Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, January 14, 2014

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

Agenda

Tuesday, January 14, 2014, 9 a.m.

Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Multi-Purpose Room, Lower Level
  1. Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting on December 17, 2013 (action required)
  2. Selection of Officers (action required)
    • Nominating Committee
  3. Kelly Fund Budget Update (action required)
    • Kathryn Ludwig, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance
  4. Revised Circulation Policy (action required)
    • Brian Bannon, Commissioner
  5. CPL Capital Project and Facilities Reports (info. only)
    • Public Building Commission and Chicago Public Library
  6. Commissioner’s Report (info only)
    • Brian Bannon, Commissioner
    • Guest: Andrew Medlar, Assistant Commissioner for Collections
  7. Chicago Public Library Foundation Report
    • Rhona Frazin, Chicago Public Library Foundation President and CEO
  8. Other Business
  9. Questions and comments from the audience

Next Board meeting:

Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 9 a.m.

Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Multi-Purpose Room, Lower Level

Open Session Minutes

Board Members in Attendance

Physically Present

  • Linda Johnson Rice
  • Cristina Benitez
  • Christopher P. Valenti
  • Barbara Bowman
  • Josephine Gomez
  • Lynn Lockwood
  • Chaka Patterson
  • Jodi Block

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference

None

Absent

None

Approval of Minutes

The Board voted (8-0) to approve the open session minutes of the December 17, 2013 meeting.

Selection of Officers

Director Chaka Patterson presented the following proposed slate of officers for the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors for 2014:

    • Linda Johnson Rice: President
    • Christopher Valenti: Vice President
    • Cristina Benitez: Secretary

The Board voted (8-0) to approve the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors selection of officers for 2014.

Kelly Fund Budget Update

Kathryn Ludwig, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance, gave an update on the 2014 Kelly Fund budget, an investment fund managed by the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors. CPL is requesting that $45,000 be allotted for area of professional development which will include costs for 2014 All Staff Institute Day (ASID) and $10,000 is being requested for special programs and events.

The Board voted (8-0) to approve the 2014 Kelly Fund budget.

Revised Circulation Policy

A revision to the Chicago Public Library Circulation policy was recommended for approval and included:

      • Increasing the transaction limit from thirty (30) to fifty (50) items
      • Increasing audiovisual material check-out  limit from six (6) to ten (10) items
      • Removing the check-out limit of five (5) items for A) first thirty (30) days of registration and B) patrons using ID in lieu of forgotten library card
      • Removing the requirement for children thirteen (13) and under to sign/print their name on card application
      • Removing “Company” and “Courtesy” card types; adding “Staff” card type
      • Adding school ID as acceptable form of identification for high school students’ card applications
      • Extending card registration validity from two (2) years to three (3) years

The Board voted (8-0) to approve the revised Circulation policy.

CPL Capital Project and Facilities Report

Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner of Neighborhood Services, gave the report on Facilities and provided updates the Albany Park branch which is currently under construction and projected to open in Summer 2014; the Chinatown branch which is in the design phase and scheduled to open in 2015; the Whitney Young branch that is in the planning phase and pending project scope and budget confirmation; and reported facility improvements and maintenance on the Sulzer, Harold Washington and Woodson Regional Libraries.

Representatives from the Public Building Commission also provided a special report on the new Chinatown branch and supplied detailed information that included a YOUmedia area on the second floor, a Multi-purpose room on the first floor that can be divided into three separate spaces, shorter books stacks and sunshades to allow for more natural light throughout the branch and also mentioned that Wentworth Avenue will be realigned to accommodate the new branch design and connect to bordering streets.

Commissioner’s Report

Report on EBooks

Andrew Medlar, Assistant Commissioner for Collections, gave a special report on the accessibility of EBooks to library patrons and the affects on the Library system. The checkout of EBooks continues to grow and is up 47% from last year and currently makes up 5% of the Library’s circulation. Challenges being faced include decreased purchasing power; select publishers are not willing to provide EBooks; purchasing EBooks in different formats and increasing EBook prices. Libraries across the country are creating groups such as Readers First to promote and improve access to EBooks for public library users.

Commissioner Bannon reported on the Library’s strategy work with Mission Measurement which has helped establish a process to evaluate program effectiveness and design a framework for world class innovation and will now begin working with the Civic Consulting Alliance to continue strategizing over the next three years. Also mentioned were 2013 highlights and acknowledgments that  included the expansion of the Teacher in the Library and Rahm’s Readers/Summer Learning Challenge programs, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $1 million grant, major technology upgrades throughout the Library system and the Geeks in Residence Pilot Program to name a few. The Chicago Public Library was also recognized as the #1 Library in the United States and 3rd in the world in an German study; and all library locations served as warming centers during the recent polar vortex.

