Patrick Markey, Chair (presiding)

Commissioners Barbara Garvey, Craig Givens, Sheila McElwaine, Rudy Ruggeri, Vera O’Connor.

Absent: Madeline Landrau

Emily Bader, Director
Lee Fogarty, Assistant Director
Carol Leaders, Business Manager
Janet Stupak, Volunteer Coordinator (minute taker)

Call to order:

5:30 p.m.

1. Opening reading

None
[Next month: Ms. Landrau]

2. Minutes of the January 4, 2007 Meeting

Ms. Garvey moved, with Ms. O’Connor providing the second, to accept the minutes of the January 4, 2007 meeting of the Springfield Library Board of Commissioners with one correction. This correction as proposed by Ms. McElwaine:

Under 6. Other Business:

3. Library Advisory Committee Reports:

Marge Guess of the Mason Square Advisory Committee requested that all meetings of the Mason Square Steering Committee be announced in the newspapers.

Director Bader will ask the Library’s Community Relations Coordinator to handle this. The Director’s Office will send meeting notices to City Hall so that the dates of the Steering Committee meetings will be posted on the City’s web site.

Ms. Guess also asked if the Library could post on its web site answers to the frequently asked questions pertaining to the new Mason Square Branch Library. Ms. Bader explained that there is a page on the Library’s web site giving updates, meeting notes, and meeting dates.
http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/branches/mscommittee.html

Ms. Bader reported that Library staff had discussed the Library Advisory Committee Guidelines document at its most recent manager’s meeting held on January 8, 2007. On the whole they liked and welcomed the structure, stating that Library managers would be the key contact for and would provide a link between Branch Advisory Committees and Library Administration.

At this point Jean Canosa-Albano, Manager of Youth and Outreach Services, as spokesperson for the Library managers, explained their views and proposed changes to the Branch Library Advisory Committee Guidelines document, and the Proposed Guideline and Procedures for Fundraising document.
See below for proposed changes.

PROPOSED GUIDELINE AND PROCEDURES FOR FUNDRAISING:

Changes proposed by Library Managers are highlighted in red font. Outcome of vote of Library Commission follows in brackets.

• Before planning any fundraising activity, the library advisory committee should consult with the appropriate branch or Central Library manager to ascertain whether or not funds are available in the library department’s operating budget to accomplish the goals of the proposed fundraising project.
  [Motion to delete the word “fundraising” made by Ms. McElwaine and seconded by Mr. Givens. Motion passed. ]
  
• If there are no funds in the library department’s operating budget, library advisory committees must submit an application to the Library Director prior to initiating any fundraising.
  [Motion to reject change made by Ms. Garvey and seconded by Ms. McElwaine. Motion passed. ]
  
• The Library Director will review the application to ensure that the proposed project is consistent with the library department’s current goals, objectives and annual action plan.
  
• It is expected that branch-specific fundraising efforts will be neighborhood-based. In-kind donations will be strongly encouraged.
  
• (Applications reviewed and approved by the Library Director) All requests to fundraise will be presented to the Library Commission, with the recommendation by the Library Director, at its next scheduled Commission meeting following submission of the application.
  [Motion to change wording to aforementioned made by Ms. McElwaine and seconded by Ms. Garvey. Motion passed. ]
  
• (The status) Approval or denial of any library advisory committee fundraising (effort) application will be provided in writing within one month of receipt (of the application.)
  [Motion for the first change was made by Ms. Garvey and seconded by Ms. McElwaine. Motion passed. ] [Ms. McElwaine moved and Mr. Ruggeri seconded to accept the rest of the changes. Motion passed. ]
  
• Library Commission responses to applications will provide comments regarding the appropriateness of any proposed fundraising efforts and may suggest changes in fundraising approaches.
  [Ms. McElwaine moved to reject the change and Ms. O’Connor seconded. Motion passed.]
  
• All funds raised by the library advisory committee must be promptly submitted to the Library Director’s Office for deposit into the library department’s donation account.
  
• Deposited funds will be restricted to the purpose for which they were raised.
  
