HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-09-11 MinutesFAYETTEVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of September 11, 1995, Meeting
Attending: Mark Burdette, Jeff Koenig, Carol Phillips, Steve
Singleton, Michael Thomas, trustees; Linda Harrison, Fayetteville
director; Karen Duree, Ozarks Regional Library director; Mary
Jo Godfrey, Lynaire Hartsell, June Jefferson, David Johnson,
Lolly Maxey, Susan Sissom, staff; Steve Davis, City of
Fayetteville.
Regular Meeting
President Thomas called the meeting to order.
When considering the minutes of the August meeting, Burdette
noted that the board had not agreed to purchase wooden stools
for the children's library. Singleton said he recalled the price
of $250 per stool was an objection. Those minutes were approved
as corrected (Burdette, Phillips).
The board also approved the minutes of the special budget meeting
(Burdette, Koenig).
Turning to correspondence, the board first considered items
concerning the 1996 budget. Harrison noted that Singleton had
had a question on the fund balance for 1996 on the income
worksheet; she said that was a quick assessment of the cash
flow, not a reserve balance. (Some portions of Harrison's
response inaudible.) The other question he had related to the
budget meeting minutes concerning an initial target budget
overrun of $18,885, while the final figure was closer to $25,000.
Koenig noted the larger figure represented the inclusion of
additional postage and restoration of a travel budget.
Harrison next told the board that Thomas had written to Tom
Stallbaumer, publisher of the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas,
noting the board's insult at having been excluded from that
publication's "Newcomers Guide to Northwest Arkansas." Thomas
noted that he had not received a reply from Stallbaumer, nor
had the letter appeared as a "Letter to the Editor" in the
Morning News. He noted those letters only appeared on Sundays.
Sissom told Thomas letters appear irregularly on weekdays since
the paper had changed its format. Koenig asked if any special
requirements existed for publication of letters to the editor.
Sissom said the only requirements were a name, address and
telephone number so the staff could verify the letter. Duree
noted that the paper had run a letter from Peg Anderson of the
Washington Regional Library Board on the subject and suggested
Thomas's letter had not been run because it had been written
to the publisher and not the editor.
Sissom said Stallbaumer was not always in the newsroom and
wouldn't necessarily have given the letter to the editor for
publication. She said Stallbaumer seemed to be responsive to
the community and probably would be glad to discuss the matter.
Referring to a letter to Thomas from Alderman Kit Williams (in
which he questioned increasing staffing by 35 percent at a cost
increase of 31 percent while the service area population would
increase only two percent), Koenig asked where that left the
board in relation to relaying the library's needs to the city
council. Harrison noted that in Thomas's letter to the city
council that accompanied the copies of the 1996 budget, he noted
that the board had been requesting additional personnel for
several years.
"Is this the impression that we're giving the city council,
that we're asking for a 35 percent increase?" Koenig asked.
Burdette said Williams's response was the only indication he
had received. Koenig said the last time he had spoken to
Williams, he had said he was trying to get to the level of
discussion that the library was understaffed and had been
understaffed for five years, so how could the city call it an
increase? "We don't seem to ever get to that discussion and
I don't think we've gotten to it here," he told the board.
Thomas said he had tried to impart that in his letter, but it
began to run to two pages. "I don't think they get it," Thomas
said; Koenig agreed. He also noted that the city had been given
the same message for years about the police and fire departments
and had finally done something about that level of funding.
However, he said, although the library board had been telling
the city council the same thing for a number of years, they
appeared not to believe it was true. "Now, what's the
difference?" he asked.
Singleton said the board was not "couching (the request) in
historical terms." He said that since he had begun serving on
the board, he had not seen any figures that would let him compare
requests versus the funds granted over a period of time.. If
the figures showed a gradual decline in those figures, then
the board could make that case. Koenig said the board. had given
the city council national, regional and local comparisons, but
those figures also show a gradual increase in funding. The
problem is that the figures are not level per unit.
