Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – October 17, 2017

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.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

October 17, 2017, 9:00 a.m.

West Englewood Branch

1745 W. 63rd Street

 

  1. Welcome and History of the West Englewood Branch (info only)
  2. Approval of minutes for the September 25, 2017 meeting (action required)
  3. Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Licenses (info only) 
  4. CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)
  5. Special report: Whitney Young
  6. Commissioner’s Report (info only)
    • Introduce CPL’s new Director of Finance: Mary Emmanuel
    • Special Report: CyberNavigators for Seniors
    • Internet to Go Program Extended
    • 2017 Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge Results
    • 2017 Cindy Pritzker Lecture on Urban Life & Issues: David Simas – Mon, Sept 25th
    • Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner – Wed, Oct 11th
    • A Conversation with Greg Kot and Mavis Staples – Thurs, Dec 14th
    • Quarter 4 Priority Projects
  7. Other Business
  8. Public Comment

 

Next Board meeting:

November 21, 2017, 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

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference: None

Absent: Patricia Gaytan Perez, Denise Gardner, Barbara Bowman, Jodi Block

Welcome and History of the West Englewood Branch (info only)

Maurice Thomas Jr., branch manager of the West Englewood branch library, provided the Board with an overview of the branch. Built in 2003, the West Englewood library was one of the City’s various projects to contribute to the revitalization of the West Englewood community and is the neighborhood’s first library. It is also one of the City's "green" libraries and houses design elements that incorporate technology that is cost-effective, energy efficient and good for the environment.

Approval of the minutes (action required)

Due to lack of a quorum, the approval of minutes for the September 19, 2017 meeting were tabled until the November 21, 2017 meeting.

Schedule of Requisitions, Contracts and Licenses (info only)

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 (June 16 – September 30, 2017) a total of 968 invoices were paid totaling $1,353,768.51to various vendors.

CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)

Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner of Neighborhood Services, presented the Capital Projects report and highlighted the following:

CHA Partnerships

  • Independence – New construction of a 16,000 square foot public library building in a planned development with 44 senior housing units; design architect is John Ronan and developer is Evergreen Real Estate Group. Milestones and Current Activity: Design is in progress, financing is being finalized with submission to HUD in mid-November, construction to start 1Q 2018 for completion in 4Q 2018.
  • Northtown - New construction of a 16,000 square foot public library building in a planned development with 44 senior housing units; design architect is Perkins + Will and developer is Evergreen Real Estate Group. Milestones and Current Activity: design is in progress, financing is being finalized with submission to HUD in mid-November, construction to begin 1Q 2018 for completion in 4Q 2018.
  • Roosevelt - New construction of a 16,000 square foot branch library in a planned development with 73 multi-family housing units; design architect is Skidmore Owings & Merrill and developer is Related Midwest. Milestones and Current Activity: design is in progress; financing is being finalized and final documents are expected to be closed in mid-November; construction to begin 1Q 2018 with completion in 4Q 2018.
  • Altgeld - Site to combine a CPL library branch with an early childhood center; design architect is Koo & Associates. Milestones and Current Activity: design is in progress; issue for bid has been released for general contractor; construction to start late 4Q 2017 for completion in 4Q 2018.
  • Chicago Bee - 2FM will design and project management with CHA financing. Scope: full renovation and reconfiguration of first floor to provide additional early learning space and a YOUmedia; adult area to be expanded to second floor; upgrades to mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; LED lighting upgrades throughout; installation of additional power and data throughout; Milestones and Current Activity: grant agreement transferring funds from CHA to the City/2FM is with the Law Department; FH Paschen was selected as contractor; programmatic and design coordination with 2FM is in progress.

