HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/27/2012 LIB
MINUTES
CITY OF THE COLONY
LIBRARY BOARD
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
A REGULAR SESSION of the LIBRARY BOARD of the City of The Colony, Texas, was
called to order by Chair Gehrke at 7:01 p.m.
PRESENT: Sandi Gehrke Place 1
Marlene Martin Place 2
Frederick Rushing Place 3
Joanna Krueger Place 5
Jade Kelly Place 6
Audra Preston Place 7
ABSENT: Nicole Rodriguez-Terrell Place 4
STAFF: Joan Sveinsson Library Director
Jeannie Baellow Recording Secretary
1. Citizen Input.
2. Consider approval of the minutes of the August 23, 2012 Regular Session.
Vice-Chair Rushing moved to approve the minutes as presented. Member Krueger
seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.
3. Reports and discussion regarding Library Board goals and projects for 2012:
a. Increase awareness of national library legislative issues.
Vice-Chair Rushing noted that he found it amazing that publishers are not willing to
sell ebooks to libraries as libraries are partners in promoting publishers' products.
Although not currently a legislative issue, the legal implications are still being
explored.
b. Board presence at TCPL events and TCPL public relations activities: reports
and discussion of participation by individual board members.
Chair Gehrke assisted Director Sveinsson and Circulation Clerk Holly Martin at the
September 20th Lakeview Middle School open house. Chair Gehrke noted that
attendance was not as high as anticipated for the first open house of the school year.
c. Library visits:
No report.
4. Receive update and discuss the following Friends of the Library activities:
a. Adopt-a-Chair.
Seventeen chairs have been adopted; three remain available for adoption.
b. FOTCPL Presents! Meet the Authors & Illustrators, September 15.
Adult & Outreach Services Librarian Nancy Boykin coordinated this event which
featured 16 North Texas authors and illustrators including: Jeff Bacot, Vicki Batman,
Alisa Burns, Deondriea Cantrice, Robin Cole-Jett, Rita Dear, Kennisha Hill, Liese
Fabre, Jan Krauel, Lyle Licht, Wanda Spears Licht, Stephanie Morris, Wanda Novak,
Gloria Oliver, Janis Patterson, and J. Nicole Williamson, who were on-site to meet the
public and to sign and sell their books. There were 65 attendees for a total
attendance/participation count of 81. FOTCPL Vice-President Mac Caldwell was
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c. Fall membership meeting, September 15.
There were 15 attendees for this event; Director Sveinsson noted that in the future,
there needs to be more and earlier publicity for this event. Red River Historian Robin
Cole-Jett gave a well-received presentation Driving up the Cattle Trails, she donated
her presentation fee back to FOTCPL. Chair Gehrke commented that the
presentation was very entertaining.
5. Receive update from staff and discuss the following items:
a. Public relations events and programs:
L TEAL mobile computer lab classes.
The August 28th and 29th classes provided through the Texas State Library's
Technology Expertise, Access and Learning Project (TEAL) were well received
with 55 registrants attending four classes covering Computer Basics, Microsoft
Word, and Microsoft Excel. The Online Job Search class originally offered was
cancelled due to lack of registration and a second Microsoft Excel class was
offered in its place due to high interest in that topic.
ii. Electronic Resources Workshop.
Although this August 23rd event was well-promoted by Electronic Resources
Librarian Cary Cox, as well as by TCPL staff at the Back to School events, there
were no attendees. Going forward, this event's promotions will. be targeted
toward specific groups including parents, teachers and home-school educators.
iii. Nook eReader demo.
This September 6th event brought in three attendees for whom Barnes & Noble
representative Diana Tate demonstrated how to download and "sideload" material
from the North Texas Libraries on the Go collection to their Nook eReaders, as
well as from TCPL's new ebook resource Freading. The next Nook eReader
demonstration is scheduled for November 1St
iv. Library card sign up month.
