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November 9, 2005
Minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Skokie Public Library held
in the Skokie Public Library Board Room, Wednesday, November 9, 2005.
CALL TO ORDER
John Graham, President, called the meeting to order at 7:30p.m.
Members present: John Graham, President; Diana Hunter, Vice President/President
Emerita; Zelda Rich, Secretary; Eva Weiner; John M. Wozniak; Dayle Zelenka; and
Carolyn A. Anthony, Director.
Member absent: Susan Greer.
Staff present: Barbara A. Kozlowski, Associate Director for Public Services.
Guest present: Kate Mesch, 1929 Wesley Avenue, # 1, Evanston, IL.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 11.
2005
Mrs. Hunter made a motion, seconded by Dr. Wozniak, to approve the minutes of the
regular meeting of October 11, 2005, subject to additions and/or corrections. There being
no additions or corrections, the minutes were approved and placed on file.
CONSENT AGENDA (Financial Statement, Circulation Report, Library Use Statistics,
Program Statistics 2nd Quarter FY 2005-2006, Report(s) from Department Heads, Gift,
Correspondence)
Mr. Zelenka made a motion, seconded by Dr. Wozniak:
MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
APPROVE THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT, SUBJECT TO AUDIT,
AND THAT THE FOLLOWING CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS BE
PLACED ON FILE:
1. CIRCULATION REPORT
2. LIBRARY USE STATISTICS
3. PROGRAM STATISTICS 2ND QUARTER FY 2005-2006
4. REPORT(S) FROM DEPARTMENT HEAD(S)
5. GIFT: $100. FROM HEIDI KATZ FOR THE LIBRARY'S
COLLECTION OF MATERIALS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL
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NEEDS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN HONOR OF CAROLYN
ANTHONY'S 20TH ANNNERSARY AS LIBRARY DIRECTOR
6. CORRESPONDENCE: LETTER FROM JAMES N. ZARTMAN,
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CHICAGO SCHOOL OF VIOLIN
MAKING TO TRACY SHIELDS-O'REILLY DATED OCTOBER
18, 2005 RE THANK YOU; LETTER FROM JUDY BAAR
TOPINKA, ILLINOIS STATE TREASURER TO ILLINOIS FUNDS
PARTICIPANTS DATED OCTOBER, 2005 RE IMPROVEMENTS
TO THE ILLINOIS FUNDS.
The motion passed unanimously.
Regarding the Youth Services report, Mrs. Hunter commented that she was very
impressed with the report on Hurricane Katrina "Reach Out and Read". Mrs. Hunter
would like to see a final report on how much was collected and asked if this was
publicized in the newspaper. Mrs. Anthony will ask Youth Services for a final report.
BALANCE SHEET FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDING 10/31/05
The Balance Sheet for the Six Months Ending October 31, 2005 was noted. Mrs.
Anthony reported the Library is in good shape financially.
YEAR-TO-DATE BUDGETARY STATUS
The Year-to-Date Budgetary Status was noted.
BILLS
A motion was made by Mrs. Rich, seconded by Dr. Wozniak:
MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
APPROVE THE BILLS, SUBJECT TO AUDIT.
The roll call vote for approval was unanimous.
AUDIT
Mrs. Anthony reported that this was the Library's first year with the auditing firm of
Miller, Cooper & Co., Ltd. The audit process went quite smoothly, without significant
problem. The auditors agreed to show the construction debt in the Library's audit. The
previous auditors refused to do so because of the lack of a formal agreement between the
Library and the Village, acknowledging the debt as the Library's. This did not seem right
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to Mrs. Anthony since the Library levies for the debt and makes semi-annual debt
payments.
The management letter makes two suggestions re depreciation of assets and review of
financial transactions. Their suggestion to begin depreciation after six months rather than
one year accelerates depreciation and yields a more conservative statement of asset
holdings. Depreciation works somewhat differently for the Library as a government
entity than it does for a profit-making corporation. The Library does not weigh the
depreciation of assets against earnings. And in fact, much ofthe Library's furniture
(granite tables, leather chairs) have held their value (or even increased) according to the
appraisers. Nevertheless, the Library can adopt their suggested approach to depreciation
for audit purposes.
Their other suggestion concerns management review of journal entries, pay changes, etc.
Although much of this review occurs on a regular basis, present procedures do not leave a
clear audit trail. Therefore Mrs. Anthony will initial monthly statements from the Illinois
Funds, changes in pay rate and other such documents which will then be kept in a
notebook for audit review next year.
After brief discussion, Dr. Wozniak made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hunter:
MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
.
.
