Regular Meeting of the Board of Library Trustees

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 04:00 PM

Library Board Room

Minutes of Actions and Decisions of the Board of Library Trustees of the Bellingham Public Library as Authorized by RCW 27.12.210 and SEC. 7.02 Charter of the City of Bellingham.
Board Members Present:	Chairperson: David Edelstein Vice-Chairperson: Faye Hill Vicky Marshall J. Robert Gordon Marilyn Mastor

Library Staff:	Pamela Kiesner Christine Perkins Beth Farley and Gladys Fullford
Others:	Jack Weiss City Council Liaison David Webster City of Bellingham Chief Administrative Officer Amory Peck WCLS Trustee

Called to order:

Regular session was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Chair, David Edelstein.

Approve/modify agenda:

No changes to the agenda.

Public comment:

Amory Peck commented that BPL and WCLS are working together on the One Book program.

Minutes approved:

April 15, 2008 regular meeting minutes were approved.

Introduce David Webster, City of Bellingham CAO:

David Webster’s administrative duties are the same as the previous CAO while half his time will focus on sustainability: ecological, economical, developing human capital, and arts and culture. The Library is one of the departments that David is charged with special support, and he will be working with Pam closely.

Claims approved:

April, 2008 general fund $44,365.76; gift fund $317.04.

The capital budget is due May 31. There should be a city budget calendar coming soon. Pam Kiesner will keep the Board informed; in the meantime, please send comments or ideas for 2009 capital items to Pam.

Library performance & activity measures:

Total Circulation is up 6.5%. Visits are up over 10%. Faye Hill questioned the number of holdings added and withdrawn from the collection in 2007 which are inaccurate. Therefore, performance and activity measures for April were tabled, and will be taken up next month.

Communications:

In the packet are copies of the Friend’s letter to Mayor Dan Pike and City Council and a letter from Beverly Jacobs to the Board with suggestions for interim service for central library patrons. Pam will respond to Beverly Jacobs’ letter. If books were taken off site, they would not be available as readily as they are now. There would be an additional cost of rent and fuel. The Stacks area is not suitable for public use. Beverly suggested being closed during the week for a day and open on Saturday and Sunday when Civic Center is not as busy, and there would be more available parking. Pam mentioned that the library is already open every Saturday all day, and a half day on Sundays during the school year. We are extremely busy on Sundays during the school year. The library’s open hours will be reviewed.

Facilities update: Barkley Branch:

Christine Perkins has a key, and the space can also be seen through the front window. The space is being framed and dry-walled. The Planning Department requires an ADA-accessible lift in the back because the adjoining bakery is up one level. The lift is expensive and takes a while to order. The bakery is now the emergency exit, so we do not have to build a ramp and a second exit on the library side. We are looking at opening early in July. The Friends agreed to pay for five public chairs and $7,500 for children’s picture books. The Fairhaven Friends may want to contribute as well. There is interest in forming a Friends of Barkley Branch. They may need to meet during non-open hours or off-site.

Facilities update: Fairhaven renovations:

Christine Perkins is in touch with Myron Carlson and Public Works. BOLA is unable to start right away, and masons with historical renovation capability and experience are not available this summer. We are in good shape for adequately planning for a spring 2009 start. When asked about going out to bid, it was clarified that we cannot ask for a bid for professional services. A RFQ (Request for qualifications) can be issued. BOLA was previously chosen because they have the necessary qualifications, and they are on the city’s short list for architects who do this type of restoration.

Work could be done on the drainage issue this summer by a local contractor. The site needs to be re-graded to 6 inches below the window wells.

It was requested to have the City inspect the front entrance staircase for safety concerns.

The board discussed asking BOLA to begin plans and specs for Phase I or going through a selection process. Myron has stated the case for BOLA’s qualifications and continuing the contract with them. It was decided to schedule the grading for this summer, let Myron go ahead with drainage work, ask for a building safety inspection, and talk to Myron Carlson before hiring BOLA.

Facilities update: Central Library:

The Board considered that the current site was selected a year and a half ago. It would be reasonable to consider new information on any site that became available and was brought forward. Time may change circumstances and make another site a preferred alternative to the site chosen 1.5 years ago. The Board expressed their willingness to accept new information and be open to reconsidering different possibilities.

Mayor Dan Pike is interested in considering one of the main entryways to the waterfront for the new library site. The Mayor has talked with Bill Gates, Sr. The Gates Foundation is interested in the “Thrive by Five” early development possibilities. Waterfront real estate would be a prize territory for a civic institution in collaboration with other purposes. The Mayor and some City Council members have expressed reservations about tearing down a healthy building when other sites are available. City Council has approved the PDA (Public Development Authority), as a real estate implementer. This is another part of the equation to move things forward. Pam clarified the PDA relationship would be the execution arm while the Library Board is the policy making entity of equation. The Mayor will attend the June Library Board meeting to talk about his ideas.

