May 2010 - Board Minutes

Owatonna Public Library Board Minutes of May 18, 2010

The regular monthly meeting of the Owatonna Public Library Board of Trustees was called to order at 4:30 PM by President Russ Dunn-Foster. Also present were Jill Holmes, Angela Sager, Don Overlie, Ross Leuning, Mary Kay Feltes and Gail Plathe. Renée Lowery was absent. Approximately 25 Owatonna High School students were present to fulfill the requirement for their Student Community Involvement Project (S.C.I.P.). 
 
For the benefit of the students, board members were introduced. Russ explained the library board members’ duties and responsibilities as community representatives on the Owatonna Public Library Board. Board members are appointed by the Mayor. They may serve a maximum of 3 three-year terms. Their duties include making recommendations, advising and serving as sounding board for library administration. Library staff was introduced. Mary Kay noted Blooming Prairie Public Library is a branch of Owatonna Public Library. In addition the Owatonna Public Library  bookmobile makes trips to Medford, Ellendale, Hope and Litomysl.

During the call for comments, a student asked what the library board’s purpose is and board members responded. Board members are another link to the public. One of the current board members serves as a representative to the Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) regional board. A number of students indicated they had attended library story time as youngsters and remembered collecting reading rocks during the summer reading program. Many are current library users. Mary Kay encouraged the students to become active in their community and serve on library and other boards.

Don Overlie was elected President, Angela was elected Vice President and Ross was elected secretary by unanimous vote.

The April minutes were approved on a motion by Jill, seconded by Ross. 

The April financial report was reviewed. There were no unusual expenses in the previous month. The 2010 budget has not yet been revised.

Mary Kay presented Darla’s report on April activities in Children’s Services. The theme for the current series of storytimes is Classic Tales.  Three storytimes are held each week, two in the morning and one in the evening. Make a Splash was the Family Fun Night theme for the month. Over 40 children, parents, and grandparents attended the program held in cooperation with Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE). A planned tornado drill during storytime made the evening more interesting. Adults and children cooperated with staff and took shelter in the back hall on the lower level of the library.

Patty and Darla participated in Family Fest 2010 at Willow Creek School on April 15th. Stories were read to 95 children and adults who stopped by the library booth. Boy Scouts earning a badge came to the library to hear stories about families from the past and families in the present day. A party celebrating El día de los niños/El día de los libros, also known as Día, was held at the end of April. Fifty-six children and adults enjoyed the food from Plaza Morena, games, crafts and candy. Each child received a free book which was leftover from last year’s summer reading program.

Preview brochures of the summer reading program were distributed. Federated Insurance is sponsoring the summer reading program with a large gift, as they have done since 1992. Kick off fun day will be June 11th, the day after the last day of school.

Use report for April. Numbers of check-outs at Owatonna Public Library, Blooming Prairie Branch Library and the bookmobile decreased in April. One factor affecting number of check-outs is the cuts to programs. In 2009 Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts programs were cut. The reduction in check-outs is related to another program cut last year.  Books to Go! which delivered books to children in over 40 daycares and, for adults, to homebound library patrons. When program cuts are taken into account, the circulation numbers have increased. The number of items formerly checked out to patrons in the Books to Go! program was constant each month. It is always hoped that there will be an increase in numbers of materials that are checked out. People numbers for April had decreased at Owatonna Public Library, Blooming Prairie Branch and the bookmobile. Interlibrary loans decreased slightly. Aquabrowser may be affecting reserves.

Grants: World Film Series is funded by a Legacy Grant. These grants are distributed through Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) the regional library system. Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment of 2008 raises revenue for Clean Water, Outdoor Heritage, Parks and Trails, and Arts and Cultural Heritage. Senior Place and the Steele County Human Rights Commission partnered with the library on the film series grant. Films are shown two afternoons and two evenings each month.

At a recent City Council meeting Don and Russ presented the board’s resolution expressing concern over library funding. Their impression was that council members were not receptive nor were they interested in what they had to say. The response was that other departments need money too. It was a disappointing experience for the board members. Board members discussed the inequitable distribution of budget cuts. The library was asked to cut 10.6% of their budget, while the library expenditures amount to only 6% of the budget. Four out of five people in the city own library cards. It’s difficult to make comparisons, but as salaries stand, Mary Kay is not the highest paid library director in the area

In other business, the e-commerce program is off and running. Patrons may now pay their fines online using a debit and credit cards. Over the past three months, an average of $115 per month in fines have been paid online.

With no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 5:00pm.

The library board will meet Tuesday June 15th at 4:30.

Respectfully submitted,    
Gail Plathe