Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, April 16, 2013

Agenda

Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 9:00 a.m.

1. Approval of the minutes of the regular meetings on January 15, 2013 and March 19, 2013 (action required)
2. Election of Officers (action required)
3. Commissioner’s Report
   • Guest: Diane Knoepke, Mission Measurement
4. Report of the Committee on Facilities
5. Policy change: Video/Photo Policy (action required)
   • Ruth Lednicer, Marketing Director
6. Policy change: Using Computers with Fines (action required)
   • Katie Ludwig, Deputy Commissioner
7. Policy change: Renewals (action required)
   • Katie Ludwig, Deputy Commissioner
8. Chicago Public Library Foundation
9. Other Business
   • Retirements: Patricia Hawkins (33 years)
10. Questions and comments from the audience

Next Board Meeting

Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 9:00 a.m.

April 16, 2013, 9:00 a.m.

Board Members in Attendance

• Linda Johnson Rice
• Christina Benitez
• Christopher P. Valenti
• Josephine Gomez
• Julia Zhu
• Lynn Lockwood

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference

• None

Absent

• Susan S. Hassan
• Israel Idonije

Approval of Minutes

The Board voted (6-0) and approved the open session minutes of the January 15, 2013 and March 19, 2013 meetings.

Election of Officers

The Board voted (6-0) and approved the following slate of officers for the 2013 Chicago Public Library Board of Directors:

• Linda Johnson Rice, President
• Christopher P. Valenti, Vice-President
• Christina Benitez, Secretary

Commissioner’s Report

Commissioner Bannon gave a report on new projects and programs at CPL which included a hiring update, the new ASID redesign, partnerships with Allstate, INELI (International Network of Emerging Library Innovators) & the Chicago Park District and information on this year’s OBOC (One Book One Chicago).

Mission Measurement Presentation

Diane Knoepke (MM) gave a PowerPoint presentation on CPL’s Impact Measurement and Program Alignment which included updates on the impact framework, outcomes & metrics and alignment categories & criteria.

Report of the Committee on Facilities

Director Valenti delivered the report of the April 10, 2013 Facilities Committee meeting which detailed information on CPL’s March 2013 Capital Improvement Projects report. The Capital Improvements report described 3 CPL projects in the construction phase at the Edgewater, Back of the Yards and Albany Park branch libraries; 1 project in the design phase at the Chinatown branch library and 1 other project in the planning phase at the Whitney Young branch library. The Capital Improvement Projects report also described branch and regional library improvements and provided information on the new CPL Maker Space Lab opening this Fall, 2013.

Policy Change: Video/Photo Policy

Ruth Lednicer, Director of Marketing, presented a policy change to display notices at all CPL locations that informs patrons of the Library’s use of photos and videos taken within the Library. CPL may utilize any photos and/or videos taken at the Library’s discretion. Patrons consent to having their photo taken while visiting the Library unless they inform CPL staff otherwise.

The Board voted (6-0) and approved the video/photo policy change.

Policy Change: Using Computers with Fines

Assistant Commissioner Bever reported on the pilot program which allowed patrons use of computers in spite of having outstanding fines on their library card and recommended a policy change to permanently implement this practice.

The Board voted (6-0) and approved the use of computers with fines policy change.

Policy Change: Renewals

Assistant Commissioner Bever recommended to the Board a policy change that extends the renewal period of most items on loan from 3 to 15 times unless the item is on hold by another patron.

The Board voted (6-0) and approved the renewals policy change.

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report

Rhona Frazin, Chicago Public Library Foundation President & CEO, gave the Foundation report summarizing private funding activity on behalf of CPL since the March 19, 2013 meeting. The report indicated 3 new grants, 2 additional Allstate Fellows and 4 grants awaiting funder decision. An announcement of the honorees for the October, 2013 Carl Sandburg Literary Awards dinner was presented as well.

Other Business

The Board congratulated Patricia Hawkins upon her retirement from CPL.

Questions and Comments from the Audience

The Board entertained questions and comments from the audience regarding the “Check Out Galewood-Mont Clare Library” event organized by the Galewood community to boost circulation at the GMC branch, and a request was made to review the Library’s Guidelines for Computer and Internet Use to ensure they protect children from content deemed objectionable by their parents.

Submitted by Cristina Benitez, Secretary

Attachment A: Commissioner's Report

April 16, 2013
Chicago Public Library Board of Directors Meeting

Below are the updates for March & April. There is a special report from Mission Measurement with Diane Knoepke. The written report provides an update on key initiatives.

Staffing & Training

• Hiring Update: To date we have hired 9.5 Full Time Librarians, 2 Clerks and 5 Managers. We have many hires in the pipeline, including 50 library pages.
• ASID Redesign: ASID is the Chicago Public Library’s annual learning event intended to support our strategic initiatives and the professional development of all CPL staff. ASID provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues, meet new people, and participate in a day of learning and collaboration. This year, ASID is brand new! We have changed the structure and content of ASID to reflect our organization’s focus on social impact – how what we do improves communities. Our theme, “I-Cubed”, explores the creative process of Inspiration, Ideation, and Innovation. Our facilitators will share their unique professional journeys and help us imagine how we might apply their methods and ideas to support our patrons and communities. Our agenda will include an Opening Ceremony and keynote speaker, Harper Reed. There will be three program hours throughout the day. The focus of each session will be on developing skills that support our work to understand, engage, and serve our communities.

Partnerships

• Allstate Fellows: Are given a paid leave from their jobs at Allstate for three to six months to apply their business skills and insight to finding solutions to community problems. The Allstate Fellows program gives fellows a specific, well-defined project that takes advantage of their expertise in areas like human resources, technology, marketing and process improvement. Allstate Fellows, Darlene Calvert, assigned until June, will be focused on our CPL Technology Strategy and Jim Janis, assigned until May, will be working on our BiblioCommons website. We anticipate new fellows in the fall of 2013.
• International Network of Emerging Library Innovators: Public library leaders around the world are facing unprecedented challenges, and this turbulent environment offers a unique opportunity for public library leaders to redefine what it means to be a public library. The Global Libraries initiative (GL) of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation believes that the most effective way to ensure that emerging library leaders don’t act with yesterday’s logic is to provide them with opportunities to connect with each other to explore new ideas, to experiment with new services, and to learn from one another. INELI draws participants from a variety of countries and continents. In the first year 19 people from seventeen different countries, representing 5 continents participated. Participants will collaborate with others to improve library service by completing a project related to innovative public library services. Julie Lynch has been selected to represent CPL and is one of only two representatives from the US. Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner for Neighborhood Libraries, will serve as Julie’s mentor and will represent CPL as part of the international group of mentors. Countries: Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Botswana, France, Colombia, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Greece, India, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Nepal, New Zealand, Latvia, Poland, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uganda, US (Chicago and Chattanooga)
• Chicago Park District Archives: Library named repository for Park District archives. 80,000 architectural and landscape drawings digitized. $100,000 raised for additional projects. We expect the archives to be used heavily. Plans, photographs and records for parks across the city. Drawings by nationally important landscape architects, such as Frederick Law Olmsted and Jens Jensen.

Programming

• One Book, One Chicago: For twelve months, from April 2013 through March 2014, One Book, One Chicago will offer an exploration of how migration has shaped and continues to shape Chicago, inspired by our current book selection, Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. We will host a panel discussion on April 19, in partnership with the Office of New Americans. The panel discussion, titled “The New Chicagoans,” will look at Chicago as a gateway for migrants today, just as it was when The Great Migration drew so many African-Americans here in the 20th century. An exciting panel of thinkers and leaders will discuss how this more recent influx of new citizens and workers play into the evolution of our city.
• In May, our main stage event features our Board president, Linda Johnson Rice, in conversation with historians Timuel D. Black, Jr. and Adam Green for a lively discussion across generations of how the Great Migration shaped the city and their lives. This event takes place Monday, May 6, 6:00 p.m. at the Harold Washington Library Center, and we’re happy to be presenting this event in partnership with the Chicago Urban League.
• May also kicks off our very exciting partnership with “StoryCorps @ your library.” From May through October facilitators from DePaul University, trained by StoryCorps, will be at 14 library locations recording interviews with regular Chicagoans on how they or their family members migrated to Chicago. We plan to capture between 50 to 70 hour-long interviews, and plan to make them accessible in an exciting way after the interview collection concludes.

