HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-10-2018 minutes
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY
3939 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421
BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, January 10th, 2018
Approved
2/7/2018
The meeting was called to order in the History Room by Chair, Patricia Sowada, at 5:32pm. Members present: Patricia
Sowada, Catherine Vesley, Nancy Hoium, Stephen Smith, Tricia Conway. Also present: Library Director, Renee Dougherty;
Recording Secretary, Nick Olberding.
• Minutes of the December 6th, 2017 Board Meeting were approved.
• Bill List dated December 13th, 2017 was reviewed. It was moved, seconded, and passed that the bills be paid.
• Bill List dated December 27th, 2017 was reviewed. It was moved, seconded, and passed that the bills be paid.
• Bill List dated January 3rd, 2018 was reviewed. It was moved, seconded, and passed that the bills be paid.
• Accounting Sheet as of December (not final year-end totals) was reviewed, and approved.
• Questions and discussions based on Bills and Accounting:
• Electric, Water, & Sewer: Over-budget, but overall we are under-budget; should still even out in the end.
Strategy of basing budget on 5% increase from previous year actuals fell short. Over the years there should be
better estimation, as it is still a new building. Natural Gas is under-budget, but nearly spot on.
• LED Lights: Still randomly burning out; still under warranty; awaiting delivery of more components to replace.
• AMH: Techlogic maintenance bill received in December of $11,750 was unexpected, and we will need to look into
re-negotiating that contract.
• General/Building Repair & Maintenance: Over-budget due to increase in City negotiated contract (covering all
city buildings); our share based on the HVAC system and number of filters to be changed out, and the labor that
goes into maintaining the systems.
• Rate of Damage/Theft: Difficult to estimate. Popular titles get a lot of use, hence more wear and tear. Paperback,
of course, is more susceptible to damage, and many items are paperback. Theft is unavoidable, and all libraries
experience it. Years ago there was a string of Reference Book theft that affected a number of metro-area libraries
(including CHPL). Some items are checked out and never returned (some with no intention of returning), some
are stolen outright. We used to lock DVD cases, but had to stop to allow for Self-Checkout stations; we have
moved the DVDs closer to front desk with a less obstructed view, which will hopefully help deter criminals.
• Collections: Patron is sent to collections after their library fees surpass $75, which usually means that material
was not returned and has been Assumed Lost. Patrons would have received an automated notice before this (30
days after due date) reminding them to return the material.
• Bottom-line: Our budget is still underspent, and need to wait until the final numbers are in.
Old Business:
• Applications for the Public Library Art Committee: Three applications so far...Lindsay Edwards, Denelle Bing, and
Walter Horishnyk. The Board appreciates the interest so far, but would like to accept applications for one more
month (previously had no deadline) and will review at the February 7th meeting. This will also allow more time to
engage the Friends of the Library and the Library Foundation, as they should be represented on the Committee.
o The Board would like to reach out to current applicants to acknowledge their submission, and let them know
that we are still accepting applications. Anticipating a 5 to 6 member committee.
o Meetings would be best scheduled on the same night as Board meetings (time TBD), and would occur
quarterly (or as needed); initial organizational meeting to work out the details once members are appointed.
o In cases of permanent art installations (eg. sculpture on the mound outside), a representative from the
building’s architectural firm (HGA) should be present.
o The Board would like feedback from Walter Horishnyk on his experience from the artist’s perspective during
his exhibition run.
New Business:
• Proposed Adult Read-Down in February: ACL is hosting an adult fine read-down to coincide with the Winter Reads
program, and Columbia Heights would like to follow suit. The thought of having an adult read-down had come up at a
previous Board meeting, so it was well received by all members (additionally the library has received requests by
multiple patrons to extend read-down to adults). The Board would have liked to increase the time requirements for
adults to 30 minutes for each $1 waived, but to stay consistent with Anoka County it will remain at 0:15/$1. Stephen
D. Smith moved to approve the February Adult Read-Down, and Nancy seconded…Approved.
o As with the Youth Read-Down, taxable fees will not be eligible (DVD charges, Lost/Damaged Item fees, and
Collection Referral costs. Patrons will sign in/out at the Ask Me desk to record their time spent.
• CHPL 90th Anniversary Planning: Official date is December 3, 2018. No discussion materialized from this topic.
• Items From the Floor:
o Library Collections: Across the county the threshold for being able to borrow material is $10. $75 is the
threshold for when a patron could be sent to Collections. Under normal circumstances it would require
material damage, or not being returned to surpass $75. In this case the patron would be notified by a staff
member about the damage, or automated mailed notice of missing material 30 days after the due date. The
ILS system automatically passes qualifying accounts to Unique Management for collections each month. Have
been using this service since around 2011 (ACL does also). Due to new financial laws, Unique may no longer
report patrons Collections status to credit agencies, which had spurred many to resolve their fines.
o HGA Architects: Were in the library this week taking photos of the building for submission for a national
architecture award issued by The American Institute of Architects and Library Journal.
o Tricia Conway: Will be present for the February 7th meeting, but unable to attend the March 7th meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:43pm by Patricia Sowada, and seconded.
Respectfully submitted,
Nicholas P. Olberding
Recording Secretary, Library Board of Trustees
*Mission Statement*
To serve a diverse community’s needs for access to resources, information, and technology in a welcoming environment.
The City of Columbia Heights does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or
employment in, its services, programs, or activities. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with
disabilities to participate in all City of Columbia Heights services, programs, and activities.