Session 04-10, a Regular Meeting of the Library Advisory Board was called to order on October 5, 2004 at 6:05 p.m. by Chair Mauger at the Homer City Hall Conference Room located at 491 E. Pioneer Avenue, Homer, Alaska.

 

PRESENT:         BOARDMEMBERS:                       MAUGER, SEAMAN, KEFFER, BURSCH, WAGNER,                                                                           HAWFIELD

 

                        STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE:      HARRISON

 

                        STAFF:                                     LIBRARY DIRECTOR HILL

                                                                        DEPUTY CITY CLERK JOHNSON

 

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

 

The Regular Meeting minutes of September 7, 2004 were approved by consensus of the Board.

 

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

 

The agenda was approved by consensus of the Board.

 

LIBRARY DIRECTOR’S REPORT

 

            A.         Statistical Report for September 2004

 

Library Director Hill said after meeting with the City Manager and the Finance Director, the library budget is contingent upon the outcome of Proposition 2.  If the proposition passes the library budget is fine, but the failure of the increased sales tax proposition may mean cuts from the proposed 2005 budget. 

 

The book sale was held a couple weeks ago and it turned out to be a busy Saturday with lots of books sold generating over $2,000.  Mrs. Hill said there has been increased activity with the copper fish orders, with many forms being picked up, mailed back or dropped off.  This week is Banned Books Week at the library.  Library Director Hill said she will be on vacation and then will attend the annual Library Director’s Conference in Girdwood. 

 

Mrs. Hill presented the Board with an updated statistical summary to include September.  She said her intent is to do more weeding in the upcoming months to make room within the library.  When asked how the weeding process was done, Mrs. Hill explained she accesses the national database to check the availability of the book in other libraries and if it may be borrowed.  She then reviews the circulation statistics for usage and also makes her own determinations based on the age or outdated content of the books.  The outdated books then go into the book sale, with many of the children’s books routed to agencies that distribute them to other countries.  Medical books are the hardest to keep current as they change rapidly and it is important the public has the correct information. 

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

            A.         Capital Campaign Committee

 

Chair Mauger reported the last Capital Campaign Committee (CCC) meeting was September 13th.  It was a brief meeting to look at the grants.  Both the Rasmuson and Paul G. Allen Family Foundation grants have been sent.  Fred Meyer will be the next big grant.  After the outcome of Proposition 1 the CCC will contact the foundations.  Ms. Mauger said the fish drive is going well and the contract with Tarri and Marlon of Moose Run Metalsmiths will be discussed.  Production has not yet started on the fish, so three times more fish orders would be great.  There is a CCC meeting tomorrow (10/06/04) with a strategy session following tonight’s election results.  The Committee would appreciate everyone’s energy in helping reframe and focus.  Ms. Mauger said regardless of the election outcome she hoped all the LAB members joined in the party tomorrow night, as they all deserved a pat on the back for their amazing efforts.

 

            B.         Publicity Committee

 

Boardmember Keffer reported the Publicity Committee met on September 15th and discussed the upcoming party and a spelling bee.  Mary Lentfer and Rachel Livingston volunteered to explore the feasibility of a spelling bee in March, 2005 and a suitable location.

 

C.                  Building Committee

 

Boardmember Wagner said although there have been no Building Committee meetings, behind the scenes things are still happening.  On the 13th or 14th the committee will meet and discuss if they want the water tank at the fish hatchery.  It is an enormous tank with good wood that would take a lot of volunteer effort to move.  Another avid library supporter who works for a construction firm has a large pile of two-inch thick slabs of slate varying in size from two feet to eight feet long.  It may be used for steps or fireplace accents. 

 

ECI/Hyer is entering an AIA (American Institute of Architects) competition for the best unfinished plans.  Boardmember Wagner asked the LAB their thoughts on the public’s perception of the competition, whether it would hurt or help with fundraising.  Boardmember Hawfield said the AIA recognition would be useful.  Student Representative Harrison added that Homer is prideful of things that work out in their favor. Ms. Wagner said a wisely worded press release would be made to inform the public of the AIA competition. 

 

Ms. Harrison said she went to the Publicity Committee meeting and picked up a bunch of signs.  She walked down and back through town, even getting bars to hang the signs.  Every person she contacted agreed to put up a sign of each the Go Vote Library and fish sale. 

 

COMMUNICATION/VISITORS

 

Frank Vondersaar thanked the LAB members for the phone calls.  He questioned if help was needed in taking down the signs.  It was suggested a couple signs be left standing for Anne Marie Holen to photograph.  Boardmember Bursch said he received a call from Allen today regarding taking down signs.  Allen’s infamous brother Russell is in town and they will be meeting for refreshments and driving around town to take the signs down.  The city limits is not too broad of a stretch for them to cover.  The signs will be brought to tomorrow night’s party as souvenirs for the volunteers to take home and put up beside their Michael Jordan or Farrah Fawcett posters.

 

Student Representative Harrison asked the Boardmembers if they all knew her mother, Suzanne Haines who served on the LAB for several years.  The Boardmembers affirmed they knew her mother.

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

 

Chair Mauger said at the last City Council meeting there was discussion about the re-platting of the lots for the new library.  There is issue about giving up the easement that may be debated.  The Building Committee will discuss the re-platting issue in further depth.     

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD

 

Boardmember Bursch said he would like to recognize Library Director Hill for her hard work and Chair Mauger for completing her second marathon.  Chair Mauger said there were 7,100 participants in the marathon, more than half of which were women.  She placed as the 274th woman in the marathon, qualifying her for the 2006 Boston Marathon.  Ms. Mauger asked her out-of-state friends for pledges and raised about $2,000 for the library.

 

Student Representative Harrison congratulated Chair Mauger saying it was really cool and was so much further than she could run.  She thanked Library Director Hill for her work with numbers.  She is going to KBBI to pull off all the numbers and rant and rave about how the library won.   

 

Boardmember Keffer said the Publicity Committee is thankful for Ms. Harrison joining the committee with her energy and enthusiasm.  She thanked Ms. Harrison for all the jobs she had done recently.

 

Boardmember Hawfield gave his heartfelt thanks to Boardmember Wagner for an incredible amount of excellent work, citing that much of her work was on a volunteer basis.   

 

Boardmember Wagner said her interview with Tim White on KGTL was fun.  Mr. White’s only reference material was the postcard so it allowed Ms. Wagner to elaborate on the library plans.  The budget for the library vote committee has over $2,000 remaining from the brochure that was not printed.  Those funds can go back into the building.  Out of generosity Tim White doubled the advertising budget, while 1,000 extra postcards were provided by Print Works.  The radio shows, editorials and radio station support were all free advertising.  Ms. Wagner said Brenda Dolma is asking Jewel for funds to add the sixty-person presentation area by the lobby or $20,000 for a circulation desk. 

 

Chair Mauger thanked everyone with a thank you to Boardmember Hawfield for his work on the Get Out the Vote.  She said he was an important part in keeping it all together and appreciates the many hats he wears.  Ms. Mauger said it would be interesting to see what the new Council looks like.  She said the LAB will have some work to do with the new Council to make sure they understand the process.  The next year should be fun, as the library is on the path to success.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m.  The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for November 2, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall Conference Room.

 

INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL

 

 

 

_____________________________

JO JOHNSON, DEPUTY CITY CLERK

 

 

 

_____________________________

APPROVED