DEARBORN DEPARTMENT OF
LIBRARIES
LIBRARY COMMISSION MEETING
JANUARY
9, 2004
1.
ATTENDANCE:
The meeting was called to order at 4:05PM.
In attendance were:
MRS. CANDYCE ABBATT, Chairperson; DR. ALEX SHAMI, Secretary-Treasurer;
MS. SYLVIA PRESSMAN, MR. MARCEL PULTORAK, MR. ROBERT
TAUB,
MR. DAVID SCHLAFF, MR. RONALD WATTERS, MRS. LILA
AMEN, Commissioners; DR. PATRICK COADY, City Librarian; MRS. MARYANNE BARTLES, Assistant City Librarian; MS. CAROLYN HOOK, MS.
TARA GNAU, Administrative Librarians; MRS.CARLA EGGERT, Recording Secretary;
Excused: MRS. NANCY ZAKAR,
Vice-Chairperson.
2.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The minutes for the December
12, 2003
regular Library Commission were approved as submitted.
3.
BUDGET/STAFF REDUCTION UPDATE:
Dr. Coady reported that December
22, 2003
was the date that the budget was due to City Administration. We have not filled two open positions. We are still left with a three-person staff
reduction. Announcements regarding
layoffs will not occur until at least the end of January and will be effective
with the new budget year on July 1, 2004.
So far it appears there will be more retirements than previously
expected so there may be fewer layoffs than previously anticipated on a
citywide level. The upcoming year is a
union contract negotiation year.
Typically we see more retirements in the final year of the contract, as
some employees may not want to be effected by changes in the new
contracts. There are still many ways in
which this situation could be resolved. The uncertainty of this situation
creates a lot of anxiety in the staff.
4.
CHILDREN’S STUDY UPDATE:
Ms. Hook reported that the report in the
Commissioners packet is a draft and is only the visual appeal portion of the
children’s study. We have also done
focus groups with parents and children and we have done surveys. We are looking
at why children use the library and what they want from the library as well.
Ms. Hook has a meeting next Thursday with the children’s
librarians and Ms. Ezell to go over the entire report. The children’s librarians have also visited
some other libraries to see what others are doing in the area of visual
appeal. They visited the Toledo library, the new Ypsilanti library and the Canton library. Some of the children’s librarians also visited
the new Southfield library. They
got some good ideas from these visits.
Dr. Coady reported that we have submitted a capital improvement project
using library aid money to move the children’s study to an architectural design
review so we may obtain costs and specifications for updating each building
children’s area. This would prepare us for the future and allow us to implement
these changes on an incremental basis as funding became available to do so. We
would like to use the children’s study as a foundation document and it allows
us to present what we want to the architect.
Mrs. Abbatt stated that in looking at the report it appears that some of
the ideas presented will require additional funding but several of the ideas
appear to just be a matter of rearranging things. Dr. Shami asked about computers in the
children’s areas and if we have enough? Ms. Hook stated that as part of the
study they are also looking at computer usage in the children’s areas. Dr. Coady stated that the second portion of
the wiring project, which should be out for bid soon, would put in new data
lines and allow for further expansion of the computer areas as it becomes
necessary. The library buildings were
not wired for computers at all as they were built before this was a consideration. Mrs. Abbatt stated that regarding the
children’s study recommendations we should request the architect provide
specifications specific to each building.
Dr. Coady stated that the bid would request specifications for each
facility.
5. CAPITAL
PROJECTS UPDATE:
Dr. Coady discussed the handout given to the
Commission listing the various capital improvement projects ongoing or
proposed. It appears as if we will
receive capital improvement deficiencies money for repairing the roof at
Snow. Dr. Coady hopes we will be able to
receive funds to have work done on the eaves and
gutters at Bryant because the erosion is visible. On Jan. 12 the contractor
will start work on the acoustical dampening project in the rotunda area of
HFCL. This work should take about two
weeks. Mrs. Abbatt asked how projects are chosen to receive capital improvement
deficiency money?
Dr. Coady stated that a committee reviews all the submissions made by
all the departments of the City. They
choose which projects will receive funding. Mr. Schlaff inquired as to what was
happening with the canopy over the rear entrance to HFCL? It has been damaged for over a year and looks
very bad. It appears as if some of the
marble is separating from the building, which is a safety concern. It could fall and seriously injure
someone. Dr. Coady reported that we have
received the insurance money from the company that damaged the canopy. The Department of Public Works had hoped to
cut four feet off the canopy this past summer.
They were unable to do so while the weather was permitting and now plan
to do so early this coming spring. Mr.
Pultorak stated that we must have a poor maintenance program if we cannot get
something that looks that bad fixed. Dr.
Coady stated he would ask DPW to look at it again from a safety
standpoint. Mr. Pultorak asked what the
rationale was for cutting it back four feet? Several engineering studies have determined
there is cladding problem with the marble. The canopy’s weight may be
distorting the doorways inside the building.
Department of Public Works staff feel that
cutting it back four feet will correct the problem.
6. GLEN
MICHAELS UPDATE:
Dr. Coady reported that Mr. Michaels came in
recently. He brought in a paper template of the five pieces of glass that will
cover the bottom of the rotunda pool at HFCL.
