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MINUTES
OCPL Board of Trustees’ Meeting
May 21, 2008
Central Library
Board Room
4:00 p.m.
ATTENDING: V. Biesiada, A. Lombardi, B. Fisher, R. Strauss, H. J. Hubert, J. Suddaby, J. Kianka
ABSENT: S. Jones, H. Bonner
ALSO PRESENT: J. M. Latham, K. Whitney, G. Cox, K. Benson, D. Bendig, C. Burton, S.Carmer,G. Cuffy D. Headd, M. DePietro, J. Kalkbrenner, E. Kochian, E. Loftus, S. Kushner, D. Milcarek, K. McCaffrey, R. NaPier, M. Laubacher, K. Park, M. Mignano, H. Sammons
Mr. Strauss called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Hubert moved the minutes of the March 12, 2008 Board meeting minutes.
Mr. Strauss seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Ms. Lombardi moved the minutes of the April 9, 2008 Board meeting minutes.
Ms. Biesiada seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
ACTION ITEMS
Resolution: 08-11
Mr. Hubert moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves proposed hours effective immediately for the Southwest Community Center Library:
Monday 10 to 5
Tuesday 10 to 5
Wednesday 10 to 5
Thursday 10 to 5
Friday 10 to 5
Mr. Fisher seconded, the motion carried unanimously
Resolution: 08-12
Mr. Hubert moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the proposed summer hours beginning June 22 through August 31, 2008 as follows:
Branch Summer Hours 2008
Beauchamp Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-8:30 9-6 9 - 5 9 -5 9–5 ClosedBetts Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-5 9-9 9–5 9–5 9–5 ClosedHazard Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-5 9-5 9-9 9-5 9-5 ClosedMundy Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-7 9-7 9-5 9-5 9-5 ClosedPaine Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-8:30 9-5 9-5 9-5 9-5 9-5 ClosedPetit Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-5 9-5 9-9 9-5 9-5 ClosedSoule Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-9 9-5 9-5 9-5 9-5 ClosedWhite Branch
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-5 9-7 9-7 9-5 9-5 ClosedNortheast Community Center
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
9-5 9-5 10-5:30 10-5:30 9-5 Closed ClosedSouthwest Community Center
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
10-5 10-5 10-5 10-5 10-5 Closed Closed
Ms. Biesiada seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution: 08-13
Resolution has been tabled.
Resolution: 08-14
Ms. Biesiada moved the following resolution:
Whereas the community survey conducted in 2006 through the support of the Community Foundation and KS&R indicated the Syracuse public library users preferred evening hours of service to later hours; and
Whereas a staff review of usage patterns by the public in the Central library confirmed a concentration of use in the evening; therefore be it
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the new Central Library hours pending the outcome of the outstanding issues with the Galleries as follows:
MONDAY 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
TUESDAY 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
THURSDAY 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
FRIDAY 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
SATURDAY 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.And be it further Resolved, express hours will include services of Telephone Reference and use of the Browse-About with an employee available to retrieve materials that are being requested by patrons. Levels 3, 4 and 5 will be closed during the days and times listed below:
Express Service:
Monday, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Ms. Lombardi seconded, a brief discussion followed.
Mr. Fisher amended the resolution as follows:
The resolution was amended as follows:
Whereas the community survey conducted in 2006 through the support of the Community Foundation and KS&R indicated the Syracuse public library users preferred evening hours of service to later hours; and
Whereas a staff review of usage patterns by the public in the Central library confirmed a concentration of use in the evening; therefore be it
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the new Central Library hours pending the successful resolution of the outstanding issues with the Galleries as follows:
MONDAY 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
TUESDAY 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
THURSDAY 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
FRIDAY 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
SATURDAY 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
And be it further Resolved, express hours will include services of Telephone Reference and use of the Browse-About with an employee available to retrieve materials that are being requested by patrons. Levels 3, 4 and 5 will be closed during the days and times listed below:
Express Service:
Monday, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Mr. Hubert seconded the amendment, the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution: 08-15
Ms. Biesiada moved the following resolution:
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.