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report

Rhona Frazin, President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation, reported fundraising collaborations that have occurred since the November, 2013 Board meeting that included an approved proposal for $2 million from the MacArthur Foundation to continue funding YOUmedia; $90,000 in contributions from past and present Foundation Directors to honor Cindy Pritzker on the occasion of her 90th Birthday and permission from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to continue service of the Harold Washington Library Maker Lab through the first quarter of 2014.

Other Business

None

Questions and Comments from the Audience

None

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State Street, Lower Level, Multi-Purpose Room.

Commissioner’s Report - January 2014

Special Guest: AndrewMedlar, Assistant Commissioner for Collections

CPL Strategy Work

CPL strengthened its legacy as one of the most trusted institutions in America, in the course of the last twelve months we have worked with Mission Measurement to:

      • Perform a mission check and identified areas of intended impact
      • Establish a process to evaluate program effectiveness
      • Develop a dashboard tool to assess and improve programs and also
      • Designed a process framework for world-class innovation

Next Steps Strategy Work:

      • We are now ready to turn this work into a three year strategy
      • With the help of the Civic Consulting Alliance, a non-profit that builds pro bono services to support  the City, we will build this strategy
      • CCA will work with the Library through May 2014 to complete this work

2013 Highlights/Acknowledgements

Included in your board packets is the 2013 year-end report we sent to the Mayor on our accomplishments in 2013.

This includes:

      • Expansion of Teacher in the Library / Homework Help
      • Expansion of Rahm’s Readers / Summer Learning Challenge
      • New Branch Library openings in Edgewater, Back of the Yards, and Humboldt Park. Plus groundbreakings and design work on Albany Park and Chinatown.
      • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $1 million grant
      • Innovation Lab / Maker lab
      • Geeks in Residence Program Pilot
      • Major public technology upgrades
      • CPL Board created user-friendly policies: such as beverages in libraries, increase in the number of times a checked out item can be renewed, email notifications, using computers regardless of fines
      • Adding new board members:  Jodi Block, Barbara Bowman, and Chaka Patterson and added considerations in meetings to increase board and public engagement

Public Libraries in the Knowledge Society

According to a recent German study regarding public libraries and the knowledge economy (Public Libraries in the Knowledge Society: Core Services of Libraries in Informational World Cities by Agnes Mainka), The Chicago Public Library was listed 1st in the United States and 3rd in the world, ahead of cities like Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

Cold Weather Update

The Chicago Public Library was open and served as warming centers during the recent polar vortex. Our staff worked diligently to keep the library a warm and welcoming place for patrons.

Chicago Public Library Foundation

Report to Chicago Public Library Board of Directors

January 14, 2014

The Foundation is pleased to report on our successful fundraising collaboration with the Chicago Public Library since our last report in November.

We are celebrating the New Year with word from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that they have approved our proposal for $2 million for three years of continued funding for YOUmedia.  This grant will enable the Library to expand upon this internationally renowned innovative digital learning model for teens at the Harold Washington Library Center and branch libraries.

We concluded the Foundation’s most successful revenue year ever by exceeding our $50,000 double your dollars challenge grant from the Sun-Times Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust by nearly 200%, and dramatically increasing individual giving at all ends of the donor spectrum.

Support from individuals also received a big boost as past and present Foundation Directors contributed more than $90,000 to honor our Founding Chair and Former Library Board Chair Cindy Pritzker on the occasion of her 90th Birthday in December.  Commissioner Bannon and I will be suggesting a menu of innovative needs to Mrs. Pritzker that will benefit from this infusion of special funds.

Revenue for the 2014 Summer Learning Challenge has now exceeded $100,000 with a $40,000 grant from the Helen Harrison Foundation and a first time gift of $25,000 from the Daniel and Ada L. Rice Foundation.  Many proposals to new and continuing funders for this STEAM based learning program are currently under consideration, and we hope to be well on our way to funding success by the time of our next report.

The hugely popular Maker Lab here at the Harold Washington Library has received permission from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to stay open through the first quarter of 2014 with the expenditure of unspent carryover funding. We also look forward to the launch this quarter of the Library’s new digital catalog and web presence, which have been made possible through grants from the Chicago Public Library Foundation.

And I am pleased to report that Commissioner Bannon’s well conceived and compelling request for private funds to the Executive Committee of the Foundation resulted in approval of a high watermark commitment of $5.9 million in support for programs, technology and collections at the Library in 2014.