ELISHA D. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUSTEES
AGENDA
4:00 p.m. Thursday, April 23, 2009
Gegan Room
 (If Board Members cannot attend, please notify the Library Office)
 
CALL TO ORDER:
 
PUBLIC COMMENT:
 
AUTHORIZATION OF BILLS:
 
  1. List of bills for April 2009.
 
CONSENT BUSINESS (Motion to approve all unless separate consideration requested):
 
2.     Minutes. Minutes of Board meeting March 19, 2009.
 
INFORMATION ITEMS/DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
 
3.     Statistics.
4.     Investment Committee.
5.     Finance Committee.
6.     Board Appointments and Terms.
7.     Green Scene 2009.
 
DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:
 
  1. Gates Grant.
  2. Trustee Essentials #7.
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
           
10. ADJOURN
 
UPCOMING MEETINGS & ACTIVITIES
(Including requests for business items for future meetings)
·         Library Board Meeting – May 21 at 4:00 pm
·         WAPL Conference – Wisconsin Dells – May 6-8
 
Menasha aldermen may attend meetings of this body. A quorum of the Common Council, Board of Public Works, Administration Committee, or Personnel Committee may attend this meeting. No official action of any of those bodies will be taken.
 
 

ELISHA D. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY

 

DIRECTOR’S REPORT – APRIL 2009

REVISED

 

 

1.    

Bills.  REQUESTED ACTION:  Approval of bills as presented for April 2009.

 

 

CONSENSUS ACTION ITEMS:

 

2.    

Minutes.  Minutes of Board meeting March 19, 2009.  REQUESTED ACTION:  Approval.

 

 

INFORMATION ITEMS:

 

3.    

Statistics.    This month had me a little concerned going into it because March 2008 was the month that we really started seeing skyrocketing circulation.  How was this month going to compare?  Very well!  Our adult circulation is up 14.8% overall with a 39% increase in music CDs and 26.7% increase in DVDs.  Our children’s circulation also increased by a very respectable 1.2% with a 16% increase in DVDs leading the way. When we compared the March 2007 with March 2009, we found a very impressive increase of 10,000 circulations over the two years!  Amazing.

 

4.    

Investment Committee.  The Investment Committee made up of Stanke and Fuchs will be meeting after the Board Meeting to discuss our Endowment investments.  There are no specific concerns other than the economy of course!  It is simply a regular meeting of the committee.  The agenda is part of your packet this month.

 

5.    

Finance Committee.  It was discussed last year that the Trustee Essentials recommend the Finance Committee meet to discuss priorities and possible projects to fund in the upcoming year before I create a draft budget.  So the Finance Committee will be meeting this spring to discuss some ideas that have come up in board meetings.  If you have specific projects of interest, you are welcome to attend the meeting or let Jill Enos know about your recommendations.  One idea on our list already is the recent discussion of Summer Sunday hours.  Committee members are Enos, Nebel and Wicihowski.

 

6.    

Board Appointments and Terms.  We have two trustees whose terms are up in May 2009.  One is Kathy Wicihowski who was just appointed to the board last year to fill a partial term.  The other is Ros Stanke who completed her three year term. The trustees in question have the choice of asking for reappointment or asking to be replaced.  If someone needs to be replaced the Board and library staff put forward a list of recommended candidates to the mayor who can choose from that slate as well as others in the community.

 

7.    

Green Scene 2009.  In the last month, changes have been made to the library’s relationship with Green Scene.  Green Scene has decided to no longer be a library program but rather a community-wide program.  The library will remain the venue for the art show and its kick-off but beyond providing printing of programs and posters will not be involved financially at any level.  This decision was made by the Green Scene Committee not the library.

 

 

 

 

 

DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:

 

 

8.    

Gates Grant.  You will recall that I announced in March that the library would not be receiving a Gates Grant in 2010 and 2011.  Well, the state returned to the Gates people and asked for reconsideration.  With that small adjustment we and 20 other libraries in the state are now receiving the grant!  We will receive 2 computers in 2010 and 2 in 2011, valued at $2600 each.   All Gates computers must be for public Internet access not staff usage. The $2600 price tag is meant to include any peripherals we might need and any extra can be used to purchase additional computers for public Internet access. 

 

This latest Gates Grant works a little differently than the last one.  In this grant, we must commit to provide matching funds locally.  In 2010 we are required to match 25% of the grant or $1,300 and in 2011 we are required to match 50% of the grant or $2,600.  That means that the library will receive an actual grant of $3,900 in 2010 and $2,600 in 2011.

 

The board must decide if we wish to participate in the grant.  It is either a yes, we will be part of it or a no, we will not.  There is no choice to select only half the computers or any other nuances.  My recommendation is to accept the grant, since we will be replacing the computers anyway and this extends our purchasing power dramatically.  RECOMMENDED ACTION:  Approve the library’s participation in the Gates Grant program for 2010 and 2011.

 

9.    

Trustee Essentials #7.  Liz Derouin will be doing a presentation on Trustee Essential #7.  Please make sure to have read it yourself and bring any questions you have.  I will need a volunteer for Essential #8.

Board Agenda