Fargo Public Library Board – January 16, 2018 Minutes
Regular Meeting: Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Board Members Present: Rachael Steenholdt, Helen Levitt, Jan Ulferts Stewart, Carlos Hawley Jr., Howard Barlow
Board Members Absent: Scott Beaulier, Mary Dickson
Staff: Tim Dirks, Betsy Dauer
Others Present:
President, Rachael Steenholdt called the meeting to order at 4:05 PM, and a quorum was declared.
Order of Agenda
A motion was made by Helen Levitt to approve the Order of the Agenda. Jan Ulferts Stewart seconded the motion; motion carried.
Minutes of December 19, 2017 Regular Meeting
Carlos Hawley Jr. moved to approve the minutes of the December 19, 2017 meeting. Helen Levitt seconded the motion; motion carried.
Staff Report
Staff updates and Staff development activities:
• We had Diane Briggs’ Retirement Party on Jan. 9th at the Main Library. It was open to the public so the community, her family and her coworkers had a chance to say goodbye and congratulations to Diane. Diane worked at the Fargo Public Library for 50 years.
• We are in the process of setting up interviews for the Reference Librarian position.
• Conditional offers have been made for the two Library Page positions. We hope to have those people starting soon.
• The Children’s Department would like to extend a huge thank you to the Friends for donating $600 to the Spring session of Crafternoons, $2000 to the Spring production of the Wizard of Oz, and $1,020 for Bookpage subscriptions for all three library locations. We appreciate their continued support of library programs.
Programming:
Upcoming events (a partial and incomplete list):
• The Fargo Public Library is proud to bring the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge to the Fargo community. Read a book, any book to your child, with the goal of reading 1,000 before kindergarten. Join us at the Main Library on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. or at the Dr. James Carlson Library on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. These events are open to all ages, but are most appropriate for children ages 5 and younger. No pre-registration is required. Sign up to participate in the 1,000 Books program at one of the Kick Off Parties and receive a book bag (while supplies last). Or stop by any Fargo Public Library location beginning Jan. 22 to get started.
• Join us for an evening with author Alicia Underlee Nelson as she recounts North Dakota's journey from a dry state to a booming craft beer hub. North Dakota Beer: A Heady History is Underlee Nelson’s first book and was published in 2017. Books will be available for purchase.
This event will be Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Main Library at 7 p.m.
• This winter the library will be hosting two open writing sessions for area authors. For those interested in submitting to the second annual Northern Narratives journal published by the library, assistance will be available for scheduling and guidelines. Interested writers are reminded to please bring all the tools they require. No pre-registration is required. Refreshments will be provided. Sessions are Tuesday, Jan. 23 – Main Library from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 17 – Dr. James Carlson Library, from 1 to 4 p.m
Notable Past events & programs (again, a partial list):
Children’s Programming:
• The children’s programs during Christmas break were very popular. We had 100 people attend the Mary Poppins Sing-Along on Dec. 27th, 275 attend the LEGO Design Contest on Dec. 28th, and 250 attend the Moana New Year’s Luau on Dec. 30th. So, it was a very busy last week of the year for the Children’s Department.
President, Rachael Steenholdt opened the floor for comments. No comments.
Director’s Report
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to his written report in the Board Packet.
President, Rachael Steenholdt opened the floor for comments. No comments.
Statistical Reports
Usage
The library had 39,188 registered patrons for the month of December. Attendance was down 1% from December 2016 and down 2% year to date. Program attendance was up 23% from December 2016 and up 24% year to date. Internet signups were down 8% from December 2016 and down 5% year to date. Print circulation is down 0.7% year to date while nonprint circulation is down 2.26%. Total circulation is up 0.94% from December 2016 and 0.51% year to date.
Financials
Incoming donations totaled $215 and expenditures of donations totaled $2,256. The year is 100% lapsed while the budget is 96.25% expended. The City of Fargo has a 13th period to catch expenses at the very end of the year. This 13th period is included in the 2017 budget. It is estimated that the Library will have approximately $35,000 remaining in our budget after period 13. This left over money stays in the City of Fargo general fund. Revenue was anticipated to reach $100,000 for 2017. Total revenue collected was $84,238.65.
President, Rachael Steenholdt opened the floor for comments. No comments.
Friends of the Library Report
There was no Friends report.
Old Business
Strategic Planning Update from Director Dirks:
The Strategic Planning Steering Committee reviewed the recommendations from the consultants and came up with six goals. Small groups of staff have been tasked with reviewing the recommended objectives under each goal. These will be completed by February 9th. If all goes as planned a draft of the Strategic Plan will be presented at the February 20, 2018 meeting.
Access to Materials Policy Review:
Director Dirks referred the Board to the proposed Access to Materials Policy in the Board Packet. Jan Ulferts Stewart made a motion to approve the updated Access to Materials Policy. Carlos Hawley Jr. seconded the motion; motion carried.
New Business
Collection Development Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Collection Development Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
A motion was made by Jan Ulferts Stewart to approve the Collection Development Policy as is. Howard Barlow seconded the motion; motion carried.
Computer Use Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Computer Use Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
A motion was made by Howard Barlow to approve the Computer Use Policy as is. Jan Ulferts Stewart seconded the motion; motion carried.
Confidentially of Library Records Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Confidentially of Library Records Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
A motion was made by Jan Ulferts Stewart to approve the Confidentially of Library Records Policy as is. Helen Levitt seconded the motion; motion carried.
It was noted by the Board that whenever the Mission and Vision are updated they should be reflected correctly anywhere they are stated in Fargo Public Library Policy without it needing to be approved by the Board. All were in agreeance.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
Next Board Meeting
The next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 20, 2018.
This meeting was Helen Levitt’s last Board Meeting as she is moving to Minnesota. She stated that it has been a privilege to be a part of the Library Board and that the Fargo Public Library exemplifies what a library should be. She was presented a plaque from the Board and Director for her years of service. All present gave their thanks and well wishes to Helen Levitt.
The meeting adjourned at 4:46 PM.