Portage District Library

Transcription

1 300 Library Lane Portage, Michigan (269) Fax (269) NOTICE of PUBLIC MEETING The Portage District Library Board will meet in regular session on October 27, 2014 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Portage District Library in the Lower Level Long Lake & Gourdneck Lake Meeting Rooms for the purpose of conducting library business

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3 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY BOARD Regular Board Meeting to be held on October 27, 2014 In the Lower Level Long Lake & Gourdneck Lake Meeting Rooms at 6:00 pm 300 Library Lane, Portage Michigan I. Start of Meeting II. Roll Call AGENDA III. Comments or Requests from the Public, Board Members, or Library Staff. (5 minutes total) IV. Adoption of the Agenda for the Regular Meeting of October 27, (1minute) (Vote) V. Consent Agenda (2 minutes) (Vote) A. Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 22, Pgs. 1-8 B. Review of Audio/Visual Policy. Pgs C. Review of Donations Policy. Pgs. 11 D. Review of Investment Policy. Pgs E. Adoption of Schedule of Library Board Meetings for Pgs. 15 F. Budget Amendment to adjust the library s FY 2014 Budget to Accommodate for a $300 Donation to the 2016 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival. Pg. 16 G. Budget Amendment to adjust the library s FY 2014 Budget for a $700 donation from an Eagle Scout in relation to his Little Free Libraries Eagle Scout Project. Pg. 17 VI. Governance (20 minutes) A. Consideration of Proposed Changes to Fines & Fees Usage Policy. Pgs (Vote) B. Consideration of Proposed Changes to Resident Non-Resident Policy. Pgs (Vote) C. Update on Library Director s 2014 Evaluation Process. Pg. 27 (Info) D. Follow-Up Discussion on 2014 Library Board Retreat Visit to GVSU. Pg. 28 (Info) E. Report from Martha Pacheco, Board Liaison to the Friends of the Library. Pg. 29 (Info) F. Proclamation for National Friends of Libraries Week (Oct. 19 th - 25 th, 2014). Pg. 30 (Info) VII. Ends Development (45 minutes) A. Library Director's Accomplishment of Personal Goals for Fiscal Year Pgs (Info) B. Progress Report on End Statement #4 (Be a community center to experience & explore local arts & culture.) Pgs (Info) C. Proposed Change to Holiday Schedule for Library Closings in Pgs (Info) D. Information about Change in the Library s Health Insurance Provider. Pg. 45 (Info) E. Follow-Up Report on 2014 Staff Development Day. Pg. 46 (Info) VIII. Monitoring to Assure Compliance with Executive Limitations (10 minutes total) A. Report on Financial Condition for September Pgs (Info) B. 3 rd Quarter Financial Report for FY Pgs (Info) C. Monitoring Report Communication & Support to the Library Board. Pgs (Info) D. Monitoring Report Ends Focus of Grants/Contracts. Pgs.57 (Info) IX. Library Director s Reports (10 minutes total) A. Marketing Update for September Pgs. 58 (Info) B. Narrative Report for September Pgs (Info) C. Statistical Report for September. Pgs (Info) D. Legislative Update September Pgs. 65 (Info) X. Process Evaluation (10 minutes total) A. Suggestions for Agenda Items to be included on the December 15, 2014 Board Meeting 1. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 27, 2014.

4 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Agenda for the Regular Library Board Meeting of October 27, Approval of Annual Calendar of Library Board Activities for FY Approval of Non-Resident Fee Amount for Discussion about outcome of November 4, 2014 Election. 5. Appointment of Nominating Committee Chair to survey trustees interest in Board offices in Evaluation of Library Director and official action to set compensation for Report from Martha Pacheco, Board Liaison to the Friends of the Library. 8. End-of-Year Report on Accomplishment of All Ends in B. Assessment of this meeting C. Miscellaneous Items XI. Adjournment

5 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY BOARD Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting held on September 22, 2014 In the Lower Level Long Lake & Gourdneck Lake Meeting Rooms at 6:00 pm 300 Library Lane, Portage Michigan I. Start of Meeting: Board members and staff gathered on September 22, 2014 at 5:30 pm for dinner, (Provided by Grand Traverse Pie Company) and the board meeting started at 6:00 pm. II. Roll Call: Board Members Present: Board Members Absent: Stephanie Brown, Betty Lee Ongley. Martha Pacheco, Alisha Siebers and Joe Yantis. Michele Behr and Heather Ricketts (both excused) Library Staff Present: Special Guest: Austin, Behrje, Delach, Kapture, Klien, Walker and Wright. (Foti absent) Michael Evans, Executive Director Kalamazoo Literacy Council III. Comments or Requests from the Public, Board Members, or Library Staff Library Board Chair Alisha Siebers began the meeting and invited comments from those present. A. Comment about Departing Library Staff Member Lawrence Kapture, Head of Adult Services, announced that Adult Services Librarian P.J. Perry had resigned from her position because her husband was being transferred out of state. Her last day at the library was September 17, He said that Perry had worked at the library for 13 years and that she would certainly be missed. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members acknowledged the resignation of Adult Services Librarian P.J. Perry and thanked her for her service and wished her well. B. Comment about After-Hours Library Program Lawrence Kapture, Head of Adult Services, said that the second after-hours program Oktoberfest had been held at the library on September 15, 2014 and that it had gone very well and had attracted (47) attendees. Kapture commented that for the first late night program, they had targeted a specific patron demographic and those who had attended had matched that demographic. However, with the second after-hours program, the attendees were variable ages, many in their mid-40 s, so that was interesting to consider for future programs. Library Director Christy Klien remarked that there were parents who brought their of age children to Oktoberfest, so it appeared to be a popular program that appealed to a mixed age group. Compliments were conveyed to Adult Services Librarian Jessica Enget who had planned and conducted these after-hours programs. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members acknowledged the comment about the library s after-hours Oktoberfest program and commended staff for undertaking a new programming concept. C. Comment about Special Medieval Renaissance Library Program - Trustee Martha Pacheco said that the library s Medieval Renaissance Program held on September 13, 2014 had been very well attended and that she had seen some library staff there too. Compliments were conveyed to Adult Services Intern Christina Doane who had planned and conducted this special program. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members acknowledged Trustee Pacheco s positive comment about the library s Medieval Renaissance Program and congratulated library staff on a successful event. D. Comment about a Cooking Program at the Library Trustee Betty Lee Ongley said that she had attended the library s Organic Cooking Demonstration program on September 18, 2014, and had enjoyed it very much. She said she saw Trustee Pacheco there too, along with her sister. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members acknowledged Trustee Ongley s positive comment about the library s Organic Cooking Program and thanked staff for presenting a unique program for the public. Page - 1

6 E. Comment about Retirement of PCC Executive Director Library Director Klien reminded trustees that there would be a Farewell Reception on Wednesday, September 24, 2014 from 4:30 6:30 pm at PCC for Diane Schrock, Executive Director of the Portage Community Center, who was retiring after 32 years of service. Klien said that that they were all invited. Library Board Secretary Delach said she would the invitation to trustees. F. Comment about Birthday Recognition Library Board Chair Siebers announced that it was Library Board Secretary Diane Delach s birthday this evening. The group sang Happy Birthday to Delach and presented her with a card and gift. Delach thanked everyone and invited them to enjoy a slice of pie from the Grand Traverse Pie Company as her birthday treat. She said she would open her gift at the end of the meeting so it would not delay the presentation of special guest Michael Evans. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members expressed birthday wishes to Library Board Secretary Diane Delach and everyone enjoyed some pie. IV. Adoption of the Agenda for the Regular Meeting of September 22, 2014 Library Board Chair Siebers asked if there were any changes needed to the agenda for September 22, 2014, and if there were none, she asked for a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. MOTION: It was moved by Brown and seconded by Yantis that the agenda for the regular meeting of September 22, 2014 be adopted as presented. Vote: 5-Yes, 0-No, 2-Absent (Behr and Ricketts) V. Consent Agenda Library Board Chair Alisha Siebers read aloud the items to be considered on the Consent Agenda as follows: A. Minutes of the Public Hearing and Regular Board Meeting of August 25, 2014 B. Review of Capitalization Policy C. Review of Internet Policy D. Review of Materials Selection Policy E. Request for Library Board Approval for Restricted Use of Library Patron Data Base for Year-End Direct Mail Fundraising Initiative in October 2014 MOTION: It was moved by Ongley and seconded by Yantis that the consent agenda for the regular meeting of September 22, 2014 be approved as presented. Vote: 5-Yes, 0-No, 2-Absent (Behr and Ricketts) VI. Special Guest A. Presentation by Special Guest Michael Evans - Library Board Chair Siebers welcomed Michael Evans, Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Literacy Council and invited him to begin his presentation. Michael Evans began his Power Point presentation by sharing a brochure about the Kalamazoo Literacy Council and indicating that he has been Executive Director there since He stated that the KLC serves the entire Kalamazoo County, and rural and outlying areas as well, and that its mission is to enhance the lives of adults by improving their reading, writing, spelling and comprehension skills. He said that the KLC has been the leading voice for the cause of adult literacy, mobilizing and training volunteer tutors to teach struggling adult readers throughout the county and serves adults ages 18 and older who are reading at or below the 6 th grade level. Mr. Evans said that his presentation would provide them with a brief overview about illiteracy rates for adults in Kalamazoo County and the negative impact this has on the community, and that he would also discuss the strategies that are being used in the Everyone Needs to Read adult literacy initiative to reach the more than 25,000 struggling adult readers in Kalamazoo County and how others including Portage District Library - can get involved. Trustees were told that there are varying definitions of literacy, and Mr. Evans gave them the example of the definition of literacy used by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization): The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret, Page - 2

7 create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Generally, Evans said that he regards literacy as the ability to read, write, compute and use technology at a level that enables an individual to reach full potential. He noted that in Kalamazoo County at least 13% don t have these skills and cannot read. The main problem is that less than 10% of those individuals are receiving assistance. In his opinion, Evans said there is no reason we can t eliminate illiteracy in our community. He believes we could reach at least 20% of those who are functionally illiterate in a period of 5 years. Mr. Evans said that typical concepts of literacy are really more about literature appreciation but don t address literacy itself. People who can t read struggle; they don t enjoy reading because they can t read and they feel different. There is a stigma attached to not being able to read. Often, they don t think that organizations are there for them. The top 3 reasons that people want to be able to read are: (1) to help educate their children, (2) to get jobs, and (3) to get health services. People seek literacy services because they want things to change in their lives. Improving the literacy level in our community, according to Evans, would be a root solution for also fixing education and unemployment and improving the quality of life overall. He said that if you work with adults in any way, that literacy should be an element of everything. He stated that the library has the means to bring in people and that we just need to figure out how to include literacy assistance as an element in what we are doing with people. Evans insisted that the literacy initiative needs to be a public message that is conveyed to everyone so there is no stigma attached and the information gets out in a way that enables individuals to choose to take advantage of help. As an example, Evans talked about the library s READY READS collection (high interest, low reading level) and said that it was a very good resource, but going a step further would be to show library patrons who use that collection how to get access to literacy assistance. He suggested something like a book club for learning readers, parent education programs, and conveying public messages at library programs about literacy resources and how to get them. Mr. Evans stated that he is the facilitator of the Adult Literacy Collaborative of Kalamazoo County and the Adult Learning Action Network of the Learning Network of Greater Kalamazoo. He said they meet once a month to share information and work together on reducing illiteracy in the county. He said that they operate under the philosophy of Each One Teach One and utilize a network of volunteers to help adult learners. Evans emphasized that there needs to be a plan when literacy assistance is given to individuals. We need to listen to the person and find out what motivates them and what would be the best approach to their learning style. For example, we should first, address their reading level; second, get them in a writing class; third, get them into a computer class; and fourth, help them study for a GED. Basically, Evans said the best approach is to use a tutor, put together a plan and set goals, offer access to resources and then check on the person to see if he/she is making progress. A question and answer period followed with discussion about English as a second language learners and how parents are the first teachers of their children. He suggested that the library might be able to address that issue by having parent-focused educational activities as part of the children s programs when parents would be bringing their children to the library, perhaps a pre-session before storytimes. The message could be: We want every parent to feel empowered and can help you learn to read so that you can: help with your children s homework; read school notices; be prepared for parent/teacher conferences; be able to read ballot language so you can vote, etc. The process of using volunteers to help with literacy training was discussed and Mr. Evans said that the KLC uses the Laubach Way to Reading method in teaching adult learners to read. (Note: The Laubach Way to Reading is based on Dr. Frank Laubach's years of research in teaching adults. The series begins with establishing the lettersound relationships through the use of one-of-a-kind phonics charts. Then, learners progress step by step from the known-spoken words to the unknown-written words). Mr. Evans said that they try to match volunteers with adult learners or set up volunteers at Literacy Centers. He said they also use Literacy Advocates within institutions and that he was giving a presentation to staff at Kalamazoo Public Library the next day about how to be literacy advocates. He emphasized that if the library is giving people a message about reading, that he hoped that they would give them the Kalamazoo Literacy Council s message: Everyone Needs to Read! Page - 3

8 DISPOSITION: Library Board Members thanked Michael Evans for coming to the board meeting and sharing information with them about the work of the Kalamazoo Literacy Council and how the Portage District Library could play a role in helping to reduce the level of illiteracy in Kalamazoo County. VII. Governance A. Initiation of Library Director s 2014 Evaluation Process Library Board Chair Siebers said that the Library Board would be voting at their December meeting to set the Library Director s Compensation for In preparation for that vote, Siebers stated that the Library Board would need to conduct an evaluation of the Library Director s performance in Siebers noted that the Board Personnel Committee, consisting of Trustee Stephanie Brown, Trustee Joe Yantis and herself, would be taking the initiative to get the evaluation process going. The evaluation form would be ed to all trustees and after all board members had completed and returned their evaluation forms, the Personnel Committee would compile the results and prepare a recommendation for the Library Director s compensation in Trustee Ongley suggested that they should look at the evaluation form to see if it needed any changes, and Library Board Chair Siebers said she agreed and also thought that they should hear about the new staff evaluation form too. DISPOSITION: Library Board members received the information about plans for the Library Director s 2014 performance evaluation and Library Board Secretary Delach said she would the evaluation form to all trustees to complete. VIII. Ends Development A. Report on Portage District Library s 2014 Summer Reading Program Library Director Klien said that the library s 2014 Summer Reading program had gone very well. Library Board Chair Siebers said that her family had really enjoyed it, but she said she was surprised at the lower numbers on the report. Laura Wright, Head of Youth Services, responded that the numbers on the report did not reflect the attendance levels at the pilot programs that they had undertaken this summer, and that if those were included, there would have been a slight increase in the attendance figures. Wright commented that she thinks they may have hit a plateau with the number of people that are attracted to the summer program in its current format and that may have reached a high point with this approach. She said they were experimenting with ways to tweak it and would be trying some new activities and tactics. Trustee Ongley remarked that the school population was down and wondered if fewer children had impacted the library s summer reading numbers. Wright said that seemed to be the case. Library Director Klien, who had previously been Head of Youth Services and a Children s Librarian, noted that she had done the library s summer reading program for (17) years and that the participation numbers, while variable from one year to the next, were pretty stable with no extreme highs or lows. Wright referred to page 30 and pointed to the Elementary Level participant numbers and remarked that children had wanted something different and had responded strongly to the new Quest program this summer, with 1,000 + registrations. Library Board Chair Siebers asked how the Adult Summer Reading program had gone. Kapture said that they had mixed reviews and did not get the kind of participation they had expected. Siebers commented that she thought it was because people didn t want to read by categories. Klien remarked that this was a living/breathing program and that it needed to be changed periodically with new elements added to keep library users interested. She pointed out that the library was reaching people of all ages and that they do it for fun. Kapture commented that some adult participants liked the prizes and that staff had not heard complaints about this year s program. Wright remarked that it was fun for the Youth Services staff to experiment with new things and that they were very enthusiastic about making summer reading activities enjoyable for youth. She said that the teens were excited about helping to come up with new ideas for summer reading and that staff was learning a lot from them about what motivates young readers. Trustee Joe Yantis asked if the library gets post program feedback from participants. Wright said there was no formal method for feedback, just what people offered. She commented that it was hard to track who showed interest in a particular program, but they had given buttons away and that let them know how many had come to programs. Kapture said they usually get positive feedback from participants. Chris Walker, Marketing Manager, said that they had originally printed (300) brochures and those were distributed immediately and they had to print (700) more! Kapture stated that the Adult Services staff had come together for two post-game meetings and discussed various aspects of the adult summer reading program to consider adjustments that might Page - 4

