President Andrew Slade called the meeting of the Duluth Public Library Board to order at 4:35 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and reviewed the agenda.

Present: E. Bogue, J. Brissett, L. Benson Johnson, D. D'Alliard, V. Katz, P. Markert, A. Slade, C. Powers,
Excused: None
Absent: P. Spooner, M. Watson

Approval of Minutes
The Library Board minutes of the September 22 meeting were approved.

Communications

• Manager's Report: Library News from September/October 2009
• BookPage for November 2009
• Handouts: "Read Beyond Reality" booklists for teens
  

Reports
A. Friends of the Duluth Public Library - Markert
The Friends voted at their last meeting to donate $100 to the Bookworm Garden Club for the purchase of a large planter. The Friends discussed the "One Book, One Community" event, which will feature Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle next year. Plans are moving forward for the Friends to provide food for the opening reception of the Lewis & Clark and the Indian Country exhibit at the UMD Library in January. The Friends voted to schedule the annual book sale for the first week in August next year, rather than the third week in August.

B. Arrowhead Library System - Brissett
The major focus for the last ALS board meeting was the Legacy Amendment funds, which will total over $400,000 and must be spent by June 30. A committee is working on proposals to hold as many as six programs, beginning with a folk dance event presented by Terrance Smith. Ten percent of the Legacy Amendment funding received by ALS will be earmarked for a statewide program focusing on The Greatest Generation.

C. Manager's Report - Powers
The Manager's Report, which was distributed with board packets, was reviewed, and the Board Briefing was discussed.

D. Board Briefing - Powers

• Gates Foundation Project: On October 6 and 7, Liz Benson Johnson, Adele Krusz and Carla Powers attended the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Turning the Page" conference in Minneapolis. The conference was focused on helping library directors, board members and supporters become better advocates for the library. The content and follow-up materials were excellent. The three got together the following week to start planning for how to raise the matching funds for the Gates Foundation grant. A committee has been formed, and plans are to kick off the fundraising effort the second week in November.
• Knight Foundation Grant: Recently Powers was approached by a staff member from the Knight Foundation who is encouraging DPL to apply for grant funds to increase the community's access to computers in the library. Duluth is one of 26 Knight Foundation target communities. Currently the foundation is supporting an initiative to work with libraries in its communities, to ensure that residents have adequate access to computers and the internet. DPL is applying for Knight Foundation funding to support a short-term trainer position to teach computer classes and assist patrons in using the new Gates Foundation computers. In addition, the library will request funding for WiFi at the branches and some new laptops that could be used for classes or for use within the library.
• Complaint About Library Fines: On October 21 a library patron sent an email to the City Council about a large library fine on his son's card. In his email, Jim Belden stated that his 12-year-old son had $80 worth of fines on his card and was being sent to the collection agency. When a couple of city councilors asked questions, Belden offered more details. As it turns out, there was more to the story than he originally explained. He had talked with Jane Wester from circulation several times since last August, and the evening before he sent the email, Jane had paid off the son's entire fine using Guardian Angel funds. Powers answered a few questions from a city councilor and a reporter from the newspaper, to explain the library's procedures for handling overdue materials and fines.

New Business
Update on 2010 Budget: Powers informed the board that the library's budget will be presented to the city council on November 19. She will let board members know the time of the presentation when it becomes available.

Combined Library Board/Foundation/Friends Meeting: Slade has set up a meeting for Tuesday, December 8 at 4 p.m. in the Green Room for the three organizations to get together. The purpose of the meeting is for members to get to know one another, to learn about each group's role in supporting the library, and to discuss ways of working together. Several board members signed up to bring food, beverages or paper products.

The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at 4:30 p.m. in the Library's Conference Room.

12/23/09