LOCATION: Youth Services Classroom, Central Library
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Mr. Frankel, Mr. Hetzer, Mrs. Jonen, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Lyons, Mr. Radley and Mrs. Scott
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Ms. Peterson, Mr. Madden, Ms. Teasdale, Mrs. Napier, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Garvey, Mr. Hanrath, Mrs. Adrianopoli, Mr. Larson, Mr. Musni, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Rankens and Mr. Kiefer
TIME MEETING BEGAN:
7:33 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance
Public Comments
Trustee Comments.
Mrs. Jonen reminded the Board that there are two staff/Board meetings tomorrow and one on Thursday. One of the Board members asked if notification of these meetings was sent to the press since Board members would be present. Mr. Madden said no notification had been sent. The Board then said that the number of Board attendees would have to be reduced. Mr. Hetzer said he would like to attend all meetings and Mrs. Jonen will attend all meetings since she is the chair of the Personnel Committee. Mr. Frankel, Mrs. Scott and Mr. Lyons said that they could share the meetings if three trustees are able to attend.
Mr. Hetzer then mentioned that the lead story about the community file on the cover of the current “Browsing” is very good.
Approval of Minutes.
Mr. Hetzer had one correction. Under Public Comments, it should read “. . . a complaint filed by a library trustee with the Cook County States Attorney.”
It was moved by Mr. Hetzer and seconded by Mr. Lucas that:
The minutes of August 21, 2006 with the correction be approved.
Motion passed unanimously.
Long Range Financial Report.
Steve Larson of Ehlers and Associates distributed a financial planning report to the Board. That report projects income and expenditures through the 2011 fiscal year. Mr. Larson then went through the twenty page report commenting on each section. Overall, he felt that the long term finances of the library looked good. He highlighted that the report can always be modified if any errors are found or if any changes in operations occur. He discussed the long-term impact of the tax cap and noted that the Library is fortunate that it also has extra revenue sources outside of taxes. As far as expenditures are concerned, health costs and capital expenditures represent some of the major increases. He recommended that the Board always maintain a minimum balance of four months of expenditures and he also recommended that the Board consider consolidating all of the different taxes levied into the corporate tax levy.
Report on Callable Bonds and Investments.
Larry Rankens of the firm of Mischler Financial Group reviewed the Library investments. The Board had requested that consideration be given to selling some securities at lower interest rates and reinvesting at higher interest rate. Mr. Rankens mentioned that his company was just in the process of re-examining the portfolios they handle to determine where it was appropriate to sell lower interest holdings. He did stress that the Library investments have been doing well overall if you look at the last three years.
Mr. Hetzer asked if the investments would be staggered (“a ladder”). Mr. Lucas stressed that any investment changes need to allow for flexibility in case cash flow becomes an issue. Mr. Rankens said yes cash flow is an important consideration as well as flexibility in the market. Mr. Frankel had some questions about how gains and losses are reported in audited reports. That question will be discussed with the auditors when they come in November.
It was moved by Mr. Frankel and seconded by Mr. Lucas that:
Mischler Financial Group and Larry Rankens be given the authority to sell off low yielding investments if there is clear indication that revenue benefits can be obtained.
Roll call vote:
Mr. Hetzer Abstain
Mr. Lucas Yes
Mr. Lyons Yes
Mr. Radley Yes
Mrs. Jonen Yes
Mr. Frankel Yes
Mrs. Scott Yes
Mr. Hetzer explained that he abstained because he has a similar business and does know Mr. Rankens.
Director’s Report.
A large part of the Director’s Report was about library vehicles and their repair and purchase history. Since there is a separate discussion on bids for library vehicles, there was no discussion on this matter. Mr. Hetzer said that it is helpful to see the repair records. Mr. Madden said that there is a staff awards luncheon on Thursday, November 9th. Mrs. Scott, Mr. Frankel, Mr. Lucas and Mr. Lyons said that they plan to attend the luncheon.
Circulation Report.
Mr. Hanrath had prepared a report on circulation statistics from 1999 to the present. There were a lot of trends such as a significant increase in audio-visual circulation, a decrease in some print circulation (especially in the non-fiction area), and other items. Interestingly, there is an increase in the circulation of adult fiction. There were a number of questions raised by Board members. Mr. Lucas said that the report was very interesting but he was especially concerned about the 27% decline in the circulation of non-fiction books for children. Mr. Hetzer wondered how this report will impact the purchasing of books.
Mr. Frankel noted that many people are using the web for information and that this could be one of the reasons for the decline in non-fiction circulation. His concern is about the legitimacy of web sites and the library role in educating the public. Mr. Hetzer wondered if the American Library Association was involved in checking website and recommending the best ones. This is being done by our staff to some degree but only a small number of websites are able to be reviewed and recommended. Mr. Lyons noted that not all print is accurate also.
Reference Department Report.
Ms. Teasdale presented the new brochure on services that patrons can access remotely and she highlighted emerging technologies. She discussed the outreach steps being taken by members of the staff to reach patrons at the train station, in the convention center and in other locations. Mr. Hetzer asked if we have enough computers for the public. Ms. Teasdale said that the new booking system has been helpful in scheduling and in most cases we do not have a problem. Mr. Musni noted that there are about eighty to ninety wireless computers a day also in use at the library. There was a question if the library would be circulating laptops for internal use. This is in the budget but has not been implemented yet. Mrs. Jonen said that School District #211 does circulate laptops and we may want to look at their policies and procedures as well as their experiences with this service. Mr. Hetzer asked about school relationships and it was noted that there are staff assigned to the schools in the area. Mrs. Scott said there are many hotels in the area and it would be good if our materials and promotional items were also available in those locations.
