WHATCOM COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES
Central Services Building, 5205 Northwest Drive. Bellingham, 98226
April 18, 2006
(Note: “Library” refers to the Whatcom County Library System.)

Anyone requiring these minutes in an alternate format, such as large type, Braille or an audiotape, please contact the Library at 384-3150.

1. Call To Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. A quorum was determined.

Present: Board: Amory Peck, Nina Cox, Janet Boyhan, Donna-Lee Elke, Jan Hunter
Director: Joan Airoldi
Staff: Robin Barker, Sally Crouse, Geoff Fitzpatrick, Sigrid Brorson, Cindy Pfeiffer-Hoyt, Sara Holahan
Guests: Ellen Gehling

2. Public Comment: Cindy Pfeiffer-Hoyt from the Maple Falls and Deming Libraries and Ellen Gehling, a Maple Falls resident and Board member of the Friends of the Maple Falls Library, addressed the Library Board.

On behalf of the NorthFork Community Library project Ms. Pfeiffer-Hoyt requested the Board write a letter to the County Council expressing uncertainty about remaining involved with the cooperative project if the building is to be sited in the Balfour development.

Ms. Pfeiffer-Hoyt presented a 2006 petition with 492 signatures collected from within the community in support of locating the project at the intersection of Kendall Highway and Mt. Baker Highway. She suggested that a letter from the Board should explain how difficult it would be to run a library outside of the public traffic flow if it were instead located inside a private development. The Mt. Baker School District and the Whatcom County Fire Protection District No. 14 have also written letters in support of the location at the Kendall Highway/Mt. Baker Highway intersection. Ms. Pfeiffer-Hoyt provided copies of those two letters of support.

Ms. Gehling told the Board she was employed in the library at Kendall Elementary School last year. She described the school library as grossly inadequate and in visiting other school libraries has been stunned to see what other schools have in comparison. She recounted how she would suggest kids go to the public library for materials, but the kids said their parents wouldn’t take them. She would like to see the public library located next to the school to help with these needs.

Ms. Pfeiffer-Hoyt distributed a map of the area and other written materials applicable to the issue. It was noted that the County Council will be making a decision on May 9th and public comments will be taken prior to that.

3. Minutes:
March 21, 2006 Regular Board Meeting: The minutes of the March 21, 2006 Regular Board Meeting were reviewed.

It was moved by Ms. Elke to approve the minutes of the March Regular Board Meeting. Seconded, carried.

The minutes of the April 11, 2006 Special Board Meeting have not yet been prepared. They will be presented at the May Board Meeting.

4. Financial Report and Resolutions:
a. Expenditures: Mr. Lazenby presented the financial report:

March 2006 payroll: $237,562.48.
March 2006 second set of claims: $28,949.38.
April 2006 first set of claims: $117,825.92.

Ms. Cox moved to approve the expenditures and accept the financial report. Seconded, carried.

4. Financial Report and Resolutions:
b. Resolutions: Mr. Lazenby presented the following resolutions:

4/18/06-07 In the Matter of Supplementing the 2006 Budget
4/18/06-08 In the Matter of Transferring Funds within the Budget

Ms. Elke moved to accept resolution 07 & 08. Seconded, carried.

4. Financial Report and Resolutions:
c. Budget discussion: Mr. Lazenby handed out the April 18, 2006 copy of the Fund Resources and Uses Arising from Cash Transactions Report which included the format changes suggested by the Trustees at the March meeting.

The Trustees expressed their appreciation for the report and requested they receive it on a monthly basis.

Mr. Lazenby also reported the good news that the WCLS portion of the Qwest lawsuit will be less than previously expected. He handed out a copy of a memo from the Whatcom County Treasurer which states our portion of the refund owed to Qwest is $1,573.86.

5. Executive Session: At 9:30 Ms. Peck called the Board into executive session according to RCW 42.30.110(1)(g) for the purpose of discussing the director’s annual performance evaluation.

6. Director’s Goals and Objectives: Regular session resumed at 10:07.

Ms. Elke voiced the Executive Committee’s motion: “To have the Director’s pay reflect our confidence in her leadership: Therefore, we agree to a 4% increase effective July 1, 2006 over and above the 3% COLA effective January 2006.” Carried.

Ms. Airoldi called the Board’s attention to Draft 2 of the Director’s Goals and Objectives. She affirmed that it is a very energetic list and may not be fully achievable. However, she stated that she is working to be the best Director the Library has ever had.