9 be needed. Siebers commented that it was probably hard to reach teens and to know what they want in programming. Wright agreed and said it was like shooting in the dark but they try to look at what works well overall. She said that they are building a teen culture and are getting helpful suggestions from the PDL Teen Advisory group. There are about ten or twelve teens who meet monthly and they have been giving very useful feedback to library staff. Trustee Ongley asked if the library would continue to offer a summer reading program in 2015 and Wright said yes! Kapture agreed and said that they had already held a 3-hour meeting to talk about plans for the 2015 summer reading program and would be doing a Super Heroes theme next year. Library Board Chair Siebers asked if the library should be doing more summer activities (especially since the City of Portage had needed to cut many of their summer programs due to budget constraints). Wright pointed out that the library had filled the void and supplied a lot of programming this summer for the community and there had been high attendance levels for everything. She pointed out that they would need more funding, staffing and space if they were to increase summer programming, and said they were at capacity right now for what the staff could do. Siebers said that there was nothing else going on that was free in the community and that the library had been the only place this summer doing fun activities for youth. Wright said that library staff is talking about how they could do summer reading activities better, smarter and not die in the process. DISPOSITION: The Library Board received the 2014 Summer Reading Report and thanked library staff for all their efforts to conduct an enjoyable summer reading program for the Portage community. B. Update on Book Drop Project Library Director Klien told trustees that the engineer the library is working with had indicated that he believes the fire standpipe can be moved from its present location on the south side of the building which would allow space to move that brick wall out and allow better drive-up access to the exterior book drop. Klien stated it would be a lot less costly to do than some of the other options that have been considered. She said that she had met with Austin, Behrje and Foti to discuss the book return process and the Book Drop Room space to identify what is needed and how things should flow. Klien said that they are waiting now for new drawings and then decisions will be made on how to proceed. She is looking for a final design for the external book drop by the end of the year, and expects to bid out the job in January 2015, with work being done in spring (April/May) and a goal target completion date sometime before the library s summer reading program begins in mid-june. Trustee Ongley asked if they know how many use the external book return compared to the materials that are returned inside the library. Klien said that as an example, there were (700) items returned each day over Labor Day weekend. Behrje commented that thinking in terms of the heaviest return of materials, they would need 2,500 cubic feet to receive all the materials (without emptying the book drop). He noted that the highest volume of returned materials occurs on weekends and during holiday periods. Behrje cautioned that they needed to make sure that the book return does not jam up, so the design needs to accommodate an anticipated high volume of items being returned. Jill Austin, Circulation Supervisor, said that she has observed when the library is open that most materials are returned inside the library, and if the library is closed, then of course the outside book return is used more. Trustee Yantis emphasized that there should be ample pre-notification given to library patrons if the exterior book return is shut down during remodeling. Klien assured him that they would certainly do a good job of notifying library patrons about any shut down of the outside book drop. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members received the Update on the Book Drop Project and thanked Klien and library staff for all the work entailed in getting better access for patrons to the exterior book return. C. Update on Heritage Room Reorganization Project Library Director Klien told trustees that there had been a lot accomplished on the Heritage Room Project to date, but it was not completely done yet because they are waiting for delivery of some new furniture a desk, end caps and study tables. Klien said that Steve Rossio, Library Archivist, had done a great job of collection maintenance on the library s local history collection and had just completed the process to re-shelve the materials. The Heritage Room has been freshly painted, new shelving has Page - 5

10 been installed and many things have been rearranged. Klien concluded by saying that trustees could take a tour of the reorganized Heritage Room following their October 27 th board meeting. Trustee Yantis asked if there should be an Open House for the Heritage Room, and Klien said that Rossio had shown the room to the Kalamazoo Valley Genealogy Society already and other regular users would be given that opportunity as well. Siebers urged staff to think about having something for the public to show them the enhancements to the Heritage Room. Walker commented that they have before and after photos of the Heritage Room that are up on the library s Facebook page and will be put into the library s e-newsletter too. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members received the Update on the Heritage Room Reorganization Project and expressed their appreciation for the efforts of Steve Rossio in helping to make these improvements happen. D. Plans for Annual Report and 2014 Annual Campaign Library Director Klien told trustees that the library would be distributing the Annual Report via The Portager that will reach 22,000 households. Walker commented that there would be an additional 1,000 printed and given to the Portage Public Schools to send home with students who live in Pavilion Township and Texas Township (which are part of the library s legal service area). Walker said that the goal is to have the Annual Campaign solicitation letter out to recipients by the end of October and no later than the first week of November. DISPOSITION: Library Board Members received information about plans for the library s Annual Report, and the 2014 Annual Campaign and expressed their wishes for a successful campaign. IX. Monitoring to Assure Compliance with Executive Limitations A. Report on Financial Condition for August 2014 Library Director Klien said that the library s finances were entirely in order and there were no issues or concerns. She asked if trustees had any questions, and there were none. DISPOSITION: The Library Board received the Report on Financial Condition for August 2014 XI. Library Director s Reports A. Marketing Update for August 2014 Chris Walker, Marketing Manager, told trustees that she had been working primarily on the Annual Report and 2014 Campaign, along with regular marketing for programs, etc. She noted that a photographer would be coming to the library on Staff Development Day to take a group photo of library employees. DISPOSITION: The Library Board received the Marketing Update for August B. Narrative Report for August 2014 Library Director Klien gave an overview of the work and activities that had been undertaken in the month of August and first part of September. She went over some highlights, such as meetings that were held with the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival Steering Committee to discuss the library s role as fiscal agent and to consider what should happen going forward. Klien said that a lot of meetings had been held in relation to the library s Book Drop Project and all the different committees that were working on specific tasks to be accomplished (Front Lobby Committee, Staff Fund Committee, Staff Lounge Committee, etc.) Klien noted that they will be conducting a public survey in the library s front lobby to get patrons responses to two questions relevant to the front lobby. Klien then invited others to give updates for their areas. Facilities & IT Rolfe Behrje reported on the following building related items: Roof Leak The leak in the roof has been fixed. Lighting Upgrades An assessment is being done of all the lighting in the Atrium and the security lighting in the library s parking lot. Behrje said that the library was transitioning to LED lights to go green and to save money in the long run. Trustee Ongley asked if the transition would occur in phases and Behrje answered yes and said that he was getting retro-fit kits that would allow him to fit LED lights into existing fixtures. He said that the goal is to throw better lighting in all areas of the library. Trustee Yantis asked if the LED lights were able to be dimmed and Behrje said yes, but there was no need to dim the lights in the Atrium. However, he was investigating motion sensitive lighting for other locations. He said that the Page - 6

11 library would be getting a rebate from Consumers Energy for energy efficiency by transitioning to LED lighting. Behrje also said that they are looking for a better plan for lighting over the next (5) years. Elevator Modernization Behrje stated that the library s original elevator is 40 years old and the average life of an elevator is 30 years, so we re on borrowed time. He said that he is getting quotes for modernizing the old elevator which will be expensive, however it is just as costly to take the elevator out of service, so they will likely modernize it. This would entail new features, emergency call system and an upgrade of the interior décor. Trustee Yantis asked if the emergency bell is activated in the old elevator if it can be heard in the building and Klien and Behrje both replied that yes, it rings loud and can be heard at the Information Desks. Behrje stated that the library has semi-monthly service calls on the elevator and there is a 24 hr. on-call help service. He said that this is a long-range plan for modernizing the elevator and would likely cost about $55,000. Trustee Yantis asked how it would be paid for and Behrje replied that it would probably be taken out of the library s Reserve Fund and budgeted for accordingly. Computer Upgrades for Public Behrje said that public access computers would be replaced during the month of October and commented that the part-time Technology Assistant, Mark Johnson, was helping with this project and was doing an outstanding job. He is also training staff on the new Envisionware program and doing test runs and deploying printers. Symphony Upgrade Behrje told trustees that an upgrade to the library s Symphony system was underway to get ready for E-Resource Central and mobile circulation. This will enable library users to search in one place. The mobile circulation capability will enable library staff to do outreach in the community and will provide a 3 rd way to do collection maintenance, as well as off-line circulation when needed. Adult Services Lawrence Kapture, Head of Adult Services, said that the focus in his department had been on after hours programming, which as mentioned earlier in the meeting, has gone very well. Kapture said that they will be doing more programs like these and tweaking them as they go forward. He wants to avoid programming that just serves a core select group, and provide opportunities for programs that appeal to various demographics. He said that they would not always have after-hours programs that entail alcohol either. Kapture commented that Adult Services Librarian Marsha Meyer and Youth Services Librarian Quyen Le had done an exceptional job in conducting the library s Art Encounters program on August 9, 2014, which was very well attended. Youth Services Laura Wright, Head of Youth Services, said that the Youth Services staff had rearranged all of their storytimes in response to feedback from patron surveys, and had added a storytime for 4-5 year olds that offered more structured and organized activities and was done without parents present in the room. They also changed ages for the storytimes to group differently, and it seemed to be going well. Circulation Services Jill Austin, Circulation Supervisor, said that the Circulation Department would be losing one of their Library Aides, Tamara Bryant, who would be leaving to take a full-time position at the Bronson Hospital Library. Her last day will be October 17th DISPOSITION: The Library Board received the Narrative Report for August 2014 and thanked all staff for the work they have done on various library programs and projects. C. Statistical Report for August 2014 Library Director Klien reported that the Administrative Team was in the process of reviewing the library s statistics sheet to analyze the categories and determine what depth of usage statistics should be kept for each category. She pointed out that there was a growing trend in use of electronic materials and that self-checkout was edging up to 65% checkout transactions at the library. DISPOSITION: The Library Board received the Statistical Report for August D. Legislative Update Library Director Klien reminded trustees that the 2014 Michigan Library Association Annual Conference was being held in Grand Rapids this year at the Amway Grand Hotel, October 15 th 18 th. Library Board Siebers noted that if any trustees wished to attend the conference, that there was money in the library s training budget for that purpose. Page - 7

12 DISPOSITION: The Library Board received the Legislative Update for August XII. Process Evaluation A. Suggestions for Agenda Items to be included on the October 27, 2014 Board Meeting 1. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 22, Review of Audio/Visual Policy. 3. Review of Donations Policy. 4. Review of Fines & Fees Policy. 5. Review of Investment Policy. 6. Review of Resident Non-Resident Policy. 7. Approval of Non-Resident Fee Amount for Adoption of Schedule of Library Board Meetings for Approval of Holiday Schedule for Library Hours of Operation in Follow-Up Discussion on 2014 Library Board Retreat Visit to GVSU. 11. Progress Report on End Statement #4 (Be a community center to experience & explore local arts & culture) 12. Follow Up Report on 2014 Staff Development Day rd Quarter Financial Report for FY Monitoring Report Communication & Support to the Library Board. 15. Monitoring Report Ends Focus of Grants/Contracts. 16. Information about Michigan Blood Drive scheduled at the Library in November. B. Assessment of this meeting Trustees agreed it was an informative meeting, particularly with special guest, Michael Evans presentation about literacy initiatives in the community. C. Miscellaneous Items The following items were discussed: Art on the Walls Trustee Ongley said that the art on display in the library was lovely and she said she observed many patrons looking at it. Library Board Retreat Reminder Library Director Klien reminded trustees that the Library Board Retreat would be a site visit to Grand Valley State University Library on Thursday, October 2 nd. She said that everyone should meet at the back entrance of the library at 11:15 am and prepare to leave by 11:30 am to car pool to GVSU. Birthday Gift Opening Library Board Secretary Delach opened the birthday gift she had been given by trustees and thanked them for the baby toy, teething ring and bath towel to be used at her home for when her new baby grandson visits! XII. Adjournment Library Board Chair Alisha Siebers said if there was no further business to be considered, that she would adjourn the regular board meeting of September 22, DISPOSITION: The regular board meeting of September 22, 2014 was adjourned at 7:55 pm. Recorded and Transcribed by, Diane Delach, Library Board Secretary Page - 8

13 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Audio Visual Policy The Audio-Visual service of the Portage District Library was established in recognition of the importance of non-print media as part of a total information, recreation and education service. The library maintains several non-print collections: compact discs, computer games, videos and talking books. In developing both present and future audio-visual collections, the library will attempt to reflect the diversity of the book collection to the degree possible with audio-visual materials available. In other words, the media product available should allow the collection to serve the educational, recreational and informational needs of our patrons. The size of individual collections will vary from core to diverse and multi-faceted, depending on cost, demand and product availability. Periodically, audio-visual collections will be evaluated for maintenance, termination or increase. As new media formats become available, each will be analyzed based on the criteria established in this policy. Audio Selection The Portage District Library recognizes sound recordings as a major form of publication. Because of cost and the diversity of titles available, the audio recording collection is large enough to represent a fair cross-section of available material, particularly with respect to music of established and lasting value and talking books in a variety of formats. The audio recording collection includes formats such as, audio downloads, MP3, compact disc, Playaway, and other current media formats. Recordings are selected on the basis of reviews in professional and general publications, vendorprovided materials and personal knowledge and contact. Musical selections are made with an ear toward providing library patrons with a broad overview of western musical heritage from the earliest preserved material to current popular and classical material. Instructional recordings emphasize those studies which have an important aural component. Talking books are selected for literary merit, content interest, and quality of production. A portion of the audio recording collection is designated for youth materials. Video Selection The video collection shall attempt to reflect the diversity of the book collection, to the greatest degree possible. Selection shall be subject to all the criteria listed in the library s Materials Selection Policy under Non-Print Media Collection. Selections shall be geared to the broad range of patrons and the collection shall not be curriculum-oriented. Videos will be purchased in current media format. R-rated videos will selectively be allowed in the library s collection, but in order to check them out, individuals must be 18 yrs. old and provide proof of age. X-rated videos will not be purchased or accepted. The rating symbol used by the Motion Picture Association of America shall be used, when available. Selection of videos shall be based on written reviews or in-house previews with particular attention paid to the visual nature of the medium. It is the individual s responsibility to determine a film s suitability for themselves and their family. Page - 9

14 Interactive Media The interactive media collection shall attempt to reflect the diversity of the book collection, to the greatest degree possible. Selection shall be subject to all the criteria listed in the library s Materials Selection Policy under Non-Print Media Collection. Selections shall be geared to the broad range of patrons and the collection shall not be curriculum-oriented. The interactive media collection includes formats such as CD-ROMs, multiple brands of console games, and any other current format that may prevail. Mature-rated games and CD-ROMS will selectively be allowed in the library s collection, but in order to check them out, individuals must be 18 yrs. old and provide proof of age. Adults Only games and CD-ROMs will not be purchased or accepted. The rating symbol used by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) shall be used, when available. Selection of games shall be based on written reviews or in-house previews with particular attention paid to the visual nature of the medium. It is the individual s responsibility to determine a game s suitability for themselves and their family. Audio-Visual Equipment The Portage District Library has various pieces of specialized equipment, which are used in-house to support programs or public services. Audio-visual equipment may be loaned to patrons only at the discretion of the Library Director. Evaluation of Audio-Visual Services Audio-visual services will be evaluated periodically to ensure that the service is meeting the needs of the community. Factors against which a service will be measured include: circulation, product availability, public availability, priority and service value. Page - 10

15 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Donation Policy The library actively solicits donations and uses them to enhance library services. Anticipated income from donations is not submitted as part of the budget process. Rather, as donated funds are received, they are recorded as income, accumulated during the fiscal year, and appropriated into the next fiscal year. Funds appropriated into a current fiscal year from the previous year s gift income are then budgeted for expenditure by the Library Board. Specific requests made by donors will be satisfied by purchasing the requested items from the appropriation of the previous year s donations. In the case of a large donation for a specific purpose, the funds will be transferred to the appropriate account for expenditure in the year in which they are received. The intent of this policy is to preserve the Library Director s ability to fulfill specified memorial and non-memorial gifts as promptly as possible and to preserve the Library Board s right to allocate undesignated contributions to appropriate expenditure categories from the restricted contributions fund balance. Page - 11

16 1. STATEMENT of PURPOSE PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Investment Policy It is the policy of the Portage District Library to invest its funds in a manner that will provide the highest investment return with the maximum security, while meeting the daily cash flow needs of the Portage District Library and complying with all state statutes governing the investment of public funds. 2. SCOPE of POLICY This investment policy applies to all financial assets of the Portage District Library. These assets are accounted for in the various funds of the Portage District Library and include the general fund, special revenue funds, debt service funds, capital project funds, enterprise funds, internal service funds, trust and agency funds and any new fund established by the Portage District Library. 3. INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES In priority order, the primary objectives of the Portage District Library s investment activities shall be: A. Safety: Safety of principal is the foremost objective of the investment program. Investments shall be undertaken in a manner that seeks to ensure the preservation of capital in the overall portfolio. B. Diversification: The investments will be diversified by security type and institution in order that potential losses on individual securities do not exceed the income generated from the remainder of the portfolio. C. Liquidity: The investment portfolio shall remain sufficiently liquid to meet all operating requirements that may be reasonably anticipated. D. Return of Investment: The investment portfolio shall be designed with the objective of obtaining a rate of return throughout the budgetary and economic cycles, taking into account the investment risk constraints and the cash flow from characteristics of the portfolio. 4. DELEGATION of AUTHORITY to MAKE INVESTMENTS Authority to manage the investment program is derived from MCL and by Resolution of the Portage District Library Board (See attached). Management responsibility for the investment program is hereby delegated to the Portage District Library Director who shall establish written procedures and internal controls for the operation of the investment program consistent with this Investment Policy. Procedures shall include references to: safekeeping, delivery vs. payment, investment accounting, repurchase agreements, wire transfer agreements, collateral/ depository agreements and banking service contracts. No person may engage in an investment transaction except as provided under the terms of this Investment Policy and the procedures established by the Portage District Library Director. The Library Director shall be responsible for all Page - 12

