Board Meeting Minutes 12-9-19

LIBRARY BOARD MEETING
Monday, December 9, 2019
Central Library Conference Room
7:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Anita Forte-Scott, President; Jillian Bernas, Vice-President/Secretary; Theresa Seyring, Treasurer; Erin Flannigan-Davies; Hannah Hyman; David Jonen; Julie Wroblewski Bosshart

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT

None

STUDENT TRUSTEES PRESENT

Araha Uday

STUDENT TRUSTEES ABSENT

Alisa Gandhi

OTHERS PRESENT

Amber Creger, Justine Gilbert, Monica Harris, Sandra Kurth, Annie Miskewitch, Kathy Morgan, Bobbi Sloan, Magan Szwarek, Lori Teipel, Beth Valenziano

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Bobbi Sloan attended the Silver Screen, Golden Age movie showing at the Hanover Park Branch and suggested the program be marketed more throughout the community for greater attendance. She also recommended having more readily available information concerning monetary donations to the Library.

BOARD COMMENTS

Trustee Jonen complimented the Social Committee’s work organizing the holiday party, and enjoyed the time together. He also brought up the idea of electrical vehicle charging stations at the Library in the future. He thanked Executive Director Harris for her service and congratulated Deputy Director Miskewitch on her promotion.

Trustee Hyman suggested the Library consider a policy of going fine free on late materials, similar to Chicago Public Library. She thanked Ms. Harris for all the one-on-one help she gave her during her time on the board and is excited for Ms. Miskewitch’s move into the Executive Director position.

Vice-President Bernas enjoyed hearing from multiple Library staff members at the holiday party about how much they have appreciated Ms. Harris’ leadership during her tenure, and how they are excited about Ms. Miskewitch taking over the Library’s leadership.

Treasurer Seyring commented it has been a trend to go fine free and hasn’t heard of any libraries having negative experiences with it. She thanked Ms. Harris for her wonderful years of service as Executive Director and Deputy Director.

Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart complimented the press around Ms. Miskewitch taking over the Executive Director position and how well the staff and community responded to the news. She congratulated Ms. Miskewitch and Ms. Harris on their new positions.

Trustee Flannigan-Davies wished both Ms. Harris and Ms. Miskewitch good luck. She thanked the Library for choosing Pachinko by Min Jin Lee as the One Book, One Community read because she has loved reading it.

RAILS - Ms. Hyman

RAILS has several upcoming informational events about Census 2020 in the new year. Event details are available on the RAILS website.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Vice-President Bernas moved and Trustee Wrobleski Bosshart seconded that:

The November 18, 2019, Regular Board Meeting Minutes be approved; the November 1, 2019, Special Board Meeting Minutes be approved; the November 2, 2019, Special Board Meeting Minutes be approved; and the November 26, 2019, Special Board Meeting Minutes be approved.

Discussion included typos, amendments, clarifications and misspellings.

The motion passed unanimously. 

APPROVAL OF BILLS

Trustee Hyman moved and Trustee Jonen seconded that:

The Library Board approved the November 2019 Bill List.

Discussion included explanation of specific bills and price comparison processes.

Roll Call Vote:
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO AGENDA

The SAT Report will be moved before the President’s Report. There will be an Executive Session to discuss appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees; and litigation, when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the Library has been filed or is pending.

STUDENT TRUSTEE REPORTS

Araha Uday said she and Alisa have worked on promoting One Book, One Community. Araha reached out to Mrs. Fletcher to promote One Book, One Community on the school’s social media accounts. Araha did a student survey at her school connected to the Library. Several students remarked positively on the services the library provides, including study rooms and a focused environment. These are very helpful, especially during finals week. Many students didn’t realize tutoring through BrainFuse was an option. Araha believes a lack of knowledge of the student resources are why they aren’t utilized as much. Students responding to the survey said they would use these services if they knew about them. She and Alisa have been putting up posters and distributing flyers to students to make sure they’re informed about all the Library has to offer them.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Forte-Scott thanked everyone for responding to her emails about the standing board committees. Ms. Forte-Scott told Ms. Harris she will be missed and thanked her for all her efforts that have been above and beyond what was required of her as Executive Director.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Executive Director Harris thanked everyone for their kind words. She wanted the board to review the chapters included in the board packet from Serving Our Public 3.0: Standards for Illinois Public Libraries and the “Trustee Facts File,” 3rd edition for the annual Per Capita Grant. 

Ms. Harris explained how the Library captures the engagement numbers for passive programs, including snapshot counts of patron interaction throughout the day, and discussed e-resource usage numbers and interactions. Ms. Forte-Scott suggested the board be given a schedule of when each department will be presenting throughout 2020. Ms. Harris brought to the board’s attention many upcoming events of interest in January. 

The bid opening for the upcoming Central first floor renovation is on December 11. Following the bid opening, the construction managers will compile the list of qualified bidders based on the companies who submit bids. That list will be presented to the Library upon review for recommendation. The approval of bids could be done at a special meeting in December or at the January 20 meeting. 

Mr. Jonen suggested the Library begin the initial steps for the upstairs renovations, at least in the planning or discussion of how the project phases could be broken up. Ms. Harris explained the design phase can be long and suggested planning the project around the schedule of when they would like construction to begin, as well as around the funding of the next budget year. Executive Director Harris thanked the board for the opportunity to work at a leader library.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Deputy Director Miskewitch thanked everyone for their kind words regarding her new position. Fall clean-up and prep for winter has begun. The architects have submitted all the construction specs and drawings to the Village in preparation for the needed permits. Sealed bids will be opened on December 11 in anticipation of construction activity.

