Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – January 16, 2018

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.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

January 16, 2018, 9:00 a.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Lower Level, Multi-Purpose Room

  1. Approval of minutes for the December 19, 2017 meeting (action required)
  2. Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Licenses (info only)  
  3. CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)
    • Special Report: Northtown
  4. Commissioner’s Report (info only) Brian Bannon, Commissioner
    • Introduce CPL’s new Library Division Chief: Shenita Mack
    • 2018 Quarter1 Priority Projects
    • All Chicago Public Library locations will be closed on Monday, February 12th and Monday, February 19th
  5. Chicago Public Library Foundation Report (info only)
  6. Other Business
  7. Public Comment

Next Board meeting:  March 20, 2018, 9:00 a.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Lower Level, Multi-Purpose Room

 

Open Session Minutes

Physically Present: Linda Johnson Rice,  Christopher Valenti, Lynn Lockwood, Dominique Jordan Turner, Patricia Gaytan Perez

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference: None

Absent: Barbara Bowman, Jodi Block, Denise Gardner

Approval of minutes (action required)

The Board approved (5-0) the minutes of the December 19, 2017 meeting.

Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Licenses

Baronica Roberson, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance, presented the quarterly report on contacts and purchases made for magazines, books, databases, periodicals and articles of educational and instructional nature. For this quarter (October 1 – December 31, 2017) a total of 2098 invoices were paid totaling $2,265,932.43 to various vendors.

CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)

CPL capital projects are as follows (no changes at this time):

  • Austin – exterior and interior upgrades are near completion, branch reopens February 5th
  • Blackstone - phase II of interior work is underway; exterior improvements are complete
  • North Austin – exterior work is complete; interior upgrades began 12/18
  • Woodson – construction is substantially complete; staff returned to the branch 12/4 to prepare for branch opening in February
  • Kelly – exterior work is complete; interior upgrades are in progress
  • Sulzer – phase III began 12/18
  • Chicago Bee – construction will begin in late January
  • CHA/CPL Partnerships  - design development and construction documents are in progress for Altgeld, Independence, Northtown and Roosevelt branches
  • Whitney Young - branch closed to the public 9/6; groundbreaking and construction began in October

Special Report

A representative from Perkins & Will gave a special report on the Northtown Library and Housing development project that is currently underway. Perkins & Will is the design architect with Evergreen Real Estate Group as the developer of this project. In partnership with CHA, this new development is located on the corner of Western & Pratt and will consist of a public library on the first floor and 44 housing units for seniors on the second floor. The two-story, 16,500 square-foot library will serve the Rogers Park/West Ridge community and house a children’s area, YOUmedia space for teens and an outdoor reading garden for public use. The tenants will access the property from a separate entrance. Additionally, the property will to a roof top garden that is only accessible to its tenants. The branch is currently still under construction with expected completion 4Q 2018. 

Commissioner’s Report (info only)

Commissioner Bannon introduced CPL’s new Library Division Chief, Shenita Mack; Shenita began her career with the Chicago Public Library in 1998. Commissioner Bannon also mentioned the key projects for the first quarter that include:

  • Content DM upgrade
  • Healthy Early Childhood Development Pilot
  • Harold Washington Summit
  • Cindy Pritzker Lecture

Commissioner Bannon also reminded everyone that Chicago Public Library locations will be closed on Monday, February 12th and Monday, February 19th.

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report

Rhona Frazin, President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation provided an update on the Foundations fundraising efforts and highlighted the following:

  • 2017 fundraising revenue and budget savings will deliver a balanced budget for the year
  • The Library and Advanced Resources have started the process for hiring the Early Learning Play Specialist
  • The 2017 Sandburg Dinner was another record year, raising $1,904,910
  • The annual Night in the Stacks will be held on Friday, April 6, 2018, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Other Business

None

Public Comment

The Board addressed comments from the audience regarding senior programming and outreach for seniors and concerns surrounding the condition of the Douglass branch from residents of the North Lawndale community and the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation.

