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12/11/2008 LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER December 11, 2008 Present: Robert Brumback Chair Frederick Dunn Vice-Chair Jan Regulski Board Member Elizabeth Drayer Board Member Marilyn Garte Board Member Absent: Vacant Seat Board Member Vacant Seat Board Member Also Present: Barbara Pickell Library Director Holly Ausanio Administrative Analyst Chair Bob Brumback called the meeting to order at 10:32 a.m. at the Main Library. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Welcome 2. Approval of Minutes – November 13, 2008 Member Jan Regulski moved to approve the minutes of the November 13 meeting as motioncarried submitted. The was duly seconded and unanimously. 3. Library Director’s Report C a)entralized Phone System Director Barbara Pickell reported the call center is now working, with calls for all branches going through the central system. Call center staff will answer simple reference or circulation questions; if more in depth research is needed, the call will be referred to the appropriate staff. They are averaging 180 calls per day, with the call center staff handling 2/3 of the calls directly. With the reduction of staff at the branches, but little reduction in patron usage, the centralized phone system is very helpful in reducing the workload of the staff at the branches. b) Advisory Boards Director Pickell stated the City Council reviewed advisory board ordinances at their meeting in December. They removed term limits for all boards and updated some of the wording e.g. City Council instead of City Commission. Specific for the Library Board, the reference to nine meetings per year was removed, providing for monthly meetings year- round. Library Advisory 2008-12-11 1 12/11/08 c) Library Website Director Barbara Pickell reported since the Webmaster position was eliminated, the updating of information will be handled by individual library divisions. Staff is also looking into new ways to utilize the website including blogs and wikis. In response to a question regarding the number of hits the website receives, Ms. Pickell stated the library is second to the Citywide website, which gets approximately 20,000 per month. 4. Unfinished Business Director Barbara Pickell reported the budget for 2009/2010 doesn’t look good due to revenue sources dropping including property, business and sales tax. For the pension plan alone, the City will need to almost double what is normally budgeted due to the stock market decline and a State law requiring a certain percent of the liability be backed by cash so the plan can not go defunct. This increase will require more reductions in other areas of the budget. Ms. Pickell is recommending advocacy groups start voicing their support now. The Friends of the Library’s statement will be that the library is important, providing people with options in a bad economy; that the library has already taken enough hits and Council needs to find alternatives for reducing the budget. They will have a concerted campaign, possibly including the mailing of postcards to patrons to sign and send in to the Council. In response to questions, Director Pickell stated the Library, Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire are the largest general fund departments. Enterprise funds generate non-tax revenue to support the department, and internal fund departments such as Information Technology, Finance, and Human Resources support and are funded by other departments. The Library and Parks and Recreation took the biggest hits for the last two years, with Police and Fire taking small hits, such as reducing overtime pay. Internal services and enterprise funds have lost some positions as vacated. Dunedin and Largo lost positions without a reduction in hours; St. Pete had reductions last year but not in the current budget; while Safety Harbor has a newer larger library and added a position. In response to a question regarding charging for services, Ms. Pickell stated State law requires basic services be provided free of charge. In response to a question regarding County tax funding to help support the library, Ms. Pickell stated these funds are received through the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative. Clearwater will receive approximately $900,000 this year, which is based on non-resident circulation. a) Volunteer Usage / Volunteer Coordinator Director Pickell stated she is working with the Foundation to develop a volunteer coordinator position with salary funding by the Friends and possibly the Women’s Club. In response to a question, she stated volunteers would not replace existing staff. The Information Desk is one position that would be filled with that position providing direction to different services in the library. They will determine specific positions in which volunteers can be used. The coordinator will recruit, hire, train, schedule and monitor the volunteers. The Foundation hopes to have the program approved by early January and operating by spring. Library Advisory 2008-12-11 2 12/11/08 In response to a question whether the Union would protest the use of volunteers for shelving, Ms. Pickell stated the Union does not want positions that had previously been paid filled by volunteers. Volunteers at the branches have been assisting with shelving for many years. 5. New Business a) Penny 3 Projects - Priority Ranking Director Pickell reported the City Council will prioritize Pennies 3 projects at their January meeting. Included in the list is the renovation and expansion of the East and Countryside branches at $6.5 million each, and $1 million for the RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. In response to questions, Ms. Pickell stated RFID checkout would supplement staffing, eliminating the need for additional positions with branch expansion. The $1 million designated would cover costs including equipment, software and tags, but not staff time for affixing tags to the materials. The funds can be used for another project if a public hearing is held, but it cannot be used for general operating budget bailout. Pennies 3 funds will be available 2010-2020. Concern was expressed regarding expansion of branches when faced with potential budget cuts that may require the closure of facilities. Discussion ensued regarding how best to enhance existing service, with Board consensus to recommend renovation of the branches using existing square footage and determining the best use of the space based on patron usage needs. Member Jan Regulski moved for the Board to submit a letter to the City Council recommending the Library RFID project be the first priority followed by renovation of Countryside and East libraries with equal rating. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 6. Reports a) Foundation - no report b) Friends - no report 7. Board Comments - none 8. Adiournment The meeting was adjourned at 11 :53 a.m. f~')?7.~~ Cl'1air Attest: 1~CJ- Library Advisory 2008-12-11 3 12/11/08