OCPL Home > About OCPL > Board > 2008 Minutes > July 9
Board Meeting Minutes
OCPL Board of Trustees’ Meeting
July 9, 2008
Central Library
Board Room
4:00 p.m.
ATTENDING: K. Alford; S. Jones;V. Biesiada; A. Lombardi; H. Bonner; R. Manning B. Fisher; R. Strauss; H. J. Hubert; J. Suddaby
ABSENT: J. Kianka
ALSO PRESENT: J. M. Latham; R. NaPier
; G. Cox; D. Onecki;
D. Bendig; K. Park;
S.Carmer; H. Sammons;D. Headd; K. Whitney; J. Kalkbrenner;E. Dailey; E. Loftus; C. Pope;
D. Milcarek
Mr. Strauss called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
INTRODUCTIONS
Mr. Strauss had everyone in the room introduce themselves to the two newest Board members.
ACTION ITEMS
Resolution: 08-24
Mr. Hubert moved the following motion:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves to add Debbie Onacki, Account Clerk II and KyungJin Park, Personnel Administrator; remove Joyce M. Latham, Executive Director; Kate McCaffrey, Deputy Director; and Cheryl Tinozzi, former Account Clerk II and retain, Jay Kianka, OCPL Board Treasurer, Elizabeth Loftus, Administrator for Branch Services; and Sally Carmer, Director of Administrative Services: as a staff person of the Onondaga County Public Library authorized to sign checks drawn on the following OCPL Trustee accounts (below):
- Onondaga County Public Library Checking Account #190 00634 4 at Key Bank
- Onondaga County Public Library Commercial Savings Account #204-55118-8 at HSBC Bank
- Onondaga County Public Library Trustees Gift Fund Checking Account #204-77462-4 at HSBC Bank
be it further resolved, the transfer of Trustees checking account funds to the Trustees savings account effective July 9, 2008.
Ms. Jones seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
2009 Budget
Dr. Latham mentioned that the 2009 budget they submitted is under review by the County’s Department of Management & Budget. A letter from Mr. Mareane from DMB states every county department must cut another 10% of the local tax dollars in addition to the cuts the budget analyst has all ready made. Ms. Loftus, Ms. Carmer, and Dr. Latham reviewed the budget that was submitted and would like to know if the $200,000 of the $535,000 that’s cut is the cost of the Polaris bond and maintenance agreement, which is a system service not unique to OCPL, which must sustain all the costs. There is no way we can meet this objective without cutting some service by the library. The Library requested a review of the system-wide databases as a way of meeting our objectives and also a consideration of supplemental services such as Telephone Reference as way of meeting the County’s target for the library’s budget. Dr. Latham has requested a breakdown of the cuts made by the budget analyst, but has received no reply to this request at this time.
The Board discussed what actions they would like to take regarding the 2009 budget restraints.
Roof
As members of the Board Managers for the Galleries condominium, Mr. Kochian and Dr. Latham offered a resolution calling for the repair of the roof, but this was tabled. Dr. Latham presented the Board with a project list that shows what the Library would have to go through in order to move the 5th floor to another location. Ms. Carmer, Mr. DeCook, and Dr. Latham are working on obtaining figures to go with those activities. The best estimate is that it would take at least 3 months to get a move done. Ms. Carmer explained that the average office space in downtown is approximately $18.00 a square foot. The Library is still working on the costs for the move and being able to find a location that would be able to accommodate us for less than a year. The Board discussed the need for a deadline date to be determined, where the litigation plan becomes the execution plan.
Acquisitions
Ms. Kalkbrenner has been working closely with Baker & Taylor to resolve outstanding issues concerning materials orders and processing. We have a firm commitment from the vendor for improvements in that area and are proceeding to evaluate services based on their ability to meet their own assured targets.
IMLS Grant
The Walsh/ IMLS grant requisition for funds has been submitted to the federal government. It has yet to be placed on the legislative agenda, for the funds to be appropriated. Dr. Latham hasn’t received an answer as to why this is being held up.
Meeting Room Policy
Based on an incident that occurred at the Hazard Branch, the OCPL management team will be reviewing the public Meeting Room Policy to see if it should be modified to accommodate our county colleagues.
Old Business
- OCPL Retreat
On June 17th, a retreat for managers for Central and branches and the management team was held. Dr. Latham thanked Mr. Manning and Mr. Strauss who also attended, and felt it was a fruitful day.