The Board thanked Ms. Airoldi for a wonderful year and congratulated her on the highly competent team that surrounds her.

7. Planning: The Trustees reviewed the WCLS Long Range Plan April 2006 Check-In prepared by Ms. Airoldi for the planning process. They discussed several of the items that were met in the previous Long Range Plan as well as several that were not met. There was a discussion about foreign language materials and translation of WCLS forms and flyers into Spanish and Russian. The Board discussed whether there was a need to purchase Punjabi language publications and translate WCLS materials into Punjabi.

Ms. Airoldi handed out an April 18 draft of the Planning Timeline for the Strategic Planning Process. She recommended slowing the timeline with Pamela Jull to give more time for preparation and involvement. This would place the timing of the first survey in the fall.

Ms. Airoldi also pointed out to the Trustees that it will soon be time to establish a budget for the project and to plan staffing and outside facilitation accordingly. Ms. Tina Bixby headed up the last survey. It consumed about 25 hours a week of her time.

The Trustees decided to meet for a planning retreat on May 16th following the next regular Board meeting in Sumas. The purpose will be to finalize the planning process.

8. Policies:

Policy on Addressing the Board:

Indexing of Policy & Procedure Manual:

Policy on Photocopying, Printing, & Telefacsimile: Ms. Peck reported for the Policy Committee that the revision of the Policy on Addressing the Board is not yet ready. It will be presented at the May Board meeting.

Ms. Crouse presented the draft of the revision of the Table of Contents for the Branch Policy and Procedure Manual. She explained that the goal of her project is twofold: to unify the numbering system between the Policy & Procedure Manual and the Board Policy Manual; and to provide a numbering system that is more flexible when policies and other materials are added or deleted from the manual. A side result of the project has been to rearrange the chapters and virtually eliminate the need for the Board Policy Manual as a separate entity.

The Trustees made several helpful observations about the order of the chapters. It was decided to place the WCLS Mission & Goals first and to move the Board of Trustees related policies into the Branch Policy and Procedure portion of the manual.

Ms. Crouse was directed to publish the Table of Contents Draft on WCLSNet to solicit further comments from the staff who use the Policy and Procedure Manual on a daily basis.

Ms. Airoldi provided copies of the current Policy on Photocopying, Printing, & Telefacsimile as well as the draft of a revision. She explained that the policy is not ready for a vote today. She has queried the auditor as to whether it is necessary for all policies that involve charging money to be Board policy. The mechanics of the new print management system have generated staff discussion about this policy. Ms. Airoldi plans to get an answer from the auditor and return to the May Board meeting with a final revision of the policy.

9. Board Electronic Access to Policies:

Email Issues: The Trustees have stated their desire to have electronic access to WCLS policies. Mr. Fitzpatrick explained the possibilities as to how that might be accomplished: the Trustees personal computers could be linked to the WCLS network or the policies could be posted on the web with password access. Eventually the Library would like to post all policies on the website, but right now some of the policies need updating.

Email: Mr. Fitzpatrick explained that Christina Read has recently been made aware at a conference that Board members’ personal email can become a matter of public record if discussions of WCLS issues take place by email. Mr. Fitzpatrick recommended each Trustee should have a WCLS.org email address for conducting all WCLS business in order to protect any personal information from inadvertently becoming a matter of public record.

Mr. Fitzpatrick was directed to set up WCLS.org email addresses for each Board member. The Trustees also asked for a review of email rules for Board members serving on a board such as the Library’s.

The Board took a five minute break at 11:00.

10. PLA Conference Report: Ms. Brorson and Ms. Holahan have recently returned from the Public Library Association Conference (PLA) which took place in Boston this year. Ms. Brorson observed that this is the only national library conference that focuses solely on public libraries. She found it to be an extremely rewarding experience and recommends sending more people to the PLA conference in the future. The workshops are all very relevant, and there are too many to choose from if only one or two people attend. Ms. Brorson handed out some examples of materials from the workshops she attended. More handouts are available online, and Ms. Airoldi mentioned that the Library has ordered the audio transcripts of the sessions for those who did not attend.

Ms. Holahan described some of the workshops she attended. Since returning, her response has been to get involved more in the community of Everson as a means of helping the Library become more visible to the community.

Request for a Letter Regarding the NorthFork Project: Ms. Airoldi announced there is a meeting regarding the NorthFork project at the Maple Falls Library on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m.

