North Liberty Community Library
Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
January 19, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

President Shawn Selch called the meeting to order at 7:00pm at the North Liberty City Council Chambers, 25 W. Cherry St.

Board members present were: Dee Crowner, Matt Irving, Melissa Murphy, Shawn Selch, Shalome Tonelli .

Approval of Agenda:
Add Program Policy and Collection Development Policy to Other Business.

Public Comment: Board members introduced themselves to a potential applicant to the Board

Approval of Minutes:
Irving moved, Tonelli seconded that minutes be approved as written, unanimous approval.

Reports:

Budget –

With the arrival of a new baby to the Library family, insurance costs will increase. Money to cover the cost has been found in other budget lines.

Melanie will be co-director of youth and teen services in the upcoming budget year.

The Board prefers Jennie's reader-friendly version of the budget over the City supplied version.

Youth and Teen Services –
December activities included Wii games, a snow day for toddlers, and the showing of Space Chimps.

Comic book creation program had 10 participants, and a second program on the 22nd is targeted to young adults.

The Swisher Friends of the Library approached NLCL for help in showing their community how it can benefit from a library. To build support for a library, Andrew will offer story times in Swisher.

Kung Fu Panda was shown January 19, 2009.

Valentine activities are planned for February.

A teen knitting group will start in February.

Adult Services –
NLCL received a $300 grant from leftover RAGBRAI money for the purchase of Wii games.

The Last Tuesday Book Club is reading The Secret Life of Bees.

Friday senior dining programs have been well-received.

Assistant Director –
NLCL was not chosen for Library Journal's Best Library in America grant.

Jennie chairs ILA's leadership committee.

Jennie was invited to be East Central representative for the Iowa Small Library Association, but turned it down due to her many other commitments.

The state library is expected to be done with SILO by the end of the month. Our catalog is up to date and ready for submission to SILO.

Director – Dee Crowner:
NLCL will host a UI student for a practicum this semester. Her background is in academic libraries, and her interest areas are adult, reference, and youth/teen. She will be working on Wednesday nights to work with both Elaine and Melanie

NLCL received $250 from Collins Community Credit Union to mark the occasion of their ribbon cutting.

Ron Bandy donated a triceratops to the Library. It (the gender is in question) resides in the juvenile section.

A combination of funds from Collins Community and the RAGBRAI grant will be used to purchase genealogy software.

Janet wrote a grant for the Picturing America Award, which we received. The Library will receive 40 art reproductions for display. Janet will plan an open house and work with schools to show off the acquisition and put it to good use. We should receive the works in March or April.

Three people have applied for the open Board positions. Applications will be taken until January 30, and the City Council is expected to act at its first February meeting.

Library t-shirts and polo shirts are available for $5 in most colors and sizes.

Friends
Friends received a $500 grant from the RAGBRAI committee for DVDS for Movie Mania and genealogy database.

Membership brochures and newsletter are scheduled to go out in February.

The poinsettia sale earned about $600.

The next meeting will be held in February.

Policy Review:
Mission Statement – No changes suggested, Irving moved, Tonelli seconded to adopt as written, unanimous approval.

Commitment to Excellence – No changes suggested, Irving moved, Tonelli seconded to adopt as written, unanimous approval.

Volunteer Policy – No changes suggested, Irving moved, Tonelli seconded to adopt as written, unanimous approval.

Old Business:
Expansion Committee – Nothing to report.

Library Handbook Committee – Committee dissolved due to perceived lack of need

New Business:
Annual Calendar – Currently, the Board self-evaluation is scheduled for right after the appointing of new members. Selch suggested moving to January, as members should be acclimated to the Board before being asked to evaluate it. Discussion ensued and all agreed that members should have the opportunity to actually do the work of the Board before being asked to evaluate its effectiveness. The revised calendar will call for Board self-evaluation materials to be distributed in January and results compiled in February. Since the Board self-evaluation has been only recently completed, this change will begin in January 2010.

Other Business:
Policies Pending – Board approval of revamped Program Policy and Collection Development Policy has been overlooked. Dee will send both out for review before the February meeting.

Matt – This is likely Matt's last meeting as a Board member, although he will continue to serve on the expansion committee. Shawn thanked Matt for his hard work on the Board.

Adjournment:
Tonelli moved, Irving seconded. Unanimous approval.