- 2010 Committee
They had a “closure” meeting with many of the members of the committee. Dr. Latham is working with the consultants to draft a final report, based on their notes, and representatives of the committee will present it at a future Board meeting with their recommendations. Dr. Latham commended everyone on the Committee for all their hard work they had done.
c) Law Department
Ms. Loftus and Dr. Latham have been working with the law department in drafting a new Internet policy for the consideration of the Board in August.
New Business
a) IdeasCount
The County will be piloting with two other departments, Aging and Youth and Van Duyn. They will be piloting a new staff “suggestion box”, which is online and tracks the status of suggestions through an administrative process. Ms. Park has agreed to administer this service during the trial period.
This is Dr. Latham’s last board meeting, and at the request of some members of the Board, she is leaving her following thoughts:
As I take my leave of OCPL, I also end my career as a librarian. It began in 1969 as an undergraduate student assistant and as a graduate student at the University of Maryland I pursued the public library tract and spent the better part of my professional career in public libraries. I’ve had opportunities to leave the profession before, IBM tired to hire me from a training course I took with them. The defense industry, of all people, wanted to set me up in my own “woman owned” business and there has been vendors within the library profession who have tried to lure me over to what they have admittedly called the “dark the side” of profitability, higher salaries, and better vacations.
I have stayed with public libraries because I have a personal commitment to the principal of right livelihood”, while there are other careers may have been right for others, they were not right for me. Public libraries I felt allowed me advocate for values that I believed need to remain in the forefront of our society. I realize many people here disagree with that principal, but it is one to which I am committed.
I believe the role of public libraries is to empower the people, all people, our public. I believe it has never been more important to emphasis that role for libraries, than it is today. As others have said before me, the public library is the people’s university and as I have said before it matters how we position our libraries in our communities.
Historically the nobility had libraries. In America it was the wealthy or the clerics, or the poor but pampered faculty of a teaching institution who possessed the extensive collection of materials capable of supporting the intellectual investigations of the owner.
Benjamin Franklin was, of course, one of the people who changed that. A runaway from Boston, the apprentice printer teamed up with 11 other young businessmen to establish the Junto Club, which in 1731 established the first subscription library, or shared information resource, in Philadelphia. Franklin’s Junto called for the membership to engage in debate and discussion that would move the membership forward in wrestling with the issues of the world.
It is significant that for Franklin and his associates, personal advancement involved the ability to actively engage in political influence… not necessarily becoming politicians, although many of them did in this brave new world… but to learn how to participate in political process, one that they were involved in shaping.
In New York the New York library Club, with soon to become publisher Richard Bowker as president teamed up with Melville Dewey, to promote legislation establishing an incorporated public library in New York City. The first piece of legislation passed, but there was a problem with it. It required that government officials – such as the mayor and the president of the board of alderman – Common Council – serve as ex officio trustees.
Supporters of the library felt that the presence of politicians would corrupt the institution. Now, we can laugh about this, but in the late 1800s there was concern that the head librarian could come under the control of a local politician, and the institution could be turned to the support of whoever was in power at a given time. So Dewey and his colleagues promoted a second piece of legislation that would allow municipalities in New York to appropriate tax dollars to fund a library with no executive interference. The Library Law of 1886 did just that, allowing both public and private libraries to seek tax dollars. That principle of independence is the same principle that undergirds modern public library service, not only in New York, but across the country.
The reason for this independence is because public libraries are not about books, or magazines, or dvds, or low culture or high culture – They are about ideas, a “marketplace of ideas’, per Oliver Wendell Holmes – that is – they are about the right of the people to engage fully in democracy. Public libraries are the last of the iron partisan organizations, the bedrock of a modern democracy, and our role as librarians and trustees is to ensure the library can use whatever tools – books, dvds, magazines, games, programs, storytimes – whatever tools may engage our publics with an understanding of our basic freedoms. In the 1950s, it was the freedom to read – not to establish an economic base, but to enable personal participation in the community. In 2008, it is the freedom to communicate, via whatever venue is available. But always, for all of us, it is freedom to think, to share that thinking and to continue to foster an open and accessible intellectual environment.
