Board of Trustees of the St. Helena Public Library

Minutes of the Meeting of August 13, 2008

The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order at 5:00 p.m. Trustee Chairman Dr. Darter, Catarina Sanchez, Bonnie Long and Lynda Burton were present, as were Friends representative Miriam Hess and Library Director Jennifer Baker.

A motion to approve the consent items was seconded and passed.Jennifer pointed out that expenditures for the month of July were not yet available because of the change over of the new budget year but would be included in the next packet.

The Board welcomed Catarina to the group. She gave a brief introduction of herself and her work in the community. The Board is very excited to have her as a new member. Jennifer will meet with Catarina early next week to review Board processes and responsibilities as well as give her an overview of library services and current projects.

Library Director’s Report. Jennifer reviewed the highlights of her Friday Reports since the last meeting. Adult programming has been exceptionally successful this summer with JuneFest, the First Annual Books on Wine Festival, a program with Chef John Ash and much more. Jennifer also reported a 10% increase to the materials budget this year (funded through Wood Trust and CLSA monies). Much of this went to funding additional children’s materials, but all areas of the collection received at least a 5% increase.

American Library Association Annual Conference.The Friends of the Library funded four staff persons to attend the annual conference in Anaheim for five days. The conference was very stimulating and all who participated came back full of great ideas to enhance library services.

Lifelong Access Libraries Leadership Institute. Jennifer reported that the Institute was one of the best conferences she has ever attended. She is very excited to implement much of what she learned especially with regard to building a new volunteer recruitment plan and finding new ways to get members of the community engaged at the library.

Working with the School District.Jennifer reports great success in establishing good working relationships with the school district. Over the summer she met twice with school library media specialists and technology staff to determine the best ways to market online library resources in the classroom and to students and parents at home. Staff from the High School is working to arrange follow-up meetings with appropriate administrators to streamline this process.

Remodel At long last, all contractual obligations with the architectural firm have been met and we are now on target to complete the architectural phase this fall. We will hopefully be in construction in late fall/early winter.

Friends/Foundation/Board Retreat A joint retreat of these different entities is planned for Saturday, October 11. Dr. Darter has volunteered his house as a location. Mary Stephenson has been secured as a facilitator and has offered her services pro bono. She will meet with Jennifer and at least one other member of the board to determine an agenda. We discussed inviting members of the Library Staff, Napa Valley Wine Library Board and also City Council. Most of the day will be centered on goal setting and coming to a greater understanding of how the different groups function and interact, expectations and their relationships to each other and the library but we will also build some opportunity for social gathering and getting to know each other informally.

St. Helena Public Library Foundation. The Board held its first ever meeting Wednesday afternoon right before the Library Board meeting. Officers were decided upon: Audie Haye, president, Rob Andreae, Vice-President and Dr. Bob Darter, Secretary. We hope to have two additional members before the next meeting in September. Several possible candidates were mentioned and current members will approach them to gage interest. The 501c3 application is still being completed for processing. The Board understands that after it is submitted we should hear within 3-4 weeks if it is accepted. Then following the filing process 501c3 status will be retroactive to the date of incorporation (when the Bylaws are signed).

Friends of the Library.Miriam reported that the FOL did not have a regular board meeting in August. They did however hold their annual business meeting in July. Officers for the new fiscal year were elected. Miriam was reelected as president. Other Officers remain the same except that Jule Grant will take over as Secretary and Ann Wolf will be retiring from the Board. Kelly Wheaton will be joining the Board in her place. Miriam reported on the success of the Adult programs and the Friends excitement over this new service. She also reported that the volunteer of the year prize was awarded to Maria Reavis who works weekly in Circulation.

St. Helena Historical Society. Lynda who is now serving as liason between the Library Board and the Historical Society met with president Skip Lane. They will be sending her copies of their meeting minutes so that she can report to the Board. Jennifer reported that the Historical Society is planning a program for the Adult Programming series in December to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition.

Jennifer Baker, recording secretary