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. at the Harold Washington Library Center located at 400 S. State Street.

 

Commissioner’s Report

Introduce CPL’s new Library Division Chief: Shenita Mack

Please join me in welcoming Shenita Mack as HWLC’s new Library Division Chief. Shenita began her career with the Chicago Public Library in 1998 as a Library Page in the Harold Washington Library Center Bookstore. In 2000, Shenita was promoted to part-time Library Clerk in the Government Publications Department, where she had the joy of learning all about classified documents, Census data, and the quietly kept Municipal Reference Collection. She was then promoted to Library Associate in the Staff and Organization Development Department. Shenita graduated from Dominican University in 2006 with her MLIS.

After obtaining her MLIS degree from Dominican University in 2006, Shenita worked in the Social Sciences and History Department. Shortly after that, she was promoted to branch manager of the Greater Grand Crossing Branch. Shenita also served as branch manager of the North Austin and Bessie Coleman branches as well, two communities that utilized the library as a community hub.

Shenita has been a part of many programs such as ILEAD USA, has attended Federal Depository Programs, and has created awesome programs and workshops for adults and children. She spends her spare time with her 11-year-old daughter Sania, who attends the Walt Disney Magnet School and continues to work on restoring her two-flat greystone building in the West Garfield Park community.

2018 Quarter 1 Priority Projects

  • Content DM Upgrade
  • Healthy Early Childhood Development Pilot
  • Harold Washington Summit
  • Cindy Pritzker Lecture

Announcement

All Chicago Public Library locations will be closed on Monday, February 12th and Monday, February 19th

 

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report 

I’m happy to deliver this update on behalf of the Board and Staff of the Chicago Public Library Foundation.

2017 was a very successful year for fundraising. Although we are still processing year-end gifts and expenses, we are projecting that fundraising revenue and budget savings will deliver a balanced budget for the year.

Recent restricted gifts to the Foundation since November 18 total more than $543,000. Among the highlights of this restricted support:

  • Pick Fund, Tom and Sue       11/20/2017     $40,000    Teacher-in-the-Library
  • Westinghouse                        11/20/2017       $5,000    Summer Learning Challenge
  • Davee Foundation                  11/27/2017     $50,000    Teacher-in-the-Library
  • Retirement Research Found  12/04/2017     $35,000   CyberNavigators
  • Barker Welfare                       12/04/2018     $40,000    Teacher-in-the Library
  • Kemper Educational Fund     12/06/2017     $25,000    Teacher-in-the-Library
  • Hoellen/Sulzer Family            12/07/2017     $42,000    Sulzer Branch
  • Rice Foundation                     12/11/2017     $10,000    Summer Learning Challenge
  • TriBraining                              12/14/2017     $11,000    Early Learning--Puppets
  • Allstate                                    12/28/2017   $250,000    YOUmedia
  • Allstate                                    12/28/2017     $25,000    Sandburg Dinner
  • Anonymous                             12/28/2017     $10,000    Summer Learning Challenge

The Library and Advanced Resources have started the process of hiring the Early Learning Play Specialist, who will start early in the New Year. This position was made possible through a $25,000 anonymous grant.
In Unrestricted Revenue, the 2017 Sandburg Dinner was another record year, raising $1,904,910. The Dinner resulted in 181 new donors; 34 donors who gave more than last year, and 33 lapsed donors. Special thanks go to Co-Chairs Graham Grady and Jackie Griesdorn and the Foundation and Library Boards for their dedication and commitment.

Giving Tuesday and the year-end appeal performed well, raising more than $36,000.

Mark your calendars for the annual Night in the Stacks! Organized by the Associates Board (formerly the Junior Board), the theme this year is a celebration of music and it will be held in the Winter Garden at the Harold Washington Library Center, on Friday, April 6, 2018, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Please contact Veronica Brown, vbrown@cplfoundation.org if you would like information on sponsoring or attending this event.