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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/24/2011 MINUTES CITY OF THE COLONY LIBRARY BOARD FEBRUARY 24, 2011 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 Diana Kruzich Place 2 Frederick Rushing Place 3 Nicole Rodriguez-Terrell Place 4 Joanna Krueger Place 5 Sue Parks Place 7 STAFF: Joan Sveinsson Library Director Jeannie Baellow Recording Secretary 1. Citizen Input. None. 2. Consider approval of the minutes of the January 27, 2011 Regular Session. Member Rushing moved to approve the minutes as presented. Member Rodriguez- Terrell seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. 3. Discussion and consideration of proposed policy revisions: a. Interlibrary Loan Policy. Discussion was held regarding proposed changes which include additions to Section II. c. Eligible Materials to permit cardholders to submit recommendations for purchase of items via the Library's website; Section IV a. ii. Procedure addition of "email address" to requested contact information; Section IV. b. ii. Fees which may be required by the lending library; and Section IV. h., photocopies may be kept by the requestor. Member Kruzich moved to accept the proposed revisions as presented. Member Krueger seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. b. Interlibrary Lending Policy. Discussion was held regarding proposed changes which include updating Section I. Interlibrary Lending to employ current terminology by using the term customer in place of the term patron; and the addition of Section V. Photocopying allowing photocopying service within the limits of copyright law. Vice-Chair Rushing moved to accept the proposed revisions as presented. Member Kruzich seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. c. Reference Policy. Discussion was held regarding proposed changes which include updating the policy to employ current terminology throughout by consistently using the term customer in place of the term patron; Section III. a. Guidelines and Responsibilities to include email and instant messaging as means of submitting reference questions; and the addition of Section VI. b. Tax Forms setting forth that "The Library staff is not qualified to offer assistance in tax form preparation nor to interpret tax laws," and that "appropriate referrals to other agencies may Library Board 02-24-2011 Page 2 be suggested;" and Section VII. c. Holds to include that "customers may also place their holds on available or checked-out items via the online catalog. Vice-Chair Rushing moved to accept the proposed revisions as presented. Member Krueger seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. d. Respect for the Rights of Others - Conduct in the Library. At Director Sveinsson's request, this item was tabled to the March 2011 meeting. e. Community Bulletin Board Policy. At Director Sveinsson's request, this item was tabled to the March 2011 meeting. 4. Discussion and reports regarding implementation of Library Board 2011 goals and projects. a. Policy review. Director Sveinsson noted that the Board had approved the following revised policies at its January meeting: Circulation Policy, Study Room Policy, Conference Room Policy, and Collection Development Policy, and will continue to conduct a review/update of remaining TCPL policies this spring. b. Increase awareness of state and national library legislative issues. Director Sveinsson encouraged the Board members to subscribe to the Texas Library Association's Texline email list, which provides updates of library related legislative issues in Texas and provides information for those wishing to provide input to their legislators. c. Customer and Community Surveys. Member Parks asked if there are particular areas for evaluation to be considered in determining the content of future customer satisfaction surveys. Director Sveinsson suggested the topic of electronic resources; with the strong possibility of the loss of TexShare databases, staff will need to prioritize which databases are of most value to our customers. Chair Gehrke noted that there is a need to determine which databases customers utilize. Director Sveinsson noted that TCPL currently tracks usage of the 49 TexShare databases as well as of the locally funded electronic resources; Electronic Resources Librarian Cox compiles monthly usage statistics reports. Director Sveinsson will work with TCPL staff to determine specific database concerns. Member Parks suggested that surveys be staff-driven. Director Sveinsson asked the Board members to consider what information they wish to receive from TCPL customers, then staff and Board suggestions could be combined. Member Rodriguez-Terrell noted that she had previously conducted a library survey for a research project, and committed to email a copy of it to Director Sveinsson. Chair Gehrke asked if Member Rodriguez-Terrell's survey included ages. Member Parks raised the issue of ensuring customer privacy; and Director Sveinsson noted that the release of information about individual library users is prohibited under the Open Records Act. Vice-Chair Rushing asked whether an online survey would be possible; Director Sveinsson indicated that staff had used Survey Monkey successfully in the past. Library Board 02-24-2011 Page 3 Director Sveinsson suggested that the Board consider conducting mini-surveys