Attachment B: Report to the Board of the Chicago Public Library Foundation

April 16, 2013
Chicago Public Library Board of Directors Meeting

The Chicago Public Library Foundation is pleased to report to the Library Board on private funding activity on behalf of the Chicago Public Library since your last meeting.

New grants include:

• $25,000 from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation for Archival Processing of the Vivian Harsh collection at the Woodson Regional Library. Grants for that project year-to-date are at $75,000.
• $30,000 from Integrys/Peoples Gas for Science Connectionsm
• $15,000 from the Chicago HIVE for a badging component of the Summer Learning challenge; and
• $100,000 from BMO Harris for sponsorship of the 2014 One Book, One Chicago.

Additionally Allstate has approved the deployment of two more Allstate Fellows, senior level loaned executives, to work with Library Staff on design of strategic initiatives. This brings their total donation to four people consulting for three to four month periods. This is a tremendous investment of talent by Allstate in our Library.

A substantial amount of grant activity is currently awaiting funder decision. Included in this category are proposals of:

• $400,000 to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to sustain YOUmedia through 2013 at the Richard M. Daley, Thurgood Marshall and Lozano Branch Libraries as well as at the Harold Washington Library Center.
• $400,000 pending with 9 funders for Full STEAM Ahead, this year’s Summer Learning Challenge
• $250,000 to the Motorola Solutions Foundation to support all CPL STEM programs;
• $100,000 to the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to continue the Cuentos Aqui Early Literacy (CAP) Program in Pilsen and surrounding communities and to fund a planning grant for CPL’s workforce development initiative;
• And a very significant request to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for innovation leadership at the Chicago Public Library.

We are also exploring expanded and sustainable revenue streams for Teachers in the Library and CyberNavigators.

As part of its pro bono commitment to the Chicago Public Library and Foundation, Leo Burnett will be conducting a full day Strategic Visioning Workshop for Library and Foundation staff leadership this Thursday which will pave the way for the creation of a comprehensive Strategic Marketing Plan.

Finally, last week we announced the exciting news of the honorees for this year’s Carl Sandburg Literary Awards dinner to be held on October 23 at the Forum at UIC. The Carl Sandburg Literary Award for Fiction will be presented to Chilean-American writer and advocate for the civil liberties of women and girls, Isabel Allende, author of “House of the Spirits” and “Island Beneath the Sea”, as well as the newly released “Maya’s Notebook”. The award for non-fiction will be presented to Michael Lewis, best-selling author of “The Blindside”, “Money Ball” and “Liar’s Poker”. Christine Sneed, a Chicago based author of novels and short stories, including the critically acclaimed “Little Known Facts” will receive the 21st Century Award. This year, the event will continue to feature a Chicago author at every table. Our emcee will be Bill Kurtis and leading the discussion with Ms. Allende and Mr. Lewis is host of NPR’s Weekend Edition and author, Chicago native Scott Simon.

Sponsorship letters have not even gone out yet, and already we have commitments totaling more than $400,000 in revenue for the event, including renewing $100,000 Presenting Sponsor BMO Harris Bank, and $50,000 Lead Sponsor Advanced Resources. On behalf of our Dinner Co-Chairs Tom Ricketts, Chairman of the Chicago Cubs and Marcy Carlin, Executive Vice President of Essex Investment Management and a member of the Foundation Board and Event Producer Donna La Pietra, I hope that you will all mark your calendars for October 23 for another memorable evening to benefit the Chicago Public Library.