ACCEPT THE AUDIT AS PRESENTED BY MILLER, COOPER & CO.
LTD, CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS.
The motion passed unanimously.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT
USAGE----Circulation in October was down less than one percent from last year, with
increases in youth circulation both in the Library and on the Bookmobile. Lending
through interlibrary loan was up almost 25%. Reciprocal borrowing seems to have
leveled off at about 14%. There was an increase of more than 6% in the door count for a
total of 69,383 people who visited the Library during the month. Three hundred fifty one
people used licensed online databases during the month, an increase of eleven percent
from the same time last year. Although there were more logged sessions and a forty
percent increase in the use of guides to resources, there were fewer hits to specific
databases in October when compared to the same month last year.
PROPERTY TAX REVENUE----The Library has begun to receive a steady stream of
property tax revenue from the Fall collection. The Library borrowed $1,000,000. of the
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$2,000,000. authorized by the Village and will begin to pay it back as soon as there is
enough put aside for the December 1 bond payment and for pending payrolls. According
to the terms of the loan, the Library has until February 28 to complete the repayment.
ILA CONFERENCE----It seemed to be a particularly lively session at ILA in October. A
highlight was the observation ofthe 40th anniversary of Illinois Library Systems. Bob
McClarren and other retired system directors came for some reminiscing and celebrating.
Large display panels were produced with accomplishments of each· of the systems. Mrs.
Anthony attended programs on branding your library, confidentiality, change, displays,
and library funding. Mrs. Anthony particularly enjoyed hearing Norman Sims of the
Illinois Tax Increment Financing Association talk about trends. While many of the
observations about the population getting older with a tremendous shift in wealth, etc. are
well-known, other trends such as people's desire for engagement and interactivity,
interest in customization and desire to stay in their own homes as long as possible have
clear implications for library service. The ILA Past President's Breakfast offers an
opportunity for exchange about the health and future of the Association.
DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY----Mrs. Anthony served as a panelist for the McCusker
lecture at Dominican University. The keynote was given by Mary Minow who has both
MLS and JD degrees. She talked about "our vanishing freedoms"-to read, to privacy
and in the area of copyright. Other panelists were Bob Doyle of ILA and Emily Sheketoff
of the ALA Washington Office. Mrs. Anthony also attended a meeting of the Dominican
Advisory Board. The Graduate Library School has completed a three year plan which
aims to distinguish the Dominican degree and to resecure full accreditation.
BARNES & NOBLE SHOP AND SHARE----Tracy Shields O'Reilly and Cathy Maassen
have been partnering with Westfield Shopping Town Old Orchard, presenting children's
crafts in the Food Court the first Saturday of each month as part of the shopping center's
Kidoodles program. In tum, Barnes & Noble at Old Orchard has invited the Library to
have a shop and share day December 3. The Library will receive 15% of sales that day
when a coupon for the Library is submitted with a purchase. This is a great opportunity to
encourage friends to do holiday shopping that will also benefit the Skokie Public Library.
WILMETTE VISITORS----Ellen Clark, the new Director of the Wilmette Public Library,
came to visit and to tour in preparation for a visit to the Skokie Public Library by the
Board of the Wilmette Public Library. The Wilmette Board is embarking on a planning
process and wanted to visit three other libraries to see what is new and different. They
will come on a Saturday morning in December.
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WIRELESS INSTALLATION IN DOWNTOWN SKOKIE----Mrs. Anthony attended a
meeting of the Skokie Cable Commission at which they entertained a proposal to make
downtown Skokie a wireless hotspot for Internet use. A number of towns and cities as
large as Philadelphia have undertaken such projects to accommodate widespread access
to the Internet and to facilitate the provision of some public services by the municipality.
BANNER FOR THE LIBRARY----The Marketing Committee has come up with an idea
for a large banner to be hung outside the Library with the word "Library" in many
languages on it. The colorful banner would both call attention to the Library among those
driving past on Oakton and also clearly welcome people of various ethnic backgrounds.
The 16 foot, vertical banner would be affixed to a 25 ft. pole. We are checking with the
Village regarding permission to erect such a sign.
PRESENTATION BY BARBARA A. KOZLOWSKI ON PATRON TRAINING FOR
USE OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES AND DISASTER PLANNING
Mrs. Kozlowski informed the Board of new ways patron training is being conducted on
electronic resources. One way includes an open Youth Services lab for adults during the
day when children are in school. Adults are able to use interactive application software
(such as for Word or Excel). Mrs. Kozlowski demonstrated some parts of the Word
software. Another new way is targeted to parents and caregivers who bring their children
to storytimes. The parents/caregivers are invited to have coffee and cookies in an
informal way and learn what electronic resources we have to offer while the child attends
a Library program. Online guides to the Library databases are a third way in which
people can learn about a particular database. Online guides are developed by Skokie
Public Library librarians. Finally, in the Adult Services monthly report a chart has been
developed giving a statistical account of how much work staff are doing related to
training for electronic resources. Mrs. Kozlowski then read a few comments from patrons
who had had one to one training or attended a computer class. Overall ratings reported
are consistently "very good" and "excellent".
