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10/25/2000LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER October 25, 2000 Present: Judy Melges Chair Tom Leavy Vice Chair Howard Adler Board Member Glenn Garte Board Member Katherine Merriam Board Member Rhonda Smith Board Member Absent: Jill Perrino Board Member Also Present: John Szabo Library Director Julie Lewis Foundation Executive Director Susan Hackett Administrative Analyst Chair Judy Melges called the meeting to order at 10:35 a.m. at the Main Library. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM #1 – Welcome ITEM #2 – Minutes Member Glenn Garte moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of September 15, 2000, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #3 – Library Director’s Report Library Director John Szabo distributed the Fall Calendar of Library Events and thanked the Foundation for providing the funding to print the calendar. The latest publication of the FROG (Florida Resource and Opportunity Guide) Director was reviewed and is available for $8.00 to the public. a) Main Library Project Update Mr. Szabo reported a revised contract should be ready to take before the City Commission before the end of this year outlining architectural services and reflecting a 90,000 sq. ft. library for $20.2 million. Mr. Szabo reviewed the projected timeline for the Main Library project. Mr. Szabo noted a recent article in the St. Petersburg Times estimated the figures for the new Largo Library to be in the range of $16.5 – 22 million, rather than the $8 – 10 million figure quoted earlier for a 93,000 sq.ft. building. Options such as leased space for popular materials, reference, youth/teen area during the construction process will be discussed with the City Manager in November. Some services such as Administration, Technical Services, and Collection Development could be housed in other available City-owned space, such as the existing North Greenwood Library if the new North Greenwood Library is constructed in time. Discussion followed regarding additional staffing needs for both the new Main and North Greenwood Libraries. b) North Greenwood Library Project Update Mr. Szabo discussed two possible sites for the new North Greenwood Library: 1) southeast corner of Palmetto Street and North Greenwood Avenue, and 2) northeast corner of Seminole Street and North Greenwood Avenue. On December 2, the community will be asked for their site preference. Mr. Szabo will present this information to the City Commission in January. c) Countryside Library Sunday Hours Mr. Szabo reported a proposal to open the Countryside Library from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Sundays will go before the City Commission on November 16th. Mr. Szabo hopes to begin this service in early January. It was noted this could become a potential budget issue in the future if communities demand Sunday hours at other library facilities, as well as Saturday and evening hours at the Beach and North Greenwood Libraries. d) East Library Landscaping The East Library has undergone landscaping renovation. e) Book Leasing Mr. Szabo reviewed a leasing agreement for bestsellers from the McNaughton Company that he will present to the City Commission on November 16th. The plan allows for a 2,000 volume inventory at all times, with 100 volumes leased per month up to the 2,000 limit. Books with less demand are returned each month. The plan is cost effective and makes bestsellers more available for patrons. Leased books are also available to libraries for purchase at a much-reduced cost. f) Library Day 2001 Mr. Szabo encouraged Board members to attend Library Day 2001 in Tallahassee on March 26 & 27. Some Friends of the Clearwater Library members will be attending. g) Events The following upcoming events were noted: 1) Screenwriters Workshop at Harborview Center on October 28 2) Folk Arts Festival Dinner with Storytellers at Harborview Center on November 13 3) Clearwater Community Women’s Club annual Evening with the Author at East Library on November 17 ITEM #4 – Unfinished Business Member Garte questioned the status of the gift giving/donor naming policy. The policy was accepted by the City Commission with the caveat that the fundraiser could come back to the City Commission to fine-tune the policy. The final policy states donor acknowledgement will be by small plaque designed at the discretion of the design architect. ITEM #5 – New Business a) Library Interlocal Agreement – renewal Mr. Szabo gave a brief history of the Interlocal Agreement for the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative libraries established on January 10, 1989. Mr. Szabo noted that Clearwater joined in 1994. The agreement expires on January 10, 2001 and is up for renewal for another twelve years to January 10, 2013. The benefits and funding received from participation in the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative will be presented to the City Commission for their approval on December 12th. Mr. Szabo noted the agreement contains a few minor changes. In addition, Mr. Szabo commented the East Lake community is requesting an increase to the $200,000 funding amount in the agreement which would reduce funding available to other participating libraries. The Pinellas County Commission will discuss this issue on November 27th. Member Garte moved the Library Advisory Board recommends to the City Commission approval of the Interlocal Agreement for the next twelve years. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Discussion followed on the differences in library consortia and cooperatives throughout the state. ITEM #6 – Reports a) Foundation Foundation Executive Director Julie Lewis reported a campaign consultant has been hired and is helping Ms. Lewis put together a campaign structure. A case statement is also being prepared. Ms. Lewis commented progress is right on target, and there is a lot of interest in the Main Library project. Ms. Lewis noted the kick off for the public campaign will be a Cognoscenti garage-type sale of items collected all year and housed in the Main Library just prior to demolition. Ms. Lewis stated Dean Young has agreed to do a poster for the sale. b) Friends – no report ITEM #7 – Board Comments The next Library Advisory Board meeting has been changed to Monday, November 20, at 10:30 a.m. Chair Melges thanked Julie Lewis on her work with the fundraising campaign. Member Howard Adler questioned why patron barcodes could not be abbreviated when entered into the online system since the first several numbers are the same for all cards. ITEM #8 – Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 a.m.