Major Maintenance and Repair Projects

  • Woodson – Milestones and Current Activity: exterior and interior construction is about 75%-80% complete (with some exterior detailing remaining); exterior terra cotta and glass storefronts have been fully installed; the exterior parking lot has been completely repaved; 2FM trades will have some additional scope of work in the interior of the building once the general contractor has completed their portion of the scope; substantial completion in 4Q 2017 with plans to reopen in 1Q 2018.
  • Blackstone – Scope: complete exterior tuck-pointing, roofing and foundation wall repairs, repairs to the glass dome in the lobby, plaster repairs throughout, mosaic tile floor repairs with new flooring, build out of an early learning space, staff kitchen repairs, supplemental scope to include renovation of circulation desk and new building automation system. Milestones and Current Activity: exterior scope completed in September 2017, interior construction began on 9/11/2017, branch closed to the public 9/11-10/6/17 and reopened on October 9; supplementary work to be completed by 4Q 2017.
  • Kelly – Scope: envelope repairs and landscaping, new entry door and stairs, window repairs, new fire alarm system, additional power and data, YOUmedia and early learning build outs, new LED lighting and new flooring, upgrades to the circulation desk, restroom and staff areas, and paint throughout. Milestones and Current Activity: tuck-pointing is substantially complete, main exterior entry stair construction start scheduled for 10/16/2017, interior work scheduled to begin during the second half of October, with the YOUMedia build out on the 2nd floor and the fire alarm installation; circulation desk design has been approved and issued to contractor to finalize pricing, exterior work scheduled to be complete by the end of the year, estimated completion for interior work 1Q 2018.
  • Austin – Scope: replacement of existing gravel roof with new, energy efficient roofing system, replacement of skylight over circulation desk, exterior masonry walls, lintels and windows will be tuck-pointed and sealed, upgrades to circulation desk, new flooring and paint throughout. Milestones and Current Activity: branch closed to the public on 9/25/17, when the exterior upgrades including masonry repair and tuck-pointing, along with roof and skylight replacement began, branch is scheduled to reopen 11/13/17, detailing to continue and construction is scheduled to be complete by late November 2017.
  • Sulzer - Phase 2 scope includes: new carpet and flooring, construction of a new meeting room on the second floor, restoration of existing built-ins throughout, paint throughout, electrical and data upgrades, bathroom upgrades and renovation, early Learning Space build-out, upgrades to the circulation desk area, AV upgrades in the auditorium. Milestones and Current Activity: BAS system installation completed as of 10/12/17, Phase 2 work to begin in late October, substantial completion scheduled 1Q18.
  • Early Learning Spaces – Early Learning spaces have been completed at the Little Village, West Englewood, West Pullman, Legler, Budlong Woods, Toman, Austin-Irving and South Chicago branches; for Q4 and 2018 completion, planning is in place for early learning spaces at Sulzer, Thurgood Marshall, Sherman Park, Kelly and Woodson.

Developer Project

  • West Loop - Proposed 17,000 sq. foot library in an existing office building, design architect is Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with developer as Sterling Bay. Milestones and Current Activity: design is in progress, construction to begin 2Q 2018 for Construction completion 4Q 2018.

Special Report

Ms. Telli introduced representatives from bkL (design architect) and Johnson & Lee (architect of record) whom collectively provided an overview of the Whitney Young branch renovation project. Milestones and Current Activity: bid documents were issued to JOC contractors in July w FH Paschen being selected; branch closed to the public on 10/6/2017; staff has completed packing the branch and are now at their temporary locations. Project to be deployed in 2 phases - Phase I: 10/20/17 – 01/31/18 Mobilization, community intake meetings (to be held at branch), permitting, submittals, material procurement, abatement, interior demolition. Phase II: 02/01/18 – 10/15/18 new addition and renovation with substantial completion in 4Q 2018.

Commissioner’s Report (info only)

Andrea Saenz, First Deputy Commissioner presented a special report on CPL’s CyberNavigator program for older Chicagoans. The program provides more customized computer assistance for seniors to continue bridging the digital divide. To support that objective, CPL has identified several service categories that older adults require assistance with such as accessing cell phone apps, turning on certain devices, browsing the internet to search for employment and how to use email and developed an online tutorial in partnership with the Chicago Public Library Foundation, Chicago DigitalLearn and Microsoft to focus on 9 basic areas of need.

Commissioner Bannon’s other key announcements included the following:

  • CPL welcomed Mary Emmanuel as the new Director of Finance on October 16th.
  • Internet to Go program has been extended through 2018. Through this program, CPL will continue to circulate WiFi hotspots to patrons in under-connected neighborhoods in hopes to aid in bridging the digital divide by providing equal access to information.
  • CPL exceeded our 100,000 child participant goal and served 105,000 children during this summer’s Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge. Additionally, these children read 90,586,487 minutes, a 27% increase from the prior year.
  • On Mon, September 25th, CPL hosted the Cindy Pritzker Lecture on Urban Life & Issues where Commissioner Bannon was in conversation with David Simas, CEO of the Obama Presidential Foundation.
  • Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Natalie Moore and many other notable Chicago authors were honored at the 18th annual Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner on Wed, October 11th.
  • On Thurs, December 14th, CPL will host a OBOC keynote program where Greg Kot will be in conversation with Mavis Staples.
  • The Library completed many priority projects in quarter 3, including but not limited to: expanding digital skills through Chicago DigitalLearn, self-Check expansion, citywide network enhancements and the Reverend Clay Evans exhibit. Priority projects in quarter 4 include website accessibility review and YOUmedia internships.

Other Business

None

Public Comment

None 

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. at the Harold Washington Library Center located at 400 S. State Street.

