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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 101509 LAB1 Library Advisory Board October 15, 2009 Members Present: Kemp Burdett, Mary Hatcher (Chair), Conrad Luhmann (Secretary), Jacqueline O’Grady (Vice Chair), Ellen O’Malley, Evelyn Smith Staff Members: Harry Tuchmayer, Tammy Baggett Friends of the Lib: Anne Langan Absent Members: Rick Andrews, Bettie Harrison, Carroll Jones, Marilyn McConnell, Gwen Rohler, Paul Walker Meeting began at 2:00 PM The meeting was called to order by the presiding officer, Mary Hatcher. Public Comment & Agenda review: No public comments this month. The October Agenda was approved with the addition of Grounds Enhancement to Old Business. CORRESPONDENCE Mr. Tuchmayer reported that the Star News ran an article on 10/3/09 regarding the Friends Booksale at the Northeast Branch. The article was distributed to the Board. The Library continues to capture emails from patrons signing up for the new online catalog. FRIENDS REPORT Anne Langan, President of the Friends of the Library, submitted the following report: October 2009 Friends of the Li?brary Summary October 15, 2009 The Fall Book Sale was a solid success, with proceeds totaling $54,757, before expenses. The totals for all five events in 2009 are $115, 683, (with some expenses still outstanding). This is up over $15,000 from 2008, and overwhelmingly due to the excellent, dedicated work of Rita and Tom Lewis, the Book Sale Co-Chairs. Please congratulate them if you see them, or send them an email. The LAB recommendation that we issue special invitations to the County Commissioners was carried out, with the result that Jonathan Barfield and family came Friday evening, toured the sale and stayed to buy books! We heard from a total of four of the commissioners, and Bill Caster came later in the week. He also sent a hand-written note. We plan to also invite them to the Annual meeting and continue to make them aware of our activities. We thank the LAB for the suggestion, and the work of Marilyn McConnell in personally lobbying them! Marilyn also worked to have additional coverage of the sale in the press. 2 Unfortunately, Rita and Tom have announced to the Board that they will step down, December 2009. This requires the FOL Board and active volunteers to immediately begin evaluating the current structure of the sales and the need for additional key volunteers to spread the work load. We have begun that evaluation process this week, and will work closely with Harry, Dorothy Hodder and Paige Owens to make the necessary decisions. We invite the LAB comments and counsel. Please note: The amount of money raised from the Book Sales has become more and more crucial to the health of our library system, especially in the current County budget crunch. But the way the book sale is operated may have to change to become more sustainable, and this may or may not result in lower net profits. The current membership of the Friends has risen to 613, which is a 40% increase from 2008. A number of patrons of the Book Sale joined on Preview night. The Annual meeting will be on November 6th, at 7 pm at the NE Branch, and the speaker will be Celia Rivenbark. ?? After the Friends report, ideas and suggestions for a permanent space for the Friend’s Booksale were discussed. The physical labor required to run the Booksale is just too much for most of the FOL retirees/volunteers. The FOL would love to acquire a location where they can shelve the donated books as they come in and host the sale from that same location. One suggestion was the space currently being rented by UNCW at the NE Branch. The FOL would like for the County to consider not renewing UNCW’s lease and allowing the Library to use this space. This would also reduce the parking issue at the NE branch, especially since the parking lot project was cancelled. NEW BUSINESS Committee Assignments The following assignments were reviewed by the board. Strategic Issues Committee Richard Andrews, Jr. (Chair) Carroll Jones Conrad Luhmann Kemp Burdette Policy Committee Jacqueline O’Grady (Chair) Gwen Rohler Evelyn Smith Marilyn McConnell Intellectual Freedom Committee Bettie Harrison (Chair) Paul Walker Ellen O’Malley 3 Advocacy (ad hoc) Committee Conrad Luhmann (Chair) Marilyn McConnell Grounds Enhancement (ad hoc) Committee Kemp Burdette (Chair) Evelyn Smith Mary Hatcher announced that two members of the Board have requested a temporary Leave of Absence due to family obligations. Gwen Rohler & Paul Walker will be on leave until January. After that time, we will readdress the issues. Mary made a motion that the Board would temporarily consist of 10 members instead of 12. Conrad Luhmann seconded the motion and Board passed the motion. OLD BUSINESS Update on TLC System Harry Tuchmayer stated that the Library has successfully converted from Virtua to TLC. We did encounter some minor issues that are being addressed. He also noted that although most Libraries close for conversions, the NHCPL stayed open the entire time. Harry thanked the LAB Ambassadors who took the time to come out and assist the patrons during the release of the TLC system. The Ambassadors stated that the public really liked the new system. A TLC system release slated for January, will allow us to integrate our digital collection into the catalog. Grounds Enhancement Kemp Burdette shared his ideas for the grounds enhancement in the park at the Main Library. The concept is to use this area as a showcase for native plants. It would allow the public to see the benefits of native plants, such as water conservation and wildlife habitats. He has contacted numerous local advocates who may be interested in partnering with the board on this project. Kemp is working with a local landscape architect to design plans for this area. The Board would like to see the Stage worked into the plans so that this area can be better utilized for library programs and other events. The area is currently a City park that is operated by the County. Harry Tuchmayer will contact the County Manager’s office regarding the project. 4 DIRECTORS REPORT In addition to the written October Director’s Report, Harry Tuchmayer reported on the following items: Alice Sheridan, Consumer Heath Librarian, will be retiring on Oct. 19th. The Library has requested to fill her position and expected to hear a response in the coming weeks. Mark Livingston, Consultant for Strategic Management Systems, will be working with Library to create Strategic Plans for the Library. Mr. Livingston met with Harry Tuchmayer and his staff recently to establish “Reflective Groups”. These groups will work to create a plan for the Library’s future. Harry stated that he would like to meet with the Boards to get their input on these plans. Tammy Baggett, Asst. Lib. Dir., reported to the Board that the First Annual Staff Development Day was held on October 12th. All Library locations were closed the public on this day so that staff could attend these meetings. Ms. Baggett distributed copies of the programs and discussed each of the following meetings that were held: Strategic Planning with Mark Livingston AM Breakout Sessions: (Staff attended one of the Following) Investing on a Shoestring Budget with Kent Boseman Yoga: Exercising the Mind & Body with Susan Wood Brainstorming (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) with Mark Livingston Help & Hope for the Homeless with Don Skinner PM Breakout Sessions: (Staff Attended Both of the Following) Discovering Your Strengths with Julia Lanham NHC Library System: Moving Forward, Embracing Change with Carroll Shaw Whitney & Sarah Ridout Ms. Baggett stated that the day was very well received by the staff. Holding the event on Columbus Day, when most of the public think we are closed, worked out well. The Library would like to continue to use this day each year for future Staff Development Days. Jacqueline O’Grady suggested that the library set aside Columbus Day in 2010 for a similar event. This suggestion will appear on the library’s 2010 calendar presented to the board in November. Harry Tuchmayer reported that the County’s Departments are undergoing changes, restructures and consolidations. These changes are to better utilize the Asst. County 5 Managers and their Departments heads while keeping the County’s focus on customer service to the public. The Library has recently purchased tote bags that will be sold to the public. The FOL provided the Library with the upfront money to purchase the bags. Cost per bag will be approximately $3.00 -$5.00 each. Meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, November 19th at 2:00 PM at the Main Branch.