17 transactions undertaken and shall establish a system of controls to regulate the activities of subordinate officials. 5. AUTHORIZED INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTS The Portage District Library funds shall be invested only in the manner permitted under Act No. 20 of the Public Acts of 1943, as amended, and may include any of the following: a) Bonds, securities and other obligations of the United States or an agency or instrumentality of the United States. b) Certificates of deposit, savings accounts, deposit accounts, or depository receipts of a financial institution, as defined in MCLA (4) provided that the financial institution is eligible to be a depository of funds belonging to the State under a law or rule of the state of Michigan or the United States. c) Commercial paper rated at the time of purchase within the two highest classifications established by not less than two standard rating services and that matures not more than 270 days after the date of purchase. d) Repurchase agreements consisting of instruments listed in subdivision (a). e) Bankers acceptance of United States banks. f) Obligations of this state or any of its political subdivisions that at the time of purchase are rated as investment grade by not less than one standard rating service. g) Mutual funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, Title I of Chapter 686, 54 Stat USC 80a-1 to 80a-3, and 80a-4 to 80a-64, with authority to purchase only investment vehicles that are legal for direct investment by a public corporation. A securities net asset value per share may fluctuate on a periodic basis. However, a mutual fund is not disqualified as a permissible investment solely by reason of either of the following: (i) (ii) The purchase of securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. The ability to lend securities as long as the mutual fund receives collateral at all times equal to at least 100% of the value of the securities loaned. (iii) The limited ability to borrow and pledge a like portion of the portfolio s assets for temporary or emergency purposes. h) Obligations described in subdivisions (a) through (g) if purchased through an interlocal agreement under the Urban Cooperation Act of 1967, 1967 (Ex Sess) PA7, MCL to i) Investment pools organized under the Surplus Funds Investment Pool Act, 1982 PA 367, MCL to j) Investment pools organized under the Local Government Investment Pool Act, 1985 PA 121, MCL to Page - 13

18 6. SAFEKEEPING and CUSTODY All security transactions, including collateral for repurchase agreements and financial institution deposits, entered into by the Portage District Library shall be on a cash (or delivery vs. payment) basis. Securities may be held by a third party custodian designated by the Portage District Library Director and evidenced by safekeeping receipts as determined by the Portage District Library Director (or designee of the Library Director). 7. STANDARD of PRUDENCE The Portage District Library Director shall make such investments and only such investments as a prudent person would make in dealing with the property of another, having in view the preservation of the principal and the amount and regularity of the income to be derived. The Standard of Prudence to be used shall be the fiduciary standard and shall be applied in context of managing an overall portfolio. 8. STATEMENT of ETHICS The Portage District Library Director shall refrain from personal business activity that could conflict with the proper execution and management of library investments, or that could impair the Portage District Library Director s ability to make impartial investment decisions. 9. INVESTMENT ACTIVITY REPORT The Portage District Library Director shall annually provide a written report to the Library Board concerning the investment of Portage District Library funds. The Portage District Library shall comply with all applicable statutory standards for investment of public funds as they now exist or as they may be subsequently amended. Any provision of this resolution that conflicts with applicable statutory requirements and standards is void. Page - 14

19 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Schedule for Library Board Meetings in Fiscal Year 2015 January - December 2015 Following is a schedule of Portage District Library Board meetings from January through December Please note that the regular day and time for all library board meetings will be the 4th Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. (with dinner for board members at 5:30 p.m.) Additional meetings may be called or changes in meetings dates may be made by the Library Board Chair if needed. All library board meetings are held in the lower level Long Lake and Gourdneck Lake Meeting Rooms of the library, unless otherwise indicated on the meeting notice (posted 18 hrs. prior to meetings). January 26, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. February 23, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. March 23, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. April 27, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. May 18, 2015* Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. June 22, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. July 27, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. August 24, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting & Public Budget Hearing 6:00 p.m. September 28, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. October 2015 To be determined Library Board Retreat To be determined October 26, 2015 Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. November 2015 No Library Board Meeting Planned for November December 14, 2015* Monday Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. NOTE: The May and December board meetings in 2015 will be held earlier in the month due to Memorial Day and the winter holiday season. Page - 15

20 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY To: Portage District Library Board From: Christy Klien, Library Director COMMUNICATION Date: October 21, 2014 Subject: Budget Amendment to Adjust the Library s FY 2014 Budget to Accommodate a $300 Donation to the 2016 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival BACKGROUND: The Portage District Library has been functioning as the fiscal agent for the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival over the last year and a half. In this capacity, the library has been responsible for receiving, depositing and keeping track of donations given to the KPF. All donations have been appropriately acknowledged and information conveyed to the KPF Steering Committee. PDL staff has assisted with several grant submissions, promotional efforts, programming planning, contract arrangements with poets and many other support activities. The 2014 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival was a success in its first year and the KPF Steering Committee intends to plan and conduct this poetry festival every other year. In recent meetings between the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival Steering Committee and Portage District Library representatives, the future of the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival was discussed and consideration given to continuing the arrangements for the library to serve as fiscal agent. A number of issues were addressed, particularly that the KPF Steering Committee wants to pursue a 501 (C) 3 non-profit designation to facilitate donations and grant applications. This is a lengthy process that could take a year or more. For that reason, the Portage District Library will continue temporarily as fiscal agent for the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival to enable the KPF Steering Committee to have adequate time to prepare and file an application with documentation to the IRS for non-profit 501 (C) 3 status. For this reason, the Library Board will continue to see Budget Amendment requests on the agendas for upcoming board meetings to get board approval for necessary fiscal transactions to process donations for the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival as their fiscal agent. RECOMMENDATION: I recommend that the Library Board approve a budget amendment to increase the 2016 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival revenue line by $300 and to increase the 2014 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival Expenditure line by an equivalent amount to cover expenses being incurred for the 2016 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival. Page - 16

21 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY To: Portage District Library Board From: Christy Klien, Library Director COMMUNICATION Date: October 21, 2014 Subject: Budget Amendment to adjust the library s FY 2014 Budget for a $ donation from an Eagle Scout in relation to his Little Free Libraries Eagle Scout Project. BACKGROUND: Several months ago, trustees were told that a Portage Eagle Scout candidate had approached the library about collaborating on his Eagle Scout project. His intent was to build some Little Free Libraries * and find homes for them around the community. Following a discussion at a board meeting about the nature of the project, it was agreed that the library staff in Youth Services would work with the Eagle Scout to provide him an opportunity to have a Little Free Library workshop for library patrons and to make connections within the community. In September, the Eagle Scout informed the library that he had concluded his project and after having had financial support for his Eagle Scout Project through independent sponsorship, he had earned a surplus amount of $ and was donating that to the Portage District Library. A letter of thanks was conveyed to the Eagle Scout commending him for his community minded project and service, as well as his donation to the library. The funds that were donated will be used to enhance youth programming at the library. RECOMMENDATION: I recommend that the Library Board approve a budget amendment to increase the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget s unrestricted donations revenue line by $ and the Youth Services Programming expenditure line by an equivalent amount to allow the library to use the Eagle Scout s donation for youth related purposes. * Note: A Little Free Library is basically a box or enclosed container that is filled with free books and located in a common public area or neighborhood with unrestricted access, where anyone may stop and pick up a book to read and then bring back another book and place it in the container for others to take out freely and enjoy. Page - 17

22 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY COMMUNICATION To: Christine Klien, Director From: Jill Austin, Circulation Supervisor Date: October 21, 2014 Subject: Revision of Fines & Fees/Usage Policy Upon examination of the current Fines & Fees/Usage Policy that the Library Board is reviewing at their October 27, 2014 meeting, I have found the need for some changes and additions. Attached is a copy of the Fines & Fees/Usage Policy with highlight changes and additions. Listed below are more detailed reasons for the revisions. Throughout the document I have changed the word patron to member, which more accurately describes who would be assessed these types of fees. Patrons being anyone who uses the library. Members being anyone who is a registered borrower. Section 5 The Library has added a document station that is capable of scanning documents to several types of electronic storage, as well as to , print or send as a fax. We established fax pricing at $1.00 per page in keeping with other local options. Scanning to electronic storage or sending to is free, as there is no additional cost to the library. Also, this machine is capable of duplexing copies, and while there is some paper savings to that, the most expensive part of printing is the cost of ink. Therefore, the price for printing is 10 per printed side of a page. Lastly, we will be offering color printing in the near future, so greyscale printing or copying prices are listed separately and new pricing for color printing at 75 per side of a page has been added. Section 6 The Library does not currently charge overdue fines on interlibrary loan materials. Our members are frequently choosing to keep their interlibrary loaned material from other libraries for extraordinarily long periods of time, often to the point that the lending library is billing the Portage District Library for the item. We would like to bring the handling of these borrowed items in closer alignment with how we treat our own items, so that we can be better stewards of this service. Also, we will block access to this special service if a user has long overdue or non-returned items or a library membership that is not in good standing. Additionally, the policy should clarify that long overdue or non-returned material will be charged as lost based on MeL Policy. Section 8, part A & B Current policy language made it sound as if members only had two hours of laptop use per day and any use beyond that was subject to a rental fee. That was never the intention, so the description has been changed to more clearly reflect our practices and intent that the $10.00 fee is for the laptop not being returned or renewed on time. Section 10, part E Although the current policy is written to allow for other services to be considered premium at the discretion of Library Administration, it is best to document specific examples whenever possible. Library staff members have already been actively investigating the addition of a digital magazine service. We have also had requests from the public to investigate Hoopla for streaming video and audio services. It seems timely to include other online media services in the policy language. Please review the proposed changes to the Fines & Fees/Usage Policy and discuss with the Library Board. I will be present at the October 27, 2014 meeting to take part in the discussion or answer any questions about my recommendations. Page - 18

23 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY FINES & FEES/USAGE POLICY 1. General Fines A. The fine for any overdue material (excluding videos, and special collections) is 10 per day per item, with a maximum fine of $5.00 per item and return of materials. B. The overdue fine for videos and special collections is $1.00 per day per item with a maximum fine of $10.00 per item and return of materials. D. After $25.00 in total fines is accumulated, the member will be denied borrowing privileges until the fine is paid. E. A final invoice is sent to the member after two months and before six months, stating the amount due and informing the member of revoked privileges until such time as the fine is paid and/or the material is returned. The notification process may be accelerated for audio-visual materials and equipment, or high demand items. F. The Library may institute legal proceedings for recovery of materials that are overdue. 2. Lost or Damaged Item Fees A. All lost or damaged material, except for magazines, are charged at replacement/retail value. A default price of $20.00 will be used as the replacement cost if no retail value is available. Incidental damage caused by normal use will be repaired without charge. B. Magazines are charged at replacement/retail value or $5.00, whichever is greater. C. DVD, CD or console game discs that are returned without their library case and/or accompanying material will be assessed a processing fee of $5.00. D. Replacement cost for a single talking book disc is $10.00 when available. Single replacement discs are not available from all vendors; some companies charge replacement cost for the entire set, especially on MP3 format discs. The total replacement cost will be assessed when single discs are not available. F. All lost or damaged pieces from kits will be charged at replacement/retail value or $10.00, whichever is greater. G. There is an additional $5.00 processing fee per lost or damaged item which is assessed to defray the cost of preparing replacement items for library use. The processing fee is not charged for magazines. H. Refunds will not be given for lost material that has been paid for, regardless if it is returned to the collection. 3. Reserve Fee The fee for reserving an item shall be the cost of first-class postage and handling, rounded to the next dime. Those members choosing to place holds on items and then failing to pick them up will still be charged said fee. Those members choosing notification over standard mail notification will not be charged for reserves. 4. Room Rental Fees Rooms are to be booked on a first-come, first-served basis in two-hour blocks of time, and may be reserved a maximum of two months in advance. Room access will be denied if payment is not received prior to the start of the rental period. SINGLE ROOM RENTAL PRICES are as follows per two-hour block: Meeting Room Rental Rate 501-C3/Gov. Rental Rate Austin Lake Room $55.00 $25.00 Sugarloaf Lake Room $50.00 $20.00 West Lake Room $50.00 $20.00 Gourdneck Lake Room $30.00 $15.00 Long Lake Room $20.00 $10.00 COMBINED ROOM RENTAL PRICES are as follows per two-hour block: Page - 19

24 501-C3/Gov. Meeting Room Combinations Rental Rate Rental Rate Austin Lake + Sugarloaf Lake + West Lake Rooms $ $ Austin Lake Room + Sugarloaf Lake Room $ $ Sugarloaf Lake Room + West Lake Room $ $ Gourdneck Lake Room + Long Lake Room $ $ Exceptions to these meeting room rental charges may only be granted by the Library Director. [Note: Refer to the Community Meeting Rooms Policy for more details.] 5. Photocopy /Printout/Faxing/Scanning Fees A fee of 10 per printed side of a page will be charged for greyscale photocopies and printouts. A fee of 75 per printed side of a page will be charged for color printouts. Faxing will be charged $1.00 for each page scanned to FAX. No charge will be assessed for scanning pages to or electronic storage. 6. Interlibrary Loan Fee There is no charge to members for interlibrary loan borrowing fees under $5.00. However, members will be required to pay for any special borrowing charges over $5.00. Any interlibrary loaned items that are returned late are subject to the same overdue fines as library owned material. Members who have long overdue interlibrary loaned items or $25.00 or more in fees charged to their account will be blocked from interlibrary loan services. Long overdue or non-returned items will be charged as lost in accordance with MeL Policy as set by the Library of Michigan. Once the library pays for a lost item, the member is responsible for the replacement cost. No refunds are available. 7. Returned Check Fee There is a fee for any returned checks written to the Portage District Library. The fee shall be assessed in the exact amount which the Library is charged by its current Bank for the processing of such items. 8. Laptop Computer Fee A. Laptop computers will be offered to members for use within the library only for a loan period of two hours. B. After the second hour of use, there will be an automatic overdue charge of $10.00 per hour or part of an hour if the laptop is not returned or renewed. C. Reserves may be made when all laptops are in use and will not be subject to a reserve fee. D. Removal of laptop computers from the library building will be considered theft. Laptop use privileges will be revoked. 9. Telescope Fee A. Orion Starblast Telescope kits will be offered for specific booking periods to resident and paying nonresident members. All bookings will be set to start on Wednesday and end on Monday. B. If the kit is returned after the six day period of the booking, there will be an automatic late charge of $10.00 per day or part of a day that the kit is late. C. Failure to comply with usage procedures may result in the loss of use privileges for this equipment. D. Damage to the equipment or loss of additional kit material will result in charges for repair or replacement. 10. Checkout, Reserve and Service Limits A. Members are limited to a total of 5 movie and 10 music titles that can be checked out at one time. Similar limits may be set for other special collections. Page - 20

25 B. Resident and paying non-resident members may reserve up to 25 items total at one time; reciprocal borrowers may only reserve 3 items total at one time. Hot Pick collections cannot be reserved. C. A single renewal is allowed for items that are not in demand. Items with reserves, Hot Pick collections, high demand titles and other special collections are not renewable. D. A limit of 2 items from each Hot Pick item category (books, movies, music, or games) can be checked out at one time. Hot Pick movie and music titles are in addition to checkout limits set for other movie and music titles. E. Hot Pick collections are limited to use by resident and paying non-resident members. F. Premium services including, but not limited to, Interlibrary Loan, Favorite Authors, ebook or audio downloads, and other online media services are limited to resident and paying non-resident members. Page - 21

26 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY COMMUNICATION To: Christine Klien, Director From: Jill Austin, Circulation Supervisor Date: October 23, 2014 Subject: Revision of Resident/Non-Resident Policy Upon examination of the current Resident/Non-Resident Policy that the Library Board is reviewing at their October 27, 2014 meeting, I have found the need for some changes and additions. Attached is a copy of the Resident/Non-resident Policy with highlight changes and additions. Listed below are more detailed reasons for the revisions. This policy s main purpose is to address who and how memberships are established and should therefore include membership as part of the title. Also, there has not been any structure to the information included in the policy, so some structural changes were made for ease of reference. Section I The previous description of the district was not completely accurate as it seemed to include the portion of the Portage Public School District that is located in the City of Kalamazoo and exclude the portions of Texas Township and Pavilion Township that are included in the district boundaries. Section II, D & Note The former list of who is entitled to a free membership did not include any reference to reciprocal borrowers. As these agreements can be started or ended at any time, the policy need not list the specific libraries. However, the reference here makes it clear they are eligible for a limited use membership, free of charge. Additionally, the note clarifies that reciprocal borrowing memberships are only for individuals, not businesses or institutions. Section III The method of calculation was previously based on the number of cardholders, which is subject to a variety of interpretations, changes in usage patterns, and alterations to library record retention procedures, all of which can dramatically impact the fee from one year to the next. When reviewing other area library policies, we found that a more common calculation using the taxable value per residential parcel was being used and seems better aligned with how library services are supported through tax revenue and provides for a more stable fee structure. Other changes in this section clarify that businesses and institutions can purchase non-resident memberships and that a nonresident member is not able to utilize reciprocal borrowing. Also, the former policy language did not specify that the non-resident membership fee was re-calculated annually. Section IV Based on some specific registration issues, it seemed time to clarify and adjust what is necessary to establish a membership. First of all, we need to have proof of identity, so that we know who is responsible for the membership. Second, we need proof of residence in order to know what type of membership is appropriate. Our previous list of requirements did not adequately identify these two aspects and also proved to limit many people new to our community from pursuing membership. The options offered in the recommended policy language are consistent with what is generally acceptable to other libraries in the area. Page - 22