Regarding the disaster plan, Mrs. Kozlowski, Dave Runge (Head of Maintenance) and
Tobi Oberman (Head of Circulation Services) are working on revising the Library's
current Disaster Plan. At present, there is no Federal disaster assistance program to help
with the updating of our Plan.
The Board thanked Mrs. Kozlowski for her presentation.
LEAVE POLICIES
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Mrs. Anthony recently learned of legal requirements for staff leave policies regarding
two specific circumstances, namely blood donation and leave associated with a family
member in the military. While these circumstances could readily be covered by Personal
Leave, the Library is required to have specific mention of these circumstances in our
leave policies.
The proposed policies were obtained from our legal advisors at Robbins, Schwartz.
A motion was made by Dr. Wozniak, seconded by Mr. Zelenka:
MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ACCEPT THE EMPLOYEE BLOOD DONATION LEAVB ACT AS
PRESENTED (COPY ATTACHED).
The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Mrs. Rich, seconded by Dr. Wozniak:
MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ACCEPT THE FAMILY MILITARY LEAVB ACT AS PRESENTED
(COPY ATTACHED).
The motion passed unanimously.
TUITION REIMBURSEMENT
Mrs. Anthony distributed the Library's policy for Tuition Reimbursement. This has been
a significant benefit for a number of staff, helping them to complete their Masters degree
in Library Science, furthering their personal careers and benefiting the Library. At the
present time, the Library has two full-time staff who are pursuing graduate degrees with
assistance from this program. (Two other staff who are taking classes toward an MLIS
are part-time and therefore not eligible for the tuition benefit).
The Library has not increased the amount of the tuition benefit since February, 2000,
when a maximum lifetime benefit of$6,000. was set. The cost ofhigher education has
been increasing more than the cost of living. The .current cost per course at Dominican
University is $1,905. Since twelve courses are required for graduation, that would make
the expense for the MLIS $22,860.
Mrs. Anthony proposes an increase in the maximum tuition benefit to $8,000., effective
January, 2006.
A motion was made by Dr. Wozniak, seconded by Mrs. Rich:
�Employee Blood Donation Leave Act
The Employee Blood Donation Leave Act entitles eligible employees to take up to one
hour of paid, job protected leave during any every 56 day period to donate blood. To be
eligible for leave to donate blood, The Library requires that the employee must show that
he or she cannot donate blood during nonworking hours. Prior to taking leave to donate
blood, The Library must consent to the employee's leave request.
F:\skokie library\Library Policy lssues\Employee Blood Donation Leave.doc
�FAMILY MILITARY LEAVE
The fllinois Family Military Leave Act entitles eligible employees, who are the spouses or
parents of a person called to state or federal military service lasting longer than 30 days,
to take up to 30 days of unpaid, job protected leave during any twelve (12) month period
when the federal or state deployment orders are in effect.
To be eligible for Family Military Leave, employees must have been employed by The
Library for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month
period immediately preceding the leave. Employees are not entitled to Family Military
Leave unless they have exhausted all accrued vacation leave, personal leave and any
other leave to which they are entitled, except sick leave. In addition, The Library will
require employees requesting Family Military Leave to provide certification by the
proper military authority that verifies the employees' eligibility for Family Military
Leave.
Employees must give 14 days' notice of the need for Family Military Leave if the leave
will consist of 5 or more consecutive days' duration. Employees requesting Family
Military Leave for less than 5 consecutive days must provide as much advance notice as
is practicable. During any Family Military, Leave, employees shall be eligible to continue
their benefits at their own expense.
Upon an employee's return to work at The Library, he/she will be restored to his/her prior
position or to an equivalent position with equivalent employment benefits and pay.
F:\skokie library\Library Policy Issues\Family Military Leave Policy.doc
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MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
INCREASE THE LIFETIME TUITION BENEFIT FROM $6,000. TO
$8,000.
Discussion ensued. With the approval of the motion maker, the motion was amended by
Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Mrs. Rich:
AMENDED MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF
TRUSTEES INCREASE THE LIFETIME TUITION
BENEFIT FROM $6,000. TO $11,500.
