River Forest Public Library Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Regular Meeting March 21, 2006 Call to Order President Molly Ryan called the meeting to order at 7:17 p.m. Roll call was taken. Present were Director Dawn Bussey and Trustees Ryan, Fischer, Horstman, Cusack, Soffer and Daly. Trustee Mark Coe arrived at 8:40 p.m. Audience to Visitors and Trustee and Staff Comments There were no comments from visitors, trustees or staff members. Mary Liebner, President of the Friends of the Library, gave a presentation to the Board updating them on the activities and donations of the Friends. The Friends are getting ready for the Book Sale which will be held on June 23, 24 and 25 this year. The group is looking forward to helping again with the Children and Teen Summer Reading Program. Last year the group contributed $1100 to the program and played an active role in the Taste of the Library event. Donations from the Friends include $800 for new chairs, the moving and tuning of a donated piano, 17 “Families of the World” DVDs and the $160 annual fee to the Oak Park Post Office for the cost of the bulk mailing of The Bookplate. Board members thanked Mrs. Liebner for her informative presentation and for all the generous work of the Friends. Consent Agenda Board members reviewed the minutes of the February 21, 2006 regular meeting, the Warrant List for the period of February 21, 2006-March 21, 2006 including checks #6049-6117 for a grand total of $78,131.74, the February Treasurer’s Report and the donations received in the month of February. Mrs. Cusack moved that the Consent Agenda be adopted. Mrs. Daly seconded. Roll call vote was taken. Voting aye were Ms. Ryan, Mr. Soffer, Mrs. Cusack, Mrs. Fischer, Ms. Horstman and Mrs. Daly. There were no nays: the motion carried unanimously. Communications A. Announcements-Mrs. Bussey shared the following with the Board 1. Funding for the ASK (After School Kids) Program which is to start in the fall is in place 2. The Bookplate has been mailed 3. The Fahrenheit 451 programs have started and have been very well attended 4. Copies of the library’s 1989-1994 Long Range Plan 5. Donations to the endowment fund in the amount of $1,100 have been received 6. Copies of the by-laws with changes added B. Patron Suggestions – Five patron suggestions – numbers 168-172- and the Director’s replies were recorded during the month of February, 2006. Director’s Report A. Statistical Report- Board members reviewed the statistical report for February, noting the increase in circulation. Trustee Molly Ryan observed that the library is short staffed and will continue to be for the foreseeable future due to budgetary constraints. Patrons may occasionally wait in line for checkout. It is hoped that the self-checkout system which will be ordered soon will help alleviate this situation. B. Written Report – Highlights 1. The “Record Drawings” (“As Built” drawings) are currently being done, good progress is being made, and the goal is to have them complete by the April board meeting. 2. The time and print management system is slowly being put in place 3. Two part time reference librarians have been hired to replace Pauline Grippando. 4. Mrs. Bussey will speak on March 24th at the Public Library Association Conference. Her talk will be “Making Traditional Library Services Teen Friendly”. C. Departmental Reports- Board members reviewed reports from the heads of each of the library’s departments. Old Business A. Capital Improvements Progress Report- Mrs. Bussey Mrs. Bussey updated the Board on the capital improvements. New hand dryers have been installed in the public restrooms. The cost of the bonding process is $27,204. Mrs. Bussey is exploring the long term cost effectiveness of a geothermal heating system. B. Parking Study Report- Mr. Soffer Mr. Soffer and Mrs. Fischer collected data on available parking surrounding the library, times of heaviest usage and availability of parking at all times during the day and evening. Mr. Soffer presented their findings. Further data will be collected during the softball and soccer seasons. The library will also collect data regarding patrons’ experiences with parking. When adequate data has been collected, representatives from the school and the park district will be invited to discuss the parking issue further. New Business A. Request to Modify Routine Banking Procedures- Mrs. Bussey Mrs. Bussey explained that because all of the print materials are now being ordered each month from Baker and Taylor, the purchases for payment often add up to more than the $2,500 pre-authorized amount. Mrs. Cusack moved that the “Routine Banking Procedures” policy be amended to read “The Library Director of the River Forest Public Library is authorized to approve purchases for payment of up to $2,500 per vendor per month, or up to $10,000 per month to Baker and Taylor…” Mrs. Fischer seconded. A vote was taken and the motion carried unanimously. B. Intergovernmental Agreement- Mr. Coe moved that the Board accept the Intergovernmental Agreement for Youth Interventionist/Coordinators. Mrs. Daly seconded. A vote was taken. There were all ayes and no nays: the motion carried unanimously. C. In-Service Day Schedule for 2006 Mrs. Bussey proposed that the library be closed on the first Fridays in April, August and December for in-service days. The April in-service has been planned as a cleaning day and the others will be planned for meetings and staff development. Mr. Coe moved to accept this proposal. Mr. Soffer seconded. A vote was taken and the motion carried unanimously. D. Report on Executive Minutes Review – Mrs. Daly Mrs. Daly moved to keep the executive minutes dating from September, 2005 to the present sealed as the need for confidentiality still exists. Mrs. Cusack seconded. A vote was taken and the motion carried unanimously. Executive Session There was no executive session. Adjournment At 8:55 p.m. Mr. Soffer moved for adjournment. Mrs. Cusack seconded. Respectfully submitted, Diane Daly, Secretary