MINUTES
MATHEWS MEMORIAL LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
June 9, 2015
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Carolyn Taylor, Chairperson, at 5:00 pm.
ATTENDING: Jo Anna Brown, Doreen Folzenlogen, Charles Ingram, Mary Sampson, Will Story, Carolyn Taylor, and Steve Wilson. Also present were Bette Dillehay, Library Director, and Steve Whiteway, President of the Friends of the Library.
MINUTES: A motion was made to approve the minutes of the May 12, 2015 board meeting. The motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously to approve.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR: Attached
• Financial Report. Operating expenditures report as of 6/9/2015 is attached.
o Operational expenses for the report period totaled $4,811.21. Current year-to-date expenses total $82,177.66. Unencumbered funds (Not including salaries and related benefits) total $37,110.36. Grants/donations to date stand at $21,238.02.
o Through May 26, 2015, salaries and related benefits totaled $202,800.60 or 79.4% of the
budgeted amount for FY 2014-2015 ($255,556.00). Salary expenses for the report period were $18,498.86 with $52,755.40 remaining unencumbered for FY 2015.
• Patron Update. Statistics relating to patron activities are unavailable for this report period.
• Personnel Update
o Carol McCormack has served in a part-time position as head of youth services since 2012. Carol has made the decision to "retire" effective June 19. This action represents a challenge in terms of preparation for the summer youth program, but we are confident that our efforts to present a successful program will be fruitful. The position, until Carol's tenure, was a full-time position. It is our intention to re-establish it as full-time. Response has been excellent to our invitation to apply for the position of Head, Youth Services, with nine applications received. The candidates responding reflect both appropriate education and experience; three have undergraduate degrees and three have graduate degrees (one has a MLS from Drexel University). The positon has an advertised salary of $23,500; the Director is working to increase it to $30,000 to attract the best qualified for the position. It is planned to select a candidate no later than Friday, June 12. Ginger Richards has expressed interest in working part-time in Youth Services.
o A full-time post also exists for the position of head, teen services. It is planned to restructure this slightly, making it a staff position in youth services and offer the full-time position to Amy Hudgins who currently works in a part-time role. Amy is nearing completion of work for certification as a para-professional, making her well-qualified for the staff position.
• Library in Retrospect and Looking Forward
A recent article appearing in Public Libraries discusses "Re-Envisioning Public Libraries and outlines four strategies for success. The following is an assessment of the Mathews Memorial Library in terms of addressing those strategies.
1. Align Library Services in Support of Community Goals
The community of Mathews is experiencing change. To respond to some of these, the library has chosen to find ways of collaborating with community partners and policy makers. Chief among such collaborative efforts are organizations focusing on young people and youth programs. The library played a leading role in establishing Coalition4Kids, which has received three grants from The Community Foundation to foster and support specific youth projects. The latest, awarded just recently, is a $5,000 grant for the C4K "Teen Volume" series of programs.
Space is provided for a staff member of the Parent Resource Council each Thursday and Saturday to provide interaction with parents of children with special needs. Because such a large portion of community pre-school children are in day-care centers, the library does outreach story time to expand our program of enrichment for this age group.
A major collaborative effort continues in concert with the Mathews County Historical Society. Begun in 2003, all Society materials are catalogued and housed in the library. Support is provided to the organization primarily through the efforts of staff member, Becky Barnhardt, both in research and program development.
Last, but not least, the meeting spaces within the library are in continuous use by a wide variety of community organizations.
2. Provide Access to Content in All Formats
The public library is no longer viewed solely as a repository of print books. Reading material is also available in audio and digital formats. In addition, the Mathews library, like other public libraries, has shifted its focus toward serving as a platform for learning and participation. This is most effectively accomplished by providing access to greater amounts of content in multiple formats through an agreement with a number of Virginia libraries in a cooperative initiative, So Value, as well as contractual agreements executed by the Library of Virginia (LVA). These provide access for patrons to literally thousands of titles, as well as periodicals and music. In addition, LVA, using grant funds from IMLS, provides online access to two major databases, Literati and Find It Virginia. Last, but not least, the library subscribes to a newspaper database including hundreds of local and national newspapers.
