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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Library Advisory Board - Meeting Date: 2/13/2013 City of Glendale Library Advisory Board Meeting Main Library Boardroom 5959 West Brown Street Glendale,Arizona 85301 Wednesday,February 13,2013 6:00pm Members Present: Others Present: Ms. Char Sharp, Chairperson Mr. Erik Strunk, Executive Director Ms. Holly Fallucca(via telephone) Mr. Jamsheed Mehta, Acting Asst. City Manager Ms. Susan Shelly Ms. Michelle Yates, Parks Ms. Karen Aborne, Vice Chairperson Ms. Deanna Ortiz, Parks Ms. Susan Sommer Ms. Karen Reed, Library Mr. Chase MacKay Ms. Diana Figueroa, Recording Secretary Mr. John Fernandes (arrived at 6:07) Ms. Bernadette Bolognini Guest: Sandy Rupp, Volunteer CALL TO ORDER Ms. Char Sharp, Library Advisory Board Chairman, called the meeting to order at approximately 6:00pm. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES—December 12,2012 and January 9,2013 Chairperson Sharp called for a motion regarding the Minutes of December 12, 2012 and January 9, 2013. Board member Bolognini made a motion to approve minutes as written from the meetings of December 12, 2012 and January 9, 2013. Board member Sommer seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR Chairperson Sharp called for Business From The Floor. There was none. OVERVIEW OF 501c3 NON-PROFIT CONCEPT Mr. Strunk introduced Ms. Michelle Yates and Ms. Deanna Ortiz who made the presentation. Ms. Yates began with a PowerPoint presentation explaining the g.i.f.t. Program, Gifting for Glendale. She reviewed the Mission Statement and Purpose Clause. She explained the 501c3 status and what it entails. Ms. Yates explained what accomplishments have been made to date such as a draft of the bylaws, a letter of determination from the Arizona Library Advisory Board February 13, 2013 Page 2 Corporation Commission; Form 1023, an application applying for a non-profit status, has been submitted to the Internal Revenue Service for review; received an Employee Identification Number; and there is currently a balance of funds. Board member Shelly questioned who is responsible and in charge of the funds. Ms. Yates stated the Board members would be responsible; a board comprised of volunteers. Ms. Yates reviewed the To Do List, which was a list of items that need to occur prior to beginning to accept donations for the g.i.ft. Program. Board member Shelly asked if the funds collected would be divided evenly or can funds be specifically designated. Ms. Ortiz said a donation of funds could be specifically designated for a particular program or activity. She added concerns such as this are still being determined. In response to a question from Board member Aborne, Ms. Ortiz explained city employees will establish the program and board, however, once the Board of volunteers has been assembled, it will be their responsibility to operate — it is being designed to operate independently of city structure, but to compliment its efforts to enhance quality of life and it • will be turned over to them. She added there are many opportunities to establish the program in case any Board members may be interested. Mr. Strunk added no city funds would be used to establish this program. He added it might take months to begin the process as it involves the Internal Revenue Service. Mr. Strunk added other city jurisdictions have done this and they have been successful. The Board thanked the ladies for their informative presentation. PRESENTATION ON ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND LITERATURE Mr. Strunk introduced Ms. Karen Reed, Library, who provided a briefing to the Board regarding the electronic media and literature the libraries offer. Ms. Reed, stated there are three different types of e-books available. She said there are e- readers, which can be checked out. The second type is an e-book, which can be accessed through the computer and read on the screen. She said the third type is the digital library where a patron can download e-books onto their personal devices. She provided a thorough overview on the use of a Nook. She said State Grants monies along with donations from Council members Clark and Knaack were used to purchase the Nooks. Ms. Reed continued with a demonstration of how to access the libraries' electronic databases and how to download from the Greater Phoenix Library site. Library Advisory Board February 13, 2013 Page 3 Last, she provided statistics on the number of downloads which occurred. She said there was a substantial increase after Christmas. The Board thanked Ms. Reed for her time. UPDATE ON RE-ORGANIZATION OF LIBRARY Mr. Strunk updated the Board on the reorganization of the library. He provided a PowerPoint presentation, which consisted of an overview of the Library Operations. He said it costs approximately $5.2 million dollars a year and includes 55.5 full time employee positions. He said the City Council gave direction in the spring of 2012 to explore different options for management and operations of the Glendale Library system. He said three scenarios were considered. They were as follows: 1) outsource to Maricopa County Library District (MCLD), 2) outsource to private sector; and 3) keep in-house and become more efficient. Board member Fallucca stated the recent vote to continue the tax increase was portrayed as though if upheld,the libraries would be saved and no changes would take place. She felt people approved the tax increase in order to save the libraries and it seems the public was possibly mislead. She asked if any other board members were feeling mislead. Mr. Strunk explained this was a temporary tax increase. In 2017, the tax increase will no longer be charged. In preparation for this,the city needs to make changes now and not wait until 2017 when the temporary tax ends. Board member Shelly stated she understood this after Ms. Kennedy's last presentation. Mr. Strunk continued by explaining the benefits of the reciprocal borrowing agreement with MCLD. Board member Bolognini asked if other city departments were also making cutbacks and she questioned how much they have reduced their budgets. Mr. Strunk explained "yes" and he could have the Budget office explain in more detail if the Board is interested. STAFF UPDATES Ms. Reed explained cross training of library employees is in full swing. She said construction and relocation of desks is currently underway. She said there are free music downloads on "Freegal", which is accessible through the city's library page. She said three free weekly downloads are allowed. She demonstrated where this is located. She provided a few statistics. She said J.A. Jance appeared at the Foothills Library and 42 people were in attendance. A Child's Play performance brought in 102 people at a single Library Advisory Board February 13, 2013 Page 4 performance. The 17th Annual Songwriters Event was held at the main library and it brought in 350 people. The Arizona Broadway Theater's Remake of a Frog Prince brought in 97 people. At the Velma Teague Library, a book-signing event of self-published authors brought in approximately 25 people. Last, she asked the Board members to review the survey,which was distributed to them in their packets. She stated they are located at the libraries and the adult center. LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Members offered suggestions for the Board's consideration. Board member Bolognini stated she is interested in volunteering to staff a table at events in order to distribute surveys regarding the library to the public. Board member Sommer said she visited with Council member Hugh recently. She also said she has composed a "thank you" letter to thank previous Council member Clark for her generous donation which allowed the purchase of Nooks for the libraries. She asked each board member to sign the letter. Board member Shelly suggested a fundraiser similar to where a restaurant donates a portion of the profits to a certain group or committee. She thought maybe the g.i.f.t. program could work with a local restaurant to obtain donations. In response to an idea from Board member MacKay, Ms. Reed clarified that a link to e-books would be helpful. Board member MacKay noticed there are online sources in the children's section as well as the adult section. He asked if online sources could be added in a teen section, which might include the required reading for high schools. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, Board member Aborne made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Board member Shelly seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:54pm. The next meeting will be held at the Foothills Branch Library, Roadrunner Room, on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 6:00pm.