AGENDA

1. Approval of the minutes of the regular meetings on December 16, 2014 and January 13, 2015 (action required)
2. Election of Officers (action required)
3. 2015 Kelly Fund Budget Update (action required)
4. CPL Capital Project and Facilities Reports (info. only)
5. Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner of Neighborhood Services and Greta Bever, Assistant Commissioner of Central Library Services
6. Commissioner’s Report (info only)
7. Other Business
8. Public Comment

Next Board meeting:

Open Session Minutes

Physically Present:

Linda Johnson Rice

Christopher Valenti

Josephine Gomez

Denise Gardner

Jodi Block

Barbara Bowman

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference:

None

Absent:

Chaka Patterson

Lynn Lockwood

Approval of the minutes

The Board voted (6-0) to approve the minutes of the December 16, 2014 and January 13, 2015 Board meetings.

Election of Officers

Tabled until the April 21, 2015 Board meeting.

2015 Kelly Fund Budget Update

Baronica Roberson, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance, presented the 2015 Kelly fund budget request. The total budget request was $64,874 and included $45,000 for Professional Development; $10,000 for Special Programs and Events; and $9,874 carryover from the previous year. The Board voted (6-0) to approve the 2015 Kelly Fund budget.

CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report

Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner for Neighborhood Services gave the Capital Projects report and presented the Board with new information on projects in planning and under construction.

Projects In planning

• Legler – no changes (needs approval on procurement recommendations)
• Austin – Removed from scope: Envelope restoration of masonry, roofing and skylights
• Douglass – Installation of a public toilet room on the 1^st floor and reconstruction of stair railing with code compliant guards.
• Fire alarm systems – no changes
• Sulzer Regional – no changes
• Woodson Regional – Phase 1: YOUmedia expansion completed; received approval from the Smithsonian to use image of Carter G. Woodson image, will be imposed in the front window of the Woodson library; project books 1 and 2 with completed drawings and contract requirements for the envelope replacement and interior upgrades is under review; anticipated date for opening BID is now 2Q 2015; design is complete for lobby, children’s and 2^nd floor public areas, including resolution of the extent of fire alarm and camera scope to be included.

Projects Under Construction

• Harold Washington Library Center – self-check units have been installed in the lobby and Plymouth Court, will be operational next week; waiting estimate and 3D rendering of circulation Desk from contractors; projected completion 2Q 2015
• Chinatown – 55% complete, roof installation has begun; interior walls are framed; MEP work continues with ductwork installation and electrical rough-in; projected opening end of Summer 2015

Now Open

• YOUmedia Expansion Sites – renovation of spaces for YOUmedia expansion, including interior renovations (as needed), power and data upgrades, furniture, fixtures, carpet and finishes are complete.

Commissioner’s Report

Brian Bannon, Commissioner, presented the Commissioner’s report and highlighted the following:

• Baronica Roberson, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance, was selected to participate in an inaugural cohort of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy, a highly competitive interdisciplinary leadership development program for emerging high-potential leaders in nonprofit organizations and local government agencies within the City of Chicago and Cook County.
• Anne Miskewitch, Division Chief of Business, Science and Technology, was accepted to attend the Harvard Institutes of Higher Education course Library Leadership in a Digital Age.
• Anthony Powers, Branch Manager at Austin-Irving, was selected to serve as a mentor to a team of five academic librarians participating in the 2015 ILEAD (Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply, and Discover) USA cohort, a continuing education immersion program.
• On March 11^th, Mayor Emanuel, CPL and CPLF announced a new Chicago Cities for Citizenship RFP for immigrant-serving non-profits. This program will provide up to $220,000 in funding and seeks applications from qualified organizations working with and behalf of immigrant communities to coordinate naturalization workshops, free immigration legal assistance and financial coaching in Citizenship Corners at CPL branches.
• The Best of the Best program was expanded this year to include books for adults. From all of the books published in 2014, the CPL Content Curation team identified several dozen books with the highest level of qualify, information and interest for Chicagoans. This is the first year that the Best of the Best will be offered for all ages.
• CPL launched the One Book, One Chicago Online reading experience with this year’s selection The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon.
• The meeting room guidelines have been revised and CPL has instituted an online reservation system for patrons to view room availability at all branches.
• All library locations will be closed on April 5, 2015 and May 5, 2015 for All Staff Institute Day (ASID).

Other Business

None

Public Comment

The Board addressed comments from the public regarding the use of meeting rooms, improvement to the Independence branch, upgrades to the Bezazian branch, and an event held at the Sherman Park branch in honor of Malik Wright.

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at the Albany Park branch, 3401 W. Foster Ave.