Commissioner’s Report

Special Report: CyberNavigators for Seniors

CPL’s New Director of Finance: Mary Emmanuel

On Monday, October 16th, CPL welcomed Mary Emmanuel as the new Director of Finance. Before joining CPL, Ms. Emmanuel worked as Supervisor of Accounting at the Comptroller’s office in the Grants and Project Division where she supervised and reviewed the work of accountants engaged in the management of grant funds and coordinating audits. She also functioned as the Comptroller’s office liaison for OEMC, Police, Fire and Planning Departments.

Mary has worked in the finance and accounting field for over 8 years splitting her time between for profit and non-for profit organizations. She started her accounting career as a Finance Specialist at Northwestern University and before joining the City in 2015, she worked as the Director of Finance and Administration at MetroSquash, a Chicago non-for profit where she was responsible for budgeting, financial reporting and management of all payables and receivables.

Ms. Emmanuel holds a Master’s degree in Accounting from DePaul University.

Internet to Go Program Extended

I am pleased to announce that our Internet to Go program which circulates WiFi hotspots in under-connected neighborhoods has been extended through 2018. The WiFi hotspots and Chromebooks are heavily used by our patrons. This program ensures communities have the critical tools needed to bridge the digital divide. Equal access to ideas and information will always be fundamental to the library’s mission. The extension of this program was made possible through significant cost reduction made possible by Sprint.

2017 Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge Results

Over the summer, Chicago children became superheroes learning about science and reading every day. This very popular theme helped us shatter our 100,000 child participant goal and serve 105,000 children. These children read 90,586,487 minutes, which is a 27% increase in minutes from the year before. Not only did they read at record rates, but they also created art and science projects in libraries and at home all summer long.

The narrative of summer centered on expanding Chicagoan’s understanding of what can happen with summer learning loss. This was successful in helping parents and grandparents as well as children understand why learning in summer is so important. Children attended a record number of interactive Library programs: 3,426 programs were delivered in libraries with attendance at these programs reaching 67,932.

With our Partner, Museum of Science and Industry providing STEM instruction and training to our staff for a consistent 5 years, we have also seen an increase in the ability of our staff to deliver STEM programming. Dr. Matthew Boulay, Founder of the National Summer Learning Association recently hailed the Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge as the “premier” example of successful summer learning in the nation. We distributed over 67,900 new books to children across the City and an additional 6,000 backpacks with books and STEM activities were donated by the Allstate Foundation and distributed by children’s librarians across the city all summer.

Cindy Pritzker Lecture on Urban Life & Issues: David Simas – Mon, Sept 25th

CPL hosted the Cindy Pritzker Lecture on Urban Life & Issues on Mon, September 25th at the Harold Washington Library Center. This year’s guest speaker was David Simas, CEO of the Obama Presidential Foundation in conversation with Commissioner Brian Bannon. The lecture began at 6 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium and was followed by a private dinner in the Winter Garden.

The Cindy Pritzker Lecture on Urban Life and Issues is presented by the Board of Directors of the Chicago Public Library in honor of Cindy Pritzker, the former president of the Chicago Public Library Board and founder of the Chicago Public Library Foundation.

Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner – Wed, Oct 11th

The 18th annual Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner was held on Wed, October 11th at the UIC Forum. Honorees included Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Natalie Moore and 85 other notable Chicago authors that were recognized for their literary contributions. Thanks to the astound leadership of Jackie Griesdorn and Graham Grady who co-chaired the event, the Chicago Public Library Foundation raised a record-breaking $1.8 million for learning programs at Chicago Public Library, including: Summer Learning Challenge, Early Learning, and Teacher in the Library, One Book, One Chicago, CyberNavigators, Maker Lab and Special Collections and YOUmedia.

A Conversation with Greg Kot and Mavis Staples – Thurs, Dec 14th

Chicago Public Library will host the OBOC keynote program on Thursday, December 14 at 6 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium as Mavis Staples joins author Greg Kot in a lively conversation about music, Chicago and freedom. There will be a book signing following the program.

Quarter 4 Priority Projects

Completed in Quarter 3  

  • 2017 Innovation Summit
  • “Maker” Teacher Bootcamp
  • Expanding Digital Skills through Chicago DigitalLearn
  • Learning Circles for Online Learning
  • Smart Investing@your Library Program
  • Chicago Voices with Lyric Opera of Chicago
  • Cindy Pritzker Lecture
  • Assistive Technology Center
  • Performance Management Cycle
  • Materials Management & Processing Strategy.
  • Self-Check Expansion
  • Citywide Network Enhancements
  • Reverend Clay Evans Exhibit

New in Quarter 4

  • Website Accessibility Review
  • YOUmedia Internships