Board Meeting Minutes 2-15-21

LIBRARY BOARD MEETING
Monday, February 15, 2021
Hybrid In-Person & Via Zoom
7:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
 
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Anita Forte-Scott, President; Julie Wroblewski Bosshart, Vice-President/Secretary; David Jonen, Treasurer; Jillian Bernas; Erin Flannigan-Davies; Hannah Hyman; Theresa Seyring
 
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT

STUDENT TRUSTEES PRESENT
Araha Uday, Ameenah Zawahir

OTHERS PRESENT
Emily Gilbert, Jennifer Hunt, Blake Kindl, Annie Miskewitch, Kathy Morgan, Tiffany Nash, Dan Pohrte, Carole Pye, Jason Santos, Joanne Schultz, Hollis Sienkiewicz, Bobbi Sloan, Magan Szwarek, Lori Teipel, Beth Valenziano
 
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Patron Bobbi Sloan appreciates being able to come into the Library buildings to choose items for checkout. She also discussed one-way traffic signage outside Central. 
Patron Carole Pye complimented the Library on creating Laptop Kits for patrons who need better access to technology.

BOARD COMMENTS
Trustee Hyman finished reading Room, thought it was excellent, and is very excited for the Emma Donoghue author visit.
Treasurer Jonen is grateful to be able to return inside the Library facilities and is also excited for the upcoming author visit.
Trustee Bernas is pleased to see the Library buildings open again for more in-person services and asked for suggestions on ALA Mid-Winter Conference virtual sessions. She recently mailed her One Book, One Community themed postcards and enjoyed this fun initiative to reach out to the community.
Trustee Seyring attended the ALA Mid-Winter conference, and recommended several videos for the Board to watch if they haven’t already. She also reviewed various topics discussed at the Illinois Library Association (ILA) Legislative Luncheon.
Trustee Flannigan-Davies attended the RAILS Trustee Update and the ILA Legislative Luncheon. She hopes the broadband expansion in Congress is passed so the Library can continue to equitably serve the community.
Vice-President Wroblewski Bosshart enjoyed the renovation Pinterest board. She listened to the Hanover Park State of the Village address, attended the RAILS Trustee Update and a Personnel Committee meeting.

RAILS - Ms. Hyman
Illinois Library Association Legislative Meet-Ups will be all virtual this year and are available for registration now.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Trustee Bernas moved and Trustee Hyman seconded that:
The January 18, 2021, Regular Board Meeting Minutes be approved.
Discussion included a clarification.
Roll Call Vote:
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart    Yes
Mr. Jonen                      Yes
Ms. Bernas                            Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies          Yes 
Ms. Hyman            Yes
Mrs. Seyring                         Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott                      Yes
The motion passed unanimously.

APPROVAL OF BILLS
Trustee Hyman moved and Vice-President Wroblewski Bosshart seconded that:
The Library Board approve the January 2021 Bill List.
Discussion included explanation of multiple bills to Midwest Tape, clarification on the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce bill, a donation via the Sunshine Fund, and an update from the Town Square annual meeting.

Roll Call Vote:
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart    Yes
Mr. Jonen                      Yes
Ms. Bernas                            Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies          Yes 
Ms. Hyman            Yes
Mrs. Seyring                         Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott                      Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
 
TREASURER’S REPORT
Treasurer Jonen explained the General Fund Balance decreased by $948,000 due to expenses exceeding revenues and no property taxes were received in January. The Fund Balance and Buildings & Equipment special reserve fund decreased by $26,000 due primarily to expenditures from Self-Checks and a cooling unit for the data center.  Market value of investments decreased $9,000, bringing the market value in excess of cost to $8,000. Total Revenues for January were about $20,000. CARES Act receipts of $5,000 were received in February. Insurance costs are expected to trend higher in the second half of the year, but projected to be under budget. Favorable variances in wages and benefits, and administrative costs have resulted in an overall projected favorable variance at year end to about $1.2 million.
Favorable variances at the department level are due to reduced staffing and a budget skewing of material purchases. Staffing will be more closely evaluated in preparation for the upcoming budget year. More liquidity will be needed in the near future for the upcoming Central roof replacement.

ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO AGENDA
The presentation from our architects, Product Architect + Design will be moved before the President’s report.
 
PRESENTATION FROM PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
Architects Dan Pohrte and Tiffany Nash reviewed the existing and two possible floor plans for Central’s second floor renovation. Creating a collaborative innovation and business center would help continue engagement with young adults who have grown out of Teen Place while offering something new to adult patrons of all ages. The potential floor plans strive to create several different environments, or zones, in the same floor space; the relocated study rooms create a quiet study area by the windows; and the bookshelves can dampen noise from the open gallery area to the seating in the marketplace, creating a mixture of active and passive spaces.
Discussion included the location of the statue, adding additional restrooms and plumbing, possibly utilizing the emergency exit staircases for public access, costs of moving public computers, noise issues from regrouping the study rooms, and how moving Teen Place could possibly create a bigger program space when it is connected to other spaces.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Forte-Scott has been taking advantage of many online conferences and webinars recently, and is looking forward to meeting in person with other Board members in March.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Executive Director Miskewitch explained the statistics are slowly increasing with the recent building reopening. The day of the reopening, over five-hundred patrons visited across all three locations, even with no advance notice of the reopening date. The Circulation department averaged about 760 holds a day to keep up with community requests. The management team has started their departmental budget creation for FY 2021-2022 and will be submitting the requests later this month. The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee has begun implicit bias training with Library staff to support an upcoming traveling Smithsonian exhibit titled, “The Bias Inside Us.” The exhibit will debut to the public later this Spring. The Library’s social media has had a noticeable increase in usage across all platforms recently, and Ms. Miskewitch has set a personal goal of 10,000 Facebook followers for the Library.
Discussion included statistics for the Pick-Up Lockers. These numbers are currently included in the overall Central circulation statistics. A staff member shared that over 1,400 items were picked up from the lockers in the month of January.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Deputy Director Hunt shared that the Library now offers full access to the digital version of The Wall Street Journal through our website. This year’s One Book, One Community wraps up this week with the Emma Donoghue author visit. She commended Library staff for creating an excellent slate of relevant and well-received programs surrounding the themes of this year’s titles. The Library is also collaborating with several other area libraries for the upcoming Long Shadow program with Director Q&A, and Ms. Hunt encouraged Board members to attend.
She reviewed standards from the remaining chapters of Serving Our Public for the Per Capita Grant reporting that the Library complies with most everything. A future goal is to consolidate building and maintenance lists and checklists to make them electronically accessible. The capital asset plan will also be updated with plans across all locations for upwards of 10-15 years, to plan for what is coming and what financial reserves will be needed. The development of a long-range technology plan based on community need is also something that should be developed, perhaps in conjunction with our strategic plan. 
Discussion included commenting on how well received Curbside Pick-Up is at the branches with the high transaction numbers, and the positive patron impact statements regarding our delivery and senior services.
 
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Reference/Information/Computer Assistance – Magan Szwarek
Reference Services Director Szwarek gave an overview of her department, which includes reference information, computer assistance and serials. She thanked her staff for their tremendous dedication to serving the public throughout the pandemic. The computer assistance team created a series of programs about hosting a Zoom meeting that is well attended. Business Liaison Librarian, Patti Smolin, created a Public Library Association grant funded job market program series. Genealogy programs are regularly filling to capacity, with 80-90 attendees. Her department has added over 50 Wi-Fi hotspots and over a dozen laptop kits into circulation in the last year. All magazines are also now available to be placed on hold. Her staff is also excited for the upcoming Central second floor renovation.

