Monroe County Library System Meeting of the Board of Trustees Rundel Auditorium Minutes September 19, 2011 Trustees

Present: Bianco, Goode, Poole-Tracy, Riedman, Thompson, Wolf Trustees Absent: Staff and Guests: Caligiuri, Hursh, Lovenheim Assistant County Executive Finnerty; Staff members: Boldt, Dana, Davis, Rock, Shelly, Snow, Loughran, Uttaro

Mr. Goode welcomed trustees and guests, and called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. Action Items Minutes of June 20, 2011 Meeting A MOTION WAS MADE BY Mr. Wolf AND SECONDED BY Ms. Thompson to approve the minutes of the June 20, 2011 meeting (Documents Book). THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Claims Mr. Loughran called attention to the Claims dated April 30; May 27 and 31, June 10, 24 and 30, July 8, 11, 22 and 31, August 19, and September 2, 2011 included with the packet; reviewed highlights; and responded to questions (Documents Book). Following discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Mr. Wolf AND SECONDED BY Ms. Riedman to approve the Claims as presented. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. MCLS 2010 Annual Report to New York State Ms. Snow reviewed highlights from the report that had been sent via e-mail to trustees prior to todays meeting, and responded to questions. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Mr. Wolf AND SECONDED BY Ms. Bianco to approve the MCLS 2010 Annual Report to New York State as presented. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Mr. Goode suggested, and it was agreed by consensus, that it would be helpful in the future for staff to prepare an executive summary for review, with the full report available upon request. New York State Minimum Standards Variance Application Ms. Snow reported that Irondequoit Public Library had requested a variance from Commissioners Regulation 90.2 (Standards for Registration of Public, Free Association and Indian Libraries) on the basis that the current facilities do not meet the minimum standards for the Irondequoit community, as set by the regulation, for building size, seating and shelving. Following extended discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Ms. Thompson AND SECONDED BY Ms. Bianco to approve the 2011 variance application for the Irondequoit Public Library. THE MOTION PASSED with five in favor and one opposed (Mr. Wolf). In response to inquiries as to whether and how the MCLS Board could help to facilitate a solution to the challenges facing Irondequoit Public Library in this matter, Ms. Uttaro and Ms. Snow explained that the Irondequoit Public Library Board, Town of Irondequoit and the Irondequoit community needed to reach consensus on how to proceed in determining how best to meet the state standards, and then move forward on that basis. New York State Library Construction Grant Program Recommendations Ms. Snow reviewed the projects submitted by member libraries for funding from this grant program, as noted in the Directors Report. Ms. Snow reported that the MCLS Construction Grants Committee

MCLS Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes September 19, 2011 (Continued)

included two member library directors, Betsy Gilbert (Fairport Public Library) and Bernadette Brinkman (Penfield Public Library), in addition to herself, and called attention to the Directors Report for a listing of the committees recommendations for allocation of the $568,981 in state construction grant funds: Chili Public Library (childrens room renovation) East Rochester Public Library (Eyre Building renovation for new library) Irondequoit Evans Branch (parking lot repaving and restriping) Irondequoit McGraw Branch (parking lot repaving and restriping) Rochester Public Library (Rundel infrastructure project, Phase III) $ 18,263 225,676 12,085 11,780 301,178

