Chambana Sun

City of Urbana Free Library Board of Trustees met November 14.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

Call To Order:

The Urbana Free Library Board of Trustees met in the Lewis Auditorium of The Urbana Free Library on November 14, 2017. The meeting was called to order by the president, Chris Scherer, at 7:00 p.m.

Attendance:

Present: Geoff Bant, Barbara Jones, Anna Merritt, Beth Scheid, Chris Scherer, Michael Weissman, and Jane Williams

Absent: Jared Miller and Mark Netter

Staff present: Becky Brown, Dawn Cassady, Celeste Choate, Rachel Fuller, Anke Voss, and Kathy Wicks

Also present: Brittany Williams

Additions, Corrections, Modifications Of The Agenda:

Jared Miller was absent, so presentation on the Trustee Facts File Chapters 1-5 was moved to December.

Approve The Agenda:

It was moved by Beth Scheid, seconded by Jane Williams, and passed unanimously to approve the agenda as presented, minus the aforementioned presentation.

Call For Executive Session:

There was no call for an executive session.

Public Comment:

None.

Presentations:

None.

Action Items (Consent Agenda):

It was moved by Michael Weissman, seconded by Jane Williams, and passed unanimously to approve the consent agenda as presented.

Action Items (Individual):

There was discussion about the difference between policy and procedure. After discussion, it was moved by Anna Merritt, seconded by Jane Williams, and passed unanimously to approve the Library Collection Management Policy II-A as amended.

After discussion, it was moved by Barbara Jones, seconded by Anna Merritt, and passed unanimously to approve the Archives Collection Management Policy II-D as amended.

It was moved by Barbara Jones, seconded by Anna Merritt, and passed unanimously to retire the Children's Services Collection Management Policy II-B.

It was moved by Anna Merritt, seconded by Beth Scheid, and passed unanimously to retire the Adult Services Collection Management Policy II-C.

It was moved by Anna Merritt, seconded by Michael Weissman, and passed unanimously to not give the Foundation notice to start the process of transferring the Marro building from the City to the Library.

It was moved by Beth Scheid, seconded by Jane Williams, and passed unanimously to accept Resolution 2017-12 to approve the JPE Service Agreement, Third Amendment.

Discussion Items:

Barbara Jones and Celeste created a series of topics for future Board discussions. Some of the items are time sensitive because they are a part of the Per Capita requirements. One of the topics on the list is ethics, which led to a short discussion of library ethics. The Board looks forward to future discussions on this topic. Chris Scherer thanked Barbara and Celeste for putting together the list together.

Reports Of Liaison Officers:

Friends of the Library

The November Board meeting was held in the Archives, because of set up for the November book sale in the Lewis Auditorium. Anna Merritt mentioned that this book sale includes vintage children's books, arts and craft books, and art books.

The Urbana Free Library Foundation

The Foundation will meet on Wednesday, November 15. They are gearing up for the annual fall campaign, with repairs to the porch being one of the items highlighted in the letter.

Illinois Heartland Library System

Geoff Bant reported that IHLS is promoting advocacy for the school libraries, because there was concern that many of the school libraries in the IHLS system had not applied the Per Capita grant. He also commented that IHLS is hiring for a couple of positions.

Administrative Reports:

Celeste reported that the porch repair evaluation has good news. It looks like the work may not need to be as extensive as previously thought. Rather than taking the porch completely apart, it may be possible to build a steel frame under it and secure the walls to the frame. This should be a less expensive alternative to the porch repair than taking it all apart and rebuilding it.

Celeste also gave an update on the Guaranteed Energy Savings Program (GESP). The company put forward a plan of things that the City and the Library can do to save energy and money. The City and the Library are looking at the choices in the plan to see what makes the most sense. The Board will also review the list when it is ready.

Barbara Jones asked about bill SB851. Celeste said that it had passed the House, but was not called out to the Senate floor. She will inform the Board if it is brought to the Senate. The City nor the Library would benefit from the passing of this bill.

Beth Scheid asked for further explanation about a tip in the Director's report that said "some issues are better addressed by budgeting than legislation". Celeste explained that Senator Bennett said there are several ways to solve a problem. Sometimes legislation is a good way, sometimes budgeting to make sure an agency has the needed funding is a good way, and sometimes oversite of agencies to make sure they are doing their job is a good way. It is a good idea to talk to legislatures to see which way would work best for the situation. It is also important to pay attention to the timing of the solutions.

Chris Scherer asked why circulation numbers looked like they are down. Celeste explained that one reason may be that e-books were being counted twice in prior statistics, and this has been fixed in the statistics. Barbara Jones asked if circulation statistics really matter anymore, since libraries do so much more than circulate books. Celeste answered that circulation statistics help librarians see what is being checked out, which helps with collection development. Statistical information is useful in a variety of ways, and some statistics are mandated for the Library. Celeste also explained that because some of the numbers come later in the month, the Board will receive the statistics one month behind.

Board President Report:

None.

Unfinished Business:

None.

New Business:

None.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m.

https://www.urbanaillinois.us/sites/default/files/attachments/11-14-17_Minutes.pdf