Singleton said he was speaking as an outsider, like some on
the city council might be. He remarked that although library
professionals nationally are talking about staffing per patron
and saying what the standard should be, people in business,
and probably some in city government, are saying if the library
is able to operate, you're not choking, then we don't have the
money to give you. The board needs to demonstrate that the need
for the money is there.
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Koenig said that the board had given the city council the local
comparisons, too, and had followed the same approach that the
police and fire departments had followed in securing more
funding, but, for some reason, the council doesn't believe in
the same argument with the library. Singleton said that the
library board must "make a case they can't ignore." Harrison
said the board must begin preparing for that now.
Koenig said the reason he wanted to discuss Williams's letter
is because that (not needing increased funds) is the perception
that is there. Williams's letter indicates that the council
thinks the board is not asking for enough money to bring services
into comparisons with local levels, but a 35 percent increase
in staffing.
Singleton said that the board needs to be able to say what the
level of funding was year by year and compare it to the level
of service demand year by year and demonstrate that a gap exists
between service level and the service needed. Jefferson said
the library has presented the numbers in the past; Phillips
said the board hadn't drawn pictures.
Singleton said the numbers are there, but they are not presented
in a consistent manner from year to year to make the need for
increased funding obvious to outsiders. Singleton said that
he didn't doubt the validity of the numbers, but if the board
is using "insider, technical" terms, such as FTE (full-time
equivalent), this is something that outsiders might not
understand. The board needs to make that point dramatically,
he said, to insure the best service possible for patrons.
Koenig said if that is the perception to persons who do not
deal with library matters every day, that is what the board
needs to hear. Perhaps the board needs to submit the data in
graphical form, he said, to make the need more apparent to the
city council and include Rogers and Springdale figures for
comparison purposes. Singleton said it needs to be done for
the materials budget and everything else. Harrison said different
methods of comparison exist, including circulation, service
population, attendance and in-house materials -use surveys.
Singleton also suggested making a year -by -year comparison only
to Fayetteville itself.
Harrison noted that Washington County funds the library with
at least a flat five percent increase in contributions every
year. Koenig said that the county funding had increased more,
percentage -wise, than the city had in some years. Duree noted
that the dollar amount was less.
Davis explained to the board that all city departments start
out getting the same level of increase each fiscal year. That's
the target budget, he said. As additional budget requests come
in, he said, the city council will allow some departments to
get more than the target budget. Koenig asked if the library
had ever received more than the target base; Davis and Harrison
said that it had in 1995. Koenig said he had thought that to
be the case. Koenig said that would be the special grant money
the library had received in 1995 and that that amount had then
been rolled into the target budget for the next year. So, Koenig
said, the library's target budget had increased for 1996. Davis
added that from 1994 to 1995, there had been a 20 percent
increase in the operations budget.
The board asked Johnson to help prepare the graphics presentation
for submission to the city council.
The board next discussed a letter from Charles Cross complaining
about the library's disposing of the "Central States
Archaeological Journal." Harrison told the board that the journal
had not circulated widely, was not indexed in the library's
sources and was available at the University of Arkansas' Mullins
Library. She said the journals had been placed on the library's
give-away table in the lower level, which is customary procedure.
Johnson said the reference staff had not received a request
from Cross or anyone else to receive the journals if the library
discarded them. The board approved the action.
Harrison said a site would be announced for the meeting of the
Washington County Library Board on September 19. Because that
is the date of the school election and the library meeting room
is a polling place, another site must be selected for the 4:30
p.m. meeting. The budget was to be discussed.
The board accepted the librarian's and financial reports without
any questions.
Harrison said that an official of SWEPCO (the electrical utility)
had come to conduct an energy audit a couple of weeks before
but that he had been unable to complete it. He was unfamiliar
with the size of the building, she said, and had not allowed
enough time to complete the survey. The official will return
soon.
Harrison said she had been informed by Perry Franklin of the
city that the library will be charged $400 for the recent
striping of the library's parking lot. She said that amount
will be for the paint. She said Franklin had recommended painting
the parking lot annually; she said did not necessarily agree.