There is no specific timeline. A bond election could take place next spring if the Mayor’s idea goes forward and the library supports it. The campaign committee has said next year may not be a particularly good time for a bond election after the presidential election this fall, but it should happen before a future jail bond election. The area the Mayor is considering is the cleanest of the site, east of the granary. It may be clear by the end of summer. The Port and City want to have a master plan within a year. With confluence of events it may be possible in two years time.

The Library Board will continue to move forward with open minds. They will freshen their vision with considerations of greenspace, transportation, and cost savings of not disrupting operations during construction of a new building.

Trustee Education –Collections update – Beth Farley, Head of Information and Reader Services:

Beth reported on new collections that were added to the library in the past year. Out of approximately 2,000 feature films, there are rarely more than 10 titles on the shelf; 70% are in circulation and others are in transit for holds. The adult graphic novel collection is popular. These are illustrated novels often with beautiful art work. There are 10 sets of electronic reference books. These e-books are accessible through the library’s website. Pages can be printed in PDF or HTML format.

Playaways are audiobooks pre-loaded on MP3 players. The patron provides their own headphones and batteries. Over half of the 200 playaways are in circulation. The Northwest Washington Anytime service has over 550 downloadable audio books. They are compatible with MP3 players, but may also become compatible with IPods next month. These are downloaded to a computer and then to the player. After 2 weeks it disappears from the computer and becomes available for another patron to download. Over 318 patrons have used this new service since May. The Small Engine Repair Resource Center has been added to our databases. Also new are the book club kits.

Next Reads is a resource for book lovers of all ages. A patron can select up to 23 newsletters to match their interests. The library e-mails newsletters with summaries of books and links to the catalog. The newsletter will highlight new titles and link subject matter to old titles.

In general, all media is really moving. Adult biographies are not, primarily because of the out of the way location. Adult fiction and non-fiction are circulating at about 11 to 15%. We are making the collection more accessible and browsable by removing the top shelf, raising lower shelves, displaying books at end of shelf, and weeding the old and worn out books. When a collection is fresh and has visible breaks, circulation is increased.

Board of Trustees Bylaws, Code of Ethics, and Job Descriptions:

Faye Hill, Vicky Marshall, Pam Kiesner and Deb Brewer have updated and re-worded the bylaws. They have also drafted a code of ethics and a trustee job description. Pam stated it would be helpful to have a job description when recruiting new board members. The Board tabled this item until next month’s agenda.

Library Security Attendant position request update:

A request for three part time Security and Information Attendants has been unanimously approved by City Council. The attendants will greet people as well as patrol the building. They will handle incident reports, intervene, do prevention, and be recognizable but friendly. They will cover all open hours and remain 30 minutes after closing to do the lockup.

Board member reports:

Faye Hill and Vicky Marshall will report on their visits to the Salt Lake City Library next month. Vicky announced the Friend’s used book sale runs tomorrow through Saturday.

Library Director report:

Pam Kiesner will not be here for the August 19th meeting. She will go with City Department Heads and community members to a FEMA training in Maryland. The Board agreed to change the August meeting to August 26th. David Edelstein will not be at the June meeting, and Faye Hill will not be at the September meeting.

Pam spoke to 381 people including the League of Women Voters, two Rotary groups and at a Whatcom Museum of History & Art brown bag.

The Library, WCLS, WCC, BTC, and Village Books are a part of the One Book Grant. The community will read the same book. Programs will be planned for winter, 2009.

Christine Perkins added there will be a Brand Development meeting Thursday with the graphic designers.

Tours have been given to 151 people; two more home school group tours are scheduled. There have been many positive comments and questions.

The Friends tour of libraries in King County and Snohomish would be a good tour for City Council members. Perhaps the Friends could sponsor a bus for them as well as Library Board members.

Pam read a patron’s comment, “I am so glad the library has so many options for information and entertainment. I am able to read books in the current time and check out CDs and DVDs. I regularly use the internet service at the library. I am on a fixed income with a disabled daughter. The library makes me feel rich and to have access to the latest books and ideas. Keep up the good work.”

Next Regular Library Board Meeting

– June 17, 2008

will begin at 4:00 p.m.

Meeting adjourned

at 6:25 p.m.

Meeting Adjourned: 06:25 PM

Chair, Library Board of Trustees

ATTEST

Secretary, Library Board of Trustees

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