MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
ELISHA D. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUSTEES
January 17, 2008


Call to order at 4:32 p.m. by President Fuchs
Present: Eckstein, Eisen, Englebert, Foth, Fuchs, Stanke, Werley
Absent: Enos
Also present: Director Saecker, J. Bongers (Head of Adult Services), K. Seefeldt (Administrative Assistant), Jim Englebert (Long Range Planning Committee member)

Authorization of Bills
1. Motion to authorize reimbursement of conference costs in 2007 to an employee in the amount of $417.02 by Englebert, seconded by Foth, and carried unanimously.
2. Motion to authorize payment of the December list of bills from the 2007 budget by Foth, seconded by Stanke, and carried unanimously.
3. Motion to authorize payment of the January list of bills from the 2008 budget by Eisen, seconded by Eckstein, and carried unanimously.

Consent Business
4. Approve minutes from the Library Board meeting of December 20, 2007.
5. Approve minutes of the Personnel Committee meeting of December 20, 2007.
6. Receive minutes from the Long Range Planning Committee meeting of December 19, 2007
Motion
Motion to approve the minutes from the Library Board meeting of December 20, 2007, the minutes of the Personnel Committee meeting of December 20, 2007 and to accept the minutes from the Long Range Planning Committee meeting of December 19, 2007 by Eisen, seconded by Engelbert, and carried unanimously.

Werley arrived at 4:39 p.m.

Discussion/Action Items
7. Meeting Room Policy. There was no public comment on meeting room policies as anticipated. No discussion took place.
8. Long Range Goals. Jim Englebert summarized the long range planning process on behalf of the Long Range Planning Committee and presented a draft list of goals for the Board's approval. Eisen thanked Englebert for guiding the committee through this process. Werley recommended that we have an assessment tool in place to evaluate progress on the goals. Director Saecker noted that drafts of the mission and vision statements for the Long Range Plan would be presented to the Board for their approval at their February meeting.
Motion
Motion to approve the draft list of Long Range Plan goals (see attached) as presented by Eisen, seconded by Foth, and carried unanimously.

Jim Englebert left the meeting at 4:50 p.m.

9. Director Goals for 2008. The following goals were presented for the Board's review:
1) Complete the Long Range Planning process and start implementing the goals and objectives designated for the year
2) Work to reinvigorate the Friends of the Library
3) Implement the 2008 LSTA Podcasting Studio Grant
4) Complete Winnefox Long Range Planning process where she serves as chair
5) Attend PLA, ALA and WLA conferences and serve on various boards and committees within them
6) Continue to serve on the Fox Cities Book Festival Board, the Fox Valley Library Council Board, the Hmong National Conference Planning Committee, and pursue other partnerships in the community
7) Continue to refine the Library's online presence
There was a consensus to change the wording in the first goal to read "and implement the goals and objectives designated for the year." Eisen asked if Director Saecker should include increasing circulation statistics as a goal. She stated that efforts are made on an on-going basis to achieve this. Discussion relative to the Library's Endowment Fund ensued. Director Saecker will explore the option of establishing a Foundation that would assume the responsibility of Endowment fundraising.
Motion
Motion to approve the Director's goals for 2008 as amended by Werley, seconded by Foth, and carried unanimously.

Director's Report/Information Items
10. Statistics. December lending was up 4.4% overall from last year, averaging 120 items per hour. 264 people attended programs held at the library last month. Director Saecker noted that Winnefox Library System provides annual statistical reports which give a breakdown of circulation by material types. This information is used to help evaluate our collection and the needs of our patrons.
11. Donations. We received a gift of stock valued at $1470 from Mowry Smith III, which was added to the general Endowment Fund. We also received an anonymous gift of $1,000 that was designated for the new outdoor library sign.
12. 3rd Quarter Endowment. The 3rd quarter Endowment report shows total assets of $230,189. We rolled over two CDs that came due in January. They have been reinvested for 12 months at a rate of 4.5%.
13. Sunday Hours. On January 6, the first Sunday in 2008 that we were open, we had 544 circulations. This averaged out to 136 circulations per hour. We are planning additional programs on Sundays in late January and February to encourage increased usage of the library.
14. LSTA Podcasting Studio Grant. We have been awarded an LSTA grant for $3799 which will allow us to offer podcasting equipment to the public.
15. Audio System for Co. E Room. We are in the process of getting two bids for the purchase of a new audio system for the Co. E Room.
16. Head of Technical Services. Beginning in January, Joe Bongers assumed the responsibility of managing both Adult Services and Technical Services. His predecessor also managed both departments.
17. 2009 Hmong National Conference. Director Saecker will serve on the planning committee for the 2009 Hmong National Conference which will be held in Appleton.


Adjournment
Motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:17 p.m. by Foth, seconded by Englebert, and carried unanimously.

Future meeting dates
The next regular board meeting will be held in the Gegan Room on Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Charlotte Foth, Secretary
Kris Seefeldt, recording secretary

 

 

Elisha D. Smith Public Library
Service Responses with Long Range Goals
January 2008

Celebrate Diversity
Goal: Increase participation in and number of cultural programs at the library that represent our community's diversity.
Goal: Increase visibility of cultural diversity within the library.
Goal: Increase participation by special needs groups, such as senior, homebound, mentally ill, homeless, physically challenged and mentally challenged people, in library programs and services.

Express Creativity
Goal: Provide a website that allows patron creation of content as well as equipment and tools that promote the creation of multimedia content.
Goal: Provide classes and programs to create creativity.
Goal: Provide the community with a space to display their creative endeavors.

Satisfy Curiosity (Lifelong Learning)
Goal: Do outreach to better serve underserved community members.
Goal: Create library programming for all ages to promote lifelong learning.
Goal: Provide information of local interest.

Create Young Readers
Goal: Create online content for young patrons.
Goal: Create programs that encourage reading by young patrons.
Goal: Increase usage of the library by young readers in upper elementary school through high school.