Board of Trustees

Pierce County Library System

Regular Meeting, April 11, 2012

Call To Order

Chair Stephen Albers called to order the regular meeting of the Pierce County Rural Library District Board of Trustees April 11, 2012, 3:32 pm. Board members present were Robert Allen, Linda Ishem, and J.J. McCament. Allen Rose was excused.

Public Comment

There was no comment.

Consent Agenda

1.  Minutes of the March 7, 2011 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees

2.  March 2012 Payroll, Benefits and Vouchers in the total amount of $2,058,343.51

a.  Payroll Warrants 3308 - 3310, dated 03/01/12 – 03/31/12 in the amount of $2,367.10

b.  Payroll Disbursement Voucher dated 03/06/12 in the amount of $500,298.50

c.  Payroll Disbursement Voucher dated 03/21/12 in the amount of $740,375.16

d.  Accounts Payable Warrants 617192 - 617470 dated 03/01/12 – 03/31/12 in the amount of $1,109,706.05

Ms. Ishem moved for approval of the consent agenda. Mr. Allen seconded the motion and it was passed.

Board Member Report

Mr. Allen: Mr. Allen reported on his attendance at the Public Library Association conference, noting that it was a great learning experience and immersion into library culture. The majority of the sessions he attended related to library advocacy and building a support base for the library. In terms of the advocacy, there were a number of things he found interesting, particularly those on connecting with the community. He shared several examples:

·  Know who your customer base is to better serve them based on that perspective.

·  Volunteers can be great library advocates. Get their stories of why they value the library enough to volunteer.

·  It’s important to connect with the diversity of the community and to make an effort to connect with groups outside of the standard.

·  Find ways to get people to tell their stories about ‘why libraries matter to me’. There is a document he found useful on how do libraries connect with the notable people in their community.

·  There is a program called “story corp station.” It’s a booth (similar to a kiosk) that encourages people to record their library story. It’s a way to capture the testimonials of why libraries matter to people.

·  Make a point to personally welcome meeting room users to enhance their exposure to the library.

·  Develop a “road show” telling about materials, resources and services available at the library.

·  Start a database of library champions, who can be called on as active library supporters.

·  Build unique partnerships and relationships, such as partnering with a fire district during their fire safety campaign. Other partnerships might be with Northwest Trek, professional sports teams or giving library card applications to new mothers in a hospital. Brainstorm ideas of how many things that could be done.

·  Be sure to use relevant data about why libraries are important to the community, such as the causal relationship between early childhood literacy and how it relates to education and success as an adult and data that communities located closer to libraries have higher home values.

Mr. Albers mentioned that such activities connect with one of the concepts that the board spoke about during their discussion on the role of trustees.

Mr. Allen also spoke to a presentation on “Libraries To Go”, a kiosk program was affordable and visually interesting. He suggested it might be an interesting approach to how PCLS could service communities previously served by the bookmobile. He also attended a couple of sessions on Intellectual Freedom and found them not very definitive as related to legal issues and opinions.

Ms. Ishem: Ms. Ishem mentioned that she had received an email regarding Pinterest, a social media site that invites people to tell their stories through pictures and photographs. She was pleased that she had first heard about it from the library and it was demonstration that library staff were in the forefront of new technological opportunities. She also said that Mr. Allen’s report reminded her of the Board conversation last month about showcasing the library and community relations. She appreciated the opportunity to have specific examples of what other libraries are talking about.

Mr. Albers: Mr. Albers, Mr. Allen, Ms. Parikh and Ms. Lomax attended a presentation on “Why Libraries Matter,” by Molly Raphael, ALA President, at the Seattle Public. One of the key messages was that libraries need to have active conversations with the community about where libraries are going. It’s important to share transformational stories, and the role of libraries in strengthening the economic health of a community. One of the future challenges will be balancing physical space and virtual services and determining where those services are going. Other concepts related to collection vs. creation – a creation library has expanded it roles; and portal to archive libraries. It was a very thoughtful presentation. Mr. Albers noted that the PCLS program “Our Own Expressions” is an example of the creation concepts. Ms. Parikh noted that the teen station at University Place branch encourages teens to be creative.

Ms. McCament: Ms. McCament also attended the Public Library Conference and felt it was a wonderful experience. She found some of the sessions really interesting, particularly the one presented by Joan Frye Williams and George Needham and a session on budgetary issues and measurements. She also wished to commend Judy Nelson for her presentation. She stated that as a library trustee, she felt the PLA presentations were more useful and relevant to her than those at the ALA conference

Mr. Albers stated that the reports reinforced for him that it was vital to be that ‘connector’, as well as providing advocacy and accountability. The library and trustees must continue to be visionary, ensure that a customer-focused organization is maintained and keep present and active in community discussions. He asked that trustees keep those key concepts in mind during their deliberations. He reminded the Board that the Executive Director had said that she wishes the Board to be pushing the library; not the library pushing the Board

Officer Report

1. Fife Artwork: Ms. Parikh shared photos of the newly installed sculpture placed in the courtyard of the Fife Library. The Board had accepted the artwork donation at its March meeting.

2. Learning Environment at Lakewood: Pierce County Library Foundation has undertaken a fundraising campaign for interactive enhancements to the children’s area and technology for the teen areas at Lakewood Branch. Ms. Parikh shared photos of the new kids interactive pieces placed on shelf ends in the branch. Parents and children are very happy with the pieces and they are being well used.