on various topics and she committed to eliciting input from TCPL staff. d. Board presence at TCPL events and participation in TCPL public relations activities. Director Sveinsson reported that TCPL would have a presence at each of the middle schools' open houses on March 8th. Griffin Middle School is conducting a Career/College Night, at which Director Sveinsson, one of the librarians, and a member of the circulation staff, will staff the TCPL booth; Member Kruzich will assist as a representative of the Board. A member of the circulation staff will conduct TCPL library card sign-up at Lakeview Middle School's Open House and Book Fair; Chair Gehrke will provide Board presence at that event. e. TCPL 2012 30th anniversary celebration. A planning committee is scheduled to meet on March 31St at 7 p.m. at the Library. Chair Gehrke and Member Krueger will attend as Board representatives; FOTCPL President Wayne Bullard and Treasurer Denise Meyer will attend as FOTCPL representatives; and Director Sveinsson will attend as staff liaison, accompanied by up to two staff representatives. Current plans include a concert by the TCHS orchestra, honoring present and former TCPL staff, proposed for February 13, 2012, to be held at the high school. f. Library visits. No members reported visits this past month. Recording Secretary Baellow committed to compiling and emailing to the Board a list of libraries previously visited by its members. 5. Receive update and discuss the following Friends of the Library activities: a. Recognition of library volunteers for FY 2009-2010 service. A Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, sponsored by FOTCPL, is scheduled for Saturday, February 26th, at Amore Pizza and Pasta. Recognition of the volunteers will include presentation of awards; each will also receive READ posters featuring his/herself holding a favorite book. FOTCPL will be represented by President Wayne Bullard, and Treasurer Denise Meyer. b. "Wii Would Like You to Play (annual meeting and game night). This event is scheduled for Saturday, April 30th; social will start at 6 p.m., the annual business meeting will start at 6:30 and game play will begin at 7:00. This event is open to the public. Chair Gehrke asked if the teens were selling refreshments, and Director Sveinsson committed to find out and report at the March meeting. c. FOTCPL-sponsored March 2011 Library events. FOTCPL will sponsor the Spring Break Puppet Making Workshop on March 16th. Registration is required and limited to 25 participants. Board members are welcome to attend and observe. 6. Receive update from staff and discuss the following items: a. Texas Library Association (TLA) Legislative Day report / legislative issues. Director Sveinsson provided an in-depth report regarding her experiences as a TLA Legislative Day delegate. Director Sveinsson reported that a customer Library Board 0224-2011 Page 4 response by a resident of The Colony to the online survey was read to the delegates at the Legislative Day training. The entire Legislative Day event was very well organized, as was her team's leader, Steve Brown, Director of the North Richland Hills Public Library. Packets provided to legislators contained summary and more detailed information sheets on each of the TLA legislative issues, "What my Library Means to Me" response cards and print-outs from the online survey responses from their constituents, as well as an invitation to the evening reception. Her team visited the offices of six legislators, speaking with legislative aides, most of whom were knowledgeable of the resources being discussed from their own educational experiences. The legislators themselves were not available; for example, Representative Myra Crownover serves on the Appropriations Committee which was in session all day. Each delegate provided information on one or more of the issues. Jennifer Bekker of the Lewisville Public Library was accompanied by her 1St grade daughter, adding a humanizing factor; the director of the UNT Health Sciences Library in Fort Worth spoke on physicians' use of TexShare databases via mobile devices, indicating that they were "the wave of the future ...which speaks directly to quality of life issues." Director Sveinsson spoke on the subjects of Loan Star grant funding; telecommunications discounts; and the importance of the recognition of school librarians as instructional staff. As a final touch, Mr. Brown presented a gift for each legislator: a "shake" flashlight, and asked them to "remember to not leave libraries in the dark." Director Sveinsson further reported that she had the opportunity to be in the Senate gallery when Senator Jane Nelson introduced a resolution regarding TLA Legislative Day. The reception for the delegates, legislators, and legislative staff was held that evening at the newly renovated Texas State Library; Director Sveinsson had the opportunity to tour the preservation lab and view a number of exhibits. One exhibit focused on the history of the State Archives, which were once housed in a cow barn and subsequently in a Quonset hut. Director Sveinsson also briefed the Board on subsequent action of the House Appropriations Committee, which accepted subcommittee recommendations on the State Library budget. The recommendations include a reduction in TexShare funding over the biennium from $8 million to $2.5 