Update_Library Board of Trustees 1 24 12Carnegie -Stout Public Library
Library Board of Trustees Update
From the Meeting of
January 24, 2012
Present: Paula Connors, President; Mike Willis, Vice President; Frederick
Miller, Secretary; Trustees, John Anderson - Bricker, Diann Guns, David Hammer,
and Jenny Weiss
The Board met Thursday, January 24. Below is a summary of their meeting:
• December marked 50 percent of the fiscal year lapsing. Expenditures are
on target at 50 percent of the total operating budget. Revenue collected is
at 50.8 percent of projections. The FY 2014 budget presentation will be
given to the City Manager on Monday, February 4 at 9:00 a.m. in the City
Manager's office and the budget presentation to City Council is Tuesday,
February 5.
• In December the number of check outs was down compared to December
of the previous year (year -to -date check outs down 2 percent). Any impact
due to restrictions on reserves to open access patrons has not yet been
felt in circulation. The decrease in circulation is from Dubuque card
holders. Open Access transactions are up (8.2 percent) year -to -date over
the same time last year. The decrease in check outs is primarily seen in
the print material category in both adult and children's books;
downloadable check outs increased over the same time last year
(increase of 61.2 percent).
• Due to the missed December board meeting and other action items
required in January the next steps regarding the results of the community
survey will be discussed at the February meeting.
• The Loras College Marketing Club was unable to adopt the Geek the
Library campaign as a project. A job description was submitted to Loras
College for a part -time internship opportunity for this promotion. This
unique position will provide excellent experience for a student as this
intern will create and fully implement a marketing plan, act as a liaison in
the community, manage a budget, and evaluate the campaign at its
conclusion.
• The library will file for accreditation at the end of January.
• Lange Sign Group has agreed to pay for half the cost of the new exterior
signs. The balance has been requested as a CIP and if approved, the
signs can be replaced as soon as July.
• At their last Board of Trustees meeting, County Library board members
agreed to meet with representatives from Carnegie -Stout and the James
Kennedy Public Library in Dyersville. Melissa Kane, the new director of
the Cascade Public Library has expressed interest in joining this
discussion. Shirley Vonderhaar, the director of the Dyersville library and I
met with Melissa on January 24 to explain the open access issue to
Melissa and learn the extent to which Cascade would like to be involved.
We set a date of February 4 to meet with Dawn Hayslett, the director of
the Dubuque County Library to create a document outlining the goals of a
task force and the guidelines under which it will operate. Going into this
meeting C -SPL has identified the "must- have" guidelines: Outside
facilitator to lead task force meetings; goal — how county libraries can work
together to offer better services to all patrons and save money /resources;
establish a target percentage of use by the County patrons to our libraries
through the Open Access program and work together to achieve that
target.
• The Fines and Fees Policy was updated and approved. It reflects a return
to $25 as the threshold for turning accounts over to the collection agency
that we work with. This qualifies us to join a program with the collection
agency that will cost us less per account and with intervention taking place
sooner we expect to realize a better rate of return of materials and paid
fines.
• The Collection Development Policy was updated and approved.
Library Board of Trustees
-Pa 't_.31,tAtiA .
Paula Connors, Board President
Mike Willis, Vice President
Frederick Miller, Board Secretary
John Anderson - Bricker
Diann Guns
David Hammer
Jenny Weiss
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Susan Henricks, Director