In response to a question, Ms. Snow reminded trustees that it was a requirement of the grant program that the library or municipality provide matching funds. During extended discussion of the proposed allocations to the Irondequoit Public Librarys parking lot projects, the following points were noted: providing funding for parking lot repairs to two separate libraries that have been explicitly identified as inadequate to meet the communitys needs based on New York State standards was in conflict with the goal of many stakeholders to ultimately create one consolidated Irondequoit library facility; approving this funding allocation could be viewed as supporting the status quo; Irondequoit was the only member library requesting a variance from the state standards, while the committees recommendation called for other member libraries projects to receive less than full funding in order to provide full funding for Irondequoits proposed projects. In response to an inquiry, Ms. Snow explained that this board was not scheduled to meet again prior to the deadline for submission to the state. Following extensive discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Mr. Wolf AND SECONDED BY Ms. Riedman to approve the MCLS Construction Grants Committees allocation recommendation as presented for submission to New York State with the exception of two Irondequoit Public Library projects, with the further instruction due to timing of the submission deadline, that the funds earmarked for those projects be divided equally between the two libraries whose projects were not already recommended for full funding (East Rochester and Rochester Public Library), with the understanding that matching funds would be provided by the libraries (or municipalities) in accordance with the grant requirements. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley Regional (FLAG) Heritage Agreement Ms. Snow briefly described the proposal that would make Rochester Images and other selected digitized materials available on the FLAG Heritage website. She explained that participating in this effort would make the materials more easily accessible by a much larger audience, noting that MCLS would continue to add materials to the collection. Ms. Snow responded to questions and following brief discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Dr. Poole-Tracy AND SECONDED BY Mr. Wolf to approve the proposed agreement with Rochester Regional Library Council as described for participation in the FLAG Heritage project. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Central Library Development Aid Application for Fiscal Year 2012 Mr. Loughran noted that the budget application for the expenditure of Central Library Development Aid for the 2011 2012 budget cycle that was approved by this Board in June had incorporated the 6.7% decrease in state aid, based upon preliminary numbers received from the State. He reported that the final allocation from New York State increased funding from the initially anticipated $182,988 to $184,126. Following brief discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Mr. Wolf AND SECONDED BY Ms. Bianco to approve the revised Central Library Development Aid application for the 2011 2012 budget cycle with the understanding that the additional funds would be used for Central Library reference materials. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

MCLS Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes September 19, 2011 (Continued)

Monroe County Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Request 2013 2018 Mr. Loughran called attention the summary CIP 2013 2018 Request document included with the packet and reviewed contents with trustees (Documents Book). He explained that Monroe County Budget office representatives had requested a decrease of 10% in out-year expenses, and described the proposed expenditures and the supporting rationale. Following discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Ms. Bianco AND SECONDED BY Mr. Wolf to approve the 2013 2018 Capital Improvement Program Request for 2013 2018 as presented. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Appointment of MCLS Trustee Liaison to the Rundel Library Foundation Board A MOTION WAS MADE BY Dr. Poole-Tracy AND SECONDED BY Ms. Bianco to endorse the nomination of Mr. Wolf to the role of MCLS Liaison to the Rundel Library Foundation Board. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Mr. Goode congratulated Mr. Wolf and expressed gratitude for his willingness to serve in this capacity. Proposed Increase of Central Library Hours to Meet New York State Minimum Standards Ms. Uttaro noted that as previously discussed with this Board, initial indications from representatives of the New York Division of Library Development were that a waiver to Section 273, 90.4 of Education Law requiring central libraries to be open a minimum of 55 hours each week was likely to be granted, in light of fiscal challenges faced by municipalities and libraries across the state. Ms. Uttaro reported that she had been informed during several more recent discussions with NY State Division of Library Development officials that such a waiver, in fact, would not be granted. She added that the budget approved by this Board had provided for the Central Library to be open 51 hours per week beginning on July 1. Ms. Uttaro further explained that she had been informed by state representatives that Central Library Aid would be withheld if the minimum standard for weekly public service hours was not met. Ms. Uttaro described the proposal to add four hours per week to the Central Librarys public service hours in order to meet the state minimum standard. She explained that plans called for limited service to be offered from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, with access confined to the first floor of the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building to include first floor computers, newspapers, browsing collection, circulation desk and restrooms. She added that staffing would include only two security guards, one reference librarian, and one circulation clerk, with the annual cost to total approximately $20,000 for these additional four hours per week. Ms. Uttaro further noted that these funds would be secured through savings from staff attrition and vacancies. Following discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Ms. Bianco AND SECONDED BY Mr. Wolf to authorize the addition of four hours to the weekly Central Library operating schedule beginning on October 3, 2011, as proposed. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Discussion ensued regarding the possibility of communicating with the Regents and perhaps inviting them to visit the Central Library; Ms. Uttaro will follow up with Mr. Goode regarding the most effective strategy for communicating with the Regents. Proposed Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries Grant Application Ms. Uttaro briefly described the conference, entitled Comics, Libraries, and Education: Literacy without Limits, scheduled for April 27, 2012 at the Central Library, noting that the 14 presenters had graciously agreed to waive their fees; the grant application seeks to cover travel and hotel costs for the out-of-town presenters, as well as some meals. She called attention to the Directors Report for additional details. Following brief discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY Mr. Riedman AND SECONDED BY Dr. Poole-Tracy to authorize submission of the grant application in the amount of $2,000 to the Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries to support the conference, Comics, Libraries and Education: Literacy without Limits, as described. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