Ms. Lombardi seconded, a discussion followed.
The Board decided to table the resolution.
Resolution: 08-16
Ms. Biesiada moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees accepts the DeFranciso grant in the amount of $35,000 for competitive grant process available to all public libraries in Onondaga County to be administered by the OCPL Executive Director.
Mr. Fisher seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution: 08-17
Ms. Lombardi moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the submission of the Gates grant application “ Opportunity Online Grant” for $31,298 to cover the costs of an administrative fee and for participants hardware and peripherals.
Ms. Suddaby seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution: 08-18
Ms. Biesiada moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves advancing the draft budget as stated in concept to the County.
Ms. Lombardi seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution: 08-19
Ms. Lombardi moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees authorizes the appropriation of an additional $85, 041 in supplemental state aid.
Ms. Suddaby seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution: 08-20
Ms. Biesiada moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the submission of the 2007 State annual reports for OCPL and the OCPL System.
Mr. Hubert seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution: 08-21
Ms. Suddaby moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the submission of the 2009 budget proposal for the state Basic aid, CBA/CLDA, Coordinated Outreach and Jail Aid.
Mr. Kianka seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Motion-Resolution: 08-22
Ms. Biesiada moved the following motion:
Resolved, that the OCPL Board of Trustees approves the expenditure of $250.00 from the Smith Hawley Fund to the library of the recipient of the annual Trustees of the Year award, in addition to the traditional two plaques.
Ms. Suddaby seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Strauss mentioned that a nomination letter would be coming out shortly for anyone interested in nominating a trustee.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Dr. Latham updated the board on the finalization of the new finestructure for children’s materials. She congratulated the 2010 committee who launched this initiative.
Dr. Latham thanked the OCPL Staff, system members and OCPL board members who participated in the WCNY Tel-Auc on April 24th.
Meetings and Conferences:
Met with Ms. Massulik who works on the library’s website. She demonstrated the current state of the new website and it looks good. They hope to have it go live before the end of the summer.
Dr. Latham and Mr. Strauss attended the Steve Abrams training for board members in Utica.
New Business
a. 2009 Budget
Ms. Carmer reviewed the draft budget with the Board.
b. SUNY-Up
The hospital would like to “join” OCPL as a “branch” within the system. They would like to resolve any necessary legal documentation this summer in order to move forward. Since this is a change in OCPL operations, the Board should authorize it. Dr. Latham is requesting the authorization to engage Cristina pope in the development of an agreement that would essentially prove access to the OCPL collection at SUNY—Upstate via Polaris. They would come on the system functioning like a branch, with their own identity.
The Board asked the following questions:
Would OCPL patrons have access to their collection?
Dr. Latham responded that Upstate would like to be able to deliver access to their consumer health collection for this and it would work both ways.
Would there be an impact on the OCPL staff for this?
It may have an impact on delivery, in that we may want to create a delivery drop point at Upstate.
Who would pay for the equipment?
Upstate would provide all the equipment and everything. This would be a pilot project that hopefully would lead to some kind of mutual funding.
c. OCPL Retreat
The management in Central and branches will hold a retreat this year. Dr. Latham understands that only two of the suburban libraries indicated a clear interest in attending. All suburban libraries are welcome to attend as well any Board members who may be interested. Mary Beth Farr from DLD will also be attending.
Old Business
a. Delivery/Sorting Room
The backlog has been addressed, but with significant use of comp time for Central clerical staff.
b. Lifecycles Grant
The grant has been submitted to the Gifford Foundation. Dr. Latham thanked Ms. Carmer and Ms. Loftus in their help with this process.
c. MOU (Memorandum of Understanding)
This issue still needs to be addressed. Mr. Strauss and she will be re-visiting the document with former committee members.
d. Transfer of Possession
Dr. Latham has asked for a strategy from the County concerning the documentation to move the PCs into the control of the member libraries.
e. Roof
Dr. Latham asked the County for an update. Mr. Kochian and Mr. Cuffy are present to give the update.