The last time the lot was striped was during construction, Duree
said. Harrison said that was 1991. Koenig asked why the library
was being charged for striping city property. Harrison said
that paint had been purchased for striping parks parking lots
and the library's work had not been anticipated. She and Koenig
noted that the paint that was used was expensive.
Harrison reported that the staff generally thought the recent
work work had been a success. Members of Duree's staff had worked
with Fayetteville's staff on unifying procedures, she said,
and those Fayetteville employees who had not had a chance to
visit the new Rogers library had done so. With the assistance
of volunteers, she said, shelves had been read and weeded. She
sadi that included reading the reference section, which had
not been done thoroughly in 10 years.
Harrison announced that the Friends of the Fayetteville Public
Library would hold its annual book sale on October 26-29. The
group may possibly hold a sale on October 21 of children's books,
she said.
Thomas asked about the fulfillment of requests from the Friends
organization, saying that members had expressed concern that
funds had been allocated for items that the library has not
obtained. Harrison and Jefferson said that most of the items
the group is concerned about are on order but haven't been
received. Specifically on the latest edition of the Encyclopaedia
Brittanica, Harrison said, she has been writing for information
but has not received it from the publisher. She is trying to
order the 1995 edition, which apparently has not been published
yet.
Koenig asked if the library was going to continue to buy bound
volumes of the encyclopaedia if it was available on CD/ROM.
Members noted that availability of computer equipment for more
than one user would be a factor. (Portions of the discussion
were inaudible.) Additionally, Johnson said, it would probably
be advisable to wait until later to buy the CD version so that
any technological problems could be worked out. Koenig said
it was something the library would have to consider in the
future. He said inexpensive hardware could be purchased to run
the CDs. Johnson said it would be necessary to stay away from
network versions (accomodating several users at the same time)
of the CD materials, because costs escalate sharply with those
versions.
Duree said there were pros and cons associated with CD versions.
They take up less space than bound volumes, but only one user
can access them at a time. With bound volumes, she said,
theoretically 25 people could use the encyclopaedia at the same
time. Thomas asked if costs were coming down. Koenig said one
advantage to the CD version was that periodic updates would
be added at little or no charge. Koenig said the library should
begin looking at costs.
Harrison next noted that the Friends had in the past held a
garden party as a fund-raiser, with varying degrees of success.
This year, she said, they had decided to hold a staff recognition
party at the home of Cathy Boyd.
Marvin Hilton, the city cable administrator, called during work
week, Harrison said, to suggest a regular time slot for library
news and information. The library would not be charged for this,
she said, and she will be contacting Hilton on the matter.
The board next turned its attention to a report from Hartsell
on the library's continuing problem with the overdues software
program it had purchased from Right On Programs. Koenig said
the library should get its money back. The staff members said
they would proceed with that plan.
Johnson next reported on an alternative funding measure involving
money from the city's hotel, motel and restaurant (HMR) taxes.
Godfrey had presented copies of two successful grant applications
for those funds. He said the genealogical staff members now
will model an application based on the examples Godfrey had
presented, although current plans are being scaled back after
looking at the successful applications. Johnson noted that in
talking with others who had submitted applications for HMR funds,
he had been informed that it was "a very political situation."
Koenig noted that the tax is funded by businesses in the
hospitality industry and that projects are approved that can
attract tourists into Fayetteville to support this industry.
Johnson said plans were to complete the application by October.
Phillips expressed disappointment that the Four Corners Ancestor
Fair in July had been held in Springdale and not in Fayetteville
and said she had conveyed that disappointment to Ann Sugg of
the county historical society, which sponsored the event. She
had asked if the event could have been held at the university,
such as Barnhill Arena, for example. Sugg had told her that
she had asked about obtaining space from the university and
had gotten no response. She asked Sugg to reconsider holding
the event in Fayetteville next year.