3. Ensure Long-Term Sustainability of Public Libraries
Mathews Memorial Library is fortunate to be adequately funded as a County agency. In addition, the financial support of the Friends of the Library allows the library to offer programs and resources without which such activities as the summer youth program, Soothin' Summer Sounds and many other valuable events would not be possible. To sustain this support it is important to be accountable and results oriented. Traditionally, this has been accomplished by tallying numbers relating to number of patrons, books checked out, program attendance, etc. A more meaningful method is being pursued by the Mathews library to become adept at measuring outcomes and impacts rather than counting activities. Our youth programs are the major focus for this effort. Encouraging early literacy is a major initiative where we explore creative activities based on planned reading programs. The response has been favorable. A recent study conducted by LVA demonstrated the positive impact of summer reading programs on SOL scores in elementary school environments.
4. Cultivate Leadership
Mathews County is fortunate in having a number of organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life in the community, extending their commitment to all ages. The library is dedicated to playing an integral role in this goal. Participating in the Resource Council gives the library an opportunity, not only to learn what other organizations are doing, but also to learn of ways participation by the library would add value. Staff members are active in numerous groups as well, including the Mathews Historical Society, Mathews Main Street-and C4K. In addition, and equally important, the library attempts to keep community leaders aware of library activities that address community needs.
The Director stated a need to work on improving parental outreach to increase the number of children participating in the programs. She invited members of the Board to provide her with input on the four strategies.
• Programs.
o Youth Programs. All efforts are directed toward ensuring that the youth/teen summer programs are successful. We are encouraged by the response to date and anticipate excellent participation in both. The teen program, in particular, is challenging to present and includes a learning curve for everyone, staff and volunteers. The Highland Games will be held on June 19th. The summer program period starts on July 7th with the first week entitled “Magic of Numbers” covering music, architecture, and art. “Going Green II” started today with the planting of herbs in front of the library.
o Adult Programs. The 2015 Soothin' Summer Sounds series, "Play It Again ...” is a look back to previous favorites based on a survey conducted at the end of the 2014 season. The three programs planned are expected to be quite popular. The first event, to be held June 25th at 7 p.m. features the "Bagels and Fralox Klezmer Band." Art Muroff & Friends will perform on July 16th at 7 p.m. and the season will close on August 27th at 4 p.m. with the Ambrosia Quartet, a chamber music ensemble.
REPORT FROM THE FRIENDS:
• Jane Abbott and Jack Ward have left the Friends of the Library Board. They have been replaced by Molly Broderson and Gwynn Henderson.
• The annual letter requesting donations has been sent out, and the response has been a good one.
• The Friends have fully funded the MML’s Summer Programs.
OLD BUSINESS:
• Creation of a Foyer Area in the Bland Hudgins Wing. The renovation of the foyer allows teens to enter and exit the Teen Center without disturbing the patrons using the computers in the hall. The cost of the renovation was about $4680.
• Movie Night in the Library Courtyard. After a trial showing and a disappointing attendance, the Director has determined this initiative will not be continued.
NEW BUSINESS: Request for Budget Amendment from Fund Request (attached).
The Director recommended the Board approve her request to the Board of Supervisors for a budget amendment/additional appropriation of $20,000 from FY 2014-15 fund balance for the library for FY 2015-16.
VOTE: A motion was made to approve the budget amendment/additional appropriation request. The motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously to approve the request.
PUBLIC COMMENT: None.
ADJOURNMENT: the meeting was adjourned at 5:41 p.m.
The BOT will not meet in July. The next regular meeting is scheduled for August 11, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.
Submitted by Stephen Wilson, Secretary
Attachments to the official record as stated