Minutes of Regular Meeting
ELISHA D. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUSTEES
Elisha D. Smith Public Library Gegan Room
February 24, 2016
Call to order at 4:00pm by Crawmer.
Present: Crawmer, Englebert, Franzoi, Golz, Kaminski (teen rep), VanderHeyden and Wicihowski
Absent: Rollins-Jump
Also Present: Director Lenz, K. Beson (Children’s Services Supervisor), C. Brandt (Support Services Supervisor) and Dreyer (Administrative Assistant)
Public Comment/Communication
Wicihowski met a woman while working at the polls who told her how helpful Joe Bongers was and how she loved the Menasha Public Library.
Consent Business
Motion made by Franzoi, seconded by VanderHeyden to approve the Library Board meeting minutes from January 21, 2016. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion made by Golz, seconded by Wicihowski to accept the Fundraising Committee meeting minutes from February 9, 2016. Motion carried unanimously.
Authorization of Bills
Motion made by Franzoi, seconded by Wicihowski to authorize payment of the December (3) 2015 bills as presented from the 2015 budget and the February 2016 bills as presented from the 2016 budget. Motion carried unanimously.
Director’s Report/Information Items
1. January Statistics. Circulation continues to decrease while assistance with questions and program attendance increase.
2. 2015 Final Budget Status. We closed out the year with unspent funds, but last month trustees passed a motion to make a formal request to the Mayor to used unspent funds to purchase software and hardware to upgrade the self-check machines in circulation and the children’s department. Lenz submitted that request.
3. 2016 Budget Status. The premium pay line item will be overspent since it did not account for on-call or overtime of custodial staff. Franzoi asked if the library fines and vended services could be reconciled quarterly vs. monthly. He also asked about industry standards for libraries. The DPI website shows the data submitted by all Wisconsin public libraries, which can be used for comparison.
4. Endowment Report. The January endowment report was distributed to trustees.
5. Staff Reports.
a. On February 17, Lenz attended a Poverty Outcomes and Improvement Network Team (POINT) meeting at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton. This regional initiative is funded by Community Foundation stakeholders to identify better ways to address poverty in the valley over the next 18 months. Colleen Rortvedt, Appleton Public Library Director, compiled some statistics about the Fox Cities public libraries that were distributed to trustees.
b. Staff participated in 420.7 hours of continuing education opportunities in 2015.
c. The teen and adult winter reading program will end on February 29.
d. The school system is collaborating with Fox ValleyTech to hold EvenStart programs at the local Boys and Girls Club several days a week. The library is a partner is that initiative, which helps families that struggle with English. VanderHeyden explained that there are four components: language of the parent, language of the student, parenting skills/education, and literacy.
e. The library is also partnering with the Menasha Schools’ Read Like a Rock Star reading promotion.
f. The Fox Cities Book Festival is scheduled for April 18-24. The Fox Cities Reads book this year is Beautiful Boy by David Shef, about a father’s journey through his son’s addiction. We may rerun the Steps of Change program in conjunction.
g. Interviews were conducted on Friday, February 19, for the Adult Service Librarian position. Ana Maria Acosta was offered the position, so she will go from part-time to full-time.
6. Fundraising Committee Report. The Second Great Menasha Library Chili Cook-Off will be held on Sunday, February 28, from noon until 3:00pm. Entertainment will be provided by the Menasha High School Band and Russ Reiser of the Vic Ferarri Band.
Discussion /Action Items
1. 2016 Holidays. Last year, New Year’s Eve was added to the library’s list of paid holidays to even out the number of paid holidays library and city employees receive. However, since many people visited the library this past New Year’s Eve, it was proposed that we be open New Year’s Eve 2016 with limited hours and give employees another floating holiday in its place. This change was also brought up at last month’s meeting. Motion made by Franzoi, to be open New Year’s Eve 2016 with limited hours and give employees another floating holiday in its place, seconded by Golz. Motion carried unanimously.
2. 2016 Annual Report to the State. A draft of the annual report to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction was enclosed. Franzoi congratulated the library on the number of visits/capita. Motion made by Franzoi, to approve the report and vote “yes” to whether or not Winnefox effectively provided leadership and adequately met the needs of the library during 2015, seconded by Wicihowski. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion made by Franzoi, to request a joint meeting of the Boards of Trustees of the Neenah Public Library and the Elisha D. Smith Public Library to discuss the factors involved in determining our libraries’ Statement Concerning Public Library System Effectiveness for the 2016 Annual Report, seconded by VanderHeyden. Motion carried unanimously.
3. Meeting Dates and Times. Motion made by Franzoi to continue meeting on the fourth Wednesday of each month, with adjustments made in November and December to accommodate holidays, seconded by Wicihowski. Motion carried unanimously.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn made at 4:58pm by Franzoi, seconded by Wicihowski. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Dreyer, recording Secretary