Thomas observed that advance planning could help. Koenig said
that if a suitable facility existed in Fayetteville, someone
should contact Marilyn Johnson of the Fayetteville Chamber of
Commerce for assistance. Godfrey noted that classroom space
would be needed for workshops in addition to the booth space
needed. Koenig said someone needed to take the matter "to the
right person with the horsepower to make those kinds of things
happen." He said it would be a benefit to the library. He
suggested that Marilyn Johnson be asked to recruit the historical
society on behalf of the Fayetteville Public Library Board of
Trustees. Godfrey noted that 1,000 attended the first year and
1,500 the second year, although that number might be higher.
Godfrey also said it was her understanding that the fair had
already been scheduled for the convention hall at Springdale
next year. Jefferson suggested after more discussion that it
would be more appropriate for Harrison to draft the letter to
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Marilyn Johnson on behalf of the genealogy department.
The board next considered the lengthy United Way application
included in the packet. Phillips noted that the board had sought
out the application in response to the city's request that the
library board pursue other means of financing the facility.
Board members expressed a sense of disbelief at the length of
the admission process for that agency and at all the requirements
associated with it.
Koenig asked if the staff had participated in United Way
donations previously. Harrison said individuals had. She also
noted that the library would have to print "A United Way Agency"
on its letterhead if it were accepted into the program and that
the United Way would have to approve of all requests for
expenditure of funds. Fund-raisers would have to be approved
by the United Way and a portion of the proceeds shared. Donation
jars in the library would have to be removed. Jefferson said
she did not think the library's chances for acceptance into
the agency were very good. (Portions of this discussion were
inadudible.)
Singleton said that, even if the library did receive some money,
it could be faced with public relations problems and the library
could be perceived as taking money from other programs, such
as the Boy Scouts.
The board tabled the motion (Koenig, Phillips).
Johnson next took up the pilot magazine project, in which the
reference staff has endeavored to match 20 magazines with 20
local organizations in an effort to increase the periodicals
holdings of the library. He said, pending board approval, a
letter requesting a three-year commitment from each organization
would be mailed and that a phone -call follow-up would be made
to determine if the organizations would be interested. Johnson
said the list was compiled from reference department files
listing organizations and contact persons and patron requests
for periodicals.
The board commended Johnson for the work done so far. Koenig
said the two city Rotary Clubs should be added to the list of
organizations and said those two groups likely would support
any publication the library would like to add.
Johnson said he had wanted to keep the pilot program on a small
scale at first to see if it would be successful. He also wanted
to make sure that additional magazines were indexed on Proquest
for convenience's sake. Burdette noted that donated periodicals
should be marked in some way to let patrons know who had provided
the additions, and Harrison said extra reecognition markings
would be placed in magazine display slots for that purpose.
Koenig also suggested sending a press release to the local papers
and other media.
Singleton suggested adding commercial enterprises to the list
of potential donors. He volunteered to assist Johnson in drafting
the letter and assisting with follow-up telephone calls.
Jefferson also noted that the pilot program would need to be
consistent with the present policy of accepting gift
subscriptions. (The rest of Jefferson's comments were inaudible.)
Thomas brought up the topic of a library benefit for the library
after having talked to a Mrs. Bob Gaddy on the subject. Thomas
said a local bed -and -breakfast business would charge $11-$12
per person for hors d'oeuvres, which would be her cost for food
and labor with no markup. He said he had drawn the conclusion
that it was a lot of work for just a little money, even with
charging $50 per person. Phillips noted that entertainment would
need to be provided to encourage turnout.
Koenig said some groups target individuals to become founders
or patrons to underwrite the cost. That would require earmarking
the money for specific projects, he noted.
Singleton suggested a "non -campaign" so that no one has to do
anything except write a check. Phillips added that she receives
an invitation each year from the Humane Society to a black -tie
non -dinner, and she can't wait to write a check. Singleton
suggested using the library's database for this purpose. Phillips
said Koenig could obtain the Chamber of Commerce's database.
Duree said much of the library's paper database is not •current.
Singleton said volunteers could agree to send 10 invitations
apiece to defray expenses. Other board members agreed the idea
had merit.
