JACKSON DISTRICT LIBRARY

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
APRIL 28, 2011
CLARE H. SERGEANT AUDITORIUM, 244 W. MICHIGAN AVE., JACKSON, MI

President Deborah Herbert called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL:
Board Members Present: James E. Best, Deborah A. Herbert, Lawrence S. Sanders and George H. Sewell
Board Members Absent: Teressa T. Delph, Darrell J. Durham, Theodore R. Kolman (all excused);
Director: Ishwar Laxminarayan.
Administrators Present: Vicki Baldwin, Jim Delaney, Michael Way
Others Present: Jean Dailey, Administrative Secretary; Lorraine Butchart, Nicole Gilbert, Richard Silcher and Donna Smith. Public attendance sign in sheet attached to official minutes.

Consent Calendar: Moved by Larry Sanders, supported by Jim Best, that the consent calendar be approved as presented, inclusive of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 24, 2011, as well as the Gifts and Donations and Personnel Actions. Special note was taken of contributions which reflect the esteem in which some people hold the Library. Motion carried unanimously.

Public Forum: The meeting was opened for public comment. There were no comments at this time.

Special Announcements/Presentations: Nicole Gilbert presented information regarding the Napoleon Branch. She has been with Jackson District Library since 2003 and took over as the Napoleon Branch Manager a little over a year ago. During her presentation, Nicole highlighted the staff; the importance of the library to the Napoleon community; the Leveled Readers Program; improvements that have been made in the past year to make the library more “warm and welcoming; and programming including Preschool Storytime, Rock the Shelves, and special author events. In addition, she participates in community events including the Bike Rodeo, Napoleon Schools’ Haunted House and Chamber of Commerce meetings where she serves on the scholarship committee and manages their Facebook page. She has been invited to meet on May 11th with a group interested in renovating the High School. The board thanked Nicole for her report.
Current Bills: Moved by George Sewell, supported by James Best, to approve the current bills for March 2011 as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

Financial Reports: Ishwar and Vicki Baldwin answered questions regarding the Strategic Initiatives, Property Tax Refunds, Retiree Health Care and Materials Prior Year line items. Moved by Jim Best, supported by George Sewell, to approve the current financial reports for March, 2011 as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

Committee Reports:
Facilities Committee: There was no report.

Finance Committee: James Best reported on and reviewed the minutes of the April 19, 2011 Finance Committee meeting which included a presentation on Investments by Frank Hones, updated Purchasing Policy, disposition of library property, Community Link Foundation, and the March financials. The next Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for May 17, 2011 with Juli Kolbe and Adam Brown from Jackson County scheduled to present. The entire board is invited to this meeting which will be held in the Auditorium.

Personnel Committee: Deborah Herbert reported that the Personnel Committee meeting minutes from the March 24, 2011 meeting were included in this month’s board packet.

Director’s Report and Activities: Ishwar highlighted items from the his report that included community events, “Fancy Nancy Truffles; digital signage; and the makeover of the 700’s Room, Main Restroom and Magazine Room at Carnegie prior to Word Wise the weekend of May 13-14, 2011. He also reported that the newsletter distribution continues to grow and we receive numerous compliments on this publication.

Circulation statistics continue to increase. Digital content is up and most branches reflect an increase over the month of March from previous years. Public computer use also shows an increase. There was general discussion regarding the circulation, computer and database statistics.

Old Business:
Woodlands Library Cooperative: There was no report.

Young Poets Contest Awards 2011: Jean Dailey reported that the awards ceremony was held at Jackson High School Auditorium on Thursday, April 14, 2011. Approximately 300 students, teachers, parents and friends attended. Senator Noffs spoke and numerous compliments on the program were received. In addition, there was an offer of sponsorship for next year’s program. This year’s sponsors were the Jackson Literary and Art Association, Friends of the Jackson District Library and Jackson High School. Jean thanked Ishwar, Deb Herbert, Sara Tackett, Vicki Baldwin, Donna Smith and Joyce Betz for all their help with this year’s contest.

Other: Ishwar gave a brief update on the State Aid and budget situation in the Michigan Legislature.

New Business:
Finance Administrator’s Salary Adjustment: Based on a favorable Annual Evaluation, the Personnel Committee unanimously recommends an annual salary adjustment for the Finance Administrator. Moved by George Sewell, supported by Larry Sanders, to approve the Personnel Committee’s unanimous recommendation and annual salary adjustment for the Finance Administrator. Motion carried unanimously.

Purchasing Policy: Ishwar reviewed the Purchasing Policy with the recommended changes from the Finance Committee. Moved by George Sewell, supported by Jim Best to approve the new purchasing policy. Motion carried unanimously.

Other: There was no other new business.

Communications: Communications were included in the packet.

Public Forum: The meeting was opened for public comment. Jim Delaney distributed the report on the Employee Satisfaction Survey.

Richard Silcher commented on the new addition to Sharp Park School and suggested that this type of structure would make an excellent library.

Vicki Baldwin thanked the board for her salary adjustment.

Trustee Comments: Jim Best commented that another organization he is involved with is considering emailing their newsletter instead of mailing a print version. He wondered if the library had considered that option. Donna Smith explained that currently we do both email and print versions. In addition, it is also published on our website. Ishwar commented that we have received many positive comments on our printed newsletter and by using the bulk mailing rate, we have also reduced postage costs.

George Sewell complimented Nicole Gilbert on her wonderful presentation about the Napoleon Branch Library.

Moved by Larry Sanders, supported by George Sewell, that the meeting be adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,
James E. Best
Secretary/Treasurer
(Jean Dailey, Recorder)