million, which, if enacted, would drastically impact the scope of databases available through public and academic libraries. There is also a contingency rider for funding the K-12 database program; state funding for the program would be eliminated under the originally proposed budget cuts. The Senate Finance Committee is still working on its version of the budget; once both committees finalize their versions of the budget, the drafts will be brought before the full chambers for consideration, and then the two versions will be finalized through a conference committee where differences in the bill proposals are negotiated. Director Sveinsson does not believe the budget will be sufficient to regain the Federal funding, which supports such services as Interlibrary Loan (ILL). She encouraged members of the Board to increase their awareness of these issues and to communicate with other supporters and with their legislators. Library Board 02-24-2011 Page 5 b. Teen Advisory Panel: TAP and teen anime programs. The Teen Gaming Tournament was well attended, and the teens were self- directed and had a great time; the Anime Club and Teen Writer's Club have requested additional monthly meetings; and the scheduled February 3rd "Read the Movie" Confessions of a Shopaholic, was cancelled due to weather conditions. Member Parks asked whether members of the teen groups could be enlisted to assist at middle school events. Director Sveinsson had already requested TAP assistance; some members had signed up to work at the Griffin event. Director Sveinsson reported that she, along with two TAP members and their mothers, collected free books from the Half Price Books donation center and delivered them to Prestonwood Court Senior Assisted Living Center. The visitors and the books were warmly received and the center invited the teens to visit residents regularly on a rotating schedule. c. Continuing Education class for day care teachers. This event was very successful in terms of participant satisfaction. Fort y participants were enrolled, with more on a waiting list, for the February 17t class, however only 25 enrollees attended. Director Sveinsson discussed the possibility of moving the classes under the sponsorship of FOTCPL and instituting a nominal fee for these classes to inspire more commitment in registrants to attend. d. Weather-related closures and facility damage. Due to the snow and ice, TCPL closed Tuesday, February 1St, at 5 p.m., remained closed all day on Wednesday, February 2nd, closed early at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 4t", and remained closed all day on Saturday, February 5t" Normal operating hours resumed on Sunday, February 6t" Due to the freezing weather, a water pipe broke and leaked in the circulation work room, soaking the carpet and cubicle walls. Plumbers repaired the leak and Facilities Maintenance conducted clean-up efforts, including removal, drying, and re-installation of some water-soaked carpet tiles. e. Facility improvements: Story Corner lighting. New, brighter lighting has been installed in the story corner making the painted mural more visible. Over the Presidents' Day holiday weekend, two unfinished walls were painted at the ends of the mural in the story corner, cracks were repaired and the impacted walls repainted in various areas, including around the window in the periodicals area; and the wall outside of the administrative office that was missed during the last round of painting was painted. f. Equipment: cash register replacement. The very old cash register suddenly ceased to function, forcing a return to issuance of handwritten receipts until a new cash register was purchased, programmed, and installed. g. Service improvements: i TCPL elnfo bldg. Director Sveinsson presented a live demonstration of the TCPL elnfo blog, which provides links to a variety of online resources organized by subject. Library Board 02-24-2011 Page 6 Each link opens in a new window, so users do not navigate away from the original site. TCPL's Electronic Resources Librarian updates the site regularly. ii Gale Virtual Reference Library. Director Sveinsson presented a live demonstration of this collection of critical and biographical essays and books on a variety of works of literature and on the Bible. This database of 24,807 documents offers downloadable eBooks, citation tools, and email, and print options. Ebooks can be downloaded in print, audio, or MP3 formats and can also be translated into a variety of languages, including Spanish. iii Public photocopier. On February 18th, Access Office Systems, which owns and operates the coin-op copier, replaced the older unit with an updated reconditioned copier. The replacement copier has needed repair service twice since its installation, and its performance is being monitored. h. Review list of March library programs. Director Sveinsson distributed a list of March Library events and briefed the Board members on upcoming events to include TAP's "Read the Movie" Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, March 3rd; the 3rd Annual Great Magazine Swap on March 5th; the Teen Anime Club's Double Dash Gaming Tournament on March 12th; and FOTCPL Presents! Spring Break Puppet Making Workshop on March 16th The next Board meeting is scheduled for March 24, 2011. The meeting adjourned at 8:36 p.m. Sandi Gehrke, Chair annie Baellow, Secretary