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Administrative Offices ♦ 4570 N. Victoria St. ♦ Shoreview, MN 55126-5863 ♦ (651) 486-2200 ♦ FAX (651) 486-2220
LIBRARY BOARD PRESENT:
Beverly Aplikowski, Paula Mielke, Janice Rapheal, Kim Vanderwall, Roberta Weltzin
LIBRARY BOARD ABSENT:
Matthew Anderson
STAFF PRESENT:
Susan Nemitz, Library Director; Mary Larson, Library Board Coordinator; Julie Neville, Property Manager; Bill Michel, Maplewood Library Manager; Lynn Wyman, Deputy Director; Carrie Watts, North St. Paul Library Manager
OTHERS PRESENT:
John Hakes, Shoreview resident; Scott Duddeck, North St. Paul Fire Chief/Director of Public Works
CALL TO ORDER:
Mielke called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. in the Fireside Room of the Ramsey County Library in North St. Paul, 2300 North St. Paul Drive.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
No public comment.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES:
Aplikowski made a motion to approve the agenda for March 20, 2013 and the minutes of February 20, 2013, as presented. Weltzin seconded the motion, which was approved by unanimous vote.
ANNUAL REPORT TO STATE:
State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, coordinates a statistical survey on library usage, collection size, staffing distribution, etc. for every library in Minnesota each year. Libraries are required to submit their annual data to the State Library Services Office no later than April 1.
Policymakers, library administrators and the general public can use the statistical data to plan and evaluate library development and services. Data for public, academic and state library agencies is available from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Aplikowski made a motion to authorize the Library Board Chair and Library Director to sign and submit the 2012 Public Library Annual Report to the Office of State Library Services as mandated. Weltzin seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
RESOLUTION REGARDING THE RETIREMENT OF STEVE ENNEY:
Aplikowski made a motion to approve the Resolution Regarding the Retirement of Steven Enney, and to authorize the Library Board Chair to sign the document. Weltzin seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
PC REPLACEMENTS:
Ramsey County Library has a five year computer replacement cycle. This timeline is increased if systems are capable of reliable use. The following factors determine how long a computer should be used:
· Age - as computers age, repairs tend to get more expensive and downtime gets longer because technology becomes out of date.
· Efficiency - newer computers tend to be more energy efficient.
· Productivity - requirements for current software keep increasing. Older computers can decrease staff and customer productivity as they slow down. This not only relates to office applications like word processing, but required antivirus and security software too.
· Environment - a business or public environment with heavy use tends to negatively impact the life of a computer.
The Library inventory has grown to over 500 computers (including laptop labs); with the current schedule replacing 90 computers. The primary locations will be at Maplewood and North St. Paul, where most computers have been in service for six years. Newer systems being installed will be more energy efficient, include additional processing speed and memory to better run current applications, and have larger monitors to accommodate users.
Funding has been designated for the annual maintenance/replacement of computers. Computers will be purchased using the best pricing available through County/State contracts. Typical configurations are $700-$875/unit.
Aplikowski made a motion to approve spending $75,000-$80,000 for PC replacements in 2013 utilizing existing County/State master contracts. Weltzin seconded the motion, which was approved by unanimous vote.
NORTH ST. PAUL FACILITY UPDATE:
Independent School District 622 (North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale) entered into a lease agreement with the City of North St. Paul for the North St. Paul Community Center on February 26, 2013. They will lease 26,000 square feet for 27 months for the purpose of locating a District 622 Alternative Learning Center (ALC). The total cost to provide the facility for the first 15 months is estimated to be $226,250 and the final 12 months $223,000.The lease began on March 1.
The School District plans to move 25 students from the Harmony Learning Center to the building starting this fall.They hope to increase the number throughout the year to 100 students by school year end. Work based learning will be a central feature of the curriculum. Students will help manage the fitness center, coffee shop and meeting room facilities. The building will remain open to the public as a community center. Public computers in the building will still be available, but filtering to school district standards is an issue that needs to be resolved. Library hours are also a concern, as the city and school district would like to see more open hours to enhance student access.
