Library Board Minutes

Teton County Library Board Meeting
January 18, 2007

Vice President Joe Albright called the meeting to order as President Amy Robinson was out of town. Present were board members Bill Wotkyns, Anne Ladd, and Holly Hunter joined the meeting via conference call. Also present were Director Deb Adams, Assistant Director Isabel Zumel and staff Dail Barbour.

The welcome for the new library board liaison from the County Commission, Leland Christenson, was postponed as Leland was in Cheyenne.

Approve Vouchers and Minutes
Holly moved to approve the minutes, Anne seconded, all voted in favor.
It was agreed to postpone approving the vouchers until Bill Wotkyns arrived as Holly was not able to inspect them.

Bill Wotkyns joins the meeting.

Foundation Report
The Foundation had no official report.

Friends Report
No official report. Deb and Dail mentioned that our new Volunteer Coordinator, Dimmie Ziegler was doing a very good job.

Financial Report
As the library is at the mid point of the 06/07 budget, Deb pointed out that it is very close to exact in terms of revenue received at 49.28%. Expenditures are less than half but there are some larger items that will come out closer to the end of the year.

Librarian's Report
There have been no requests under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

New Commissioner Orientation
Deb informed the board that the county has taken over this task and it will be on February 20 at the Commissioner's chambers. The county requested a two page overview of each department with an emphasis on the mission, vision, and strategic plan of each county department or entity. Heads of Departments, supervisors, and elected heads of departments have been invited to give a short presentation at the meeting.

Deb discussed with the board her plan to invite the commissioners to the library specifically for a presentation on our facility planning. It was generally agreed by the library board that they need to be alerted that we will be looking for support from the Commission for solutions for a number of issues; overcrowding, service demands, inadequate staff space, etc. All agreed to get the information from our facility consultants and the public forum input before setting up this meeting.

Strategic Plan Update
The staff took a collective look at the most likely future for the community in 2027 and the areas of greatest impact for the library.
" Continued growth in population in general.
" Outlying communities are expected to be more sustainable, with some services that are currently provided in the hub of the community to be offered within each community.
" Advances in technology are expected to be developed and adopted at an increasingly faster pace.
" It is expected that there will be a "bubble" of students moving through pre-school, elementary, middle and high school which will correlate to increased needs for families and their children from birth to graduation.
" An increase in the adult population is anticipated to place a greater demand on facilities and services that support lifelong learning.

To nurture that future and to advance the Library's vision and strategic plan goals, library staff defined the Library's need to:
" Continue to nurture literature and educational resources to support reading and learning across all ages.
" Continue to bridge the technology divide in order to support residents without access; at the same time, the library will need to consider how advances in technology and equipment change patrons' needs for support and access.
" Offer a variety of environments for the community that support different modalities of learning, including traditional quiet library spaces, collaborative learning spaces, formal instructional areas, and individual as well as group study spaces.
" Develop an array of services to outlying communities that provide options for patrons to access and receive library information, programs and services beyond the library facility.
" Develop web services that mirror the library's offering of in-house services, programs and collections as a means to reach out to the community.
" Strengthen staff training to keep up with changes in technology.
" Offer flexible environments for programming that support small and large groups, and allow for creative experiences for all ages.
" Provide additional space for collections, including a greater diversity of collections. Reconfigure collection spaces to allow for improved access and display of materials.
" Increase free access to information, programs and services.
" Improvements to building functionality and comfort that support the library's central role as a community gathering place.
" Consider options for self-service that allow the staff to focus on providing more complex assistance and more personalized service to patrons.

Deb also informed the board that she and Dail had reviewed several drafts and were expecting another revised one by the end of the month. The board put in their requests for electronic or paper copies (Joe & Holly) and agreed that the meeting should start earlier in order to get through what will be a large agenda.

New Business
Bill moved to approve the vouchers, Anne seconded, all voted in favor except Holly who abstained. The board had a few questions about consulting services paid this month and Deb explained they were related to the facility planning.

St Francis of the Tetons Episcopal Church re: Alta Branch Library
Carol Taylor Senior Warden of the church as well as Jim Rein, Assistant Senior Warden, joined the meeting. Amy Robinson invited them to come and give the board some information about some possible options concerning church property.

Carol told the board that the church is aware that the school district has given the library notice that our space will need to be vacated by June, 2008. She and Jim talked in general about several possible options that might have some usefulness for the library board concerning the Alta library. These included some use of the existing church building for library space or rent, lease, or buy some of the church property for either a temporary or a permanent library building. Carol and Jim stressed that the church does not have a tight time line for a decision as currently, they have no plans for the 2.5 acres purchased last year. They also stressed that any decisions would be made by the church board and they were just the messengers.

Bill Wotkyns commented that the big picture information from the facility planning consultants had not been received and that information was vital for any decisions. The board did thank Carol and Jim for the input.

There was a short discussion about the proposed sidewalk from the development next door. Joe asked for some more information before a decision was made. There was general agreement that if it did go in, the library could remove it at any time for future renovations or expansion.

Holly moved to adjourn at approximately 5:45, Anne seconded, all voted in favor.

Dail Barbour
Administrative Assistant to the Board