Birmingham Public Library Board Minutes

Call To Order

• Meeting called to order by President Gwendolyn B. Welch.
• The invocation was given by Janice Granger.

Approvals

• Georgia Blair moved the approval of the agenda. Dora Sims seconded the motion, which carried.
• Georgia Blair moved the approval of the consent agenda with the following changes:
  • Georgia Blair voted against the budget proposal and the vote count should be 7-1 as Dr. Witherspoon was not present to vote.
  • Georgia Blair stated that Mrs. Welch has been selected to receive the Trustee Citation Award, the highest honor that the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations bestows upon its members. Dora Sims seconded the motion, which carried.

Staff Spotlight

• All of BPL's LA III's, Library Board Advisory Committee members, and the BPL trivia team were invited to the Board meeting and presented with certificates of recognition for their service.

Committee Reports

Personnel Committee

• The Personnel Committee met on March 8, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. No vote was taken. (Minutes Attached)

Advocacy, Fundraising, and Development Committee

• The Advocacy, Fundraising, and Development Committee met on March 21, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. (Minutes Attached)

• Dora Sims moved the approval of the Birmingham Public Library Board PEL (Programs Enriching Lives) Award which was proposed by Saundra Ross. Georgia Blair seconded the motion, which carried.
• Dora Sims moved the approval of the "Got Cha Award", "I Am BPL Award, and "A Special Award" which were proposed by Gwendolyn Amamoo. Judge Vowell seconded the motion which carried with a 8-1 vote. (No-Georgia Blair)
• Dora Sims moved the approval of the Young Professsional Timeline. Georgia Blair seconded the motion which carried.

Policies, Procedures, and By-Laws Committee

• The Policies, Procedures, and By-Laws Committee met on March 21, 2012. ( Minutes Attached)

• Gwendolyn Amamoo moved the approval of the Children's Area Access Policy and the Bag Policy. Dora Sims seconded the motion, which carried. These policies are effective March 29, 2012.

Executive Session

The Library Board entered into executive session to discuss pending litigation.

Director's Report

Finance and Budget Update

• Let me know if you have any questions regarding the budget reports. We had our meeting with the city budget staff on March 28, 2012. We presented our request in very positive terms and I believe the meeting went well. Of course, they did not make any promises.

Most Exciting News

• Of course you have heard that the library team won the Birmingham's Brightest Trivia Competition 2012. Everyone has been so excited about this victory against 67 other teams and the $10,000 award. We will go to the state level next and play against the winners in Huntsville, Montgomery, and Mobile for the state title and another $10,000. I will let you know as soon as this competition is scheduled.

Director's Activities

• Those of us who were not able to attend the conference in Philadelphia had access to the PLA Virtual Conference, March 15-16, in the Board Room. I was able to attend a couple of the sessions and all staff will have access to all the programs offered virtually for a year. They were good sessions and will be good for training.
• The Birmingham Public Library Foundation Board has scheduled a half day work session featuring Alex Lamis, the architect who did the report on the Central Library and planned both the Nashville, TN and Jacksonville, FL central libraries, to help us work through a plan for the bond election and fund raising for renovation of the Central Library and other library needs. The session is scheduled for April 14 from 9-1 at the Avondale Library.
• We are continuing work on several projects at the same time. These include Pratt City renovations and temporary site, new HVAC and roof at North Birmingham, and the Inglenook renovations which are still in the early stages. North Birmingham has been delayed in order to get all contracts and other official matters taken care of. The temporary library for Pratt City is still in the works.
• We have started a program of training in such topics as “Civility in the Workplace” and will continue with trainings focused on supervision, leadership, customer service, and performance evaluation. We have focused more on training on library services and computer use for the past few years.
• The long awaited HVAC replacement at Woodlawn has been completed just in time for warmer weather.
• Angela Hall, Lynn Carpenter, Carla Perkins, Barbara Hutto, and I attended Youth Protection Training at the Holy Family High School. This training is designed to help those who work with young people recognize signs of abuse and how to protect children from predators. Other staff members who work with children will have an opportunity to attend this training in the future.

• Angela Hall, Sam Rumore, and I attended the Alabama Center for the Book Gathering Alabama Special Collections and Archives for the 21st Century. This was a one day discussion of what special collections can and should be today and going forward. There were very interesting speakers including Timothy Barrett, a MacArthur Fellow and world renowned specialist in paper making, history, and preservation. It was a very interesting day and gave us an opportunity to share information about BPL's special collections and archives as well as learning about other institutions in the state.

Miscellaneous

• The Alabama Humanities Foundation discussion series "Making Sense of the American Civil War" has begun and is going well.
• BPL is working with the Mayor's Office on plans for celebrating 2013, the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. We will be assisting in producing an exhibit with them and the Museum of Art.
• Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, one of only three women to have played for the Negro Leagues, was a great success with the children who attended her programs. She also charmed the City Council when she was presented at their weekly meeting on February 27.

• Rachel Starnes, a reporter for the New York Times, has completed a book (partially researched in our Archives) entitled American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama. The book will be published in June and Ms. Starnes will be here at BPL for a talk and book signing on June 25th.

Current and Upcoming Events

• Word Up! Student Poetry Slam 2012 will be held on April 1 at the Central Library. This is the fifth anniversary of this program and a number of special events were presented leading up to Word Up!
• Our Spirit Will Not Be Broken: Voices from the April Storms, a poetry program for victims of the April tornadoes will end on March 31. A publication highlighting these works is planned.
• The Art of Science series of after school programs have been extremely well received. These programs presented by Elinor and Winfield Burks at libraries around the system are funded by the Kresge Arts in Birmingham Grants administered by the Cultural Alliance.

• SaveFirst Tax services are up and running at three BPL branches: Smithfield, Woodlawn, and West End. They will be in operation until mid-April.

Exhibits in Central's Gallery

• February 27-April 13 : Maurice Cook, Simpler Times : The Paintings of Maurice Cook (Paintings of rural Alabama life)
• April 16-May 25: Four Decades: Photography from Montevallo, current photography from faculty and former students from the University of Montevallo Department of Art, Photography Program.
• June 4-20: Photographs by Eudora Welty, traveling exhibit by the History Museum of Mobile

Reminders

• Dial a Story - Call 226-3650 to listen to a great story over the phone!

• Be sure to check the BPL Blog at http://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/ to keep up with all the activities going on at this library. You can subscribe and have any updates sent to your email if you have not already done so.

• Sign up for the BPLinks newsletter at http://www.bplonline.org/programs/

• All BPL programs and events are listed on Birmingham365.org (http://birmingham365.org/) to access BPL programs and events only, go to the BPL Web site at http://www.bplonline.org/programs/.

New Business

• The Library Board should be notified of BPL staff injured on the job. Board members should always be kept informed.

Comments

• Gwendolyn Amamoo attended PLA.
• Samuel Rumore reminded the Board that his article titled "The Alabama Open Meetings Law: A Basic History and its Effect on an Alabama Municipal Board" is included in the Board packet for review.
• Gwendolyn Welch stated that she attended a workshop by Warren Graham.

• Dora Sims attended PLA and an ALTAFF workshop. Mrs. Sims proposed that a Library Board member be appointed to serve on the Friends Board as a non-voting person. (Attachment)

Submitted By

Irene S. Blalock, Secretary