COMMITTEE REPORTS 
The Personnel committee is currently working on the Pay Administration policy with HR Source and current best practice labor laws. The Library is also focusing on an equitable pay structure in line with industry standards. The policy is still in review and may be presented to the Board at the March meeting, with the potential of being approved and effective July 1, 2021 with the new fiscal year.
Discussion included benchmarking that was previously done in 2019. Director Miskewitch explained her desire to include updated job descriptions to ensure accurate data was submitted. Most benchmarking is done every 3-5 years. Additional Trustee attendance was asked for the Personnel Committee and Director Miskewitch explained that can be done, but any committee with three trustees present would fall under OMA and proper procedures around posting for those public meetings would be followed. 

STUDENT ADVISOR TRUSTEE REPORT
SATs Araha Uday and Ameenah Zawahir updated the PowerPoint to include programs from the past month. Ms. Uday was able to attend the Lucy Christopher author visit for the One Book, One Community teen book, Stolen. She hopes to continue getting teens involved in One Book, One Community next year. The Library’s college prep programs were publicized to the college and career readiness page on Schoology. Ms. Uday attended a program about the college application process, found it very helpful and appreciated by attendees. They plan on promoting the Library facilities in the Spring to help students during standardized testing season.
Discussion included possibly starting more teen outreach with book offerings and high school visits, similar to the Library’s current senior outreach.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Review of Trustee Bylaws
Discussion included the possibility of updating term limits for Board officers from one year to two years, which is allowable under Illinois law, and setting time limits for public comments. Trustee Hyman expressed concern that formalizing the Trustee orientation in the bylaws could limit flexibility. Previously the Board has chosen to keep officer positions to one-year terms to allow flexibility and give trustees a break from the added responsibilities of an officer position.
Setting a time limit for public comments was well received to be enforceable in case the need ever arises. The list of standing committees is current. Renaming the Plan of Service committee with Strategic Plan was discussed and can be finalized after the work with the Strategic Planning consultant.

NEW BUSINESS
Discuss Budget Committee Meeting Dates
Discussion included possibly shortening the meeting and approval process, but previously the Board has found they need all three meetings. Starting the meetings earlier at 6 p.m. was recommended, as well as Mondays and Wednesdays for the meeting days. President Forte-Scott suggested Department Directors only highlight areas that have changed in the budget or need additional explanation during their presentation, or have Ms. Miskewitch or Ms. Hunt present all of the budgets to limit the meetings to two. With the budget binders including in-depth line items for every department, the meetings could be limited to specific questions after reviewing the documents. Several Board members agreed with only focusing on changes from the previous year or a yearly overview with explanations. Additionally, Director Miskewitch will send out a doodle poll to capture Trustee availability for the budget committee meetings. 

Review of Policy Review/Update Schedule
Discussion included continuing the yearly review, even if the policy isn’t in need of an update yearly, and distinguishing if some of these policies need only be an internal procedure and not a formal policy.
Discussion included clarification about a past policy and the notes from the document.

Approval of Award of Bid to Total Facility Maintenance, Inc. for Janitorial Services at all Locations in the Amount of $188,319.84
Trustee Hyman moved and Trustee Flannigan-Davies seconded the approval of award of bid to Total Facility Maintenance, Inc. for janitorial services at all locations in the amount of $188,319.84.
Discussion included how work done by the cleaning crew would be verified and explaining this addition would allow current staff to clean more during open hours. The large difference in dollar amount for each bid was noted, although the contract doesn’t have to be extended beyond a year if the crew isn’t able to fulfill their duties under this cost. 
Roll Call Vote:
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart    Yes
Mr. Jonen                      Yes
Ms. Bernas                            Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies          Yes 
Ms. Hyman            Yes
Mrs. Seyring                         Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott                      Yes
The motion passed unanimously. 

ADJOURNMENT

Treasurer Jonen moved and Trustee Bernas seconded that:

The Library Board adjourn regular session at 9:52 P.M.

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