August 11, 2004

The regular meeting of the Rapid City Public Library Board of Trustees was called to order by Roy Burr on August 11, 2004 at 5:15 p.m.  Present were: Eric Abrahamson (via phone), Lynda Clark, Bobbie Christenson, Sonia Castleberry, Ron Kroeger, Monte Loos, Terri Davis, Kim Baumberger and Maryanne Rohrer.

Open Forum: Nothing presented.

Introduction of Staff: Staff member Rohrer introduced herself.  Burr welcomed staff member to the meeting.

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

Budget Reports:  The Board reviewed the budget and bill reports. Davis stated that the line item containing Bindery, Furniture and Other is over budget due to the new line items established by the Finance Department, but is offset by 4350B. Fire/Ext coverage is over budget but will be offset by Group Health Insurance. The annual Minitex payment and the purchase of two servers, which were planned upgrades, were noted.

Loos moved, Christenson seconded the payment of monthly budgetary bills for August.  Motion carried.

· Surplus Items:

Kroeger moved, Christenson seconded to declare the 3M In-Counter Workstation as surplus. Motion carried.

Announcements and Administrative Reports:

Davis updated, answered questions and informed the Board on the following:

· Statistics: Entry Count is up 10%; patrons are being retained; renewals have increased; materials withdrawn have increased due to the one year cycle as opposed to the previous two year cycle.

· Director’s Report: Abrahamson informed the Board that he will be appointed to the State Library Website Review Board by Governor Rounds.

· ILS Update: The progression has been an educational process for everyone involved and development is continuous. Staff training is ahead of schedule. During the transition period patrons may have an extended check out time. Abrahamson questioned the public’s awareness during the transition period and asked that a strategy be developed to communicate changes to the public. Davis stated the public information and programming staff committee has been planning for public awareness with publications and classes regarding the new system forthcoming.

· 2005 Library Budget: Mayor’s presentation to Council: Kroeger updated the Board on the Mayor’s recommendation, which was a 2% increase to each department. The Library increase is at 3% and each department will be notified of future meetings regarding their requests. Property and food taxes will be discussed by the Council before decisions are made.

Committee Reports:

· Policy: Policy Recommendations: Displays and Programming Policy: Davis stated the recommendations further define the selection guidelines and clarify that sales are not handled by the Library. Selection will be done by RCPL staff consistent with library programming and according to the criteria guidelines. Abrahamson requested that members of the public be involved in the selection process. This would provide an opportunity to open the decision boundary and communication.

Abrahamson moved for an addendum that artwork be selected by policy committee members and community members appointed by the director, Christenson seconded. Motion failed.

o Artist Selection Form: The form for artists interested in displaying their work was reviewed. Clark requested that size and medium be specified on the form in order to determine where the work can be displayed.

Kroeger moved for the approval of the policy recommendation, with the addition of size and medium requirement on the artist selection form, Loos seconded. Motion carried.

General Harassment Policy: Policy from City of Rapid City was reviewed.

Kroeger moved, Christenson seconded the approval of the General Harassment Policy. Motion carried.

Off-Site Book Return: Rapid City Public Library will place a return box for all library materials at Mr. Movies at 3609 Sturgis Road. The site will be evaluated for usage during a 6-month trial period. Board approval is needed for a contracted service.

Clark moved, Christenson seconded the approval of the agreement for the off-site return box. Motion carried.

Strategic Plan Public Input to Goals: The draft strategic plan was placed in various locations throughout Rapid City to gather public input. Minutes from the July 21, 2004 public forum of the strategic planning were reviewed. Davis stated the responses were primarily from RCPL Board members, Friends of the Library and staff. The top ten objectives according to public response were reviewed. The strategic plan draft will be revised to have the objectives prioritized, based upon this feedback. Updated material will be sent to Board Members for review and final approval at the September meeting.

Kroeger moved, Christenson seconded to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 6:05 pm.