Mr. Kochian introduced Mr. Cuffy, who updated the Board on the roof. Mr. Cuffy explained that they have been trying to resolve this issue for several months. The County has met with the Galleries management in an effort to get them to replace the roof. The County discussed ideas that they can do to help the Galleries management by providing them with some incentives for them to replace the roof over the library. At this stage, none of this has worked to get this accomplished. At this juncture Mr. Cuffy is trying to get the Galleries Board together to see if they would vote to mandate a replacement of the roof over the library. He is meeting with the city corporation council to try to get help form the city. The OCIDA is actually the owner of the commercial unit of the Galleries and he is trying to illicit help from them.
A discussion followed regarding the feasibility of a green roof and the protection of the library’s collection in the areas of where there are leaks.
f. State Librarian Follow-up
Dr. Latham announced she has received correspondence indicating that the Department of Library Development will search for a state librarian of the same stature to replace Janet Welch.
Dr. Latham shared her resignation letter with the Board. She highlighted the accomplishments OCPL has made during her tenure and thanked the management team, the staff and the Board for all their hard work and dedication in attaining these goals. (Letter is attached.)
Staff Reports:
Banned Books
Ms. Loftus announced that October 1, 2008 is the date for the Banned Books Event with Carolyn Mackler as the keynote speaker.
CNY Reads
Kicked off its 3rd season, with a kick-off event that happened on April 30th. They have chosen poetry for this year’s event. 60 Poems, by Charles Simic, national Poet Laureate.
Librarian 1’s
Five were hired in March and they have been circulating among branches and Central. They have all been doing very well.
COMMUNICATIONS
Committee reports
Finance
The Committee met to discuss the process they want to take in reviewing the budget in order to give better reports to the Board on an ongoing basis.
The 990 form will be wrapped up soon.
They are still working on looking at other investment companies.Government Relations
Ms. Biesiada, Mr. Fisher, and Mr. Strauss will be meeting with the County and Deputy County Executives to discuss Board and OCPL relationships.Mr. Strauss announced that there would be two new Board members joining the Board in June.
Strategic Planning
Mr. Strauss mentioned that Mr. Fisher has taken on the responsibility to help the Board develop and prepare a strategic plan. Mr. Fisher elaborated on details of what the committee will intend to accomplish. Mr. Hubert and Ms. Jones are also part of this committee.
OCSL
Mr. Kushner mentioned that at their last meeting they discussed the MOU. They have submitted a list of changes and omissions from them to OCPL. They are looking at where we are with all of this.
Mr. Kushner spoke with Ms. Carmer to see what type of costs the suburban libraries were going to incur with the result of Polaris this year.
They have put together a collection taskforce, which is an initiative to just get everyone from all over the system together to discuss practices and share ideas. The group has met once and Mr. Kushner felt it went well.
IPUG (Internal Polaris Users Group) – This is still in the process of being put together.
Other Reports
Foundation
Mr. Kochian gave an update on the Foundation’s sponsored events:
Southside Literacy Parade, 6/7/08
Bedtime Story at the OnCenter, 6/28/08
Discovery Summer –Includes three fieldtrips from five libraries to: the Zoo, M.O.S.T., and Beaver Lake Nature Center.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Mr. Strauss spoke with Sari Feldman, former Administrator with OCPL. She is now the Director at Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio. He reported on some of the programs and initiatives they have there.
Mr. Strauss attended the Gates Workshop on advocacy. It took the participants step-by-step through the process on how to build a program.
Mr. Strauss and Dr. Latham attended a trustee workshop in Utica. They discussed technology in libraries and where libraries are headed.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Biesiada moved to go into executive session to discuss matters on contractual issues and specific personnel matters.
Ms. Lombardi seconded, the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Strauss motioned to adjourn executive session and to reconvene in open session.
No action was taken.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Biesiada moved to adjourn.
Mr. Strauss adjourned the meeting at 7:03 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail M. Cox
Administrative Aide