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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/01/81 Library Board MINUTES OF THE LIBRARY BOARD OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY, TEXAS HELD ON OCTOBER 1, 1981 AN ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING of the Library Board of the City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall with the following members present: George C. Gillett, Jr. Place 1 Elaine Gayle Place 4 Fredda Holmes Place 5 and with Patricia DelGado, place 2, absent; however, a quorum was established. Also in attendance were Dan Savage, City Manager; Ann Beckel and Sandra Gurkey. 1. DISCUSSION OF LIBRARY BOARD FUNCTIONS AND STAFF FUNCTIONS As an introduction to the meeting, since this is a new Board, Mr. Savage went over some of the major points of the Texas Open Meeting Law. He pointed out that all meetings do have to be open to the public and that there are only a few specific matters which may be discussed in a closed session, such as personnel matters. He also stated that agenda items listed must contain enough info,nation to make clear what will be discussed. Mr. Savage then went on to explain that City Ordinance No. 116 sets out the purpose, organization, appointment and duties of the Board and also establishes the position of librarian. Each of the Board members had been given a copy of this ordinance to study, and Mr. Savage discussed briefly some of the sections of the ordinance. He stated that this Board is advisory and that they will be working with the City Council and with the librarian when one is hired. The librarian will be a city staff person and will serve as the secretary of this Board. Mr. Savage then covered some of the qualifications of a librarian, which were covered in detail in a job description, a copy of which had been supplied to each Board member. The library staff will be responsi- ble to the librarian, and Mr. Savage pointed out that one of the most important qualifications for staff and the librarian will be working with the public and the ability to generate enthusiasm. Mr. Savage also informed the Board that he would begin very soon the process of advertising for the position of librarian, followed by interviews. 2. DISCUSSION OF RULES OF PROCEDURE Mr. Savage did not feel that a final decision should be made on this at this meeting, but he did provide the Board members with a general explanation of what would be involved in these Rules of Procedure. He suggested that the Board might like to work up some rules of their own from an example, or from their own ideas, and he advised further that these rules should include a regular meeting time and how often the Board would meet. At this time, he did suggest the third %hursday as a meeting time, after considering the times that the other Boards, Con~issions and City Council meet at City Hall, and stated that we would schedule the next meeting of the Library Board for Thursday, October 15, 1981. Mr. Giilett then requested that staff put together some rules of procedure for study by the Board based on those used by the Planning and Zoning Commission but general enough for the Library Board to fit to their purposes. Mr. Savage stated that a packet of information would be sent out to the Library Board on the Monday prior to the meeting each month, and he suggested that if anyone had particular concerns, they might let us know so that we can get them on the next agenda. -1- 3. CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS Mr. Savage advised that there did need to be at least two officers in order to have a backup person to chair the meeting in case of an absence. He also stated that the procedure for the selection of the officers would be a good item to include in the Rules of Procedure covering the method of appointment, terms of office and the policy of filling vacancies when they occur. Mr. Savage advised that all of the members of this Board do have the same voting authority, and he suggested further that it was important for the person acting as chairman to be someone willing and able to run the meeting in such a way that the items on the agenda are accomplished as efficiently and clearly as possible. Mr. Savage then suggested to the Library Board that one way to determine the best-qualified person for this position would be a rotation of this duty at first. As this was an organizational meeting and the first time that this Board had met together, there followed a general discussion of basic ideas as well as a lengthy discussion of options for a building to house the library. Mr. Gillett was very concerned that the next agenda include a joint meeting with the Friends of the Library in order to clarify their duties as well as those of the Board and also to make it clear to the Friends of the Library that they are still a much-needed organi- zation within the city and definitely will not be "replaced" by the Library Board. At this joint meeting, Mr. Gillett also wished for Mr. Savage to present for those present the duties of the Library Board, City Council, library staff and the Friends of the Library so that everyone would be clear about their specific responsibilities. The discussion of options for a facility to house the library was very lengthy, however, the major possibilities discussed were the former primary care center adjacent to City Hall, available space at The Colony Square Shopping Center and a new modular building which might be constructed by the firm responsible for the construction of the former primary care facility. The former primary care facility had the major drawback of no written agreement from Methodist Hospital, the owner, and therefore Mr. Savage was not in favor of pursuing this. The general consensus was that the best option right now seemed * to be the approximate 1200-square foot space available in The Colony Square Shopping Center, and Mr. Savage was directed to pursue negotia- tions on this. The second choice would be a possible building adjacent to City Hall other than the present one, which the city would lease- purchase; the major advantage of this would be the possibility that it could possibly be sold at a later date when the city was ready and able to construct a permanent library facility. There are several things that any facility being considered must have, Mr. Savage stated, and they are two restrooms, facilities for the physically handi- capped and lighted fire exits. He advised that the shopping center space does meet these requirements as would any new modular building constructed. Another factor to consider is the possible sharing of this space with the Park & Recreation Department, Mr. Savage advised, as they have a critical need for additional space. At this point, Mr. Gillett suggested that Mr. Savage might be able to work out an agreement with the Lewisville Independent School District concerning library facilities at the new middle school now under construction. Mr. Savage said that he would talk with Mr. Marshall Durham regarding this possibi- lity. Mr. Savage went on to state that he would like to get a decision on the building finalized during October if possible in order to have time to get the library functioning by the first of January, 1982. Mr. Savage adjourned the meeting at 9:10 p.m. Barbara stiefer, SecreJ~fry Dan Savage, -2- * This line should read "... approximate 2000-square foot space...