Scott Duddeck, Director of North St. Paul Public Works, arranged a meeting between library staff, Susan Nemitz (Director) and Carrie Watts (Branch Manager) with school district staff, Joe Ricter (Principal of Alternative Programs) and Denny Fendt (Literacy Specialist). Discussions centered on partnership expectations and opportunities. The City of North St. Paul remains committed to ensuring the ongoing success of the Ramsey County Library in North St Paul.
Duddeck noted that North St. Paul was recently awarded the Resilient Community Award by the University of Minnesota.
NORTH ST. PAUL LIBRARY UPDATE:
Ramsey County Library in North St. Paul continues to be a popular destination in the community, with over 58,000 people coming through the doors in 2012. For its respective size, the library has exceptionally high circulation: almost 166,000 items circulated from the library last year. The most popular collections are adult fiction books, DVDs, and children’s picture books.
Wireless use in the building increased a dramatic 82.78%. New counters were installed along the floor to ceiling windows on the east side of the library. The counters are in almost constant use by patrons on laptops and students who are studying, clearly indicating the necessity of community gathering spaces.
Under the auspices of Children’s Librarian Tami Lee, attendance and programming for youth went up over 10%. Storytimes have become wildly popular with local families, drawing up to 70 participants. The library has also hosted local children’s author Molly Beth Griffin, the North St. Paul Fire Department, multicultural storytellers, and a community pediatrician. As usual, the Summer Reading Program was a hit with kids and parents. Entertainment over the summer included Wendy’s Wiggle, Jiggle & Jam, Como Zoo Bugawocky, and Treasure Beyond Measure.
Teen Librarian Amy Boese hosted a wide variety of teen programs, from creating felted pouches to learning how to make, record and edit your own podcasts (digital audio.)
Adult Programs included two book clubs per month, a series of computer classes, and two well-attended history programs.
TECHNOLOGY PLAN:
Ramsey County Library maintains a technology plan to support of its strategic initiatives. To simplify applying for technology funds outside the Library, the plan follows a format that easily identifies the elements for technology planning required by the Minnesota Department of Education.
The last planning cycle focused on streamlining work processes, expanding self service models, and providing up-to-date facilities to meet the needs of its customers. The next planning cycle builds on this technology and begins to focus on improving the user experience by creating collaborative/creative environments that support the demand for both traditional and digital literacy.
Wettergren reviewed the newest Technology Plan with the Library Board members, and distributed copies of RCL’s Edge assessment results. The Edge Initiative is a voluntary assessment program that includes benchmarks, best practices, tools and resources that support continuous improvement and drive reinvestment toward public technology. Nemitz demonstrated a children’s pop-up book on a tablet computer, noting that the children’s librarians would like to begin piloting storytime programs on tablets such as the iPad or a similar device.
2014-2015 BUDGET OVERVIEW:
The Ramsey County has begun the 2014-2015 budget process. Departments were directed to submit a levy target budget with a 1% reduction for 2014, and an additional 2% reduction for 2015, for a total levy reduction of 3% over two years.
Nemitz indicated that the budget exercises are part of the County’s two year budget cycle. The Library Board, at their February meeting, discussed three scenarios. Nemitz noted that planning for a zero-increase budget as one scenario would not be significantly different than the County’s reduction target, and she would prefer to show the potential real changes for the second scenario.
1. Follow the County’s instructions – absorb inflation, revenue losses and reduce the levy by 1% in 2014 and 2% in 2015.
This will require a base budget reduction of $548,793 in 2014 (about 5% of total budget) and an additional reduction of $327,864 in 2015 (about 7% of total budget). Much of this reduction is being driven by growth in expenditures, primarily salaries, health benefits and supplies, as well as projected decreases in revenue, from both fines and rental income. The Library will not be able to reduce expenditures at this level without major effects on public services.
2. Identify opportunities for reductions based upon current changes in business.
Staff is evaluating usage statistics of various services over time to determine opportunities for reductions. Automation improvements are easing staff workloads and may allow reductions to vacant page positions. Unfortunately, these positions are extremely part-time and do not carry benefits so that large savings are unlikely.
