• Pittman spoke to Linda Hempel, Trustee of the Kermit V. Nogle Trust, who is willing to terminate our lease agreement and provide us with a cancelled lease. This is an opportunity for us to save money.

• MOTION by Ballard to approach Trustee Linda Hempel to terminate the lease at 605 S. Randolph Street as presented; seconded by Pearson. All: Aye.

9. Intergovernmental Agreement with Urbana Free Library for Shared Automation System:

• Pittman explained she met with Celeste Choate to look at the five-year agreement with Urbana for our shared automation/integrated library system that will expire on December 1, 2016. They made a few revisions and their attorney and board approved it with the changes noted that include: Polaris was purchased by Innovative Interfaces Inc. so references to Polaris throughout now refer to Innovative; Urbana Free Library is responsible to reimburse CPL for 1/3 of the cost of new servers; how cost calculations for CPL charges to UFL are determined; how notice is given to terminate the agreement; and how notice of default is given.

• MOTION by Lansford to extend our automation agreement with Urbana Free Library for another five years as amended; seconded by Ballard. All: Aye.

10. Revised 2016 Official Holiday and Closing Schedule:

• Pittman noted that the schedule needs to be amended this year because we are open until 6:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve which is on a Saturday this year. In an effort to avoid confusion, instead of closing at 5:00 p.m., Pittman recommends we revise the schedule to close at 6:00 p.m. It is not a paid holiday for staff.

• MOTION by Blakeman to approve the amended 2016 Holiday and Closing Schedule as presented; seconded by Pearson. All: Aye.

11. Biannual Review of Closed Session Minutes:

• Pearson recommended all unreleased closed session minutes would remain closed at this time and noted Board members may review them at any time.

• Roll call vote was obtained – Busey, Thomas, and Wolske were absent.

• MOTION by Crowley to approve the recommendation that all unreleased closed minutes remain closed at this time; seconded by Ballard. All: Aye.

12. Financial Reports:

a. Approve “Check Register” and “Handwritten Checks” for October 2016:

• MOTION by Lansford to file the check register, handwritten checks and check summary for September 2016 in the amount of $452,903.21 as presented; seconded by Blakeman. All: Aye.

b. 2016-2017 Financial Statements:

• MOTION by Blakeman to accept the financial statements for September 2016 as presented; seconded by Pearson. All: Aye.

13. Correspondence and Communications:

• Article from The News-Gazette written by Kelly Strom, Collection Development Manager, entitled: “Thrills, Chills, Escapes” (October 2, 2016).

14. Committee and Liaison Reports:

a. Champaign Public Library Foundation:

• Crowley reported there was no meeting last month. Jeff and Shari Wampler are having a fundraising event in their home for donors to promote giving to the Foundation.

b. Friends of the Champaign Public Library:

• Lansford reported the Friends continue to provide significant support for our requests.

15. Comments from the Audience:

• None.

16. Comments from the Board:

• Pearson commented she would like to say “thank you” to staff and all the people making the library run smoothly day to day. She has received feedback from people and one comment in particular was “at CPL diversity is celebrated, not tolerated”. Pearson thanked everyone for doing a fantastic job here and at Douglass Branch.

• Lansford agreed with this time of transition, everything has gone very smoothly.

17. Next Meetings or Events:

• Regular Meeting, Wednesday, November 16, 2016, 5:30 p.m., 3 rd Floor Conf. Room, Main Library

• Regular Meeting, Wednesday, December 21, 2016, 5:30 p.m., Douglass Branch Library, Large Room

• Regular Meeting, Wednesday, January 18, 2017, 5:30 p.m., 3 rd Floor Conf. Room, Main Library

18. Adjournment:

• MOTION by Blakeman to adjourn; seconded by Pearson. All: Aye. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael J. La Due, Vice-President

Minnie Pearson, Secretary

Jill Bouvet, Recorder