  

BRANCH LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE GUIDELINES

Changes proposed by Library Managers are highlighted in red font. Outcome of vote of Library Commission follows in brackets.

1. Purposes:

a) To help branch staff (enhance) fine-tune library services by communicating neighborhood needs and preferences.
[Motion to accept word change made by Ms. Garvey and seconded by Ms. McElwaine. Motion passed. ]

b) To encourage maximum use of branch libraries by informing citizens about library programs and services.

c) To provide a forum for library administration to inform and discuss issues related to library operations. [strike "discussion of library operations including budget, staffing, maintenance schedules, materials acquisition, physical plant issues, etc."]
[Motion to change wording to the following was made by Ms. Garvey and seconded by Mr. Ruggeri. Motion carried.]

To provide a forum for library personnel and members of branch library advisory committees to discuss issues related to library operations.

2. Requirements:

a) Membership selection must be fair and open.

b) Membership should be broadly representative of neighborhood demographics including its racial and ethnic diversity.

c) Members should [strike "may"] be users of the branch or connected with a local business, institution or service provider.
[Motion to accept word change made by Ms. Garvey and seconded by Mr. Ruggeri. Motion passed. ]

d) While Springfield residency is not a requirement for membership, a majority of members must live in the city.

3. Operating procedures:

a) The committee should maintain a prominently placed bulletin board in its branch library posting the following: a meeting schedule giving day, date and time; an agenda for the next meeting; meeting notes [strike "minutes"] of the immediate past meeting.
[Motion to accept word change made by Ms. O’Connor and seconded by Ms. Garvey. Motion passed.]

b) Meetings of established library advisory committees will be held in a public place, preferably one that “is accessible to people with disabilities [strike handicap accessible] .”
[Motion to change wording to the following was made by Ms. McElwaine and seconded by Ms. Garvey. Motion passed.]

Meetings of established library advisory committees will be held in a public place, preferably one that provides universal access.

c) Meetings will be publicized in the media and on the library department Web site.

d) Branch library advisory committees should endeavor to reach consensus on all issues they consider.

e) Any [strike "All"]branch library advisory committee fundraising efforts, however modest, require approval by the Library Director [strike "Commission"] and the Library Commission [strike "Director"].
[Motion to accept word change made by Ms. Garvey and seconded by Mr. Ruggeri. Motion passed. ]

It was noted that a Democratic Ward Committee meeting was recently held in a Forest Park Branch Library meeting room. This violated the Library’s current meeting room use policy. Therefore, Ms. Garvey made a motion to change the section “They are not available for liturgical, political or partisan purposes,” to “They are not available for liturgical purposes” in the Library’s Meeting Room Use Statement. Ms. McElwaine seconded it.
The motion passed.

Director Bader voiced concerns about the Open Access section that states, “All meetings must be open to the public”. Ms. Garvey made a motion, seconded by Ms. McElwaine, to strike the sentence: “ All meetings must be open to the public.”
The motion passed.

It was noted that perhaps the City of Springfield already has a policy for meeting room use in public buildings, which would then cover all Library buildings as well.

It was suggested that the Policy Committee (Chairman Markey, Commissioners Garvey and Ruggeri) meet in order to make recommendations.

Following concerns voiced by Library staff, Ms. Bader asked the Commission make one change to the Library’s Internet Policy concerning the Group Use Limit.

Staff felt that allowing more than one person at a computer was disruptive. Ms. Garvey moved and Ms. McElwaine seconded to change the Springfield City Library Computer Use and Public Internet Access Policy under Group Use Limit to:

“Only one person may participate in a session at one computer at any one time, unless prior permission to hold a group session has been obtained.
The motion passed.

6. Director’s Report:

Request for funds from Annie Curran Endowment;

Facilities Report:

Mr. Givens suggested ID badges for all Library Commissioners. Ms. Bader asked the Commissioners to contact Ms. Leaders if they wish to come to the Central Library to have a badge made.

8. Adjournment

The next regular meeting of the Springfield City Library Board of Commissioners will be held on Monday, March 5, at the Sixteen Acres Branch Library, starting at 5:30 p.m.

It was moved by Ms. McElwaine and seconded by Mr. Givens to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.