TRUSTEE BOARD MEETING

Minutes

December 19, 2006

The meeting was called to order at 5:07pm by board chair, Blaine Robertson. Board members present were Blaine Robertson, Pam Beard, Tricia Galer, Gordon Timothy, Roger Jackson, and Judy Dewey, clerk.

The minutes of the last meeting were approved by acclamation. The bills were approved by acclamation, and the checks paying the bills were signed.

The first order of business was the matter of the records retention policy, the notes for which no one has been able to locate. Judy was asked to start over, perhaps gleaning some ideas from other libraries online.

At the meeting in November, Jed Neville from NEVCO, demonstrated some carpet cleaning equipment which would allow the custodians to clean the carpets on a regular basis, especially the high traffic areas of the library. After discussion of the costs of commercial cleaning versus the cost of the equipment plus the custodians’ time, Roger made the motion and Tricia seconded it to have the library purchase their own equipment. All voted in favor of so doing.

Some months ago the board adopted a circulation policy. Judy proposed a revised policy which leaves more of the day-to-day decision-making in the hands of the director and staff. Tricia made the motion to have a reading of the proposed policy. The first reading was accomplished; the second reading will be at the next board meeting.

It has been the policy of the library to not circulate R-rated movies, presumably because the staff would have to check identification to make sure the patron was at least eighteen years old. It was recently learned that is not necessary in a library situation. A staff member asked the board to reconsider the policy. A board member suggested the library purchase “clean flicks.” “Clean flicks” are those from which “objectionable” scenes and language have been removed. A rather lengthy discussion was held regarding the legality of “clean flicks”; that is, whether it is against the copyright law to “clean” movies and sell them to the public. Roger made the motion and Pam seconded it to purchase “clean flicks” rather than circulate R-rated movies. A vote was held: Roger and Pam voted in favor, Gordon and Tricia voted against, and the chairman broke the tie by voting against. More discussion was held. Is the library censoring by not circulating R-rated movie? Or is the library balancing censorship with the community standard? After much consideration, Roger moved that the policy be left in place to not circulate R-rated movies unless we see a substantial interest in the community; i.e., the staff gets a substantial number of requests for them. Roger moved and Gordon seconded the recommendation. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative.

An advertisement was placed in the Standard Journal for an auditor to do the annual audit. Roger was approached by one person requesting a financial statement who would then decide if he wanted to bid on the job. Roger will provide that person with a financial statement; he will also contact another person who has shown interest in the past, as well as contacting the accounting firms in town.

Judy analyzed the cost efficiencies and procedure for paying bills using the Bank of Commerce’s online billing system. It appears it would save approximately one hour of Judy’s time per month, primarily that spent separating check stubs, stuffing envelopes, and mailing. The board decided to revisit this issue in six months.

Blaine was approached by the Rexburg Children’s Museum requesting space in the library to set up an exhibit. The museum has a $10,000 grant they need to spend. After discussion, Roger moved, Tricia seconded, and the board voted unanimously to have Blaine contact the museum offering them the display table for their exhibit. It was determined by the board that there simply was not any other space the library could spare. The duration of the exhibit would be determined later.

During it’s 85^th anniversary year, the library had a successful kick-off to build a new building. A discussion was held regarding the next steps and the cost and size of a new building. Figures between $75-$150 per square foot have been mentioned. Judy was instructed to call Frank Nelson, the southeastern field representative for the Idaho Commission for Libraries, and Karen Tate-Pettinger at the Portneuf Library to see what the actual cost might be. Judy has been sketching out ideas for layouts and size. It was decided to invite Frank, Nick Allison of the Madison Library Foundation, and Kimber Ricks to the next board meeting. Tricia informed the board that the Foundation is totally supportive of the building project. Kimber Ricks has talked with Judy about a new building and about the advantages of combining the Sugar-Salem School Community Library with our district. Judy and Jerry Decker, a resident of Plano and a member of the Madison County Planning and Zoning Board, have discussed at great length how to accomplish the merging of the two libraries.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:42 pm upon Roger’s motion.

Blaine Robertson, Chair of the Board                 Judith M. Dewey, Secretary

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