The pieces are black glass with a random line design in the glass. When they are installed in the pool they will
cover the bottom and give it a glossy effect.
The lighting plan for the area is not completed. We were able to discover that there are two
electrical circuits in the pool, which will save us money, as we will not have
to have electrical connections installed.
Dr. Coady believes the lighting plan will stick with a halogen light
driving a fiber optic distribution of light.
Dr. Coady and Mrs. Bartles have set aside Friends of the Library funds
for what they anticipate the costs of completing the project to be. Mrs. Abbatt asked what the timeline was for
completing the project? Dr. Coady reported April or May at the very
earliest.
7.
VOLUNTEER UPDATE:
Ms. Gnau distributed a copy of the survey on
volunteers that the Volunteer Committee has developed. The volunteer survey has
been mailed to thirty-four libraries in the United States, Canada and one in New Zealand. She has received a few responses
back. Ms. Gnau will prepare a report for
the Commission on the survey results.
She hopes to the report prepared by the March Commission meeting. The
Volunteer Committee has also been working on identifying regular tasks that
volunteers could assist with. Dr. Shami
asked what other libraries are doing in regards to criminal background checks
on their volunteer staff? Ms. Gnau stated that some of
the larger libraries that have responded do criminal background checks while
some of the smaller libraries do not.
This is often due to the fact that in small towns they know the
volunteers on a personal basis. Dr.
Coady stated that we would strongly recommend that criminal background checks
become part of the screening process for our volunteer program. Mr. Schlaff commended Ms. Gnau and the
Volunteer Committee for putting together a great list of questions. It is quite
evident that going forward we are going to have to have a good volunteer base. He is anxious to see the responses to the
survey.
8. 80TH
BIRTHDAY FOR THE BRYANT LIBRARY:
This item was tabled until the February meeting.
9. NEW
BUSINESS:
Mrs. Abbatt stated that the Commissioners have in
their packets the final draft of the Patriot Act bookmark.
Mrs. Abbatt stated that flyers for a “Save the Bryant
Branch” meeting have been left at Bryant.
The flyer states that the special meeting is scheduled for Saturday,
January 17, 2004 from 9am-12pm at St. Paul’s Church on Beech between Oakwood
and Monroe. We would like to have some of the Commissioners attend the meeting
if possible.
Mr. Robert Pastor who lives on Law Street in Dearborn spoke to the Library Commission
regarding Bryant Branch. He feels that
the reduction to 20 hours per week is darn near closing the branch. Currently it is only open two school days in
the evening. The value of Bryant is for the neighborhood and the children in
the area. Things like the Children’s
study and the capital improvements the library is doing are a pretty tough sell
to the public when you are reducing hours.
Dr. Coady stated that the Children’s study was to be done over a year
ago and was held up for other reasons.
We need the information from the children’s study to be able to manage
our children’s staff with the staff reductions.
We also need to rethink how to handle children’s programming with the
reductions. We are trying to make logical decisions. Mr. Pastor said capital
improvements do not make sense in a time of reductions. Mrs. Abbatt stated that capital improvement
money comes from a different area of the budget, not the operating budget for
the library. Mr. Pastor stated that most
folks will not understand that and will see it as the library spending money
for new things while taking away service to the public. Mr. Pultorak stated that the types of capital
improvements we are looking at apart from the Children’s study are to correct
deficiencies. The Bryant building
particularly is in need of a lot of repair and maintenance to preserve it. We have an obligation to the City of Dearborn not to waste its assets and allow
them to deteriorate to the point of being unsafe or unusable. Mrs. Pastor spoke to the Commission. She stated that they are new residents of Dearborn and part of the reason they chose
to purchase here was that their children could ride their bikes to the
library. She feels that once the library
is reduced to 20 hours per week and no one uses it because the hours are not
convenient to the public the branch will be closed altogether. Mrs. Abbatt
stated she understands Mrs. Pastor’s concerns but the Commission originally
thought, when the budget was received, that they would have to close Bryant.
The Commissions position is that they do not want to do that.
They are trying to weather the storm of budget
reductions and this is the only way to do that and keep the building open. There is a reversionary clause in the deed to
Bryant that states if it is not used as a library the building could revert
back to the Ford family, which is another reason to close the branch. However, there are also very few communities
of this size in the United States that have a large main library and three
branch locations. Mrs. Pastor feels that
more out of the box solutions need to be looked at. For example, we are not part of the Wayne County library system, which could be a
cost savings.
Library patron Mary Joan Woods also spoke to the
Commission. She and her husband have been volunteers at the Detroit Institute
of Arts for seven years. Volunteers have
kept that institution open. She feels that exploring avenues for expanding the
volunteer program here is a worthwhile effort and she hopes it
materializes.
Dr. Coady thanked Mr. Pultorak for attending the
meeting of the presidents of the neighborhood civic associations this past
Wednesday at City Hall. It was good to
have a Commissioner in attendance
The meeting was adjourned at 4:55pm.
Dr. Alex Shami
Secretary-Treasurer