27 Section V Since the library staff who process memberships were seeking more clarity and support for how to handle special circumstances, it seemed prudent to include guidelines for when it is appropriate for the library staff to consider working outside of the policy. While these are not new ideas, they have never formally been incorporated into the policy. Section V, A This addresses handling memberships for children who may be without their parent or guardian and is something we currently do. Section V, B This addresses the possible need for special considerations for people in alternative living situations for which they may not have the required proof of residency to register for a membership. It also allows for new types of memberships to be created that may provide some access to collections to some of the more vulnerable populations in our community. Section V, C We are often questioned about visiting memberships, such as when children stay with local families for the summer or students participate in brief exchange programs during the school year. Due to the brief nature of these visits, we have always encouraged people who have visitors to take responsibility for the items their guests would like to borrow. This section clarifies that we do not offer borrowing privileges to visitors and highlights the option for an internet guest pass. Section V, D Business and institutional memberships are often difficult and time consuming to complete, as there are a variety of ways to adequately document their existence within the Library s district boundaries and who is technically eligible to authorize the membership in the name of the business or institution. While the recommended policy language does not attempt to define the myriad ways to accomplish this, it does at least reference the need for additional information from someone seeking this type of membership. Section VI, A & B Library policies do not contain any statements regarding the responsibilities for the use of a membership. The Fines & Fees/Usage Policy covers the actual charges possible from the late return, loss, or damage of items checked out. The Internet Policy covers inappropriate use of the Library s internet access and documents a procedure for handling offenses. The recommended addition would clarify who is responsible for a membership and provides direction for additional information. Similarly, there is a Library Privacy and Search Warrant Policy, but it is not directed at the general confidentiality and circumstances under which library records are used or to whom we will divulge information contained in a library record. Please review the proposed changes to the Resident/Non-Resident Policy and discuss with the Library Board. I will be present at the October 27, 2014 meeting to take part in the discussion or answer any questions about my recommendations. Page - 23

28 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Resident / Non-Resident Membership Policy I. Definition of the Portage District Library Service Area Boundaries The service area of the Portage District Library is property located within the portions of the Portage Public School District located in the following municipalities: City of Portage, Texas Township, and Pavilion Township. Only those who reside within or own property or businesses within these boundaries are entitled to free membership. NOTE: Those who reside within or own property or businesses in the portion of the Portage Public School District located within the City of Kalamazoo are served by the Kalamazoo Public Library. II. Who is able to get a free membership? A. Any person who resides within the Portage District Library service area. B. Any person who pays real or personal property tax on property located within the Portage District Library service area. C. Any business and/or institution located within the Portage Library District service area may be issued a library card in the name of that business or institution. D. Any person who is a resident member of a library district that has established a reciprocal borrowing agreement with the Portage District Library can have a free, limited use membership. See the Reciprocal Borrowing Policy for additional membership requirements. NOTE: Businesses outside of the Portage District Library service area are not eligible for reciprocal memberships. III. Non-Resident Memberships Any person, business or institution that does not fit into one of the above categories must pay a non-resident fee for library service. The non-resident membership is good for one year from date of issuance and entitles the member to all services of Portage District Library, with the exception of reciprocal borrowing privileges at other libraries. The Cost of Service is calculated based on the average taxable value per residential parcel within the service area of the Portage District Library. As required by Section 11a of the State Aid to Public Libraries Act, MCL a, the fee may not exceed the cost incurred by the library in making borrowing privileges available to non-residents, including but not limited to, the costs, direct and indirect, of issuing a library card, facilitating the return of loaned materials, and the attendant cost of administration. This cost figure is re-calculated annually and reported to the Library Board. NOTE: The non-resident fee for senior citizens (62 yrs. and older) is 50% of the standard nonresident fee charged to people who reside outside of the Portage District Library service area. Page - 24

29 IV. Required Documentation for Establishing a Membership The appropriate type of library membership for any person will be issued only upon verified identification and proof of address for the person requesting the membership or, in the case of children under the age of 18, their parent or documented legal guardian. Businesses and Institutions have additional requirements addressed below. In order of preference, one of the following items of identification is required to establish a membership: 1. Valid Driver s License 2. Valid State Identification Card 3. Valid Passport 4. Valid Military ID 5. Valid School ID with Photo If the current address is not listed as part of the identification presented, a secondary document that includes a residential address is also required to establish membership. The secondary document must be in the name of the person requesting the membership or, in the case of children under the age of 18, their parent or documented legal guardian. Businesses and Institutions have additional requirements addressed below. In order of preference, one of the following documents is required for proof of address when the current residence is not listed on the identification presented to establish membership: 1. Valid Voter s Registration Card 2. Current property tax bill or receipt 3. Current utility bill for water/sewer or gas/electric services 4. Registered Land Contract 5. Current Lease Agreement 6. Current vehicle registration V. Special Circumstances & Other Membership Types A. In the case of children under the age of 18 who are unable to show identification or proof of address and are not accompanied by a parent or documented legal guardian, an alternative form of registration will be offered that will require the membership card to be mailed as proof of address. The mailing also serves as notification to the responsible party that a membership card has been issued. B. For those individuals seeking membership who may live in alternative living situations, such as shelters, temporary housing, group homes, transitional housing or care facilities, there may be other options for registration and/or proof of address. Memberships may be limited in duration and/or limited in amount or type of material that can be checked out for those who are unable to provide the requested residency documentation. C. Memberships are not available to those who are visiting the Portage District Library service area. However, internet guest passes are available to anyone who can show appropriate identification with proof of age. See the Internet Usage Policy for additional information and restrictions. Page - 25

30 D. Businesses or institutions within the Portage District Library service area that would like to take advantage of the opportunity for membership require additional proof of operation within the library district, proof of ownership, or documented authorization from the business or institution. These memberships can only be established by the business owner, institutional director or their documented designee. These types of memberships are only processed by specific library personnel, not through typical individual member registration processes. Due to the variety of business and institution types, contact the Library for specific information regarding the additional requirements. VI. Membership Responsibilities and Privacy A. Once a membership has been established, the person, business or institution in whose name the membership is opened is responsible for any use or misuse of the membership, including, but not limited to, fines, losses or fees assessed against the account. In the case of minor children, the parent or documented legal guardian is the responsible party. In the case of a business or institution, the owner, director, or their designee will be the responsible party. Lost or stolen membership cards should be reported immediately. See the Fines & Fees/Usage Policy or the Internet Usage Policy for additional information. B. In accordance with the Michigan Library Privacy Act, all library records must be kept confidential. Information contained within library records will only be divulged in person to the member showing valid identification, the card holder, the person liable for payment and return of library materials, or as required by law via a court order. See the Library Privacy & Search Warrant Policy for additional information. Page - 26

31 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY COMMUNICATION To: Portage District Library Board From: Alisha Siebers, Library Board Chair Date: October 22, 2014 Subject: Update on the Library Director s 2014 Evaluation Process BACKGROUND: Following a discussion at the September 22, 2014 board meeting, an communication was sent out to trustees indicating that the evaluation process for the Library Director would be done in October by having each trustee complete the evaluation form based on their own assessment of the Library Director s accomplishments and performance in relation to the 2014 Ends Statements. The completed forms will need to be returned to Business Manager Rob Foti, and when all forms are received, he will pass them on to the Library Board Personnel Committee (composed of Brown, Siebers & Yantis). The individual evaluations will then be compiled into a composite document that will be shared in a meeting with the Library Director. At one point, it had been considered that trustees might also possibly take a look at the new employee performance evaluation form being developed by HRM Innovations to see if anything might be applicable to the Library Director s evaluation. However, the new employee performance evaluation form is not ready for release yet and will not be used for the 2014 evaluation process, but will be implemented in The Library Director s performance evaluation entails the following assessments: 1. Has there been progress on achieving Board endorsed Ends Statements in 2014? 2. Has there been progress on accomplishing Board endorsed personal goals in 2014? 3. Has the Library Director been in compliance with the Board s Executive Limitation in 2014? 4. Consider that the success of the library is the evaluation of the Library Director. UPDATE: Library Board members are reminded to complete the evaluation form that was provided to them and to return it to Business Manager Rob Foti (either electronic or paper) by The Library Board Personnel Committee will meet the first week in November to compile results and formulate a recommendation for the Library Director s compensation in The Library Board Chair will subsequently meet with the Library Director to go over her 2014 performance evaluation and convey the Personnel Committee s recommendation to her. The Library Board as a whole will hear the Personnel Committee s recommendation at the December 15, 2014 board meeting and trustees will vote on the Library Director s compensation for Page - 27

32 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Follow-Up Report on the 2014 Library Board Retreat October 6, 2014 The Portage District Library Board and Administrative Staff participated in a Library Board Retreat on October 2, 2014 that entailed a visit to the Grand Valley State University Mary Idema Pew Library. The purpose of the site visit was to see how this new library had been designed with flexible, multi-purpose spaces, innovative design concepts, non-traditional resources & services and creative use of technology. Below is a summary of the visit: SUMMARY of VISIT to GVSU The day began with participants meeting at the library at 11:15 am to break into groups, pick up box lunches & beverages and depart in a 3-vehicle caravan for the 1-1/4 hr. trip to Allendale, MI. Upon arrival at the Grand Valley State University Campus, the PDL group was greeted by a GVSU student who provided an extensive guided tour through the Mary Idema Pew Library a $65 million facility covering 153,000 square feet. During the tour, the student guide answered questions and described various special features of the GVSU library such as: The expansive glass enclosed Concourse with an Atrium that extends up three floors A multipurpose auditorium with capacity for over 80 people Exhibition space and art on display throughout the library A total of 1,500 seats, 19 group study rooms and 150,000 volumes of open, browsable stacks A state-of-the art automated storage and retrieval system for up to 600,000 items A Knowledge Market on the main floor that houses peer coaching and mentoring services in the areas of researching, writing and presenting A Quiet Reading Room with a 21-foot long fireplace and assorted reading nooks and tables. Two bibliographic training rooms Outdoor patio seating with tables and umbrellas A large staff lounge with movable furniture and access to an outdoor seating area A Technology Showcase Room featuring new kinds of technology for hands-on trials An Information Technology Help Desk A full-service Café with seating for 100 people Approximately 20 collaborative work areas allowing for private or group work One of the highlights of the visit was experienced in the library s Technology Showcase Room where participants were able to experiment with an assortment of emerging technologies, including: Google glass wearable technology, a 3-D Printer, double robotics and an interactive projection screen. Another very impressive sight was the operation of the library s automated book storage and retrieval system that is computer operated and functions with extreme precision. Our gracious host, Dean Lee Van Orsdel, gave a detailed presentation to the group describing her personal vision for the ideal library and told about how she had conveyed her ideas to others and was able to see her dream come to fruition. She emphasized that she wanted to have an environment that would be created just for the students, with the right lighting, the right furniture, the right resources, the right services, the right spaces and the right amount of flexibility. Van Orsdel said she observed how students behaved in their spaces and translated that into dynamic, flexible, comfortable space and furnishings that enabled users to manipulate their environment to make it what they needed it to be. PDL trustees and staff asked questions and made comments on what they had seen, heard and experienced on the tour, and thanked Dean Van Orsdel and the GVSU staff for their hospitality, The visit to GVSU Mary Idema Pew Library concluded at about 4:30 pm, and after some quick snacks, the PDL group departed for the return trip back to the Portage District Library. Page - 28

33 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY COMMUNICATION To: Portage District Library Board From: Christy Klien, Library Director Date: October 20, 2014 Subject: Report from Library Board Liaison to the Friends of the Portage District Library Portage District Library Board Member Martha Pacheco is the Board Liaison to the Friends of the Library, and as such, attends Friends board meetings and shares information about Friends activities. Trustee Pacheco indicated that she would like to have an item on the agenda for any Library Board meeting that immediately follows a Friends book sale or board meeting. Since the Friends had a book sale on October 4, 2014 and a board meeting on October 13, 2014, there will be an item on the agenda for the October 27, 2014 Library Board meeting so that Trustee Pacheco can give a report. Page - 29

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35 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Library Director Christy Klien s Accomplishment of Personal Goals for Fiscal Year 2014 (Presented to Library Board Members in October 2014) Goals Description Measurement Criteria Accomplishments GOAL #1: To lead a library-wide initiative to map and profile library users to better know who is using the library, where they are coming from and how they are using the library in order to guide our budgeting, collection development, programming and targeted marketing activities. A. I will work closely with the Library Administration Team and staff to review accessible data collected across various circulation points and create reports that extract that data into a usable format. B. I will lead the analysis of the reports that have been generated to gather information on our users. C. I will use the information gathered through this process to direct budget allocations, collection development and marketing activities. D. I will keep the Library Board informed about progress that is made in identifying users and their needs and adapting our library services and resources to better meet those needs. GOAL #2: To lead a library-wide effort to connect more directly with the community to strengthen and expand beneficial relationships and build long-lasting alliances between the Library Director, staff and others in our community. Community Involvement I will continue my direct community involvement as follows: 1. Portage Public School District I will continue as a member of the Curriculum Instruction Council. I will continue as a member of the District Advisory Council 2. Portage Rotary Club I will continue as a member of the Portage Rotary Club 3. Portage Community Center A method is selected to gather user information for analysis. An assessment is made of library users and usage patterns. Information gathered is applied to budget allocation for FY Information gathered is used to guide collection development, programming and basic library services. Information gathered is used to direct marketing more specifically at user types that have been identified. Participation as a member of the PPS Curriculum Instruction Council is continued throughout the school year. Participation as a member of the PPS District Advisory Council is continued throughout the school year. Active participation as a member of the Portage Rotary Club. Assist as substitute Portage Rotary Club Secretary when needed. Participation in the Portage Community Center Board and serve on the Center s Programming Committee. Page - 31 Information was gleaned from the library s Symphony automation system to identify library patron trends. Statistical information was reviewed to identify circulation patterns and specific program attendance. Web hits for the PDL website were reviewed to identify most visited web pages to look for usage trends. Information that was obtained was used in determining allocation of funds in specific categories of the library s 2015 Budget. Summer Reading Program statistics were analyzed to identify age specific preferences and trends and this information prompted the implementation of a new element in summer reading called Quest. Adult program attendance was assessed and a different approach is being taken with new afterhours programs to reach the patron age group. Programs were intentionally designed for specific patron groups and different tactics used to connect with them (i.e., Teen Advisory Group; NaNoWriMo adult writers) Attended regular meetings of the PPS Curriculum Instruction Council and exchanged information with other participants about the library s resources. Attended regular meetings of the PPS Advisory Council throughout and interacted with other participants to discuss major school district issues. Actively participated in Portage Rotary Club meetings and was asked to run as the Club s Secretary for Served on the Portage Community Center Board and attended regular PCC board meetings. Took a lead role on the PCC Executive Search Committee to solicit applicants, interview candidates and make a recommendation to the PCC board for a