The roll call vote for approval was unanimous.
The Board agreed that the budget line for Conference, Membership and Workshops could
be increased if needed for continuing education as a result of this increase in the tuition
benefit.
INSURANCE COVERAGES
Mrs. Anthony presented a proposal from Boyle, Flagg & Seaman for renewal of our
insurance coverages for 2006.
Values, based on a recent appraisal, have increased 11.9% while the overall premium has
increased 5.8%. There is no quote for Directors and Officers insurance yet as Boyle,
Flagg & Seaman had not received the audit. Previously, this coverage was through St.
Paul Insurance Company. St. Paul Insurance Company has discontinued this type of
coverage so a quote will be sought from Great American Insurance Company.
Workers Compensation expense has been increasing with a larger payroll. The premium
is expected to decrease 10.8% for the coming year. The grant for safety-related expense is
a new feature from the Illinois Public Risk Fund. Mrs. Anthony will make an application
receipt of safety grant funds.
A motion was made by Mrs. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Zelenka:
MOTION:
THAT THE SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
APPROVE THE INSURANCE PROPOSAL FROM TRAVELERS IN
THE AMOUNT OF $56,828., AND THE INSURANCE PROPOSAL
FROM ILLINOIS PUBLIC RISK FUND FOR $34,475.00, FOR THE
SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR DECEMBER 15, 2005 THROUGH
DECEMBER 15, 2006 AS PRESENTED BY BOYLE, FLAGG &
SEAMAN, INC.
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The roll call vote for approval was unanimous.
TELEPHONE SYSTEM
The Library has a sophisticated telephone system with integrated voice mail system, all
of which has served the Library well. Mrs. Anthony has learned that the software will be
considered end of life as of February, 2007 for voicemail and October, 2007 for the
general system. This means that we would not be able to have a service maintenance
agreement after 2006 although we could use a Purchase Order to request an individual
service call. Mrs. Anthony distributed a letter and proposal from Nortech regarding this
matter.
With a combined proposal cost of $24,400. for replacement software, this is a major
purchase requiring consideration and investigation. Associate Director Barbara
Kozlowski will look into this matter and make a report to the Board in December, with
the history of the present system, options regarding other software, life expectancy of the
current hardware and other such considerations.
Please note that the Library can purchase a maintenance plan for 2006 so the Library
could defer consideration of this matter until the middle of next year. It is not clear if any
special pricing will be available at that time or if we could be looking at an expense of
more than $40,000. for a purchase in 2006.
Mr. Graham suggested we send a letter to Nortech explaining that the Library has every
intention of investigating other options. Mrs. Kozlowski stated that N ortech is an
outstanding vendor and it is Nortel, the manufacturer, setting the end of life limits. Mr.
Graham would like more information before making a decision. Perhaps Nortech could
extend their offer for 90 days. The Board asked for a report in December including
options for replacement of the software, the status of the hardware, and a
recommendation regarding system replacement.
The Board looks forward to Mrs. Kozlowski's report at the December meeting.
VILLAGE OF SKOKIE ANNUAL TIF REPORT
The Village of Skokie Annual TIF Report was noted.
REPORT FROM ART COMMITTEE RE POSSIBLE DONATION
Mr. Graham reported a patron, Inesse Alexandrov, wants to make a donation to the
Library of a seascape. Ms. Alexandrov does not have an appraisal. Mr. Graham will make
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contact again with Ms. Alexandrov to obtain a photo of the seascape for the Art
Committee to review.
COMMENTS FROM TRUSTEES
Mrs. Hunter mentioned a positive article she read about the new Kohl Museum in the
Glen and their landscape architect Peter Schaupt.
Mr. Zelenka attended the Illinois Library Association Conference last month.
Dr. Wozniak asked if the tree had been planted on Park A venue. Mrs. Anthony said the
planting will occur sometime in November.
COMMENTS FROM VISITORS
There were no Comments from Visitors.
ADJOURNMENT
At 8:47p.m. a motion was made by Dr. Wozniak, seconded by Mrs. Rich to adjourn the
regular meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
3~';?_~d)y
·
~elda;·Rich, Secretary
�
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Title
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Minutes, Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Contributor
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Rich, Zelda R. (Secretary)
Description
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Includes attachment: Employee Blood Donation Leave Act, Family Military Leave
Date
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2005-11-09
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LBM20051109.pdf
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11 p.
Subject
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Public Libraries -- Illinois -- Skokie
Creator
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Skokie Public Library. Board of Trustees
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Skokie Public Library, Skokie, IL
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PDF
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eng
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2000s (2000-2009)
2000s
library board meetings