As I pack up to toddle off to Wisconsin, that is what I am preparing – lessons that focus on growing a community of thinkers – and I hope we all can commit to developing those freedoms wherever we are.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S REPORT
SUNY/OCPL Xpress
Ms. Loftus explained the new partnership with SUNY Upstate Medical Library. She stated that Upstate represents 6,000 employees and this is a whole new population we would be able to extend our materials to and as Ms. Pope, from University Library stated in the past, this would be an opportunity to leverage each others strengths.
OCPL would provide leisure-reading materials to staff and eventually patients and they in return would provide their health information to our clientele. In short term, OCPL will send to Upstate Library leisure materials for staff to borrow, request and return their items there. They will register as an OCPL patron and will have to sustain the same responsibilities, procedures and policies as all OCPL borrowers.
The Board inquired about the costs to OCPL. Dr. Latham replied that SUNY Upstate Library would absorb the costs. Ms. Pope stated there is very little cost involved. Upstate would contribute funding to the leisure collection; they have the staff that would need to be trained. There is no cost in technology, they will assume that cost. Eventually they would be adding to OCPL’s collection, since they will be adding titles. In return they already have a very nice consumer health collection and they would like to be able to migrate that into the Polaris system. The idea behind that is if you are ill or a family member is ill in this area, you wouldn’t immediately think to go the SUNY Upstate Health Sciences Library first, but to your own public library.
Ms. Loftus explained that the future plan is that the Children’s Hospital will have the Family Resource Center and that’s where the patients and family members will be able to have access to consumer health information and the leisure materials right in the hospital.
Dr. Latham stated that this would be a change in policy and that the Library would eventually need authorization from the Board in order to move this forward. Mr. Strauss would like to have the language put together for a resolution to be voted upon at the August Board meeting
Staff Reports
Sally – Renovation Update: Ms. Carmer gave an update on the renovation projects. Eighteen projects are completed or underway now. We have two other projects that we will be undertaking shortly.
Katie & Doreen – Lost Card Charges:
Ms. Whitney handed out an updated report on the justification for charging for a lost library card.
Ms. Biesiada motioned the following resolution:
Resolution: 08-15
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the recommendation of a charge of $2.00 to cover part of the costs of replacing a library card.
Mr. Manning seconded.
Mr. Alford, Ms. Biesiada, Mr. Bonner, Mr. Fisher, Ms. Jones, Ms. Lombardi, Mr. Manning, Mr. Strauss, and Ms. Suddaby approved; Mr. Hubert opposed. The motion carried.
An updated report with feedback on this will be presented to the Board at their October meeting.
KyungJin - VRR Update: Ms. Park handed out an updated report on the status of positions within OCPL.
COMMUNICATIONS
Other Reports
Government Relations: Mr. Strauss announced that Mr. Manning will chair the Government Relations Committee.
Finance: Mr. Strauss would like to have the Committee give their recommendations to the Board at the August meeting.
Strategic Planning: Will be on hold until we receive word from the Gifford Foundation.
Recruitment & Development: Mr. Bonner’s term will end at the end of 2008 and the Board will need to think about recommendations to pass onto the County Executive’s Office.
OCSL: Ms. Dailey stated they didn’t have a report on account they didn’t meet in July.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Mr. Strauss stated that the MOU Committee will be meeting on 7/17.
Rosamond Gifford Grant- information has been sent in and is waiting for their reply.
Ms. Opello from Hazard Branch sent a letter to the Board about reviewing the meeting room policy and a patron code of conduct.
Mr. Strauss reviewed the final audit report that came from the Comptroller’s office. They had a comment regarding the Board’s by-laws. Mr. Strauss will appoint an ad-hoc committee next meeting to review them.
OCPL ADVISORY COUNCIL
They will not be hosting an annual meeting this year due to the time and the resources.
Trustee of the Year Award nomination letter was handed out and it needs to turn in by August 1st.
Mr. Strauss is looking for someone to take his place by the first of the year to represent the OCPL Board on this committee
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Manning moved the minutes of the June 11, 2008 Board meeting.
Ms. Lombardi seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 5:20 p.m., Ms. Biesiada moved to go into executive session to discuss personnel matters on specific individuals.
Mr. Manning seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
At 6:00 p.m., Mr. Strauss motioned to adjourn executive session and to reconvene in open session.
Ms. Biesiada seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
No action was taken in open session.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Biesiada moved to adjourn.
Mr. Strauss adjourned the meeting at 6:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail M. Cox
Administrative Aide
Last updated February 13, 2009