Analysis of the temporary closure of White Bear and Shoreview could theoretically save funds if these staff members were temporarily utilized to fill future vacancies during the closure. Closures of the buildings would also create savings within the facilities budget. These savings would be one-time savings.
An analysis of the collection is being completed. Staff believes that further erosion of materials expenditures would be problematic at this time.
Discussions of revenue enhancements have taken place. Ramsey County Library has the highest fines in the Metro area. Other library systems have been catching up. St. Paul Public Library does not charge late fees on children’s materials. Washington County does not charge late fees at all. The Library must be competitive within the regional environment and is not recommending an increase to the fine and fee structure at this time.
3. Identify strategic investments in library services for the future.
Several concepts are being explored:
· Develop Shoreview as a regional library
· Add to the materials budget
· Create a $50,000 student worker pool to support and expand children and youth programming in the Library
· Develop a low cost methodology to add three hours a week to the libraries in Mounds View, New Brighton, and North St. Paul
· Add Friday nights at Roseville
Additional information will be presented to the Library Board at the April meeting for approval.
REVIEW FINES & FEES:
Library fines are charged to encourage customers to return materials in good condition and in a timely manner, making them available for other customers. Revenue from fines and fees also reduces the suburban property tax levy. The Library Board reviews fines and fees every two years, in conjunction with Ramsey County’s budget process.
In 2011, Ramsey County Library’s maximum overdue charge per item for adult materials was raised from $10 to $15, and the maximum for children’s materials was raised from $5.00 to $7.50. Charges for both adult and children’s materials were capped at the replacement value of the item or the maximum overdue charge, whichever is less.
RCL’s daily overdue charge of $0.30 per day for adult materials is the same as the other MELSA libraries in the Twin Cities metro area, with the exception of Washington County, which only charges for lost items. Any increase would make RCL the highest in MELSA.
The Library’s circulation supervisors and management team have reviewed and discussed the fee structure, and did not recommend changes for this budget cycle.
MASTER PLANNING FOR SHOREVIEW AND WHITE BEAR LAKE:
Nemitz, along with Library Board members Matt Anderson and Roberta Weltzin and Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, made a presentation to the White Bear Lake City Council on the White Bear Lake proposal on February 26, 2013. The Council seemed pleased with the recommendations.
Nemitz, Anderson and Reinhardt made a presentation to the White Bear Lake Task Force on February 27, 2013 at the White Bear Lake Library. Task Force members asked how they could show continued support for the proposal. Commissioner Reinhardt outlined the County Board’s approval process. Sue Gehrz, Executive Director for the Friends, outlined the historical development of capital campaigns in other library communities. Three donations have already been given for the White Bear Lake campaign. There seemed to be broad community support. Members of the public expressed an interest in participating in the design process.
Nemitz, Mielke and Commissioner Blake Huffman made a presentation to the Shoreview City Council in a workshop format on the Shoreview proposal. Commissioner Huffman believes that the Library should consider building new space along Highway 96 and repurpose the old building. Representatives from the Lakeshore Players also attended and presented their vision for a new facility. The City Council seemed quite interested in further discussions with the Lakeshore Players.
Library staff is exploring the feasibility Commissioner Huffman’s proposal. The County’s CIPAC committee will be reviewing the library proposals on April 4th. Nemitz will present the proposals to the County Board in a workshop on April 9. Community presentations are scheduled with the White Bear Lake Rotary and Roseville Citizen Forum. Requests to provide presentations to other affected cities and community organizations have not been confirmed at this time.
The Library Board discussed the timing of the projects, and the upcoming presentations to the CIPAC committee and the County Board.
LIBRARY BOARD EVALUATION:
Vanderwall reported that an evaluation form will be sent to Library Board Trustees via SurveyMonkey. Paper copies will be available upon request. Results will be compiled and presented at the April meeting.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
County Commissioners interviewed several candidates for the Library Board on March 12. Interviews will be completed on March 19.
The staff in-service day will take place on Monday, March 18. All seven libraries will be closed. The program will include a presentation by Aaron Schmidt, Library Journal columnist and User Experience trainer. Library volunteers have been invited.