October 2000 Library Board Minutes

Minutes of Scheduled Board of Trustees Meeting

October 18, 2000

Call to Order

The regular Meeting of the Library Board of Trustees was called to order at 7:10p.m. In attendance were Board President Campbell Geeslin, Trustees Toni Cox-Burns, Janet Elmiger, Hope Furth, Saul Yanofsky, Library Director Sandra Miranda, and Assistant Library Director Charlotte Szabo. Absent with notice were Trustees Betsy DeSoye, P.Lynn Oliva, and Don Simmons.

Minutes of the Special and Regular Meetings of the Library Board of Trustees

The minutes of the Special and Regular Meetings of the Library Board of Trustees of September 20, 2000 were approved on a motion by Trustee Elmiger, seconded by Trustee Yanofsky.

City Expenditure & Revenue Budget Reports

City Expenditure & Revenue Budget Reports as of 9/30/00 were not received in time for Board Meeting.

2000/01 Budget #5, #6

The payment of bill vouchers #5 and #6 were approved on a motion by Trustee Yanofsky, seconded by Trustee Elmiger.

Report of Library Administration

Department reports for September 2000 were reviewed by the Board. Library Director Miranda reported that Councilman Bill King plans to attend the November 15th Board Meeting to discuss his ideas for possible use of the Library Plaza. The Board congratulated Adult Services Librarian, Cassie Trace, on being one of the 200 U. S. librarians selected this year to participate in the ALA-FIL Free Pass Program to attend the Guadalajara (Mexico) Book Fair, from November 25th-December 3rd. Cassie will be evaluating and purchasing Spanish language materials for our collection; purchases will be courtesy of the Library Foundation. The new public copiers have been installed and take debit card payments only. This change resulted in a surge of debit card sales and some complaints from the public. We expect these complaints will subside, as White Plains residents learn that their library cards function as debit cards, and non-resident users adapt.

WLS

Library Director Miranda asked if any Board members planned to attend the WLS 41^st Annual Dinner on November 16^th where Board President Campbell Geeslin will be honored our community’s "Millennium Author." Attendees from the Library will be Charlotte Szabo, Barbara Wenglin and Sandy Miranda. With respect to the WLS Strategic Plan process, Mrs. Miranda reported on the WLS Town Meeting on literacy held at White Plains on and requested representation from the Library Trustees for one of the upcoming WLS Trustee Focus Groups. Mrs. Miranda reviewed the status of the Newspaper Index project with WLS. Problems with the search functions of the database have been corrected, and a schedule for handling the backlog has just been given. The WLS technology manager is still looking for ways to speed up the inputting process.

Friends

The Friends Big Book Sale will be held October 28th and 29th, and their second annual Westchester Friends Conference will be held on November 30th with speaker Sandy Dolnick, Executive Director, Friends of Libraries USA.

Foundation

Trustee Cox-Burns reported that the White Plains Library Foundation’s Poetry & Jazz fundraiser held on October 7th was a memorable and successful event. The Minutes of the Foundation Board of Directors Meeting, September 13, 2000 were distributed. Mrs. Miranda spoke to the strategies for closing the Centennial Campaign, especially the general and special appeals. The Library Vision document was approved, with a correction noted, on a motion by Trustee Elmiger, seconded by Trustee Yanofsky.

Advocacy

Library Director Miranda spoke about the upcoming County Budget hearings and the Regents 2001-2002 budget proposal. The latest federal attempt at Internet filtering legislation on the federal level was brought to the attention of the Board.

Community Outreach

Library Director Miranda reported that she is scheduled to speak about the Library’s services, collections and programs to the PTA Council, October 26th, and shared her agenda with the Board. Some Library staff and trustees will be attending with Mrs. Miranda. Trustee Cox-Burns reported that Pastor Maddox of the A. M. E. Zion Church has kindly agreed to assist trustees and staff in setting up a meeting with his ministers group in White Plains so they may educate their congregations about the Library.

Board Vacancies

The Trustees renewed their commitment to seek out citizens interested in serving on the Board of Trustees and encourage them to apply to the City for consideration.

PERSONNEL

25 Year Service Award

The Board extends congratulations to Library Assistant, Gloria Fernau, on receiving the City’s 25 Year Service Award.

Business Manager Vacancy

Mrs. Miranda reported that she recommends that we promote an internal candidate, assuming eligibility based on Civil Service testing, in lieu of pursuing appointment to fill the Business Manager position. Replacement would then be needed for the person promoted. The Board agreed with this strategy.

Librarian Vacancies

Assistant Library Director Szabo reported that few responses were received for Librarian I as a result of the ad we ran in The New York Times. The ad copy was also listed with online job services and disseminated to Westchester public libraries and graduate programs in library/information science in the New York area. Mrs. Miranda and Ms. Szabo emphasized the gravity of the situation given the number of vacancies, the tight labor market for information professionals and the expectations of prospects for salaries much higher than we currently can offer.

