Report_Library Board of Trustees 8 25 16 Carnegie-Stout Public Library
Library Board of Trustees Update
From the Meering ofAugust 25, 2016
Present: Patty Poggemiller, Vice President; Mike Willis, Secretary and Trustees,
Robert Armstrong, Pat Maddux, Christy Monk, and Jon Trotter
Excused: Jenny Weiss President
• July was the first month of FY2017 representing 8% of the fiscal year
lapsing. Expenditures were at 7% and revenue income was at 6% of
projections. The Board approved all expenditures made since the last
meeting.
• Discussion regarding the decrease in circulation took place. There are four
variables that could influence this and the first is the new County branch
library in Asbury. People living in the west side of Dubuque find it more
convenient to visit the Asbury library under the terms of the Open Access
(reciprocal borrowing) program. The increase in check-outs from the
County Library System to Dubuque residents is 302%; however, this is
only equivalent to 3.5% of our total circulations. A second possibility is the
perception of people believing that Carnegie-Stout has bed bugs. We
continue to receive calls inquiring about bed bugs on a weekly basis and
when out in the community library staff are routinely asked about the
status of this issue. Despite the truth and fact that we had one minor issue
involving two pieces of furniture, which we dealt with swiftly and
effectively, it seems impossible to change the minds of those believing we
have an ongoing problem. The third factor is the perception that the
downtown area is not safe, which has been noted by respondents in
library surveys that are unrelated to this topic. The fourth variable is the
need to review how our collection is developed. We do not have funding
for a-Books and all funds in that line have come from reducing the print
budget. It is hard to keep up with the demand for a-Books because they
often cost more than four times the cost of a print book and we fear we
may have distressed the print collection. We are evaluating this possibility
using an in-depth statistical analysis and can speak to whether this is an
influence or not in the near future.
• The Library has received notification that it has been accredited through
June of 2020.
• Discussion was held on the time frame following notification of non-
returned materials before a report of theft is made. The Board prefers to
see this take place soon after the final notification is made rather than wait
and continue with additional notifications.
• The vending machine library was removed from the Asbury Plaza Hy-Vee
on July 22. Discussion took place as to options to replace this in an effort
to offer some type of library service to residents living in the western part
of the city. The options ranged from lockers that can be opened with a
PIN for the pick-up of holds to two systems that were more fully integrated
offering drop-off and pick-up of holds, as well as browsing, check-out, and
the ability to pay fines or fees. Another option is a bookmobile.
Bookmobiles are now designed to include a wide range of technology as
well as pull-out program room space; however, existing funds to operate a
bookmobile would exhaust before six years of operation. Henricks
recommended that before a sizable financial investment is made that the
Library conduct a community survey with a confidence level of at least
95% to learn more about current use as well as the need for west side
service. The Board discussed another option—that of a collaboration with
the Asbury branch of the Dubuque County Library system. Henricks will
meet with the Director of the County Library and report back to the Board
in September.
Library Board of Trustees
Jenny Weiss, Board President Susan Henricks, Director
Patty Poggemiller, Vice President
Mike Willis, Board Secretary
Robert Armstrong
Pat Maddux
Christy Monk
Jon Trotter