Mt. Lebanon Public Library 

Minutes of the January 15, 2004
Mt. Lebanon Public Library Board of Trustees

CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 am.

PRESENT: Ben Hodes, Jim Strader, Bonnie Van Kirk, Joe Wertheim, Lucille Wick, Ann Winkelstein

ABSENT: Bill Lewis

OBSERVERS: There were no guests or observers.

MINUTES: The minutes were approved as amended - "Barbara Logan attended as an observer at the December Board meeting".

PRESIDENT'S REPORT:

 - There have been no complaints from the public regarding the elimination of Sunday hours.

 - We received a letter from Senator Pippy's office, dated 1/9/04 noting that the Senate passed HV1589, which restored partial statewide library funding of $10.1 million.

DIRECTOR'S REPORT:

 - The Board reviewed the Director's written report for December 2003.

 - The new software for managing public computer use and recapture of printing costs for public computers is successful, although some patrons have voiced concerns about Internet privacy. We have assured them that no identifying information is collected when they use the computers.

 - Regarding the 2004 Budget, we do not know yet the amount that we will be receiving from the State. We hope that the municipal funding will be adequate to help us meet our obligations.

 - Senator Pippy is back in the U.S. He appears to be supportive of library issues. Cindy attended the ALA meeting in Orlando, Fla. She has been interviewed for NPR and public television as part of the effort to put children's literature and the Newbery/Caldecott Awards in the spotlight.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Budget Committee:

 - We will revisit the Budget in May.

 - Susan Morgans, Editor Mt. Lebanon Magazine, asked us to increase our coverage in the Magazine to a one-third-page spread. We had reduced our previous whole page coverage in the Magazine in order to save money for staff and books. Whole page coverage would total $8,900 for the year. The Board agreed to try to restore our visibility in the Magazine by requesting the extra funds from the Friends of the Library to cover either the one-third page cost or a full-page per month. Currently, we have budgeted $215.00 per month for the Magazine.

Policy Committee:

Patron Behavior Policy #28: Jim Roberts approved our draft patron behavior policy, with two suggested amendments to the text. He advised us to replace the phrase "likely to start violence" with "which disturb or tend to disturb the peace and good order of the library" and to make the language regarding solicitation in Policy #22 (solicitations and Sales by Local Non-profit, Civic, Community, Non-Library Groups)consistent with that in the new Patron Behavior Policy. The Board approved the Patron Behavior policy with these changes (Wertheim/Hodes).

Conflict of Interest Policy: The Board agreed with the auditors' suggestion to have a conflict of interest policy. We will make the Library policy on staff conflict of interest congruent with the Municipal policy. Cindy will draft a policy on Trustees for Board approval at the February meeting.

OLD BUSINESS:

Mold Insurance: There has been mold in the downstairs bathroom, kitchen area, carpets, and several other locations; leaks are noted throughout the building. We completed the status report for the insurance application. We received a $7,000 quote from the municipality’s insurance company’s mold experts merely to do a study in order to develop an insurance price quote. The Board agreed that it is vital to protect our books. We will explore other options, including a spray. Bonnie Van Kirk will talk to Steve Feller to ascertain if mold control is a municipal responsibility since the Library is a municipal-owned building.

HVAC: The Janus Company came out again, and put temporary sensors upstairs and downstairs. They will do a re-evaluation. The erratic temperature throughout the building remains a serious problem for staff, patrons, and collections.

NEW BUSINESS:

A patron had a problem with her personal machinery (her automobile tape player) for an audiotape and asked that the Library assume responsibility for replacing her car’s audio equipment. The Board agreed that the Library does not have responsibility for fixing or replacing her equipment. However, we will not charge her for a new replacement tape.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Ann Winkelstein, Secretary