River Forest Public Library Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Regular Meeting April 13, 2005 Call to Order Before calling the meeting to order, President Molly Ryan welcomed Trustee-elect Joan Cusack who was a visitor at the meeting, and who will be starting her term in May. She also thanked Lenny Soffer for his contribution as Treasurer of the Board. Ms. Ryan read a list of statements by Board members enumerating Mr. Soffer’s impressive accomplishments in his tenure as Treasurer. Ms. Ryan called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m. Present were Ms. Ryan, Mr. Coe, Mrs. Bussey, Ms. Horstman, Mr. Sher, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Soffer and Mrs. Daly. Audience to Visitors and Trustee Comments There were no visitor comments. Trustee Dean Sher tendered his resignation. Mr. Sher offered to continue working with Mrs. Bussey and the Board as a volunteer. Consent Agenda The Board reviewed the minutes of the March 8, 2005 regular meeting. Members reviewed the Warrant List of Bills Payable for March 9 through April 13, 2005 covering checks # 5011, 5042, and 5045-5120 and the payroll and benefits list for a grand total of $89,201.37. Board members reviewed the March 2005 Treasurer’s Report. Mr. Soffer moved to adopt the Consent Agenda. Mr. Coe seconded. Roll call vote was taken. Voting aye were Trustees Sher, Soffer, Horstman, Coe, Ryan, Fischer and Daly. There were no nays. The motion carried unanimously. Communications A. Donations- Mrs. Bussey reported that there was a $22 donation from Harriet Hausman, author of Reflections: A History of River Forest. Dr. Anibal Pepper donated a book about Machu Picchu as well as his time to give a program on the topic. Mrs. Fischer moved to accept the donations. Mr. Soffer seconded. The motion carried unanimously. B. Communications- Mrs. Bussey shared a thank you note from Miriam Reedy. Mrs. Bussey informed the Board that there is a credit of $1,845.47 from SBC due to a billing error on the library’s statement dating back to 1999. These funds will be used to cover the phone bill for the next several months. C. Retirement Party-There is to be a gathering in honor of Hella Westbrook, who is retiring as Head of Circulation, on April 28 at the library to thank her for her many years of hard work and wish her the best. D. Patron Suggestions- Mrs. Bussey shared the March Patron Suggestions and her replies to the suggestions with the Board. Director’s Report A. Statistical Report- Board members reviewed the Director’s statistical report, noting that the number of adult card holders has increased and that the staff is now confident of its ability to track the number of card holders. Statistics showed that circulation has increased in many areas, including adult fiction and non-fiction, teen usage and wireless network use. There have been significant additions to the collection as well. B. Written Report- Mrs. Bussey presented her written report. She informed the Board that she spent much time in March searching for and interviewing candidates for the Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper position. She did the work of this position in the month of March. She was unable to find a full time person qualified to fill the position. She has hired someone for the summer and hopes to have a full time person in place by the fall. C. Departmental Reports- Board members reviewed the reports from the heads of Circulation, the Children’s Room, Adult Services, the Teen Department and Technical Services. Old Business A. War Memorial Update- Ms. Ryan told Board members that the War Memorial will be covered at no extra charge by IRMA, the library’s insurance carrier. Mrs. Bussey will look at the Memorials which are now at the Park District Offices. She will report back to the Board with ideas as to where either one or both Memorials may be displayed in the library. B. Public Telephone Update- The public telephone in the foyer of the building has been removed. This will result in a substantial cost savings to the library. Brief local calls from the library’s phones will be allowed. C. Second Floor Changes- The reference desk has been cut down, and office space- or for now “off-desk” space- has been created on the second floor. New Business A. Discussion with Village Administrator – Limited Tax Bonds- Village Administrator Chuck Biondo took the Board through the steps in the process of the approval and use of the limited tax bonds. He answered Board members’ questions about the process and invited them to attend the public hearing at the May 9th Village Board meeting. B. Capital Improvements Prioritized- Mrs. Bussey began the discussion of which capital improvements were top priorities. Ms. Ryan suggested that an Ad Hoc Capital Improvement Committee be impaneled to meet before the May Board meeting to make recommendations to the Board. Mr. Coe, Mrs. Fischer and Mr. Sher volunteered to serve on the committee. This committee will report back to the Board at the May meeting. C. Marketing Plan Idea- Mrs. Bussey addressed this in the Director’s Report. D. Illinois Funds Seminar- Mr. Soffer attended a seminar sponsored by the Illinois Treasurer’s Office. He learned that the State sponsors two funds, money market fund and prime fund, which are designed for municipal governments. These funds are safe and provide favorable returns relative to our current investments, without transaction costs or check printing fees. Mrs. Bussey will follow up with Mr. Soffer. E. Request for In-Service Day- Mrs. Bussey requested that the library be closed on Friday, April 29th for a staff in-service day for computer training, staff meetings and cleaning of closets. The Board agreed to the request. F. Election Results- The election results were discussed at the beginning of the meeting. Notices will be posted in the library and given to the press regarding the resignation of Mr. Sher. Interested candidates will be asked to contact the library, and interviews will be set up. Executive Session At 9:15 p.m., Mr. Coe moved that the Board go to executive session. Mrs. Daly seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Adjournment At 9:50 p.m., Mr. Coe moved that the meeting be adjourned. Mr. Soffer seconded. Respectfully submitted, Diane Daly, Secretary