The Board discussed the request from Maple Falls Library supporters for a letter in support of locating the NorthFork Community Center at the corner of Kendall Highway and Mt. Baker Highway.

Ms. Hunter observed that quite a few of the signatures on the petition are from Paradise and Peaceful Valley citizens.

Ms. Cox spoke in favor of writing a letter. She supports the idea of endorsing a site close to the school.

Ms. Peck recalled the letters the Board wrote during the time the Lynden Library was under consideration. The purpose of a letter is to state what a library needs to have. Safety for school children can be one criterion. Accessibility and visibility are also important to the library. Being closer to the highway would help the library serve a broader population.

Ms. Boyhan also expressed her desire to support the proposed location because it is near the school.

Ms. Hunter moved the Board send a letter in support of the County option on land for the Regional Resource Center to be located on Mt. Baker Highway. Seconded, carried.

Ms. Airoldi was instructed to write the letter and submit it to the Facilities Committee prior to mailing. At Ms. Hunter’s suggestion, a copy of the letter will be sent to each of the County Council members.

It was necessary for Ms. Peck to leave the meeting early. As Vice-Chair, Ms. Cox took over the responsibility of leading the meeting.

11. Board Committee Reports: Advocacy: Ms. Elke explained the Advocacy Committee is in the process of considering possible mission statements and goals for 2006 for the Advocacy Committee. She passed out samples of what is being considered.

Facilities: Ms. Cox reported that the Facilities Committee work was delayed while Ms. Brorson was at PLA. It is unlikely they will have a complete plan by June, but they hope to have “a little nugget.”

Ferndale Revitalization: Ms. Cox told the Board she has volunteered to serve on the Ferndale Revitalization Committee. They will be putting together a 20 year vision and will be presenting action plans to the City Council. She was thrilled to find out that Paul Koch, the consultant who is leading the project, is a big library supporter.

Foundation: Ms. Hunter detailed the current projects of the Foundation. They are working on a logo and the pamphlet is in its final stages. They have authorized $2,500 to be distributed in grant money in September. They are planning their first fundraising event to be held by the end of September and will be making first appearances to local groups soon. Grant applications are welcome from the Board, WCLS staff, and Friends. The largest grant is $1,000. They are meeting about twice a month right now. Ms. Airoldi remarked that they have received approval of the 501(3)(c).

Ms. Airoldi reported that Ms. Barbagallo will be speaking at the WLA Awards Luncheon, accepting the Candace Morgan Intellectual Freedom award of $500
for Ms. Airoldi and the WCLS Board. She, Ms. Peck and Attorney Garrett are speaking at the British Columbia Library Association Conference that day and are unable to attend.
12. Library News:

Staff Changes:

Statistics: Ms. Brorson announced some staffing changes that will have a big impact on the library system. Lizz Roberts has accepted the Assistant Manager position at BPL and will be leaving May 5. Lisa Gresham will be taking Sally Grant’s position when she retires. Ms. Gresham’s first day will be July 1. This means the Library have two branch managers to replace: Lynden and Ferndale.

Ms. Grant’s job description is being revised based on other changes and library needs. Her work with the Friends is being folded into the Community Relations position which already includes working with the Foundation. Her 28 hour position is being replaced with a 40 hour position that includes reader’s advisory, book promotion, facilities space evaluation, and adult fiction selection. Ms. Barker commented she is not sure enough time has been budgeted for adult fiction selection. This will be reviewed in the coming months.

Ms. Barker commented on the report BPL/WCLS Cross Borrowing Jan-March 2006: In 2005 the report showed the exchange of materials was about even. In 2006 the numbers show that WCLS is lending more to BPL patrons than vise versa. This report will be produced on a quarterly basis and statistics will be monitored.

13. Director’s Report: Ms. Airoldi presented her Director’s Report. Topics included:
1. The Annual Report is a joy to distribute.
2. Results of a study showing the importance of the physical library; comfortable, well lit, welcoming.
3. Statistics: roughly 2/3 of all WCLS requests are made through the internet.
Announcements & Bouquets: The Board thanked Ms. Brorson and Ms. Holahan for their enthusiastic reports on PLA.

Ms. Holahan thanked Mr. Fitzpatrick for coming to the Everson Branch last night and training her staff on the new WCLSNet.

May 16, 2006 Board Meeting: The May 16th Board meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Sumas Library.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 p.m.