MCLS Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes September 19, 2011 (Continued)

MCLS Nominating Committee On behalf of the MCLS Nominating Committee, Ms. Thompson presented the recommendation of Judith Kharbas for consideration as a candidate to fill a vacant seat on this Board. She presented Ms. Kharbas extensive credentials, noting her long history of dedicated service to the regional library community in various capacities as well as many prestigious awards, noting that she currently serves on the Chili Public Librarys Board of Trustees and is a past President of the Friends of the Rochester Public Library. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Ms. Bianco AND SECONDED BY Mr. Wolf to endorse the Nominating Committees recommendation to forward Judith Kharbas name for consideration by the County Executive for appointment by the County Legislature to a seat on this Board for a five year term (2011 2016). THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Ms. Riedman pointed out that it was most helpful for MCLS trustees to have had the experience of serving on a member library board, as this provided vital understanding of the workings of MCLS as well as the member libraries perspectives. Report / Discussion Items Rundel Library Foundation Mr. Davis reported that annual campaign proceeds had surpassed the $215,000 goal, and expressed gratitude for a very generous community. He further reported that after approximately 10 years of discussion and two years of focused planning and negotiation, the documents formalizing a merger of the Friends of Rochester Public Library and the Rundel Library Foundation had been executed, with anticipated official merger date of October 3, 2011 pending final approval by the New York State Attorney Generals office. He added that it had been surprising to some in the community that the two organizations were actually separate; he noted that the vast majority of other analogous entities across the county were similarly structured as one organization. Based on results of the vote, Mr. Davis noted that the community seems strongly in favor of the merger with well over 600 Friends of RPL members voting in favor, with only five voting against. Mr. Davis further noted that there was optimism that organizational and operational efficiencies would result from the merger; the new organization will be known as Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library. He expressed gratitude to Ms. Rock for her years of dedicated service with the Friends of RPL. Mr. Davis further reported that Mr. Kessler would be extraordinarily missed; he announced that an endowment fund had been established in Mr. Kesslers name that would initially support the Outreach Department. Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC) Dr. Poole-Tracy noted that RRLC had also recently completed its report to New York State. She also reported on visioning efforts underway, exploring what libraries should / will look like in the future. She noted the importance of and challenges associated with identifying what is on the horizon, and how best to position libraries for the future. Dr. Poole-Tracy added that RRLC was also enthusiastic about the FLAG Heritage collaboration with MCLS as previously discussed. Directors Report Ms. Uttaro called attention to the summary statistical report provided (Documents Book) that addresses questions raised at the June, 2011 Board meeting regarding library materials expenditures by member libraries; she briefly reviewed trends with trustees. Ms. Uttaro reported that she and Mr. Loughran had met with representatives of a company interested in placing a machine at the Central Library capable of high-speed printing/binding of soft bound book on site (in three to five minutes each). She passed around the table sample books created by the machine, called Espresso and explained that the primary target audience is self-publishers, however, any of the 4