Two hundred fifteen library cards have been issued to date this month; each new
cardholder has been registered in a drawing to be held at the end of the month.
v. Continuing education class for daycare teachers.
This September 20th event "Growing up Wild: Exploring Nature With Young
Children" had 29 attendees; the $5 registration fee was refundable upon
completion of the class. Participants earned two hours of CE credit. Jan
Hodgsen from the Junior Master Gardner program will return on February 21St to
present the second half of this two-part program.
vi. Lakeview Middle School open house.
Fifteen cards were issued; information about TCPL resources and services was
provided to 64 parents and students. TAP President Lening Gonzalez assisted
Spanish speaking attendees which proved extremely helpful in providing
information about TCPL services and providing encouragement to sign up for
library cards. Director Sveinsson noted that the placement of the Library's table at
the event and the assistance of Chair Gehrke in attracting visitors to the table
were significant elements in the success of this public relations activity.
vii. Library card sign-up month promotion.
See item 5.a.iv. (above)
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b. TSLAC Impact Grant.
Director Sveinsson reported that the contract is finalized. The grant will support,
expand, and improve the impact of TCPL's early literacy outreach to children in day
care centers. Director Sveinsson is working with Youth Services Library Assistant
Tina Martinez to plan the implementation of the grant-funded activities. Director
Sveinsson will accompany YSLA Martinez on the October outreach visits to the
current eight daycare facilities served to observe the story times and meet with
directors to discuss the grant requirements and proposed improvements to the
service. The Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) materials will be used to provide
teachers, and by extension the parents, training in and information about ECRR
practices. YSLA Martinez will also revamp and update the story time kit collection
with a greater variety of themes and shorter books; she will offer to deliver two kits
each month to each day care center starting in January, the kits will be left with the
center until the following month.
c. FY 2012-13 budget.
The budget has been adopted. There were no unexpected further reductions in the
Library department budget; an across-the-board 2% COLA went into effect on
September 25tH
d. Service Improvements:
L Actions taken in response to customer satisfaction survey comments.
Director Sveinsson reported that she has discussed the survey responses with
staff and that they further discussed the concerns within their service areas and
reported back to her the approaches they will take to increase their awareness of
conversations, voice levels, and body language which might be misperceived by
or have a negative impact on customers. In response to the customer comment
about the lack of name badges, new badges have been implemented; the new
badges have both the employee's first name and job title.
ii. Progress in converting Study Room B from storage space back to its
intended use.
This room had been used to store disassembled study carrels and the slat-was
panels acquire from the former Blockbuster store. With the assistance of Facilities
Maintenance staff, several of the study carrels have been reassembled and
installed in the Quiet Room. Staff is seeking locations within the department to
store the remaining carrel parts. The slat-wall panels are being put into use as
described below. The end goal is to restore this room to use as a Study Room.
iii. Plan for installation of slat-wall panels (from former Blockbuster store).
Facilities Maintenance staff is installing the panels in various locations throughout
the Library. The initial installation near the Circulation desk (where the bulletin
boards were mounted) is to serve as a "Wow Wall" to provide an attractive display
of library resources and information. Other locations include outside the
Conference Room, on each side of the south window, outside the Study Room
windows, next to the Adult Services office, and in the history corner. Other
potential locations include the Juvenile and Young Adult areas. Staff will continue
to evaluate other locations; any remaining panels will be offered to other City
departments. Library management staff will develop a plan for what materials will
be posted/displayed in each area. Customers who inquire about posting notices
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are being informed that the posting process is in transition; currently Library
programs are being advertised in the lobby display case.
iv. Navigator ILL lending/borrowing program update.
Director Sveinsson reported that, to date, there have been 41 items borrowed
from TCPL by libraries across the state since the program's August 6th initiation.
Reference Services Librarian Kate Margolis is developing staff procedures for the
new system.
6. Review list of October library programs.
The Board members reviewed the list.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for October 18, 2012.
The meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m.
Sandi Gehrke, Chair
Jeannie Baellow, Secretary