3. Parking Space Data: The Board had been sent branch parking data, which identified locations that need improvement. Four locations do not meet the Library’s standard of 4 spaces per 1,000 square foot of building floor space. Those branches are Lakewood, Eatonville, Orting and Key Center. Ms. Parikh stated that it is particularly a problem during peak usage times. Ms. McCament suggested the information be shared with Chuck West, who has expressed his concerns about available parking at Key Center. Ms. Lomax noted that there are not good overflow parking options for Key Center. Mr. Albers said that he noticed that there doesn’t seem to be consistent ‘peak usage’ time among the branches. Ms. Lomax also noted that the chart doesn’t tell us how many people come in a car or the number of people in a car. It does indicate that the Library needs to examine its general parking ratio. In response to a question about customer parking complaints, Ms. Parikh stated that complaints have been primarily from Lakewood and Gig Harbor branches.

4. February 2012 Statistical Snapshot: Ms. Lomax reported that she had revised the statistical snapshot to include long-term information. In response to a comment about decreased circulation figures, she stated that there had been branch closures due to renovations and the ice/snow storm, and the introduction of the new DVD media banks that affected circulation figures. Mr. Albers suggested that comments or explanatory notes be added in such instances.

5. Staff Longevity Awards: Ms. Parikh shared a list of recipients of staff longevity awards for 20, 25 and 30 years of service to the Library System.

6. Staff Participation in Community Organizations: The Board had been given a list of staff participation in community organizations that include regular attendance and participation in a community group. Mr. Albers noted that some appeared to be collaborative efforts between the library and organization. He stated that he would like the Library to find a way to develop connections and outcomes where the library can play a role, particularly related to economic impacts. He suggested that credit unions are involved with financial literacy and might make a good partner. Ms. McCament noted that a connection should be made with the Pierce County Housing Authority. Ms. Porter Smith reported that the Library has an active relationship with them, and there are bookmobile stops at some of their apartment locations.

7. Digital Board of Trustee Packets: Ms. Lomax asked the Board if they were interested in receiving their meeting packets in a digital format rather than paper. It is becoming a more common method for cities and organizations. She briefly demonstrated how it might work on an IPad. The Board indicated they would be interested, so the Library will examine the issue in more depth and report back to the Board.

8. Stories: Ms. Parikh shared stories of how the library is making a difference to their customers.

Tillicum Branch (two stories):

Our customer is an adult who has been coming to the Tillicum library for several years. She originally came to the library as an illiterate adult, unable to read. Tillicum staff strengthened the bonds of confidence and through this trust she eventually did learn how to read and became very fond of the Boxcar Children series by Warner. Unfortunately, her eyesight has been gradually diminishing, so we have been systematically ordering audio books for her based on her interests. Last week she shared the fact that she grew up with severe abuse and neglect as a child, which explained her illiteracy. She also shared her deep love for the library system and the renewed life it opened up for her through books.

We were laughing with a customer about her excitement to discover TV series on DVD since she has no cable for regular TV. She has no teeth, dresses shabbily, and lives alone. During our dialogue, tears came to her eyes and she blurted out, “I just gotta make it to my library; it’s the only thing keeping me going right now…” This woman struggles with severe depression, multiple life tragedies, and loneliness. The library is her refuge.

Pierce County Library Foundation: A year ago, Lynne Hoffman received a note written on the back of a pledge card with a check for $1,000. This was the second payment on a 3-Year Millennium Pledge of $3,000. The handwritten note said: “Hello folks, I just wanted to let you know that it is our hope to complete our agreement on the Millennium Society for a total of $3,000. We are a family that has been hit with a layoff. However, we are doing fine and hope to fulfill our obligation. If things turn for the worse, I may need to talk about this.”

A year passes and we receive another gift of $1,000 from this couple. Lynne picked up the phone to thank them for their gift, especially in light of their hardships last year. They explained that things were all right now. Lynne asked them why they made and kept these very generous gifts to the library. They said that while they always valued the free access to books for everyone, in light of their recent layoff situation they especially appreciated what the library was doing in the face of the unemployment crisis with so many people out of work. So, they were proud to be able to fulfill their pledge.

Unfinished Business

1. University Place Library Project Update: Lorie Erickson, Facilities Director, reported that LEED certification is well underway and only one item is needed to finish the commissioning report. Koppe Wagoner has completed the red line drawings and record drawings have been received by the Library.

New Business

1. New Website for Military Families: Meghan Sullivan gave a tour of the new “Military Connections” webpage. The page was developed by the Military Families Task Force and Virtual Services. Information already available on the PCLS website was repackaged in an accessible manner that addresses the information needs of local military members and families. It also links to the Job and Business Center webpage. It provides a place to directly ask for additional information or support and to suggest additional links that might be useful for military families. The webpage has been shared extensively with military related organizations and the Washington State Library. It lets our military families know that we support them.

2. Pierce County Library Foundation Agreement: Mr. Jo presented the 2012 Foundation/Library Agreement and Addendum for Board approval. The contract is reviewed annually. He noted that the contract value is $163,000. However, it also addresses the value the Foundation provides beyond revenue related to library advocacy and promoting the library. He used “Our Own Expressions” as an example of a project that used Foundation staff time and promoted the library. The addendum specifically addresses recording library advocacy and promotion efforts. Mr. Jo noted that it will make the Foundation’s efforts more transparent to the community and clearly document that the benefit received from the Foundation is greater than the financial support provided by the Library.