JOHNSTON  LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES
May 15, 2008

The Johnston Public Library Board of Trustees met for a regular meeting at 5:30 pm on Thursday May 15, 2008 in the Archive Room.  Present were Stephan Johnson, Ellen Jessen, Steve Scott,  Shirley Weuve, Director Willona Goers and Assistant Director Maurine Myers.  Stephan Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm.

Approve Agenda

Steve Scott moved approval of the agenda.  Ellen Jessen seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.

Citizen Comments

• Willona reported she had received a letter from the Governor’s Office in response to her letter about funding for the State Library, Library Service Areas and the state’s public libraries.
• A customer comment was received about an audio book CD disc getting stuck in the CD player of her new car which she attributed to the paper label on the disc.  Response: The Library circulates @ 9,000 CD books and 15,000 music CDs per year and has had no other complaints of this nature.  Staff also checked with the Urbandale Library which uses the same labeling system and they too reported no problems.
• Willona shared letters which had been received by the Library from Beaver Creek elementary students.

Meeting Minutes 

Steve Scott moved approval of the minutes.  The motion was seconded by Ellen Jessen and unanimously approved.

Approve Bills

Library claims for the month total $26,268.01 with city back charges of $6,015.63.  Steve Scott moved approval of the bills.   Ellen Jessen seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.

Staff Evaluations and Compensation

Willona reported that performance evaluations for the entire staff have been completed with all staff receiving Fully Satisfactory or Exceeds Expectations ratings.  Stephan Johnson moved approval of a 5% pay increase for all staff plus closure pay for the affected staff as appropriate.  The motion was seconded by Steve Scott and unanimously approved.

Liebert UPS Battery Annual Maintenance Agreement

Steve Scott moved approval of the Liebert UPS annual maintenance agreement at a cost of $3,809.00.  Ellen Jessen seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.

Policy Review

Steve Scott moved to change p.72 of the Policy Manual for ‘Unattended Child/Disruptive Behavior’ by changing the first paragraph beneath the header ‘Policy: Unattended Children’ to read “Children under the age of nine who are left unattended or appear to be in the facilities without responsible supervision can be a cause of concern to the Library”.

The motion was seconded by Ellen Jessen and unanimously approved.

Nominations for Board Officers for FY08/09

Nominations for Board Officers for the coming fiscal year are as follows:  President – Taena Fowler; Vice-President – Steve Scott and Secretary – Ellen Jessen.

Budget and Finance

• The budget and finance report was distributed for review.  As of April 30, 2008, total expenditure was $804,020.90.  With 83.33% of the year passed, spending represents  80.64% of the 1st budget amendment and 78.08% of the final budget amendment.
• The Library Trust had a balance of $74,089.11 as of April 30, 2008.
• The final budget amendment did allow for reallocation of wage-related costs to the library materials budget; a number of staff has participated in recommending and/or selecting new materials for the collection using these funds.
• Agreement for Enrich Iowa (Direct State Aid, Access Plus, and Open Access) has been received for the next fiscal year.

Staff Training Report

The current Strategic Plan addresses the importance of staff training.  Willona distributed a report that summarized the training/continuing education each staff member received throughout FY07/08.

Monthly Statistics

• Circulation was 19,800 this month which was comparable to last year.
• New library card registrations were comparable to last year while renewals were up (due to the annual renewal policy).
• 895 people attended programs this month compared to 812 last year.

Director’s Report

Willona reported on recent meetings of the Metro Library Association (a subset of the larger Polk County Library Association) and the discussions related to payment formulas for the Windsor Heights and Polk County contracts.  Steve Scott moved to accept the proposed library funding formula as worked out by the Metro Library Association.  The motion was seconded by Ellen Jessen and unanimously approved.

Library Accreditation:

The Library received notice that it has retained its Tier 3 (highest level) accreditation status.

Building & Grounds:

The Board discussed the recently completed building security review..

Technology, Telecommunications, Networking:

The Board discussed Library Materials security.  The discussion on Express Check was tabled until next month.

Event Keeper’s Online Registration component has been activated and will be used for adult program registrations.

Public Relations & Networking:

• The Library received coverage in the Johnston section of the Des Moines Register for the Kate Klise author lecture that was held in conjunction with Children’s Book Week. 
• The Library also continues to receive regular coverage in the Bulls Eye and Johnston Living publication for its many programs.
• The website is being updated several times per week and the monthly email notification continues.
• Johnston Community Education’s summer catalog included a full-color ad for the Library’s Summer Reading Program.

Foundation Report

Foundation officers met in May and discussed the Board/officer vacancy, routine deposits and bills. 

Trustee Comments

A report was given on the Trustee recommendation process.  A total of 8 applicants were interviewed by one or more of the Board subcommittee (Stephan, Taena and Willona) and a recommendation forwarded to the City Administrator.  An additional application was received after the closing date.

Other Business

The Board discussed changing the date of the June board meeting June 19th conflicts with the city’s Green Days celebration.  The June meeting has tentatively been rescheduled for June 24; Willona will confirm the June 24 meeting date via email.

Adjournment:

Steve Scott moved adjournment of the meeting.  Ellen Jessen seconded, the motion was unanimously approved and the meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm.