AGENDA

1. Welcome and History of the Albany Park Branch (info only)
2. Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting on March 17, 2015 (action required)
3. Election of Officers (action required)
4. Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Purchases (info only)
5. CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)
6. Commissioner’s Report (info only)
7. Chicago Public Library Foundation Report (info only)
8. Public Comment

Next Board meeting:

Open Session Minutes

Physically Present:

Linda Johnson Rice, Christopher Valenti, Josephine Gomez, Denise Gardner, Jodi Block, Chaka Patterson

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference:

None

Absent:

Barbara Bowman, Lynn Lockwood

Welcome and History of the Albany Park Branch

John Glynn, Albany Park branch manager, welcomed the Board to the new, state-of-the-art Albany Park Branch which re-opened September 13, 2014. The branch first opened in 1963 and has been an important part of the area’s changing multi-ethnic community. The branch is home to a large Latino population and a large Korean American community and serves the residents or Albany Park and North Park communities. The branch houses a YOUmedia space for teens, classes and one on one sessions with Cybernavigators, and various events for patrons of all ages throughout the year.

Approval of the minutes

The Board voted (6-0) to approve the minutes of the March 17, 2015 Board meeting.

Election of Officers

Director Chaka Patterson presented the following proposed slate of officers for the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors for 2015:

• Linda Johnson Rice: President
• Christopher Valenti: Vice President
• Josephine Gomez: Secretary

The Board voted (6-0) to approve the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors selection of officers for 2015.

Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Purchases

Commissioner Bannon presented the quarterly report on contacts and purchases made for magazines, books, periodicals and articles of educational and instructional nature. For this quarter (Jan-Mar 2015) a total of 1172 payments have been paid totaling $1,598,931.30 to various vendors.

CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report

Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner for Neighborhood Services supplied the Capital Projects report which highlighted the following:

Projects In planning

• Project Management Office will take on daily management of certain library projects
• Legler – Building envelope repairs have been re-scoped to budget and include: masonry and parapet restoration, new roof; window restoration; upgrade toilet rooms for ADA compliance; LED lighting in atrium laylight (landmark status)
• Austin Branch - Scope to include A/C upgrades only; envelope restoration of masonry, roofing and skylights (historic/landmark status) has been returned to scope
• Douglass Branch - Installation of a public toilet room on the 1^st floor and reconstruction of stair railing with code complaint guards.
• Fire Alarm Systems – Removed from scope until Woodson bids are received
• Sulzer - Extensive exterior envelope repairs to masonry, roof and window frames (due to systemic water infiltration and lack of thermal and expansion breaks); PMO will be engaged to manage and value-engineer the project with current available funds; Phase 1: Detailed drawings for the envelope repair are nearly complete; require value engineering; Phase 2: the following items have been moved to Phase 2 pending funding: mechanical upgrades to cooling tower, chiller, boiler, air handling unit, and chemical and water treatment system; LED applicability and lighting upgrades; Rehab of electrical systems including video and communications system.
• Woodson - Phase 1 – YOUmedia expansion complete; Phase 2 - envelope replacement and interior work; upgrades to flooring, lighting, ceilings, and paint in lobby; upgraded lighting and ceilings in Children’s Area; updated guardrails and handrails on monumental stairway; upgrades to lighting, ceilings and paint in public areas; construction of two new glazed study rooms west of stairway; Phase 3 – Upgrade and renovation of Auditorium

Projects Under Construction

• Chinatown - 61% complete; mechanical rough in and equipment installation continues; Gyp board installation and finishing is in progress; public art storytelling forum held April 18 at the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago with members of the art selection panel, and artist C.J. Hungerman.
• Harold Washington Library Center – self-check units became active in the lobby on 4/20/15; circulation Desk construction began on 4/20; projected completion 2Q 2015

Commissioner’s Report

Jennifer Lizak, Coordinator of Special Projects, gave a special report on the One Book One Chicago Online Experience, a pilot project with BiblioCommons, Random House, Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Library Foundation. Chicago Public Library expanded our One Book One Chicago (OBOC) program into an online experience with e-book installments launched on a rotating, accessible, and unlimited basis. Chicagoans engaged by reading, discussing, tweeting, and undertaking creative programmatic missions.

This year’s selection, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, was made available in six serialized installments. 5 of the 6 sections of the title have been completed and there have been over 2,000 reader sessions over the past 2 months, and in less than half the time. The program ends on May 3rd.

Brian Bannon, Commissioner, also highlighted:

• This year’s Summer Learning Challenge will begin June 8^th. CPL’s Children and Teen Services teams have been finalizing program plans, training citywide staff and developing exciting collaborations with program partners at the Museum of Science and Industry and the Adler Planetarium.
• CPL is partnering with Peer 2 Peer University to host study groups for patrons who want to learn how to complete courses online. Study groups will be held at the Harold Washington Library Center and Edgewater branch beginning April 29^th – June 11^th, 2015.
• CPL participated in the International Table Top Game Day event at the Harold Washington Library Center on Saturday, April 11^th. Additionally, patrons can now practice their gaming skills using CPL’s in-house board game collection.
• CPL Teen Services and YOUmedia hosted the first in a series of 1st Saturdays: Careers in Focus at Harold Washington Library Center on Saturday, April 4. The half-day event, focused on the Publishing and Writing industry, featured writers and editors from Chicago who offered their experience and expertise.

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report

Rhona Frazin, President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation, reported success fundraising efforts that included:

• CPLF will soon launch their spring fundraising campaign focused on the CPL’s STEM themed Summer Learning Challenge; private funding of less than $10 a child, will ensure a summer of reading
• Recent corporate and foundation support include:
  • Boeing, who will be the lead sponsor of the Summer Learning Challenge, with a contribution of $100,000.
  • KPMG which will be sponsoring all prize books throughout the summer, as well as the printing of early learning materials and a massive volunteer inspired Summer Learning program launch day in early June.
  • Cubs Care, Peoples Gas, and the Peggy and Steve Fossett Foundation have all contributed sponsor-level support.
• Science Connections - $25,000 in support from Peoples Gas/Integrys
• YOUMedia - $35,000 in grants from Hive Chicago and $90,000 from Kathy Pick
• Teachers in the Library - $55,000 in support from Tom and Sue Pick
• One Book, One Chicago - $42,000 from Allstate
• The Foundation was named the beneficiary of a legacy trust valued between $1 million and $2 million from a consistent annual donor to the Foundation
• CPLF Junior Board welcomed a capacity crowd of 400 guests to its second annual Night in the Stacks event.
• The lineup of honorees for this year’s Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner will include Stephen Sondheim to receive the 2015 Carl Sandburg Literary Award
• The 2015 21st Century Award will be presented to first time novelist and Columbia College professor Eric Charles May

Other Business

None

Public Comment

The Board addressed comments from the public regarding the use of meeting rooms and improvements to various branch libraries.

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State Street.

Commissioner’s Report

Special Guest: Jennifer Lizak, Project Coordinator, Civic and Cultural Engagement Team

Summer Learning Challenge Program Design

This year’s Summer Learning Challenge will begin June 8. The Summer Learning Challenge is designed to engage and motivate children, teens and parents to continue learning in the summer months. CPL’s Children and Teen Services teams have been finalizing program plans, training citywide staff and developing exciting collaborations with program partners at the Museum of Science and Industry and the Adler Planetarium. Branch managers, librarians, associates and others will continue to engage in training and programming planning over the next two months for our biggest library program.  You will hear greater detail about this summer’s plans at the next Board of Directors meeting.

Supporting Online Learners

CPL is partnering with Peer 2 Peer University to host study groups for patrons who want to learn how to complete courses online. Study groups will be held at the Harold Washington Library Center and Edgewater branch beginning April 29^th – June 11^th, 2015. Courses include: Academic Writing; GED Prep Math; Programming with Python; and Public Speaking and are designed so patrons gain experience giving and receiving feedback, working in groups and feeling comfortable working online. Patrons will be provided computers and all necessary course materials.

Gaming Workshop Group

The Gaming Working Group is using the Design Thinking Toolkit for Libraries to explore how best to leverage a growing interest in games to reach the new adult population.  Patrons can now practice their gaming skills using CPL’s in-house board game collection. Patrons can borrow a wide variety of games at the reference desk, including Monopoly and Dominoes and more specialized genre games like Fluxx or Quiddler.

We had great participation at the International Table Top Game Day event at the Harold Washington Library Center on Saturday, April 11th. Librarians were on hand to teach the mechanics of games and facilitate collaborative play.