MCLS Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes September 19, 2011 (Continued)

librarys digitized materials could also be published in this way, as well as other copyright-free materials. Mr. Loughran reported on the dramatic increase in the number of self-published books in the last five years, in comparison with conventionally published books, and added that initially, the company would fully staff the machines operation and pay rent to the library. Ms. Uttaro noted that further due diligence efforts were underway, however, it was hoped that such a machine could be located at the Central Library very soon. In response to a question, she confirmed that there would be no out-of-pocket cost nor staff time required by the Library, adding that this would be a unique service offered by the Central Library. Ms. Uttaro confirmed that today was Betty Lawrences last day prior to her retirement, and expressed her sincere gratitude for her years of dedicated service. She added that on a short-term basis, her duties had been reassigned to Ms. Snow, Mr. Creek and Ms. Suro. Ms. Uttaro also confirmed that Mr. Loughran had announced his plans to retire at the end of January, noting that his position had been identified as mission-critical which had the effect of postponing his retirement from July, 2011 to January, 2012. She briefly reviewed plans to recruit someone in the fall such that there could be an opportunity for Mr. Loughran to provide training to his successor prior to his departure.. Mr. Goode noted that the departure of two members of the librarys management team would provide Ms. Uttaro a unique opportunity to explore and evaluate the entire organizational structure and potentially recommend improvements that would even better position the library and system to thrive in the midst of anticipated continuing fiscal challenges ahead. Town Library Liaison Ms. Shelly called attention to her report included in the September Directors Report (Documents Book), noting that many of the directors were working on very challenging budgets particularly in light of the 2% property tax cap together with increasing medical insurance and retirement costs as well as increases in MCLS cost shares. She added that Henrietta Public Library, Pat Bernhard was retiring, and would be greatly missed. MCLS Ms. Snow announced the implementation of the VIP Pass Program announced at a press conference held at the Pittsford Community Library, noting that media coverage had been good. She briefly described the VIP Pass Program that provides for MCLS to purchase passes at a discount from several of the areas most popular cultural destinations. She further explained that library card holders will able to borrow a VIP pass from member libraries; when they visit the selected very important place, the VIP passholders will receive a discount on admission. The VIP pass will then be returned to the public library for the next user to borrow. Ms. Snow expressed thanks to Ms. Wahl in the MCLS office for her work on this project. Central Library Ms. Lawrence noted that over the last year, at each Board meeting, a division of the central Library was highlighted in order to enhance trustees awareness and understanding of the resources available and activities underway at the Central. Library. She introduced Ms. Dana, Head of the Circulation Department, who called attention to the materials distributed at the meeting (Documents Book). She expressed that the primary message she wished to convey was that the Circulation Department staff does more than simply check out and return books! She explained that the staff members are committed to providing excellent customer service, noting that for many patrons, the Circulation staff are the only (or most frequent) staff members having interactions with patrons. She added that staff in this department are frequently called upon to explain the librarys various policies and procedures to patrons. Ms. Uttaro added that Circulation Department staff may be thought of as the watchdogs of the collection, and have saved the library significant funds over the years. Ms. Dana added that staff members take their roles 5

MCLS Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes September 19, 2011 (Continued)

seriously, and pride themselves on fulfilling their many vital duties with smiles on their faces! Mr. Goode thanked Ms. Dana for her excellent report. Other Business On behalf of the trustees, Dr. Poole-Tracy expressed profound gratitude to Ms. Lawrence for sharing her many gifts, her willingness to take on challenges, and her dedication in developing Teen Central, a welcoming venue for urban youth at the Central Library. Ms. Uttaro called attention to the Books Sandwiched-In flyers announcing the fall series distributed at the meeting. Adjournment BY CONSENSUS, the meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Patricia Uttaro, Secretary