Support Staff Vacancy

Library Director Miranda informed the Board that she has filed to fill a full-time Library Clerk vacancy in Periodicals with a member of our part-time staff, Loretta DuBose.

Maintenance Vacancy

A full-time maintenance worker is being sought to replace a recent hire who was transferred by DPW to Public Safety.

Staff actions - Union negotiations

Mrs. Miranda apprised the Board of recent actions by full-time Library employees to express frustration and investigate why an agreement has not been reached on a new union contract. An article and letters which appeared in the Journal News were brought to Board attention. Mrs. Miranda reported that CSEA union leadership and library staff have met since these were published to discuss contract issues.

Personnel Added & Deleted from Payroll July 1 - September 30, 2000

List of Personnel Added & Deleted from Library Payroll July 1 - September 30, 2000 was approved on a motion by Trustee Elmiger, seconded from Trustee Cox-Burns.

Vacation Allowances

Library Director Miranda reviewed materials prepared for Law Dept. and drafted for full-time staff regarding vacation allowances for full-time employees. She reported that the Law Dept. has directed the Library to continue current practice of allocating vacation time until notified otherwise, and that the issues that have been raised will be examined further and direction given as soon as possible.

GRANTS, GIFTS

Resolution for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Library Board of Trustees, on a motion by Trustee Cox-Burns, seconded by Trustee Elmiger, approved a resolution for the Library Director to prepare a communication to the Mayor and City Council to announce a grant of $23,958 awarded to the Library by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The purpose of this grant is to expand public access to computers and the Internet.

Resolution for Reader’s Digest Endowed Book Fund

Mrs. Miranda reported that Reader’s Digest has decided that it must convey the principal of the Endowed Book Fund directly to the Library Board, which then may convey it to the Foundation, as it chooses. Reader’s Digest has therefore requested the Library Board to pass a resolution agreeing to terms of conveyance, and this resolution was passed on a motion by Trustee Furth, seconded by Trustee Elmiger.

Resolution for Reader’s Digest Tall Trees "Teacher in the Library"

The Library Board approved acceptance of a renewal grant of $9,000 from the Reader’s Digest Foundation to the Library and the White Plains Public Schools for a one-year renewal grant for the Teacher in the Library program and to request the Common Council to increase the operating budget and expenses by this amount on a motion by Trustee Furth, seconded by Trustee Elmiger.

Notification regarding New York Council for the Humanities Grant

The Trustees expressed appreciation to Adult Services Librarian Barbara Wenglin for obtaining a Speakers in the Humanities award. This grant will pay an honorarium and travel expenses for noted historian and Holocaust scholar, Jud Newborn, Ph.D. to present a lecture on "Defying Hitler: The White Rose Anti-Nazi Resistance," November 20, 2000.

Consideration of Gift from Local Resident

Per terms of Library Gift Policy, the Board of Trustees approved acceptance of a gift from White Plains resident, Barbara Bloch Benjamin, on a motion by Trustee Elmiger, seconded by Trustee Furth. This gift consists of a silkscreen rubbing of William Shakespeare’s gravestone, unframed, a framed print of William Shakespeare and a framed print of Shakespeare’s house, and The First Folio of Shakespeare (Norton facsimile, 1968, 1^st edition). Mrs. Benjamin offered the gift as a memorial to her late husband Ted Benjamin. The Board extends thanks and appreciation to Mrs. Benjamin for donating this gift of literary significance.

Gift Fund

Approval was requested and received to purchase a color printer/fax/scanner for Administration for up to $4,000 on a motion by Trustee Elmiger, seconded by Trustee Cox-Burns.

Capital Projects

Library Director Miranda requested and received Board approval to re-submit second floor renovation as a Capital Project on a motion by Trustee Cox-Burns, seconded by Trustee Elmiger. Mrs. Miranda reported that the contract for the carpet installation has been awarded. DPW expects the installation to begin mid-November, with an estimated time of two weeks to completion. The architect has given DPW specifications on the study cubicles, with DPW preparing bid.

Disposition of obsolete computer equipment

Approval was requested and received to dispose of obsolete computer equipment per Department of Purchase guidelines on a motion By Trustee Elmiger, seconded by Trustee Furth. This equipment will be donated to community groups to address digital divide and made available to staff for purchase.

NYLA Conference

Approval was received for Library Director Miranda to attend the NYLA Conference, Saratoga, New York, November 2-4, 2000 and be reimbursed normal expenses on a motion by Trustee Furth, seconded by Trustee Elmiger.

Hours Survey

Summary results from a Patron Survey on Library Hours, conducted from August 14 - September 11, 2000, were reviewed. Survey results will be sent to the local newspapers for public information. Library Director Miranda expressed her thanks and appreciation to Adult Services Librarian, Tim Baird, for creating the statistical presentation.

Statistical reports

Statistical reports for July - October 2000 will be ready for the November Board Meeting.

Adjournment

There being no more business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35p.m. on a motion by Trustee Elmiger, seconded by Trustee Furth.

Janet Elmiger, Secretary Pro Tem

Library Board of Trustees