Koenig also suggested that people could have their names placed
on a plaque for a certain amount of money donated. Some people
will do it almost automatically, Koenig said. Duree noted that
it would be permissable to use the database for this fund-raising
purpose without violating any privacy acts. She said the last
legislative session had made that use permissable and said she
would doubiecheck that before the next meeting.
Phillips said much work had gone into collecting $67,000 for
the expansion fund that had allowed the purchase of chairs,
tables and other items when the library expanded in the early
1990s.
The group also discussed and dismissed participating in a
discount dining coupon booklet. They agreed that most of the
dining offers don't get used.
Thomas also mentioned organizing a 10 -page insert in the Morning
News, buying the space from the paper, letting the paper's staff
write it and getting library volunteers to sell the advertising
for it and getting the revenues. The board would not consider
that plan, citing difficulties with similar projects by other
groups in the past. The idea was tabled.
Burdette then reported on the volunteer program, which he said
is going well. It has been two months since the initial letters
were sent out about the program and positions requested; all
but two have been filled. He said staff members were pleased
with the program.
He said efforts were going forward to hold a dinner to recognize
volunteers, tentatively set for December 1. Hors d'oeuvres would
be served. Approximately 150 invitations would be sent, he said,
with about 75, including library staff members, expected to
attend. Phillips said she had contacted seven persons about
catering the event, and the lowest bid was $4.50 per person.
This included a variety of foods, punch, plates and a server,
plus cleanup. That total would be about $400, Burdette noted.
Phillips suggested getting members of the Northwest Arkansas
Symphony to entertain. The board agreed to raise the needed
money from outside and that no library funds would be used.
The board suggested going ahead and reserving caterers for the
event while they were still available. If the funds cannot be
raised, the order can be cancelled. Thomas said he could find
out about a site shortly. The $4.50 bid came from Tuesday's,
Phillips said.
Singleton raised a question about forming a foundation for
donations to the library. When he hears people talk about raising
money, he wonders where the money goes, and he noted that the
public school had formed a foundation. They are now soliciting
contributions. Should all the donations go to operations or
should they go to a foundation to take five percent here for
books, and five percent there for other needs, he asked. Koenig
said the school foundation uses a grant system. Harrison said
likely the city would just subtract any amount in a foundation
from the money it gives the library.
Duree reported on the recent meeting on automation. The total
cost was estimated at $1,414,449 for a five-year, system -wide
program. The hardware is one of the least expensive items. She
said the figures were based on the Innovative system.
Fayetteville and Springdale libraries would be automated first,
with smaller county libraries phased in as a final tier.
The only action the regional library board took, she said, was
that the regional system should automate but should not be
compatible with other systems, or a shared automation project
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with other schools in the area. This would mean that the library
would have to set up its own database, she said.
The next meeting of the Washington County Library Board, she
said, is to see if they can come up with their share of the
costs, and Duree said she doesn't believe that they can. In
a breakdown of headquarters costs versus branch costs, she said,
she didn't see how, with the current level of funding, the money
could be stretched to purchase the headquarters software and
also the costs of the branch expenses. Each branch will have
to come up with its own share of the automation costs, she said.
She said Fayetteville's cost for the five-year total would be
$88,000, a lower cost than Springdale's. It would be better
for the regional library, she said, if all libraries in the
system were automated, or the regional library will have to
operate a dual system, with paper for smaller branches and
automated procedures for others. The $88,000 figure, she said,
would not include electrical updates that would be needed.
Thomas said the regional board wanted an indication from the
Fayetteville board that it would agree to pay for Fayetteville's
automation system. Duree said the library would retain its own
autonomy.
The board voted to agree to the intent to pursue automation
as outlined (Koenig, Phillips). Duree added that Fayetteville
also would have to agree to purchase any furnishings necessary
for the project. Phillips said that was why the board had held
onto a sizeable bequest, so that the library could meet its
automation expenses.
The board instructed Harrison to deposit a $51 check from the
Ted Wiley estate into the operating account.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned (Koenig,
Burdette).
Respectfully submitted by:
Susan M. Sissom, staff