36 I will participate as a board member to help promote and support the community service activities at PCC. GOAL #3: To oversee the Telephone Replacement Project in A. I will work closely with the library s Telephone Replacement Project committee and make decisions based on information provided by our selected provider to ensure that our phone system will grow with us into the future. B. I will oversee all activities to rollout the new telephone system, including staff training and public education. C. I will provide updates to the Library Board on the progress of the Telephone Replacement Project, as well as feedback from the staff and public about the new phone system. GOAL #4: To oversee planning and implementation of improvements to the library s Front Lobby and the Material Return (External Book Drop) Front Lobby A. I will lead the process to establish a committee and assess the aesthetics and functional condition of the library s front lobby. B. I will lead an investigation to engage a consultant to consider possible options for improving the front lobby. C. I will work with the Business Manager to earmark funds in the FY 2014 and/or FY 2015 Budgets to enable physical and aesthetic improvements to be made to the front lobby. D. I will work closely with the Circulation Supervisor and key personnel to identify the best solution for the front lobby and plan Decisions are made on all aspects of the new telephone system. Staff are trained on the new telephone system Public are informed of any telephone number changes The new telephone system is successfully implemented Library Board has been given regular progress reports on the project. Front Lobby A committee is convened and meetings held to identify the issues related to the front lobby. A consultant is hired to provide guidance for this project. Funds are earmarked in the FY 2014 and/or FY 2015 budgets Alternative solutions are identified and best solution is selected. The public is appropriately informed about changes to the front lobby. The Library Board is kept well informed of the process. Material Return Area (External Book Drop) A committee is convened and challenges identified related to the material return area. new Executive Director to take over following the retirement of Diane Schrock in September Conducted numerous discussions with the library s Administrative Team to identify the library s telecommunication needs. Worked closely with Business Manager Rob Foti and Systems Administrator Rolfe Behrje to put together specifications for the library s telecommunications system and prepared an RFD for bidding vendors. Participated in vendor demonstrations to assess the features & functions of proposed telecommunication systems and conducted a comparative analysis. Deliberated with key administrative personnel on the most cost/beneficial and functionally appropriate telecommunications system for the library and made an informed decision to choose Secant Technologies. Presented a detailed report to the Library Board at their meeting of and outlined budgetary implications as well as the library s plan for installing the new telecommunications system. Led the Administrative Team through a process to rollout the new phone system and handle all the ancillary issues following installation. Front Lobby Conducted numerous Committee meetings in 2014 to discuss the aesthetics and functionality of the front lobby and to generate ideas for enhancing this area. A Wish List request was submitted to the Friends and approved for purchase of silk plant arrangements as permanent décor in the front lobby. Investigating suppliers for a water resistant, sturdy and attractive floor runner for the front entry ramp. Led discussions with Admin Team members and committee members about the most advantageous configuration for the front lobby. Worked with staff to design a survey to collect public opinion about the library s front lobby. This will be launched in October Page - 32

37 steps to implement the final solution. E. I will oversee all public communication related to the improvement of the front lobby and keep the Library Board informed as well. Material Return Area (External Book Drop) A. I will lead the process to establish a committee and review the issues and specific challenges with the current book drop arrangement. B. I will guide the committee through steps to identify priorities and consider the entire material return process for potential changes. C. I will lead an investigation to engage an architect/engineer to advise the library about structural considerations and feasibility issues. C. I will work closely with the Business Manager to earmark funds in the FY 2014 and FY 2015 Budgets to plan for a major revamp of the Material Return Area (External) and possible new automation. D. I will manage the Material Return Project and set in motion a master plan with a specific timeline and all necessary steps for accomplishing the renovation of the material return area. E. I will keep the Library Board informed of all activities related to the Material Return Project. Priorities are identified and the entire material return process is reviewed. An outside architect/engineer/consultant is hired to guide the process. Funds are earmarked in the FY 2014 and/or FY 2015 budgets A Master Plan is developed outlining the changes that will need to occur to implement the project. A public education initiative will be conducted to publicize the improvements to the material return area. (book drop) The Library Board is kept well informed of the process. Material Return Area (External Book Drop) Formed a committee to brainstorm ways to improve the library s book drop, developed some possible ideas, and formulated a request for conceptual design drawings. Initiated contact with an outside architectural firm (TMP Architecture) and discussed with them the prospects for alternative solutions to improve the exterior book drop and enable real drive-up access for library users without the need to exit vehicles. Arranged meetings with key City personnel to identify City ordinances and fire marshal regulations pertaining to the fire standpipe on the library building adjacent to the existing book drop. Also addressed traffic patterns and the need for safety & unimpeded traffic flow. Brought preliminary design sketches to the Library Board to gather input from trustees about preferred plans to improve the library s exterior book drop, and used feedback from trustees to narrow down choices. Conducted meetings with TMP staff, engineers and Fire Marshal to resolve the problem of moving the fire standpipe and to reconfigure the Book Return Room. Worked with Business Manager Rob Foti to develop a budgetary plan to move funds from reserves to the 2014 Budget and presented it at the board meeting. Engaged TMP Architecture to finalize design drawings for reconfiguring the library s Book Drop Room, relocating the exterior fire standpipe and moving the book & AV return units to allow for drive-up access. Finalized plans to bid out the library s Book Drop Project at the beginning of 2015 with start date of April or May and a target completion date before the Summer Reading Program starts in June Page - 33

38 GOAL #5: To stay well informed about PPT developments; to keep the Library Board up-to-date on PPT and to be prepared A. I will communicate on a regular basis with state level representatives to get current information on the status of the Personal Property Tax issue and what legislative action is anticipated. B. I will keep in contact with the MLA Executive Director and MLA Lobbyists to get their input on the status of the PPT issue and what expectations and implications are for public libraries. C. I will check with county and city officials to get their views and hear their plans with regard to the PPT issue and what they are doing. D. I will check websites and publications of other groups concerned about the PPT issue to stay current on public sentiment. E. I will inform the Library Board immediately of any definite movement on the PPT issue and take the lead in making any necessary adjustments to the library s budget if warranted. GOAL #6: To oversee Human Resource initiatives in 2014 Disaster Plan: A. I will work closely with the Administration Team members and other key personnel in identifying necessary information to be included in the Library s Disaster Plan. B. I will oversee the collection of information and data to be included in the Disaster Plan. C. I will oversee the creation of the Disaster Plan and ensure remote storage and access of the plan in the event of a disaster Employee Handbook: A. I will work closely with the Business Manager to review the current Employee Handbook to address holes or ambiguous language. State level representatives are contacted monthly to inquire about the status of legislative action on the Personal Property Tax issue. and telephone communications are exchanged with the MLA Executive Director and Lobbyists throughout the 1 st & 2 nd quarter of 2014 in anticipation of a public vote on PPT in August Calls are made to county and city officials in early 2014 about PPT and information is obtained for consideration as needed. Websites for other concerned groups are accessed to check for updates on the PPT issue and how they are preparing for a public vote in August. Periodic updates on the PPT issue are conveyed to the Library Board. Adjustments are made in the library s revenue projections for FY 2015 and beyond, based on the most up-to-date information about what will happen with the Personal Property Tax in Michigan after a public vote in August If the PPT issue is resolved in a way that has a detrimental impact on the library s revenue, then budget reductions may be considered along with more aggressive fundraising. Important information is identified and collected for inclusion in the Disaster Plan. A Disaster Plan is assembled and can be accessed remotely via print or electronic format. A copy of the Disaster Plan is given to the Library Board Chair. A thorough examination of the Employee Handbook is completed An external HR specialist and/or attorney reviews the Library s Employee Handbook to make sure it has the most accurate and up-to-date policies. An updated Employee Handbook is distributed to library staff and is reviewed by staff. A copy of the Employee Handbook is available for Library Page - 34 Met regularly with City of Portage personnel to discuss the overall revenue picture and how the vote on PPT in August 2014 would impact the city and library. Information was obtained from the Michigan Library Association and other reliable sources about the loss of PPT revenue and how reimbursement might be done. Websites for various special interest groups and organizations were checked regularly to keep abreast of the sentiments about PPT elimination & revenue loss. Regular updates were provided to the Library Board and election results following the August vote. The library s 2015 and 2016 Budgets were prepared with the loss of Personal Property Tax revenue in mind (since PPT has been 18% of the library s budget). Monitoring of the PPT lost revenue reimbursement plans will continue going forward and PDL trustees will be kept informed of any news about how this will be handled. Conducted meetings with Business Manager Rob Foti and Assistant to Director Diane Delach to decide how to proceed with the library s Disaster Plan Reviewed Disaster Plans used by other libraries to decide on the most appropriate approach for PDL. Reactivated the library s registration for the dplan online disaster plan tool and began entering pertinent information into the electronic form. Work is continuing to update PDL s dplan with the goal of completing it by the end of Worked with Business Manager Rob Foti to engage the services of HRM Innovations to evaluate the library s current Employee Handbook (in addition to revamping the library s performance evaluation tools).

39 B. I will oversee the hiring of an outside Human Resources firm to audit our current Employee Handbook. C. I will oversee the changes and additions to the Employee Handbook with consultation with the Library s labor attorney. D. I will oversee staff notification and review of the updated Employee Handbook. GOAL #7: To evaluate administrative practices and procedures related to the Library Board and make improvements as deemed appropriate. A. I will work closely with the Assistant to the Director to identify areas of improvement for board packets & reports. B. I will consider ways to streamline standard operating practices and procedures for board activities to make them more efficient and effective. C. I will guide library staff through steps to improve board level reporting and presentations. D. I will work with trustees to identify optimal linkage and learning opportunities and then take action to arrange for them to occur. GOAL #8: To administer all fundraising activities and donor relations for the Library in A. I will oversee the library s Annual Campaign and Spring Appeal for 2014 and the end-of-year Annual Report that conveys the library s achievements and goals attained throughout the year. B. I will develop and participate in a Donor Event in 2014, to thank donors, share information and get donor feedback. C. I will work closely with the Library s Fund Development Manager and administrative staff to encourage donations to the Library s Grandmother & CIG Endowment Fund using various methods. D. I will encourage support of the library through online donations. E. I will continue to nurture donor relations via letters and other means. Board review. Areas for improvement in board packets are identified Practices related to board activities are reviewed and streamlined Library staff is guided in board level reporting & presentations Library Board linkage & learning opportunities are identified and implemented. The Library s Annual Campaign, Spring Appeal and Annual Report are completed in A Donor Event is successfully conducted in The Library s Grandmother & CIG Endowment Fund is well promoted. Online giving is promoted through articles & publications. Donor relations are handled appropriately via acknowledgement letters and other communications. Conducted meetings with HRM Innovations staff to identify areas needing improvement in the PDL Employee Handbook and will revise accordingly. Gave a presentation at the library s 2014 Staff Development Day about the new performance evaluation form and process to be implemented in Draft agendas for board meetings were ed early in each month to the Library Board Chair for review. Minutes from each board meeting were ed to trustees within (8) days of the meeting for review. A new Ends Tracker Excel program was initiated so library staff could input Ends progress on a continual basis and so the Library Board Secretary could retrieve that information to prepare Progress Reports on Ends. Format and content for board reports were reviewed with the library s Administrative Team and timelines were created for submission of information during development of board meeting agenda packets. A proposed list of guests/presenters to be invited to board meetings was provided to trustees on Information was regularly shared with PDL trustees about upcoming library events & programs that could be attended as linkage activities, as well as local area events that would help them link to the people in our community (i.e., Memorial Day Parade; Taste of Portage; Christmas Tree Lighting, etc.) Worked closely with Chris Walker, Fund Development Manager and Diane Delach, Assistant to the Director, on the library s 2014 Spring Appeal, which was successfully conducted in May Initiated discussions at several Administrative Team meeting about appropriate content for the library s 2014 Annual Report (covering accomplishments in the previous year, 2013) and finalized it for October release Held meetings to go over proposed content for the library s 2014 Annual Campaign and made decisions about the theme, target recipients and release date. Information is regularly included in all publicity related to events, programs and resources made possible Page - 35

40 GOAL #9: To be involved in a leadership role in professional organizations, representing the Portage District Library. Professional Involvement: I will continue my professional involvement as follows: 1.. Michigan Library Association I will continue my MLA membership in I will attend the 2014 MLA Annual Conference. 2. Public Library Directors Group I will attend meetings with public library directors when possible. 3. American Library Association I will continue my ALA membership in GOAL #10: To engage in professional development activities as suggested by the Library Board: Professional Development Activities: I will engage in the following professional development activities: 1. I will attend the 2014 Public Library Association Conference. 2. I will attend a leadership seminar/workshop in I will participate in the 2014 Directors Summit in Novi, MI in April 4. I will take part in the Library of Michigan s Advance Director s Workshop MLA membership is current and attended the 2014 MLA Annual Conference in Grand Rapids (October 2014) Attended SMLC Directors meetings on a quarterly basis ALA & PLA membership is current and attended PLA 2014 Conference The PLA s Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana (March 2014) will be attended. There will be participation in a Leadership Workshop The Library Directors Summit in Novi, Michigan (April 2014) will be attended. The Advance Directors Workshop in Lansing (September 2014) will be attended. through grants from the Grandmother & CIG Endowment Fund (such as All Ears Theater program; the KIA collaboration on Fantastic Rumpus & holiday stockings made by children to decorate the library) Donor thank you letters are sent out quickly with a personal handwritten note at the bottom of the letters. Plans are underway for a donor Lunch at the Library to be held on November 10, 2014 involving about regular library donors for a tour of the library, lunch and information on how donations help PDL. Michigan Library Association Membership in the Michigan Library Association is current and the 2014 MLA Annual Conference was attended October 15 th -17 th. Attended SMLC Directors when scheduled. Membership in the American Library Association is current. Membership in the Public Library Association is current. Public Library Directors Group Attended the Public Library Directors meeting in Novi in April Attended the 2014 PLA Conference in March Attended PLA Boot Camp in September 2014 Took part in leadership training through OnePlace at Kalamazoo Public Library. Attended the Library Directors Summit in April Attended Advance Directors Workshop in Sept Page - 36

41 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY PROGRESS REPORT End Statement #4: Be a community center to experience and explore local arts and culture Library Director s Interpretation: The library is the cultural center for our community and has developed a solid reputation for our support and offerings of local art and culture, through displays, collections, and programming. We must continue to provide a space and an avenue for local ideas and art to be seen and heard to enrich the lives of the community. Library Director s Opinion on Progress Achieved to Date on End Statement #4: The Portage District Library has a long history of embracing local arts and culture and providing our community with opportunities to experience and encounter art when they visit the library. Collaborations with area art and cultural groups, such as the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival; dance and music groups; and the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, allows us to expand our programming offerings and to reach out further in the community. We had an exciting year with our participation in the first Kalamazoo Poetry Festival, celebrating the written word and the powerful voice of poetry. We also found success with our collaboration with All Ears Theatre and hope to have another live radio performance done at the library in Our popular annual Art Encounters event offered interactive art, music, and dance and was truly a celebration of local arts and culture. We also strive to support our local writers by providing programming, reference services and encouragement for their writing endeavors. These are just a few of many efforts in the library being a community center to experience and explore local arts and culture in Portage. Supporting Documentation to Assess Measurement Criteria for End Statement #4: I. We will finish planning and implement the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival A. We will complete planning a major poetry reading featuring representatives from 10 diverse cultural organizations and 6 local poets: We planned and implemented a collective reading of poets from twelve organizations and six local poets for an audience of 110. B. We will implement the Sense of Place workshop at PDL with Bonnie Jo Campbell and Susan Ramsey: This workshop in collaboration with the Portage Senior Center featured award winning poets Bonnie Jo Campbell and Susan Ramsey to a full house of 30 participants. C. We will implement poetry readings by two nationally acclaimed poets: There was a Grand Finale Reading with Ilya Kaminsky & Aracelis Girmay Kalamazoo Poetry Festival to an audience of 215. D. We will plan & supervise a Poetry Inspired Art Exhibit by 20 local artists and 20 local poets: Twenty artists and poets paired up to create a Poetry Inspired library-wide Art Exhibit. E. We will plan & supervise a poetry reading and art reception by the artists and poets represented in the Poetry Inspired Art Exhibit: With the help of volunteers and our library intern, we hosted a reading and reception for an audience of 50. F. We will complete the evaluations required by three grants and all other follow up information: Page - 37

42 We completed a written report for grants from the Irving S Gilmore Foundation, Fetzer Foundation and Kalamazoo Community Foundation. We also attended a Results and Learning Forum for grantees. hosted by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. G. We will measure total attendance at any Portage hosted event: The total audience attendance for the 2014 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival was approximately 480. H. We will solicit feedback from attendees: We collected evaluations from all the programs of the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival and shared them with the grantors. I. We will promote the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival to help ensure its success: We helped to promote the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival through the library s website, Facebook page, distribution of promotional postcards & flyers, letters of solicitation that included information about poetry events, a radio interview and by word of mouth. II. We will expand Art Encounters programming in 2014 A. We will create and implement programming from noon to 4:00 on a Saturday in August incorporating Portage Senior Center art and music programming: On Saturday, August 9,2014 from 12:00-3:30 pm, the Portage District Library, in collaboration with the Portage Senior Center, welcomed about 250 library visitors to celebrate the 4th Annual Art Encounters event which featured popular local musicians and dancers Whiskey Before Breakfast & Quinn School of Irish Dance; Rhythm Life Collective Drum & Dance and the Portage Senior Center Band. Jennie Miller and Ginny Parnaby filled the library s Atrium with their classic sound while visitors enjoyed painting and knitting demonstrations. Outside of the library, patron Ben Flaten demonstrated his welding talents and body painting. The Youth Services Department featured interactive art and crafts for all ages including traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. All of this was topped off with an Ice Cream Social, a serenading guitar player and African and Irish dancing. B. We will select and contact four music groups to perform: We contracted the following bands and dance troupes: Whiskey Before Breakfast; Portage Senior Center Band; Rhythm Life Collective Drum & Dance; Jennie Miller & Ginny Prnaby; and Quinn School of Dance. C. We will select and contact two art groups to demonstrate art: We asked the following the artists to participate: Ben Flaten, welder & body painter; Hua ming Wang, Chinese painter; and Portage Senior Center knitters and painters. D. We will select and contact two artists to host an interactive art table for youth or adults: We asked the following the artists to participate: Ben Flaten, welder & body painter; Hua ming Wang, Chinese painter; and Portage Senior Center knitters and painters E. We will measure total attendance at any Portage hosted event: Approximately 250 people of all ages attended 2014 Art Encounters. Page - 38