Commissioner’s Report

Leadership

• Baronica Roberson – Baronica Roberson, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance, was selected to participate in an inaugural cohort of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy, a highly competitive interdisciplinary leadership development program for emerging high-potential leaders in nonprofit organizations and local government agencies within the City of Chicago and Cook County.  28 inaugural fellows were selected from 110 applicants to represent the City of Chicago, Cook County, and nonprofit organizations from across the city. In partnership with LISC Chicago and the Civic Consulting Alliance, the program is designed to cultivate a pipeline of talented leaders to help local nonprofits and government agencies thrive and help strengthen neighborhoods and communities across the city of Chicago.
• Anne Miskewitch - Anne Miskewitch, Division Chief of Business, Sciences and Technology at the Harold Washington Library was accepted to attend  the Harvard Institutes of Higher Education course called Library Leadership in a Digital Age 3/19 – 3/22/15. The program brings together faculty experts, policymakers, and library leaders to consider the current state and future direction of the profession. Their goal was to examine how new technologies are redefining the teaching/learning process and develop practical strategies for leading libraries more effectively during uncertain and evolving times. The curriculum addressed several overarching questions:
  • Is the library a physical place, a set of coordinated information services, a vehicle to enact new understandings about teaching and learning, or all of the above?
  • What will learning look like in the future and how will libraries need to respond?
  • How must the role of the library be reimagined as new digital media, resources, and services expand and sharpen?
  • What new opportunities — digital and otherwise — exist for libraries to become architects and purveyors of intellectual communities in ways that heretofore were not possible?
  • How should library leaders adapt their leadership practice to take maximum advantage of these new and unprecedented opportunities?
• Anthony Powers – Anthony Powers, Austin-Irving Branch Manager, has been selected to serve as a mentor to a team of five academic librarians participating in the 2015 ILEAD (Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply, Discover) USA cohort, a continuing education immersion program, supported by grant funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The ILEAD curriculum combines web technologies skill building with leadership training in order to increase exposure of services, engage libraries' constituents, and provide opportunities for collaborating on innovative projects.  The team Tony will mentor, called Make It Count will use questions similar to ACRL'S Assessment In Action to develop best practices regarding running statistically sound queries, protections to secure patron privacy, working with institutional research departments to access student data and how to present results to administration. As Team Make It Count's mentor, Tony will consult with and advise the team throughout the entire grant process to foster team building and shepherd the team to complete their project.  In 2014, Tony was an ILEAD USA participant and team member of CPL 5.2's ILEAD team.  Team CPL 5.2's project was the development of a laptop resource to assist GED students and prospective students prepare and study for the new GED test.

Cities for Citizenship Enhances CPL’s Citizenship Corner Services

On March 11, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Public Library (CPL), and the Chicago Public Library Foundation announced a new Chicago Cities for Citizenship RFP for immigrant-serving non-profits.  In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of New Americans, The Chicago Cities for Citizenship Program will provide up to $220,000 in funding and seeks applications from qualified organizations working with and behalf of immigrant communities to coordinate naturalization workshops, free immigration legal assistance and financial coaching in Citizenship Corners at Chicago Public Library branches that serve communities with high concentration of immigrants.

Best of the Best Expands for Adult Titles

The 40 year tradition of providing a day to review the best new materials for children was held in early February, co-hosted with Chicago Public Schools-Departments of Literacy-Libraries. CPS and CPL presented best books for younger and older readers to an audience of approximately 150 children’s librarians, suburban librarians, teacher librarians and friends of children’s literature.  96% of participants said they learned new ways to engage children with books through their participation.

This year, the Best of the Best Program was expanded to include books for adults. From all of the books published in 2014, the CPL Content Curation team identified several dozen with the highest levels of quality, information, and interest for Chicagoans. The titles were promoted widely, receiving significant television and web attention. These special titles were also presented in a professional development program designed to educate librarians and teachers on ways to use the best adult works from 2014 in engaging with their communities and classes to promote and enable discovery, build programming, and create curriculum connections. 100 professionals from around Chicago and across the region attended this inaugural event. Feedback was positive and we are already planning Best of the Best for Adults for 2015!

OBOC Online Reading Experience

CPL launched One Book, One Chicago Online reading experience with this year’s selection The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon on Monday, February 2^nd. We are the first public library in the nation to offer free, in-browser, social reading of a full novel. OBOC Online can be found at www.onebookonechicago.org in six serialized installments. This serialized experience allows Chicagoans all over the city to read the book online at the same time. We had 1,189 unique readers participate in the first reading sprint. OBOC Online will end on May 3^rd.

The One Book, One Chicago program, which has been replicated in more than 150 cities across the country, is made possible by Allstate and BMO Harris, through the Chicago Public Library Foundation. The exciting OBOC Online pilot is a partnership with Bibliocommons and Random House.

Announcements

• The meeting room and study room guidelines have been updated and are included in your packet. They are effective April 1, 2015.
• The Chicago Public Library will be closed on April 5^th, 2015 and All Staff Institute day will be held on May 5^th 2015 at HWLC.