Audio-Visual Department Report.
Mrs. Napier reported that summer concert statistics are down this year. One problem is that the Village of Schaumburg asked that we not advertise as much. Then Ms. Peterson gave a demonstration on how downloadable audio works. Mr. Lyons noted that our library had started out with ebooks and then joined a consortia organized by the North Suburban Library System. Mr. Hetzer asked how many downloadable titles are now available. There are 2000. Mr. Radley asked about the narrators of the audios. For most titles there is only one narrator and there is a way that the narrators also can be accessed in the case that a reader wants to know what is available and read by a particular person.
Mr. Hetzer asked about the recent problem with lost rock cd’s. Mrs. Napier reported that additional security steps were taken and then suddenly all of the thefts ended.
NSLS Representative.
No August meeting. Mrs. Scott noted that the Illinois Library Association is meeting in Chicago next month and it would be good to have a report on that conference.
Treasurer’s Report.
Mr. Lucas said it is early in the fiscal year. His concern is about the impact of the recent auction on the cost of electricity. Mr. Hetzer asked about a payment to Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Adrianopoli said that Mrs. Miller now runs a series of current event programs at the Library. Those programs were described in some detail.
Request To Remove the Mel Gibson I Read Poster.
Mr. Lucas said that this should be a staff decision and he wondered how the matter came to the attention of the Board. Mr. Madden said that our policy does allow a patron to bring to the Board’s attention any matter that they would like the Board to address. Mrs. Jonen noted that almost everyone has said something inappropriate and that is not a reason to remove a picture. Mr. Frankel said that although he found the remarks by Mr. Gibson offensive, he would not remove the poster. The Board then asked Mr. Madden what he would recommend. Mr. Madden said that he recommends that the poster not be removed. The Board then agreed that the poster should remain in the Library.
Bids For Library Vans.
Three bids for a new Extension Department van had been received:
Woodfield Chevrolet: $22,255.39
Dick Wickstrom Chevrolet: $21,395.00
Schaumburg Chrysler: $21,415.00
It was moved by Mrs. Jonen and seconded by Mr. Hetzer that:
A van for $21,395.00 be purchased from Dick Wickstrom Chevrolet.
Roll call vote:
Mr. Hetzer Yes
Mr. Lucas Yes
Mr. Lyons Yes
Mr. Radley Yes
Mrs. Jonen Yes
Mr. Frankel Yes
Mrs. Scott Yes
Mrs. Scott asked that in the future we explore vans that are environmentally friendly and use ethanol.
Per Capita Grant.
It was moved by Mr. Lucas and seconded by Mr. Lyons that:
The Per Capita Grant application to the State be approved.
Motion passed unanimously.
Meeting Room and Discussion Room Policies.
Ms. Teasdale introduced revised policies for the use of meeting rooms and discussion rooms. She went over the changes. Mr. Hetzer asked about the use of rooms as well as if there are maintenance issues. Almost no group leaves rooms in disorder. The Library is still looking for a technical solution for bookings. Mrs. Scott asked about how facilities are used during exam periods at the schools. Now, rooms including the large meeting rooms are set aside as study areas for students during exam times.
It was moved by Mr. Frankel and seconded by Mr. Hetzer that:
The meeting room and discussion room policies be approved.
Motion passed unanimously.
Use of Rasmussen Room by School District #54.
It was moved by Mr. Lyons and seconded by Mr. Hetzer that:
School District #54 be able to use the entire Rasmussen Room on September 21st, 27th and 28th.
Motion passed unanimously.
Executive Session.
It was moved by Mr. Hetzer and seconded by Mrs. Jonen that:
The Board go into executive session at 9:32 for the purpose of discussing personnel matters.
Roll call vote:
Mr. Hetzer Yes
Mr. Lucas Yes
Mr. Lyons Yes
Mr. Radley Yes
Mrs. Jonen Yes
Mr. Frankel Yes
Mrs. Scott Yes
It was moved by Mr. Hetzer and seconded by Mr. Frankel that:
The Board leave executive session at 9:50.
Roll call vote:
Mr. Hetzer Yes
Mr. Lucas Yes
Mr. Lyons Yes
Mr. Radley Yes
Mrs. Jonen Yes
Mr. Frankel Yes
Mrs. Scott Yes
Personnel Matters.
It was moved by Mrs. Jonen and seconded by Mr. Hetzer that:
If an employee has used up all of his/her sick leave and short-term disability and is not able to return to work, the position would be deemed vacant and could be filled. If in the future, the employee is able and qualified for a library position, that employee could be rehired.
Motion passed unanimously.
It was moved by Mrs. Jonen and seconded by Mr. Hetzer that:
If an employee has used up all of his/her sick leave and short-term disability and is not able to return to work, medical and dental insurance would be available without any financial contribution from the Library.
Motion passed unanimously.
There was then a discussion received from an A. R. Miller about the fact that his daughter had not been interviewed for any position at the library. In a checking of personnel application files, there was no application found for a person with the last name of Miller nor was there any return address or telephone number on the letter or envelope.
It was moved by Mr. Hetzer and seconded by Mrs. Jonen that:
Since there was no address on the request and no application on file, no action could be taken on this matter.
Motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment.
It was moved by Mr. Lyons and seconded by Mr. Hetzer that:
The meeting adjourn.
Motion passed unanimously.
Time of Adjournment.
10:00 p.m.