43 F. We will solicit feedback from attendees and participants: We interviewed people at every event for their feedback and had staff available for their comments. G. We will promote Art Encounters programming to encourage participations: We promoted Art encounters via the PDL website, Facebook, digital signage, fliers, a poster, the Kalamazoo Gazette and our participants. III. We will prepare for a visit from author Yann Martel in partnership with Western Michigan University A. We will meet with Katherine Joslin and Mary-Louise Totton from Western Michigan University and plan a program around Martell s visit in October: Staff met with representatives from WMU's Center for the Humanities to discuss programming centering around Yann Martel's visit. B. We will plan and implement a program based on Yann Martel s visit to Kalamazoo: The library is hosting an art exhibit featuring art by elementary, high school and college students influenced by themes in Life of Pi. We are also offering a journal writing workshop and two readings by veterans illustrating the healing power of language and story. C. We will measure total attendance at any Portage hosted event: We will measure attendance at the literary events. D. We will solicit feedback from attendees: We will pass out evaluations at the literary events. E. We will promote the Yann Martel author visit to raise awareness and encourage public participation: These programs are listed on the WMU website, the PDL website, digital signage, and small blasts. They will be promoted on Facebook, the Kalamazoo Gazette, WMUK and Encore. IV. We will plan and implement a program to support writers in the Portage District Library community A. We will plan programs to coincide with 2014 s National Novel Writer s Month Program (NaNoWriMo): A total of 11 events are scheduled October through December focusing on NaNoWriMo and the writing community. These events are being promoted through our events calendar, the Portager, inhouse poster, and flyer handouts. These events will also be promoted to current writing groups (Veteran s Writers Group) and related workshop programs. B. We will start a Portage area NaNo Facebook page where we can give shout-outs to participants, give updates on word counts, list events, post inspiration, tips, etc: An Events page is created for each NaNoWriMo event. We have also posted our NaNo events on the NaNoWriMo local Kalamazoo Chapter online forum, and the local Kalamazoo NaNoWriMo Facebook page with links directing them to our FB Page and website. We put in an application Page - 39

44 toward becoming a NaNoWriMo.org municipal liaison, and though our application was turned down, it seems no local Kalamazoo/Portage liaison has been selected. We did sign up to be added to NaNoWriMo.org s Come Write In program, which connects writers with their nearby libraries, bookstores, and community spaces for cozy, communal write-ins. We have received a promotional poster, a window cling for the front door, and bookmarks to hand out. Our library will also be listed in an online database of local places hosting NaNo events. C. We will create a simple online form for people to sign up to receive updates about NaNo programs, as well as other author/writer interest programs throughout the year: An online form via WordPress.com or Google will be developed and launched in Mid-October for sign-up to PDL s NaNoWriMo challenge. s gathered through this and through in-person sign up will be put into an group list to receive updates on upcoming related programming, and to reach out during the challenge month of November to encourage participation and progress. D. We will host three programs, two to prepare during October, two during, and a closing program as well as host a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 8 passive write-in programs: To build interest and momentum in NaNoWriMo, we scheduled Warm-Up Write-Ins every Wednesday (5 sessions) night during the month of October. Those interested can learn about what NaNoWriMo is, be provided with weekly writing prompts, and start getting in the habit of setting a consistent time for them to brainstorm or outline ideas for the novel they want to write during the official challenge month of November. Tables in the adult area are reserved with signs for WriMo writers, small refreshment is provided, and as the on desk librarian for the evening, I make myself available to answer questions about writing, NaNoWriMo, and where to look for information pertaining to their stories. On Sat. Nov. 1st we will have our First Draft NaNoWriMo Kickoff (1 event) offsite at Latitude 42 where we will have a speed-write challenge where participants will have to get as many words down toward their novel as possible in a 30 minute session. Entries will be reviewed for word count, and a prize will be given for highest count ($10 gift card). Write-In Wednesdays will continue in the same fashion throughout November (4 sessions) as the Warm- Up sessions in October, but participants will be working on writing their novel to meet the goal of 50,000 words until deadline on Nov. 30th. On Wed. Dec 3rd we will have a TGIO Party (Thank Goodness Its Over) (1 event) for participants to celebrate their progress or having met the 50,000 word goal. WriMo s are invited to bring along friends and family who supported them during the challenge, word count totals will be shared and participants will have an opportunity to read short excerpts from their works. E. We will promote the writers support program to encourage participation: The writers support program is being promoted via the library s website, digital signage & printed posters in the library, information inserted in The Portager publication, via PDL s Facebook page, via the NaNoWriMo local Kalamazoo Chapter s online forum and Facebook page and by phone calls and word of mouth. V. Collaborate with the All Ears Theatre of Kalamazoo on performance and outreach opportunities. A. Explore options for a live All Ears performance at the Portage District Library A performance of an All Ears production was hosted at the Portage District Library, including a petting zoo of sound effects objects. Both adult newcomers and regular attendees of All Ears performances attended, along with several families. Page - 40

45 B. Perform outreach activities to inform library users about live radio theatre and make it more accessible. A hands-on sound effects workshop run by All Ears and PDL staff targeting youth was hosted at the Portage District Library. Middle school-aged students attended and were able to get a "behind the scenes" look at sound effects and the tools used to create them. Page - 41

46 C. We will publicize the All Ears Theater collaboration to encourage participation. This event was publicized by both PDL and the United Arts Council, through both print and online methods. This included print brochures and flyers, the Portager, social media, e-newsletter, and website. VI. Collaborate with Kalamazoo Institute of Arts on their community exhibit, Fantastic Rumpus: 50 Years of Children s Book Illustration: A. Youth staff will promote the exhibit and collaborative activities through the library An interactive display containing materials related to the exhibit was created. The exhibit promoted the PDL/KIA collaboration and PDL workshop, the books featured in the exhibit, and the art of children's books. B. Youth staff will create collaborative programming focusing on the themes of the exhibits Youth staff hosted a youth-oriented art workshop, run by Kalamazoo Institute of Arts staff. The hands-on workshop drew elementary-aged students. C. We will publicize the KIA collaboration to encourage participation The workshop was promoted both at KIA and in-house through social media, print, web, and e-newsletters. Page - 42

47 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY COMMUNICATION To: From: Portage District Library Board Christy Klien, Library Director Date: October 20, 2014 Subject: Proposed Change to Holiday Schedule for Library Closings in 2015 BACKGROUND: At the October 27, 2014 board meeting, the Library Board will be asked to approve the Holiday Schedule for Library Hours of Operation in This year, I would like to suggest changing this holiday schedule for library hours that is shared with the public so that it only shows the Schedule of Library Closings and removes designated paid holiday time off for employees. Public Information: In reviewing this holiday schedule with the library s Administrative Team, we discussed the advisability of having a Schedule of Library Closings that would be shared with the public, and a different schedule for use with staff that showed more detailed information. Our intent is to have the public document just list library closings and not include information about paid holiday time off for library employees. It will include closing on two traditional observance days (Easter and Christmas Eve) and will also include closing on Staff Development Day (4 th Friday in September). Staff Information: With regard to the paid holiday time off for library employees, we have decided to revise our practice and will not designate specific paid holiday time off but will instead provide library employees with one equivalent lump sum of personal paid time off that they can use in whatever way they choose with their supervisor s approval. By making this change, it would provide library employees with more flexibility to use their personal paid time off for specific holidays or other personal reasons (as outlined in the Portage District Library Employee Handbook). RECOMMENDATION: I recommend that the Library Board approve the Schedule of Library Closings in 2015 which shows the library s hours of operation for selected federal holidays, plus two traditional observance days (Easter and Christmas Eve) and Staff Development Day, but does not include information about paid holiday time off for library employees. (A revised schedule is attached for trustees to review.) Page - 43

48 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Schedule of Library Closings in 2015 (Submitted for Library Board approval on: October 27, 2014) The Portage District Library will be closed on the following selected federal holidays and special observance days in 2015: CALENDAR DATE January 1, 2015 (Thursday) April 5, 2014 (Sunday) May 25, 2015 (Monday) July 4, 2015 (Saturday) September 7, 2015 (Monday) September 25, 2015 (Friday) November 26, 2015 (Thursday) December 24, 2015 (Thursday) December 25, 2015 (Friday) OBSERVANCE New Year s Day Easter Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Staff Development Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Eve Christmas Day Note #1: The library closes on two traditional observance days: Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve (which are not federal holidays). Note #2: When a federal holiday falls on a Saturday, it is usually observed by governmental entities on the preceding Friday. When the holiday falls on a Sunday, it is usually observed by governmental entities on the following Monday. However, since the library is open to the public on Saturdays, and on Sundays (except in summer), any federal holiday that falls on either a Saturday or a Sunday will be observed on those actual days and the library will be closed, (such as Independence Day in 2015) Note #3: The library has standardized the date for Staff Development Day as the 4 th Friday in September, so the library will be closed on Page - 44

49 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY COMMUNICATION To: From: Portage District Library Board Christy Klien, Library Director Date: October 21, 2014 Subject: Information about Change in Library s Health Insurance BACKGROUND: Every year, as December approaches the library must prepare to renew its health insurance coverage for full-time library employees. We know that we must stay in compliance with a state mandated hard cap that requires government employers to not assume more than the hard cap state rate for health insurance premium costs for employees. This would mean that any increases in health insurance premiums in any given year have to be passed on to library employees. We strive to provide the best possible health insurance coverage to library employees at the most favorable rates. We take into consideration overall needs of current staff and projections for the future, as well as budgetary constraints. For this reason, Business Manager Rob Foti and I have been exploring healthcare options and have participated in information sessions conducted by our insurance advisor John Schuemann, so that we are well informed about changes in the health insurance industry, governmental regulations and legal requirements. Following this careful review, we have made some decisions about the upcoming renewal for the Portage District Library s health insurance plan for full-time employees. UPDATE: A staff meeting was conducted with all full-time library employees on October 20, 2014, led by Business Manager Rob Foti and Insurance Advisor John Schuemann. The purpose of the staff meeting was to inform employees about the extensive investigative process that had been followed by library administration to assess several health insurance options and the subsequent decision that was made to change providers. Employees were notified that the library would be changing to Blue Care Network (HMO) to provide health insurance coverage to library employees. They were also told that they would be able to choose between two plans, both of which were described in detail and accompanied by informational materials. Employees were advised that the Open Enrollment period would end Friday, October 24, 2014 and that the new Blue Care Network (HMO) coverage for those signing up would begin January 1, The library is required to meet a deadline of December 1 st for this contract. At the October 27, 2014 board meeting, trustees will be provided information about the options that were considered and the reason for choosing a new health insurance providers. Page - 45

50 Follow-Up Report on 2014 Staff Development Day Presented to the Library Board on October 27, 2014 Date/Time/Place: Those Present: Presentations: Discussions: Activities: Assessment Held at the Portage District Library on September 26, 2014 in the lower level meeting rooms from 8 am to 5 pm. (Library was closed to the public.) All PDL employees; United Way Presenter Alisha Siebers and Visitor from PCC, Kathy Houle; Kevin Brozovich, presenter from HRM Innovations; and Employee Wellness presenter Cheryl Rogers. United Way - Alisha Siebers & Kathy Houle New 2014 Employee Performance Evaluation Tool Christy Klien & Rob Foti How to Set Goals Effectively Kevin Brozovich Group Staff Photo Professional Photographer Dominic Gladstone Fire & Tornado Drills Rob Foti & all staff Departmental Meetings staff met with their own Dept. groups. There were discussions held among library employees about the new performance evaluation tool and the differences from the current ones. Kevin Brozovich held two sessions with different staff groups and led employees through the steps to think about an institutional goal and how it might be implemented and how the outcome would be assessed. Employees got into small groups and worked independently in their group and then reported on the goal they had created and how it would be implemented and measured. Staff found it to be a helpful exercise and experienced the different way that goal setting would be done. There were staff questions posed to Cheryl Rogers during her presentation about coping with job-related stress and small group discussions about the kinds of issues that come up at the library with patrons and staff that cause stress. A pizza & salad lunch was provided and library staff enjoyed eating and visiting together. [It was Diane Delach s birthday so she brought a cake for all to enjoy.] A Sacred Cow poster was placed on the wall and library staff was invited to write sticky notes with comments about any activities or practices at the library that have always been done a certain way but may need to be considered for possible change in the future. The comments will be reviewed and considered. It was a successful Staff Development Day and all action items for the day were accomplished. Library administration will hold a follow-up discussion on any modifications that may be needed for next year s Staff Development Day and staff comments on the Sacred Cow poster will be reviewed and discussed. Page - 46

51 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Library Director s Report on the Financial Condition for September 2014 Executive Limitation Policy on Financial Condition and Activities: With respect to the actual, ongoing financial condition and activities, the Director shall not cause or allow the development of fiscal jeopardy or a material deviation of actual expenditure for board priorities established in Ends Policies. Accordingly, he or she may not: POLICY: Director s Response: 1. Expend more funds than have been received in the fiscal year to date unless the debt guideline (below) is met. Revenue $ 4,144,569 Expenditures $ 2,737,913 Risk reserve (13% of operating budget) $ 451,940 Building Reserve $ 50,000 Technology Reserve $ 32,305 Debt Reserve $ 60,000 Benefits Reserve $ 68,392 Book Drop Reserve $ 139,254 HVAC Control Reserve $ 15,000 Patio Feasibility Reserve $ 7,500 Lobby Feasibility Reserve $ 7,500 POLICY: Director s Response: 2. Indebt the organization money in an amount greater than can be repaid by certain, otherwise unencumbered revenues within 60 days. No new money has been borrowed that cannot be repaid within 60 days. POLICY: Director s Response: 3. Use any long-term reserves. No reserves have been used. POLICY: 4. Conduct inter-category shifting in amounts greater than can be restored to a condition of discrete fund balances by certain, otherwise unencumbered revenues within 30 days. Page - 47

52 Director s Response: No Inter-category shifting has taken place. POLICY: Director s Response: 5. Fail to settle payroll and debts in a timely manner. Payroll is processed by Paylocity. (Payroll service) bi-weekly. Payables are also Processed monthly or as needed. POLICY: Director s Response: 6. Allow tax payments or other government-ordered payments for filings to be overdue or inaccurately filed. All reports and tax payments are filed according to policy. POLICY: Director s Response: 7. Make a single purchase or commitment of greater than $10,000 not already found in the budget. Splitting orders to avoid this limit is not acceptable. No unbudgeted purchase that exceeds $10,000 has been made. POLICY: Director s Response: 8. Acquire, encumber or dispose of real property. No real property has been acquired, encumbered, or disposed. POLICY: Director s Response: POLICY: Director s Response: POLICY: Director s Response: 9. Fail to aggressively pursue receivables after a reasonable grace period. All receivables are being pursued according to policy. 10. Fail to provide the Library Board with a one page monthly financial indicator monitoring report and a quarterly background financial monitoring report. A financial indicator monitoring report is provided each month and a quarterly background financial monitoring report is provided each quarter. 11. Fail to arrange for an external financial audit of the library services. An external audit of the library is conducted each year and results presented to the library board. Page - 48

53 POLICY: Director s Response: POLICY: Director s Response: POLICY: Director s Response: POLICY: Director s Response: POLICY: Director s Response: 12. Fail to have appropriate authorized signatures on bank documents: Library Director, Library Business Manager and Library Board Chair. Appropriate authorized signatures are on all bank documents. 12-A Fail to have a 2 nd signature on all checks issued by the Portage District Library in an amount of $20,000 by one of the three designated individuals on the library s bank signature card, which would be one of the following: (1) the Library Board Chair, or (2) the Head of Adult Services, or (3) the Head of Youth Services. All checks received the appropriate amount of signatures. 13. Fail to consider approved budget when entering into financial agreements or collaborations with other entities. Approved budgets are considered when entering into financial agreements or collaborations with other entities. 14. Fail to keep the Library Board informed of any grant applications, and obtain board chair signature when required by granting agency. The Library Board is informed of all grant applications and the board chair s signature is obtained when required. 15. Fail to provide the Board Chair a list of all cash disbursements from the time of the prior Board meeting to the current Board meeting. A list of all cash disbursements has been provided to the Board Chair for review. Page - 49

