Appleton Public Library
Board of Trustees Minutes
December 10, 2003
Present: Bergen,
Bergman (arrived at 1:00 PM), Bloedow, de Young, Ducklow, Eng
Excused: Chandler,
Dunlap
Others present: Attorney Behrens, Dawson, Kelly, Lemke, Lenz, Muench, Shriver, Wiltzius
In the absence of Board
President Bergman, Bergen moved that the Board to appoint de Young as acting
chair for the meeting. Bloedow seconded
and the motion passed. de Young called
the meeting to order at
Eng moved and Bergen
seconded approval of the November 12, 2003 minutes. The motion passed. Ducklow moved approval of the November, 2003
bill register, Bergen seconded. de Young
questioned the budget line “Repairs to Building” and the unexpended balance
remaining. The Business Manager
explained that there are invoices outstanding for Johnson Controls, chair fabric,
and utilities. There was a discussion of
end of the year funds. The motion to
approve the bill register passed.
Dawson distributed copies
of the Council-approved 2004 budget.
Bloedow moved to approve the budget, Bergen seconded and the motion
passed.
There was discussion as
to how the Board might be more pro-active and lobby for Library wants and
needs. de Young volunteered to chair an
ad hoc Advocacy Committee that would develop strategies to achieve this
goal. de Young will set up a luncheon
meeting and anyone interested in participating may attend. Bloedow moved to accept de Young’s proposal,
Eng seconded, and the motion passed. The
Friends of the Library group will be included.
Dawson stated that it was a very good retreat with
discussions on revising the patron surveys, Long Range Planning, the future of
County reimbursements, being pro-active, future building needs, and how to deal
with the decrease in Library hours.
Bergen expressed concern on how patrons could express concerns about
service changes, either to members of the Library Board or the Aldermen on the
City Council. de Young asked that e-mail
addresses of the Board be made available to the public and
OWLS Resource Library Agreement
Dawson distributed a draft of the 2004 OWLS
Resource Agreement with the Appleton Public Library. State statutes require library systems to
maintain an agreement for resource library services. Dawson reviewed the terms of the
agreement. Bergen made the motion to
approve the Agreement, Eng seconded and the motion passed.
Director’s
Report
The Library has 200 active volunteers that shelve
books, assist maintenance, do database entry, assist Community Services, help
with the Children’s Summer Library Program and deliver books to shut-ins. The Book Sale at the end of November grossed
over $3300 and was largely due to an increase in donations and the large number
of volunteers and staff who worked to set up the sale. Ducklow suggested that a list of
opportunities for volunteers be posted on the Library’s web page.
Dawson distributed the November statistics. Bloedow questioned why children’s materials
are down in circulation; Dawson replied that staff did not completely
understand all the reasons but is looking at the long term patterns.
Other Business
Bloedow reported that the Frank P. Young
Scholarship fund has $1,759 of which $1500 will be given in scholarships. Applications are due on February 13th
and the Committee will meet on February 18th at 12:30, to make their
selection. The awards will be approved
at the March Board meeting.
Bloedow made the motion to convene to closed
session pursuant to Wisconsin statute 19.86(1) to discuss personnel
matters. Eng seconded and the motion
passed. After a closed session, the
Board reconvened in open session. Bergen
moved and Bloedow seconded that the Board approve the Director’s performance
review and pay adjustment. The motion
passed.
The meeting adjourned at 1:15 PM.