February 21, 2008

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
ELISHA D. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUSTEES
February 21, 2008
Call to order at 4:31 p.m. by President Fuchs
Present: Eisen, Englebert, Enos, Foth, Fuchs, Stanke
Absent: Eckstein, Werley
Also present: Director Saecker, J. Bongers (Head of Adult & Technical Services), M. Loch-Wouters (Head of Children's Services), K. Seefeldt (Administrative Assistant)

Authorization of Bills
1. Motion to authorize payment of the December list of bills from the 2007 budget and payment of the February list of bills from the 2008 budget by Foth, seconded by Stanke and carried unanimously.

Consent Business
2. Approve minutes from the Library Board meeting of January 17, 2008. Englebert noted that her name was misspelled in the minutes.
Motion
Motion to approve the amended minutes from the Library Board meeting of January 17, 2008 by Enos, seconded by Englebert, and carried unanimously.

Director's Report/Information Items
3. Statistics. January lending was up 3.5% overall from last year, averaging 134 items per hour. Our door count rose slightly over last year and our Internet usage increased by over 7%.
4. 2007 Statistics. Dir. Saecker reviewed 2007 statistics taken from our State Annual Report. Copies of this report will be provided to the Board at the March meeting. According to the report, our circulation in 2007 was record-setting. It was the first time we exceeded 450,000 circulations. Reference transactions were up by 4,000, visits to the library increased by 3,000, and there were significant increases in library programming. Overall, the library is continuing to grow and flourish.
5. Donations. We received a bequest of $1,000 in the will of Robert Loescher that was designated for his mother's memorial fund. Ben and Debra Adams gave a gift of stock valued at $843.18. George Mueller, who has remaining payments due on his building fund pledge, recently passed away. Director Saecker will follow up on this to see if it was Mr. Mueller's intent to honor this pledge in the event of his death.
6. Sunday Hours. Circulation statistics show that the library is being well used by our patrons on Sunday.
7. 2007 Unique Management. Our collection agency, Unique Management Services, specializes in services to libraries. In 2007, they recovered $39,226 in lost materials, $10,249 in cash and $2,405 in waived amounts.
8. Staff Meeting Schedule. Staff meetings will be held four times during the year - on March 5, April 29 and June 5. A meeting date for September or October has yet to be established. It will depend on what arrangements can be made with a speaker.
9. COLAND Summit. Director Saecker has been invited to participate in the 2008 WI Council on Library and Network Development Strategic Visioning Summit in May. Board members may provide comments on interests or concerns they may have by accessing the Summit's website.
10. WAPL Presentations. Director Saecker will participate in two presentations at this year's Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries conference.

Discussion/Action Items
11. Library Mission and Vision Statements. Director Saecker presented the new mission and vision statements that had recently been approved by the Long Range Planning Committee. Discussion ensued. Foth recommended changing the mission statement to read, "The Elisha D. Smith Public Library strives to be a dynamic and responsive community center for our diverse population. We offer equal access to materials, programming, services, and entertainment to inspire and enrich while seeking to support learning for all ages."
There was a consensus to accept the following vision statement: "The Elisha D. Smith Public Library enhances the quality of life in our diverse community as we lead with exceptional customer service, a vibrant collection, innovative technology, and responsiveness to the people we serve."
Board members stressed that the mission and vision statements should be posted in strategic locations within the building that are accessible to the public, in the library board room, and on our website.
Motion
Motion to approve the vision statement and mission statement as revised by Enos, seconded by Foth, and carried unanimously.
12. Logo Apparel for Staff. Director Saecker recommended approving three $4.00 subsidies for staff intending to purchase library logo apparel. $4.00 would be taken off the at-cost price of the items.
Motion
Motion to approve three subsidies of $4.00 each for staff logo wear purchases by Enos, seconded by Englebert, and carried unanimously.
13. Staff Meeting Breakfast. Last year, the Board catered a breakfast for one of the library's all-staff meetings. It was well received by employees. The cost of the catering averaged $10-$11 per person. This was paid for from the Endowment. Englebert offered to coordinate the event again this year. Director Saecker extended an invitation to Board members to attend the breakfast and meet with staff prior to the morning meeting.
Motion
Motion to approve catering a breakfast for the staff meeting to be held on April 29 and to extend an invitation to Library Board members to attend by Englebert, seconded by Foth, and carried unanimously.