54 Revenue Percent of Year Gone --> 75% 3rd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 3rd Qtr Annual YTD YTD YTD General Ledger Category Budget Actual % Received Budget Actual Actual+Enc. % Received Total Tax Revenue $ 5,225 $ 5, % $ 3,259,019 $ 3,318,440 $ 3,318, % Other Revenue 155, , % 228, , , % Revenue from Reserves - - 0% 524, , , % State Aid Revenue 15,514 15,514 0% 25,000 30,748 30, % Total Revenue $ 176,222 $ 176, % $ 4,037,685 $ 4,144,569 $ 4,144, % Expenses 3rd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 3rd Qtr Annual YTD YTD YTD General Ledger Category Budget Actual % Spent Budget Actual Actual+Enc. % Spent Total Salaries & Wages $328,397 $328, % $1,321,157 $935,894 $935,894 71% Total Fringes & Benefits 149, , % 493, , ,283 69% Total Library Materials 101, , % 702, , ,545 59% Total Utilities 39,587 39, % 144,875 88,100 90,195 62% Total Buildings 22,740 22, % 136,725 96, ,613 82% Total Furnishings & Equipment 7,346 7, % 92,469 43,269 52,716 57% Total Supplies 19,395 19, % 109,456 51,613 56,315 51% Total Professional Services 33,431 33, % 223, , ,834 48% Total Other Charges 70,830 70, % 325, , ,247 65% TOTAL OPER. EXPENSES $ 772,802 $ 772, % $ 3,550,687 $ 2,206,928 $ 2,320,642 65% TOTAL CAPITAL PROJECTS $ 71,618 $ 71, % $ 486,998 $ 399,744 $ 417,271 86% TOTAL EXPENSES $ 844,420 $ 844, % $ 4,037,685 $ 2,606,672 $ 2,737,913 65% EFFECT ON FUND BALANCE * $ (668,198) $ (668,198) $ - $ 1,537,897 $ 1,406,656 Cash Flow Analysis of 2014 money only Cash Flow Analysis of all money including prior year(s) 2014 cash as of 6/30/2014 $ 2,201,123 12/31/13 Audited Total cash (Fund Equity*) minus liabilities $ 2,719,442 +Third Quarter Revenues 176, Revenues 4,144,569 - Third Quarter Operating Expenses 772, Operating Expenses 2,206,928 - Third Quarter Capital Projects 71,618 - Capital Projects 399,744 - General Reserves 451,940 - Building Reserves 50,000 - Debt Reserves 60,000 - Benefits Reserve 68,392 - Technology Reserve 32,305 - Book Drop Reserve 139,254 - HVAC Control Reserve 15,000 - Patio Feasibility Reserve 7,500 - Lobby Feasibility Reserve 7,500 - Encumbrances 131, cash as of 9/30/2014 $ 1,532,925 Total available cash as of 9/30/2014 (Fund Balance*) $ 3,294,207 * Please Note: Effect on Fund Balance represents the Effect that the current period has on the overall cash position of the Library. This does not represent any individual expense line. * Fund Equity is defined as the excess of fund assets and resources over fund liabilities. The Fund Balance is the Fund Equity minus any reserves. Page - 50

55 Property Taxes - Property Tax collections are slightly ahead of pace for this time of year. The Library has collected all of its Real Property Tax for the year and will continue to see some Delinquent Personal Property Tax collections trickle in throughout the year. The Library collected more than it anticipated in collections due to the Library budgeting less in the event that the under $40,000 exemption for Personal Property was enacted for FY2014. This change will take effect for FY2015. It appears that the Library may be able to get reimbursed for the loss from that State. State Aid Revenue - The library has received all of its State Aid payment for FY2014. The Library was slightly conservative in its budgeting of State Aid revenue to guard against any changes in the State of Michigan budget for this area. Revenue from Reserves - This category is used to track the inflow of funds from the various Reserve accounts as well as from Unassigned funds. As part of the library's FY2014 budget, the library set aside 13% of its budget into a General Reserve. In doing so, the General Reserve from the prior year was decreased by $3,983. Funds were added to the FY2014 budget for the following items: prior year encumbrances; Heritage Room shelving and furniture; replacement of staff office chairs; replacement of the Library's telephone system; staff bonuses and the beginning phase of the book return remodel. Other Revenue - Other Revenue appears to be on budget for this time of year. The majority of this category is comprised of Fines and Fees and Penal Fines. Fines and Fees are slightly ahead of pace for this time of year. Penal Fines have been received and are $26,894 more than budgeted. The Library conservatively budgeted for Penal Fines due to several attempts by lawmakers to shift funds to other causes. The amount collected this year is down approximately $15,000 from prior years. Investment income is slightly below budget at this time. The library is continuing to invest available funds where possible to achieve the highest income it can without compromising risk. The Library received approximately $32,000 as a distribution from the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA). MMRMA is the Library's pooled insurance carrier for the building and its contents. Approximately $22,000 of that amount was from 2013 that was not received until Salaries & Wages - Salaries & Wages are slightly under budget for this time of year. The Library has filled it fulltime Facilities Coordinator position with two part-time employees for the remainder of the 2014 fiscal year. This will continue to push this category further under budget as the year progresses. Fringes & Benefits - Fringes & Benefits are slightly under budget for this time of year. The Library will continue to see savings for Health, Dental and Retirement Contributions from its Facilities Coordinator position. Library Materials - This category is lower than the anticipated 75% for this time of year. This is due mainly to Youth Services not purchasing during the Summer Reading Program. Even though this category is underspent, it is in an acceptable range for this time of year. It is expected that funds in this area will be spent out by year end. Utilities - Utilities are under budget for this time of year. Gas & Electric is approximately $14,000 underspent for this point in the year. This is attributed to efficiencies attained through some prior lighting upgrades and the boiler replacement. Building - Year-to-date actual and encumbrances are greater than the 75% target due to the Purchase Orders being set up for the entire year for the building cleaning service, window cleaning, elevator service, etc. The largest of these services is the building cleaning service. Page - 51

56 Furnishings & Equipment - This category is under its target for this time of year due to several new projects being added. This category has four primary projects: Atrium lighting; Heritage Room shelving & furniture; Staff desk chairs; and re-upholstering. There are additional small projects associated with funds received from the Friend's for the Library's wish list. The Heritage Room shelving & furniture has been installed, the staff desk chairs have arrived and are in place, fabric for re-upholstering has been ordered and the Atrium lighting is awaiting quotes. All of these projects should be accomplished by the end of the year. Supplies - The supply category is slightly under the target for this time of year. The accounts in this category are used on an as needed basis. The library has tried to adopt a very conservative approach to it spending for lines such as supplies. Additionally, the increased use of notification for fines has helped to keep the postage line to a manageable level. Professional Services - This category is under the 75% target. The Library will undertake its Annual Campaign and Annual Report in the 4th quarter. This will account for a large portion of the public relations and fundraising budget. Additionally, cataloging is used in proportion to material ordering, so as the Youth Dept. begins to increase it ordering, this line will also increase. The Library budgeted for the expense of the Library Board election. This is the first year that the election will be held in November and it is unknown how this will eaffect the cost for the Library. Other Charges - This category is slightly under the 75% target. This area is usually underspent at this time of year because the majority of budgeted expenses are technology related that are purchased in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Additionally, there are several small projects associated with Human Resource training that will be taking place in the 4th quarter. Capital Projects - This category is over the 75% target because most projects in this category have either been paid for or encumbered. The FY2014 Technology Project will not begin until the 4th qtr. The vast majority of the Library's debt payment was made in June with only a small portion left in December. The telephone replacement project began in April and it has been completed. Page - 52

57 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Monitoring Report on Executive Limitation Policy: Communication and Support to the Library Board POLICY: The Library Director shall not permit the Library Board to be uninformed or unsupported in its work. Accordingly, the Library Director may not: 1. Neglect to submit monitoring data required by the Library Board (see policy on Monitoring Library Director s Performance) in a timely, accurate and understandable fashion, directly addressing provisions of board policies being monitored. RESPONSE: All board policy monitoring data has been submitted to the Library Board as required and noted on the Library Board s annual calendar as follows: Board Executive Limitations and Public Service Policies Art Exhibit and Gift Policy (Public Service Policy) Asset Protection Policy (Executive Limitation) Audio-Visual Policy (Public Service Policy) Capitalization Policy Public Service Policy) Community Meeting Rooms Policy (Public Service Policy) Communication and Support to the Library Board Policy (Executive Limitation) Compensation and Benefits Policy (Executive Limitation) Donation Policy (Public Service Policy) Disruptive Patron Policy (Public Service Policy) Emergency Library Director Succession (Executive Limitation) Ends Focus of Grants or Contracts Policy (Executive Limitation) Financial Condition and Activities Policy (Executive Limitation) Dates when Monitoring Data was Provided to Library Board Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Monitoring report provided to the Library Board on Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Provided information and communicated regularly throughout the year with the Library Board via: agenda packets, s, e-newsletters, phone contacts, special mailings and presentations at board meetings; arranged for regular presentations by library staff to keep board members updated on library issues; Report by Behrje & Wright on 3-Year Technology Plan ; conveyed important information to trustees, such as: Ends development and accomplishments; public surveys; Friends of the Library updates & book sale revenue; fundraising plans (Annual Campaign & Annual Report); library monthly narrative & statistical reports; marketing & public relations activities; fundraising initiatives; Public Hearing on FY 2015 Budget; regular updates on self-checkout; Monitoring report on this Executive Limitation Policy was provided to Board on Monitoring report provided to the Library Board on Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Monitoring report provided to Library Board on Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Monthly & quarterly reports done all year; and Financial Audit Presentation on ; recommended allocation of gifts & donations on ; provided data on fundraising initiatives as part of Library Director s narrative reports in board meetings; and a Monitoring Report for this Executive Limitation was provided to Library Board on Data provided in monthly & quarterly reports all through FY Page - 53

58 Financial Planning/Budgeting Policy (Executive Limitation) Fines and Fees Usage Policy (Public Service Policy) Fundraising Policy (Executive Limitation) Global Executive Constraint Executive Limitation) Heritage Room Policy (Public Service Policy) Internet Policy (Public Service Policy) Investment Policy (Public Service Policy) Juvenile Patron Policy (Public Service Policy) Materials Selection Policy (Public Service Policy) Programming Policy (Public Service Policy) Reciprocal Borrowing Policy (Public Service Policy) Records Retention Policy (Executive Limitation) Resident/Non-Resident Policy (Public Service Policy) Smoking & Tobacco Products Policy (Public Service Policy) Treatment of Consumers Policy (Executive Limitation) Treatment of Staff Policy (Executive Limitation) FY 2015 Budget projections given on: , , , Public Hearing was conducted on Monitoring Report provided to Library Board on Provided information to the Library Board for review on Provided information to Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to the Library Board on to review this policy. Provided information to the Library Board on to review this policy. Provided information to the Library Board on to review policy. Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to the Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to Library Board to review this policy on Provided information to the Library Board on to review this policy. Monitoring report provided to Library Board on Provided information to the Library Board on to review this policy. Provided information to the Library Board on to review this policy. Monitoring report provided to Library Board on Monitoring report provided to the Library Board on Let the Library Board be unaware of relevant trends, anticipated adverse media coverage, material external and internal changes, particularly any changes in the assumptions upon which any board policy has previously been established. RESPONSE: The Library Board has been kept aware of all relevant trends, pertinent information and significant issues impacting the library. Examples of this are as follows: Federal mandates on privacy and Internet child protection State requirements for annual report to be eligible for state aid Monthly Michigan Library Association legislative updates on state activities Regular updates on state-wide legislative activities and decisions Gave a detailed presentation to Library Board on revenue projections for library Alerted Library Board to tax abatement issues and reductions in state aid funding to libraries Alerted Library Board to state legislative action to eliminate Personal Property Tax; provided information about ballot language on the August 4, 2014 election and the state s proposed reimbursement plan for lost PPT revenue. Page - 54

59 3. Fail to advise the Library Board if, in the Library Director's opinion, the board is not in compliance with its own policies on Governance Process and Library Board-Library Director Linkage, particularly in the case of board behavior, which is detrimental to the work relationship between the board and the Library Director. RESPONSE: The Library Board was assisted in obtaining legal advice and subsequently revising their bylaws to add language stating the expectation about attendance at board meeting (as suggested by the library s attorney). It was further decided that the expectation would be shared with new trustees in orientation sessions, and that any absences would be marked excused or unexcused in board meeting minutes. The Library Board was assisted in obtaining a legal opinion about compliance with the Freedom of Information Act and establishing a FOIA policy, procedure and designation of FOIA Coordinator. 4. Fail to marshal for the Library Board, as many staff and external points of view, issues and options as needed for fully informed board choices. [i.e., survey information, industry standards and benchmarks.] RESPONSE: Arranged for regular staff presentations to Library Board highlighting various areas and services at the library (Behrje & Wright on Three-Year Technology Plans; Walker on fundraising & marketing initiatives; Meyer on art in the library; Foti & Klien on revenue projections, health insurance, Personal Property Tax, tax capture, contracts for large-scale projects and inspection of library for bed bugs, which was scheduled for but had to be rescheduled and will be done before the end of Arranged for guests/presenters to come to board meetings: Coby Chalmers and Elena Mireles-Hill from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation on ; George Martin from The Arcadia Institute on ; Loretta A. Cipkus Dubray on ; and Michael Evans from the Kalamazoo Literacy Council on Present information in unnecessarily complex or lengthy form or in a form that fails to differentiate among information of three types: monitoring, decision preparation, and other. RESPONSE: Presented information to Library Board in the formats they requested. 6. Fail to provide a support mechanism for official Library Board, officer or committee communications. RESPONSE: The Library Board has been provided the complete support of the Library Director (Klien), the Assistant to the Library Director and Board Secretary (Delach), and the Library Business Manager (Foti) in all matters of official Library Board, officer or committee communications. The support mechanism in place to assist the Library Board is a strong Library Administrative Team composed of these three, plus five other Department Heads and team members who receive board directives and represent the Library Board s decisions and preferences to the rest of the library staff. The support service to the Library Board includes: participation in assessing current board policies and/or developing new policies as may be needed; implementation of board policies and enforcement with the public; review and revision of library Ends Statements as identified by the Library Board and development of activities and projects to accomplish those Ends; representation of board preferences to the public; conduct of general research, online database searches for information, making contacts on behalf of the Library Board, handling correspondence and communications for the Library Board, managing official documentation of Library Board activities, and any other activities as required by the board as a whole, or upon individual request, if necessary and endorsed by the Board Chair. Legal services are always available to the Library Board as well. 7. Fail to deal with the Library Board as a whole except when (a) fulfilling individual requests for information or (b) responding to officers or committees duly charged by the board. Page - 55

60 RESPONSE: Proper attention has been given to the position of all Library Board members and in particular to the Board Chair and Vice Chair when communicating with the Library Board. 8. Fail to report in a timely manner an actual or anticipated non-compliance with any policy of the Library Board. RESPONSE: There have been no instances of non-compliance with any policy of the Library Board, thus no need to report any such behavior. 9. Fail to supply for the consent agenda all items delegated to the Library Director yet required by law or contract to be board-approved, along with the monitoring assurance pertaining thereto. RESPONSE: All items delegated to the Library Director or required by law or contract to be board approved have been included on the consent agenda with supporting monitoring assurance. Examples of this are: (1) the annual financial audit; (2) the annual State Aid report to the Library of Michigan; (3) the Public Hearing on the Library s Proposed Budget in August; (4) bond payment to the City of Portage; (5) annual review of the library's public policies and the Library Board's executive limitation policies; (6) end-of-year budget amendments, as needed; (7) establishment of an updated Non-Resident Fee for the coming year; and (8) approval of any outsourced service contracts or purchases potentially exceeding $20, Fail to provide the Library Board with a Communication and Support Monitoring Report once a year. RESPONSE: This document serves as a Communications and Support Monitoring Report for Fiscal Year 2014, to assure the Library Board that all communications with the board have been handled appropriately and was included in the October 27, 2014 board meeting agenda packet. Page - 56

61 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Monitoring Report on Ends Focus of Grants & Contracts for Fiscal Year 2014 POLICY: The Library Director may not enter into any grant or contract arrangements that fail to emphasize primarily the production of Ends and, secondarily, the avoidance of unacceptable means. Accordingly, the Library Director shall not: 1. Fail to prohibit particular methods and activities to preclude grantee or service provider funds from being used in imprudent, unlawful or unethical ways. RESPONSE: All appropriate methods and activities were followed to ensure that any grant funds awarded to the Portage District Library, as grantee of funds, from granting agencies were used in prudent, lawful and ethical ways. The grant applications that were submitted in FY 2014 were: Granting Agencies or Partners Amount Purpose of Grant or Contract Gilmore, Irving S. Foundation $ 5,000 Portage District Library served as fiscal agent for the 2014 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival and in 2013, library staff led the initiative to write and submit a grant proposal to the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation in the amount of $15,000. The Foundation approved an initial $10,000 in September 2013 with the promise of another $5,000 if the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival Steering Committee (with the assistance of Portage District Library staff) could raise a matching amount of $5,000. Subsequently, there were enough donations received to fulfill that challenge, and another grant of $5,000 was awarded to the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival in January 2014 (via the Portage District Library as its fiscal agent). Grandmother & CIG Endowment Fund SMLC (Southwest Michigan Library Cooperative) SMLC (Southwest Michigan Library Cooperative) $ 2,000 Portage District Library requested and received a grant distribution from the Grandmother & CIG Endowment Fund in December 2013 that enabled the library to partner with Kalamazoo s All Ears Theater on a performance at the library on March 15, This made it possible for the library to host a special youth sound effects workshop and gave children who participated an opportunity to sit in VIP seating for a live old style radio show performance. $ 1,000 Portage District Library requested and was awarded an SMLC Collection Development & Technology Grant in June 2014 in the amount of $1,000 to purchase e-materials for the library s OverDrive collection. A total of (7) audio books and (9) e-books were purchased with this grant money to enhance the PDL electronic collection. $ 1,000 Portage District Library was able to obtain Freegal with a $1,000 purchase made on behalf of the library by the Southwest Michigan Library Cooperative in late summer Fail to assess and consider an applicant s capability to produce appropriately targeted, efficient results. RESPONSE: The Library Director, the Marketing and Fund Development Manager, and associated Administrative Team members and library personnel work closely together to look at any potential grant or contract opportunity for the Portage District Library 3. Fund specific methods except when doing so for research purposes, when the result to be achieved is knowledge about differential effectiveness of various methods. RESPONSE: The Library Director has not funded any specific methods that fall into this category. Page - 57

