January 12, 2005

 

The regular meeting of the Rapid City Public Library Board of Trustees was called to order by Bobbie Christenson on January 12, 2005 at 5:15 p.m.  Present were:  Eric Abrahamson (via phone),  Bobbie Christenson, Lynda Clark (via phone), Ron Kroeger, Monte Loos, James Olson, Greta Chapman, Terri Davis and Jennifer Read.      

Open Forum for Staff and Public:  Nothing presented.

Introduction of Staff:  New staff members present introduced themselves.   

Minutes:  Christenson moved, Kroeger seconded the approval of the minutes of the December 8, 2004 meeting.  Motion carried.

Policy Committee: Board Officers Nomination:  Nominations were opened for Chair and Vice-Chair.  Loos and Abrahamson were nominated for the positions.  Olson moved, Kroeger seconded to close the nominations and cast a unanimous ballot.  Motion carried.  Loos was elected Chair and Abrahamson was elected Vice-Chair.

Closed Days 2005:  Christenson moved, Loos seconded to approve the 2005 Closed Days Calendar.  Motion carried.

Budget Reports:  The Board reviewed the budget and bill reports.  Christenson moved, Kroeger seconded the payment of monthly budgetary bills for December.  Motion carried.

Auxiliary Funds: Budget and Bills:  Christenson moved, Loos seconded the payment of monthly auxiliary funds bills for December.  Motion carried.  SD law allows for fines and fees to be administered by the Board.  For this reason, these funds are reported separately.

Administrative Reports: Chapman updated, answered questions and informed the Board on the following:

Statistics:  The public is renewing cards more frequently.  New borrowers and Circulation saw a decrease, while Youth Services experienced an increase.  Fewer tours and more computer classes were offered.  Classes had lesser attendance.  Reference/readers advisory also saw an increase.  This indicates that our staff is hands-on for those people who want help.  Nationally, these statistics have decreased.

Director’s Report: Updates were given on the following information for memo’s attached:

 

Strategic Plan Update: The Coffee cart was discussed. Chapman is gathering information for procedures and will provide feedback for the Board.  

 

Director’s Goals:  Chapman reported that the union negotiating team will meet to outline the plan of action.  SDLA mid-year conference will be hosted in Rapid City with a tentative date for one day in late April. RCPL budgeting process will start internally with staff this month. 

 

CD Tour:  Chapman commented briefly on the CD Tour and survey card.  Board members were asked to fill out the survey card and return.

 

Training Calendar:  The annual staff training calendar was reviewed. Information regarding MLS staff was discussed and compared to similar populations. RCPL is a bit above average.

 

County Annual Report 2004:  Kroeger inquired about the status of the County Board vacancy.  Chapman stated that the position is being advertised through February 2nd.

           

IMLS Grant:  Chapman stated that the IMLS grant deadline is December 2005. 

 

OBOC Update:  Chapman reported that Sue Grafton will be the One Book, One Community author this year.  The South Dakota Library Association rescheduled their Annual Conference to include Grafton as part of the agenda.

                                               

Legislative Calendar:  The SDLA Legislative Day is scheduled for Wednesday, January 26th, 2005.  The reception is from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Abrahamson will be the featured speaker on policy setting.

                       

City Council Liaison:  The 2012 process was discussed.  Station 7 (north Rapid) is proposed to be a joint facility shared by the police, fire and library departments.  Location, population and the School District’s proposal for a community center were discussed.  The Board approved the Director moving forward with discussions for the Station 7 proposal.

Friends:  No minutes for December.  

Foundation:  Abrahamson reported that the Foundation is advertising for a part-time position.  They are anticipating that this staff person will help to generate more income and maintain relationships with future and previous donors.

Annual Funding Request:  The Foundation has not yet acted upon the Library’s annual funding request.

Other Business: 

Chapman encouraged all board members to attend the All-Staff meeting on February 3rd at 8:00 a.m.  This will be an opportunity for the Board to view the staff’s sense of direction and an opportunity for the staff to meet the Board members.

The next board meeting is on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 at 5:15 p.m.

Loos moved, Christenson seconded to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m.