1^st Saturdays, Career Workshops for YOUmedia Teens

CPL Teen Services and YOUmedia hosted the first in a series of 1st Saturdays: Careers in Focus at Harold Washington Library Center on Saturday, April 4. The half-day event, focused on the Publishing and Writing industry, featured writers and editors from Chicago who offered their experience and expertise. Sessions included a panel discussion about developing a writing career as well as workshops on networking, book reviewing and author interviews. Our guest panelists and presenters included writers from Groupon, RHINO Poetry and American Library Association's Booklist magazine.

May’s 1^st Saturday program will focus on Engineering Careers and feature presenters and workshop facilitators from Microsoft, Motorola Mobility, the Museum of Science and Industry and others.

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report

The Chicago Public Library Foundation is pleased to have this opportunity to report on the joint success of our fundraising efforts on behalf of innovative program initiatives at the Library.

We are about to launch our spring fundraising campaign focused on the Library’s STEM themed Summer Learning Challenge.  Because of the city’s investment in child and teen staffing, private funding of less than $10 a child, will ensure a summer of reading, learning and discovery and fun for Chicago’s kids.  In addition to direct mail and social marketing, RPM Advertising is contributing its creative efforts to a 30 second public service announcement aimed at both fundraising and program recruitment.

Recent corporate and foundation support has come from Boeing, who will be the lead sponsor of the Summer Learning Challenge, with a contribution of $100,000.  Other major sponsorship comes from KPMG which will be sponsoring all prize books throughout the summer, as well as the printing of early learning materials and a massive volunteer inspired Summer Learning program launch day in early June. Cubs Care, Peoples Gas, and the Peggy and Steve Fossett Foundation have all contributed sponsor-level support.  With the pending grant requests, and a strong individual giving campaign, we expect to meet our fundraising goals for this large Foundation commitment.

Other program initiatives that have received major support in the past several weeks include

• Science Connections- With $25,000 in support from Peoples Gas/Integrys
• YOUMedia- $35,000 in grants from Hive Chicago and $90,000 from Kathy Pick for 3-years of support for a YOUMedia mentor.
• Teachers in the Library- $55,000 in support for four Teachers in the Library from Tom and Sue Pick; and
• One Book, One Chicago- $42,000 from Allstate

The Foundation is also pleased to report that we have learned that a consistent annual donor to the Foundation has named us as the beneficiary of a legacy trust valued at between $1 million and $2 million. These legacy gifts provide the Foundation with essential continuity of resources for Library programs.

Last Friday night, the Foundation’s Junior Board welcomed a capacity crowd of 400 guests to its second annual Night in the Stacks event. The evening of fun, food and music featured a super-heroes theme ripped from the pages of this year’s One Book, One Chicago selection, The Amazing Adventure of Kavelier and Clay. With support from sponsors Chicago Public Library, BMO Harris Bank, Agati Furniture, Sidley & Austin, Advanced Resources, CBRE-US Equities, KPMG, Today’s Business Solutions, Baker Tilly Latham & Watkins, Jones Day, Clayco, Clarity Partners, Social Life Chicago, Katz & Stefani, McGuire Woods, Leo Burnett, Jim and Nina Donnelley, Paul Dykstra and Spark Cremin, RPM Advertising, Jewell Events Catering and, and Goose Island Beer, and Intelligentsia Coffee. The event generated gross revenue of $127,000 for the Foundation and Library – a huge increase over last year’s gross revenue of $67,000.

In early April the Foundation and the Library announced an exciting line up of honorees for this year’s Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner. Stephen Sondheim, surely the most literary of all contemporary composers and lyricists will receive the 2015 Carl Sandburg Literary Award. Sondheim is the recipient of the “triple crown” of awards—Oscar, Grammy and Tony, as well as the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential medal of freedom, and Kennedy Center Honors. His music or words for shows including West Side Story, Gypsy, Sunday in the Park With George, Follies and Company have been sung by generations of musical theater lovers, and are included in a lovely 2-volume compendium: “Finishing the Hat” and “Look I Made A Hat”.

Mr. Sondheim will appear in conversation with NPR Weekend Edition and CBS Sunday Morning Host Scott Simon. The 2015 21^st Century Award, given to an early career author with ties to Chicago will be presented to first time novelist and Columbia College professor Eric Charles May, whose breakthrough work Bedrock Faith, set in a tight-knit neighborhood on Chicago’s far South side has met with critical acclaim. The evening chaired by Foundation Board Member Dr. Dina Yaghmai and Honorary Chair John Bryan has already posted revenue of more than $400,000. Please save the date of Wednesday, October 21 at the Forum at UIC for a great memorable literary evening.