62 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Marketing Update October 2014 The following marketing activities were conducted at the library during the month of September 2014 and the first part of October 2014 A Portage District Library e-newsletter was sent out the first week of October to over 15,000 library patrons. Content included: library programing; job openings at the library; general information about the November 4 th election; a request to fill out the library s survey on the front entrance; Kindergarten card sign-ups and upcoming library closings. As a service to our library patrons, an in house Portager type publication was created highlighting library programing in November and December The October issue of Portager, the City of Portage s publication, was used to transmit the Portage District Library s Annual Report. There were 1,000 extra copies printed and distributed within the library. The next City of Portage Portager will be released in December and will cover library programming in December 2014 and January November library event posters were created and printed for Adult, Teen and Youth programing. They are displayed in each of the service areas. Page - 58

63 PORTAGE DISTRICT LIBRARY Library Director s Narrative Report for October 27, 2014 (Activities in September 2014 and part of October 2014) Administrative Activities: During the latter part of September 2014 and first part of October 2014, Library Director Christy Klien engaged in the following activities: Participated in weekly Administrative Team meetings on Thursday mornings. Participated in regular library-wide staff meetings on Tuesday mornings for all library employees. Participated in Technology Team meetings on Tuesday mornings. Covered public service desks when needed. Attended the Portage Rotary Club lunch meetings on Wednesdays in September and October. Participated in the September 22, 2014 Library Board meeting and followed up with action items as requested. Went through training on Envisionware (Computer Management program) with Technology Assistant Mark Johnson on Attended a Connect Kalamazoo lunch group session at the YMCA Sherman Lake on Helped to host a Retirement Farewell Reception at the Portage Community Center on for Executive Director Diane Schrock to recognize her 33 years of service to the Portage community. Arranged with Griffin Pest Control to conduct an annual inspection of the library on using dogs trained to sniff for bed bugs. [Note: This inspection had to be rescheduled due to dog readiness issue.] Conducted the library 2014 Staff Development Day on and led a discussion on the library s new performance evaluation process and forms (to be implemented in 2015) and participated in goal setting training and stress management session with library employees. Also took a group photo of employees. Took part in a lunch meeting with the Library Directors of Kalamazoo Public Library and Willard Public Library (Battle Creek) to discuss library matters of mutual interest. Held meetings with Business & Human Resources Manager Rob Foti, Lawrence Kapture, Head of Adult Services and Laura Wright, Head of Youth Services to discuss staffing. (Filling P/T adult librarian position and the library intern positions that will be vacated due to graduation). Participated in the 2014 PDL Board Retreat Visit to Grand Valley State University s Mary Idema Pew Library on Went with Business Manager Rob Foti to an information session held on with the library s insurance advisor John Schuemann to discuss the library s healthcare insurance renewal and upcoming changes. Met on with Chris Walker, Fund Development Manager and Diane Delach, Assistant to the Director to plan a mini donor event to connect with several library donors to share information with them about how donated funds are used at the library and to get their feedback. Also discussed preparations for launching the library s 2014 Annual Campaign. Met with Business Manager Rob Foti and an Abode Building Center representative on to look at possible concepts for building personal size study nooks in the library. Met with donor representatives (Grandmother & CIG Endowment Fund), along with Laura Wright, Head of Youth Services, on to discuss future plans for library sponsored and grant funded programs for youth with special needs. Hosted a Southwest Michigan Library Cooperative (SMLC) Council meeting at the library on Met on with Chris Walker, Fund Development Manager, and Diane Delach, Assistant to the Director, to look at professional photos taken in the library and chose some to be inserted into the 2014 Annual Campaign solicitation letter. Joined Business Manager Rob Foti to meet with Kevin Brozovoch of HRM Innovations, LLC, to discuss progress on the library s new performance evaluation process and forms and to set up a training schedule for supervisors and staff Attended the 2014 Michigan Library Association Annual Conference in Grand Rapids thru Hosted Insurance Advisor John Schuemann at the library s staff meeting held on , to share information with full-time library employees about Open Enrollment for health insurance through the library. Page - 59

64 General Facilities and Information Technology Work: A. Maintenance Activities: Water Wall Maintenance Replaced fill valve Cleaned and reset fountain and circulation pumps Began winterization steps. Shelving in Teen Room Reattached (more securely) shelving in Teen Room. Library Lighting Sample LED light fixtures are ordered for temporary placement and evaluation. LED Replacement Bulbs ordered for track lighting. Quotes requested for LED parking lot lamps and LED external security lamps. Reviewing who owns the timer / Rear Parking Lot Lights between Senior Center and Library. Library Elevator(s) Quote received for modernization of small elevator. B. Technology - Envisionware Transition Activities 1) All reference and administrative staff trained 2) Testing PCs Available for staff 3) Testing PC Available for staff management functions 4) Testing Print Release Available. 5) Mobile/Wireless Printing Installed 6) Deployment Date: November 3, 2014 C. Technology - Upgrades and E-Resource Central and Mobile Circulation Activities Symphony/Enterprise/Web Services Upgrade scheduled for December 15, (5-7 hours starting at 10am) Plans will begin for down system and post upgrade: o Affected Systems o Circulation o Cataloging o Self-Checkout o Public Access Catalog o Public Access Computers o Wireless Access o SIP Based Services (BookMyne/PDL2GO/Remote Access to Databases) Services o Post-Upgrade Plans o Verify PDL2GO/MelCat/Favorite Authors custom scripts continue to work o Make Selections for new features like regarding SMS messaging. o Verify 3M RFID pads properly integrated o Verify SIP2 works for connected systems: o Verify Receipt and SMTP Relays are Functional erc (E-Resource Central) o Installation Date: December 19,2014 (No Downtime; Novelist Unavailable) o Training in January 2015 Mobile Circ Installation o Installation Date: December 19, 2014(No Downtime) o Universal Admin Installation o BlueCloud Products Ready Page - 60

65 Networking & Outreach Activities: Kindergarten card visits have begun, with all Portage Public Schools scheduled. In addition, our teen librarian has been invited to attend Portage North Middle School s Lunch Bunch, a lunch time book discussion group. A staff member was invited to present the library s early literacy gems at Amberly Elementary School s young 5 s Books and Buddies family night. PROGRAMMING: Adult programming conducted in August & the first part of September 2014: Book Discussion Program Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Having sent out an author profile and discussion topics/questions in advance via , and appropriately game-ifying the experience by using a custom ten-sided dice to guide, we enjoyed a much more focused, well-rounded discussion of this month s read. Medieval Program Come Forth into the Past: Demonstrations of Medieval Skill program was conducted on September 13, It was planned by Adult Services Library Intern Christina Doane and attracted 100 attendees who wanted to come and learn about life in the medieval era! There was medieval music, clothing, food, information about living conditions, armor & fighting covered in the program. Family friendly medieval clothing was welcomed. The recorder group Troubadours provided musical entertainment starting at 1:30 pm. This event was free and no registration was required. Sell Stuff Online: ebay Overview Program This program was held on September 2, 2014, was run by Adult Services Library Associate Jessica Enget, and generated 32 attendees. Left Margin Poetry Reading Program This program was held on September 11, 2014, was facilitated by Adult Services Programming Librarian Marsha Meyer, and had 14 attendees. Members of Danna Ephland's summer poetry class Left Margin read a few selections of the poetry they produced. After Hours Oktoberfest Program This program was held on September 15, 2014, was planned by Adult Services Library Associate Jessica Enget, with welcoming and hosting by Library Director Christy Klien, Lawrence Kapture, and Robert Foti. There were 60 registrations, a waitlist of 16, and 47 in attendance. The library s special liquor license was put to good use with a program of GREAT success. We had representatives from Arcadia Ales, Gonzo s Bigg Dogg Brewery, and Latitude 42 join us for a descriptive overview and tasting of 7 beers (3 of which were donated), a selection of paired cheeses and meats (from local businesses The Cheese Lady and Youz Guys Sausage Co.) Samples of beer were set up at a separate table where staff and volunteers took in tickets in exchange for pre-poured samples of beer. This event was very labor intensive in terms of planning and execution, but the results were satisfying. Open for Discussion Program This program was held on September 16, 2014, was hosted by Adult Services Library Associate Jessica Enget, and attracted 20 attendees for a discussion of The Aviator s Wife by Melanie Benjamin. This meeting was the first of the 2014 fall season. Questions related to the book were put in a jar and each member drew out a question to discuss, with the plan to go around the table. We didn t get very far around the table, but we will try this idea again as it did foster a broader discussion of our title. Sell Stuff Online: Craigslist Overview Program This program was held on September 16, 2014 and had 23 attendees. In this program, we went through a live demonstration navigating the Craigslist site and the process of making a post. There was a very active Q & A exchange all throughout the session. Meet the Chef: Organic Gypsy Program This program was held on September 18, 2014, was facilitated by Adult Services Programming Librarian Marsha Meyer and had 54 attendees. Bridgett Blough, the Organic Gypsy, specializes in seasonal, organic, unrefined local "Soul" food. She demonstrated how to create simple dishes from farm fresh ingredients. Page - 61

66 Poetry Reading in Nineteen Languages This program was held on September 28, 2014, was planned by Adult Services Librarian Marsha Meyer and attracted 55 attendees. It was intended to be a celebration of our community's diversity. The Portage District Library and the WMU Department of World Languages and Literatures collaborated to bring together local residents originating from different areas of the world who were asked to select a favorite poem and read it in his/her language at the event. Everyday Journaling Program This program was held on September 30, 2014, was planned by Adult Services Programming Librarian Marsha Meyer and generated 28 attendees. It explored journaling as a tool for finding your creative voice, dealing with difficulty, and showing up more fully in day-to-day life. Instructor, Karen Horneffer-Ginter, Ph.D., a psychologist and author of Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit, led a discussion about the benefits of journaling, tips and tools for getting started. One-on-One Assistance Program There were (7) appointments for one-on-one assistance conducted by Jessica Enget and Lawrence Kapture. The assistance that was provided to patrons including transferring and organizing photos on a laptop; how to download/edit/format/upload photos; using Microsoft Word/Computer Mouse; setting up delivery on an Android Tablet; navigating a Windows 8 laptop/sorting /adding contacts to address book; and a tour of the library. How to Become a Search Ninja Training - Adult Services Reference Librarian Nicolette Sosulski is offering is offering this program on searching which is attracting five or six people each time. Muffins and the Market Investment Workshop - Warren Fritz has returned as the facilitator for the library s Muffins and the Market investment program. Youth programming conducted in August & the first part of September 2014: As the fall begins, our focus turns from large-scale, all-ages programs to those catering to smaller groups and more specific age ranges. We have added several morning events on days when we don t have storytimes and this has been very successful. Each program typically contains a lot of movement and music, and a literacy component. We have offered ballet, Zumba/creative movement, and drumming. Our other storytime age group adjustments are working well, including the addition of an independent option for four and five year-olds (no parents attending). Our family magic program in September was also very well-attended. For the artists in our community, painting workshops were offered for teens and tweens (grades 3-5). Page - 62

67 TO: Portage District Library Board FROM: Christy Klien, Library Director DATE: SUBJECT: October 22, 2014 Library Statistical Report - September 2014 Month Statistics YTD Statistics Sep-14 Sep-13 CHANGE CHANGE Circulation/Collections Total Library Circulation 63,101 58, % 613, , % Adult - Books 18,898 18, % 178, , % Adult - A/V 7,271 7, % 67,118 68, % Youth - Books 20,670 19, % 213, , % Youth - A/V 4,082 4, % 46,115 51, % Hot Picks 4,526 5, % 48,166 58, % E-Material 6,121 2, % 46,186 21, % ILL - PDL Requests % 8,016 8, % ILL - Other Lib. Requests % 6,218 7, % Self-Checkout Percentage 60.68% 59.60% 60.84% 57.88% Total Library Collection 197, , % Adult - Books 96,268 97, % Adult - A/V 16,922 16, % Youth - Books 68,801 63, % Youth - A/V 10,936 11, % Hot Picks 4,853 4, % Net Acquisitions (2,562) 1, % 7,736 (4,400) % Purchased - Books 1,053 1, % 14,512 12, % Purchased - A/V % 3,982 3, % Donated - Books % % Donated - A/V % % Material Discarded (4,041) (456) % (10,809) (20,384) % Total In-House Usage* 1,104 1, % 4,028 4, % In-House Periodical Usage % % In-House Book Usage % 3,331 3, % Patrons Total Patrons 46,667 48, % Adult 31,403 30, % Youth 7,620 8, % Non-Resident % Reciprocal 4,741 6, % Internet User 2,527 2, % Professional % Total Patrons Added % 2,741 3, % Adult % 1,513 1, % Youth % % Non-Resident % % Reciprocal % % Internet User % % Professional % % Page - 63

68 Library Building Usage Total Meeting Room Usage % 1,723 1, % Internal/Collaboration % % External/Outside Usage % % Total Program Audience 1,590 2, % 22,795 17, % Adult 541 1, % 2,237 3, % Youth % 18,710 12, % Heritage Room % 1,848 1, % Total Number of Programs % % Adult % % Youth % % Heritage Room % % Total Volunteer Hours % 4,951 4, % Adult % 1,075 1, % Youth % 1,620 1, % Technical % % Circulation % % Administration % % Community Service % % Total Front Door Traffic 54,998 56, % 566, , % Total Youth Services Traffic 38,545 39, % 402, , % Total Business Center Traffic 2,907 3, % 28,257 29, % Information Access/Reference/Research Total Reference Transactions 7,235 8, % 73,137 74, % Adult Phone % 3,614 3, % Adult Ready Reference 2,443 2, % 22,880 24, % Adult Reference % 2,063 2, % Youth Phone % 1,458 1, % Youth Ready Reference 1,843 3, % 22,395 22, % Youth Reference % 4,311 3, % HR Phone % % HR Ready Reference % 3,727 3, % HR Reference % % Circ Phone % 3,971 2, % Circ Ready Reference % 5,442 5, % Circ Reference % 2,127 3, % Total Edutainment LAN Use % 4,059 4, % Total Internet Computer Use 5,967 6, % 52,605 55, % Youth Computers 1,546 1, % 14,366 15, % Adult Computers 4,299 4, % 36,615 37, % Laptop Computer Circulated % 1,624 3, % Total Electronic Transactions 50,544 51, % 467, , % WebSite Hits 38,200 39, % 350, , % WebCatalog Sessions 8,642 8, % 79,129 80, % Licensed Database Hits 3,702 3, % 36,958 39, % * In-house Use Statistics will be done for one week each quarter. Christy Klien, Library Director Page - 64

69 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S DESK October 9, 2014 MLA Membership Satisfaction Survey Thank you to the nearly 40% of Michigan Library Association members who responded to our most recent Membership Satisfaction Survey. Your responses will be extremely valuable as the MLA Board of Directors undertakes its strategic planning process. Uneasiness about library funding and budgets and the overall future of libraries and library professionals were repeating concerns. These are the very focus of MLA s legislative advocacy and we will continue to advocate for you. These are issues that affect every library and patron in the state. Many of you took the time to give thoughtful and informative comments that will help MLA staff, leadership and volunteers all work together to move MLA into the future and provide the best services it can. Thank you, for your productive suggestions. MLA Annual Conference - October 15-17, 2014 Here at the MLA office we are gearing up for a great MLA 2014 annual conference. It s less than a week away and I hope I will see many of you there. Keynotes Wades Rouse and Hajj Flemming promise to be engaging and educational. MLA Sponsored District Library Establishment Act Amendment Introduced Our District Library Establishment Act amendment was officially introduced last week. A hearing will be scheduled in November. Here is the official description and a link to the amendment. This is the language that was approved by the MLA Legislative committee and MLA Board last year. HB 5868 of Libraries; district; continuation of district library; provide for in the case of disincorporation, annexation, consolidation, or merger of 2 or more participating municipalities, and provide for transfer of certain portions of district library districts. Amends sec. 3 of 1989 PA 24 (MCL ) & adds secs. 3c & 3d. Friends Have Their Own Week Don t forget who your friends are especially since now they have their own week. October is National Friends of Libraries Week. It s a great opportunity to show how much we appreciate all they do for our libraries. Page - 65