Ms. Miskewitch mentioned Buildings Operations Manager, Blake Kindl, has handled many repair projects, while also starting predictive and preventative maintenance on all Library facilities. A series of fallen trees at the Hoffman Estates Branch will be investigated to find the cause. Kristin Moo’s team has added the second van for staff usage in the reservation system, and updated youth program listings when they are only available to Schaumburg Library card holders due to high demand. The IT Department is working on timesheets and reports for the new payroll conversion. They have also installed new software and updated new laptops for the Library branches.

Ms. Miskewitch explained the upcoming messaging for the café space once the construction begins to make sure patrons are informed of the changes beginning in 2020. More information on how the space will be utilized in the future will be available once the current tenant leaves and the architects have access to the space to finalize plans.
    
DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Youth Services – Amber Creger

Youth Services Director Amber Creger oversees kidsZone and Teen Place. Circulation in Youth continues to grow thanks to auto renewal and new picture books shelving. Program attendance is up 13%, with an 8% increase in the number of programs. Only about six staff members create programs in the youth department and the Library creates all programming content. This year, the 1,001 Books Before Kindergarten program was revamped, including partnering with a children’s book illustrator for design of the materials. Ms. Creger is looking forward to continuing that work to update materials for the four new year-round reading programs. She continues to partner with community members, including creating new storytimes at WINGS locations and multi-lingual storytimes with the school district.

Ms. Creger mentioned the Teen staff have written several winning grant proposals that resulted in 3-D printers for the branches and hiring three teen mentors. She thanked her staff for the great year and their hard work. In the past year, the Teen department hired an intern sponsored by the Public Library Association (PLA) grant. He learned about the Library, worked at the Teen Desk and partnered with five other teens to create the Schaumburg Library Hackathon. They found donors for the two-day event and got a Microsoft employee to speak at the program. At the Illinois Library Association (ILA) annual conference, several technology vendors offered partnerships for a future Hackathon event.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
 
None

TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer Seyring said the general fund balance decreased by $1.1 million due to expenses exceeding our net revenue. The Building and Equipment (Special Reserve Fund) decreased by $60,000 due to picture bin purchases for Youth and design expenditures for the Circulation remodel. The Library’s investments include market decreases of about $21,000. Total revenues for November were around $58,000. Property tax receipts were about $1,800.00.

Treasurer Seyring mentioned books and materials are tracking slightly below budget, but spending is more than last year in most areas. Wages and benefits are below budget due to staff vacancies and hiring delays. All related costs to the payroll conversion should be finalized by the end of the calendar year. Market values of investments declined in November but remain positive for the year to date. Tax receipts received were invested. The majority of the expenses for the upcoming renovations will come from the Building and Equipment fund.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS

Review of Code of Conduct Policy

Discussion included clarification about food consumption throughout the Library. The statement about the use of marijuana at Library events, but not on Library property, was questioned. Ms. Harris explained this is the suggested written statement from the Library’s lawyer. Alcohol hasn’t been used at events or fundraising connected to the Library, as of now, but is within the realm of possibility as other libraries host events serving wine or beer.

Review of Drug Free Workplace Policy

Trustee Jonen asked about constricting staff from taking medicinal cannabis and what restriction we can place on them in the working environment.

Approval of Proposed 2020 Calendar of Regular Board Meeting Dates
 
Vice-President Bernas moved and Treasurer Seyring seconded the approval of the proposed 2020 calendar of Regular Board Meeting dates. 

Discussion included moving the March meeting up to the 9th, moving the December meeting up a week to December 14, and updating the July meeting date to reflect the year 2020.

Roll Call Vote:
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

Approval of Proposed 2020 Calendar of Holiday Closures
 
Trustee Hyman moved and Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart seconded the approval of the proposed 2020 calendar of holiday closures.

Roll Call Vote:
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

Approval of the Waiver of Bid to Professional Service Product LLC for construction documents related to 2020 renovation in the amount of $28,818.44
 
Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart moved and Trustee Flannigan-Davies seconded the approval of the waiver of bid to Professional Service Product LLC for construction documents related to 2020 renovation in the amount of $28,818.44.

Discussion included clarification that this is the second of three large scale document costs for the upcoming renovation. 

Roll Call Vote:
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

Approval of Professional Development Expenses of $1,480.96 for PLA Conference in February 2020
 
Trustee Hyman moved and Vice-President Bernas seconded the approval of the professional development expenses of $1,480.96 for PLA Conference in February 2020.

Roll Call Vote:
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

EXECUTIVE SESSION

Trustee Flannigan-Davies moved and Trustee Jonen seconded that:

The Library Board exit the open session at 8:48 P.M.

Roll call vote: 
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously.

Trustee Hyman moved and Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart seconded that: 
The Library Board enter Executive Session at 8:55 P.M. 

Roll call vote: 
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

Vice-President Bernas moved and Trustee Hyman seconded that: 

The Library Board re-enter Regular Session at 9:10 P.M.

Roll call vote:

Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

ADJOURNMENT

Trustee Hyman moved and Trustee Flannigan-Davies seconded that:

The Library Board adjourn at 9:12 P.M.

The motion passed unanimously.