Birmingham Public Library Board Minutes

Call To Order

• This meeting was called to order by President Kimberly Richardson.
• Gwendolyn R. Amamoo gave the invocation.

Public Voices

• Patron Annie Bryant presented the Board with a petition to the City of Birmingham to address the ongoing problems with the Springville Road air conditioning unit. Bryant stated this issue affects the community especially senior citizens and children.
• Kimberly Richardson thanked Annie Bryant and informed her that Public Works has been notified. Richardson also made an effort to contact Jarvis Patton in the Mayor’s office.

Presentations

• Dora U. Sims presented a thank you note from North Avondale for the Innovation Award. Sims also thanked Gwendolyn R. Amamoo and Eunice Johnson Rogers for presenting the awards last month.

Approval of Agenda

• Georgia Morgan Blair moved to approve the agenda. Dora U. Sims seconded the motion, and it was passed.

Approval of Consent Agenda

• Kimberly Richardson moved to remove the financial report since it was distributed at the beginning of the meeting. Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch moved to approve the May 2016 Board minutes. Georgia Morgan Blair seconded the motion, and it was approved.

Terry Oglesby

• Terry Oglesby provided an update on the elevators. He spoke with Mr. Morrison at Public Works, and a purchase order has been issued for the parts needed. The parts are on the way, and there is no timeframe for when they will arrive. Oglesby stated the time-frame of labor could be a couple weeks.
• Terry Oglesby informed the Board the city is entering into a contract with Trane to do energy conservation upgrades to city owned buildings soon. Trane will perform scopes of work that include lighting, repairing exterior envelope problems, roofs, transformer upgrades, water fountains, low flow toilets, and HVAC upgrades. The list of facilities are Avondale, Central, Linn-Henley, East Lake, East Ensley, Ensley, Five Points West, Inglenook, North Avondale, North Birmingham, Pratt City, Smithfield, Southside, Springville Road, Titusville, West End, Powderly, and Woodlawn.

Nicole King, City Attorney

• At 4:44 p.m., Attorney Nicole King recommended the Board go into Executive Session under Alabama State Code 36-25-A7 to discuss job performance and potential litigation. Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch moved to approve, and Georgia Morgan Blair seconded the motion. All were in favor.
• The Executive Session ended at 5:05 p.m.

Operational Items Requiring Board Approval

• The Board was presented with a document that summarized the plan for security personnel change. Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch moved to approve the action to shift contracted security staff to BPL personnel. Eunice Johnson Rogers seconded the motion, and all were in favor.

Committee Reports

Special Called Meeting of the Library Board June 9, 2016

• Dora U. Sims made a correction to the Special Called Meeting minutes. The motion to terminate Angela Fisher Hall was based on the findings of the Ad Hoc Committee report. Georgia Morgan Blair moved to approve the Special Called Meeting minutes with the corrections. Dora U. Sims seconded the motion, and all were in favor.

Personnel Committee

• A personnel action was removed from the Board packet due to the need for further Board discussion.

Unfinished Business

• Patty A. Pilkerton reported that Jim Sisson of Vantage Associates has one stakeholder interview left. Sisson sent a draft of the public online survey. Sandi Lee, BPL staff, and Kimberly Richardson reviewed the draft and made suggestions. Pilkerton will compile these suggestions and send a finalized draft back to Sisson, President Kimberly Richardson, and Long Range Planning Committee members.
• Dora U. Sims stated she will not be attending the ALA Conference 2016 due to family medical issues. She will give the funds back to BPL for the cost of registration. Sims wrote the honor code which was included in the new version of The Voice for America’s Libraries. She distributed copies of the honor code to all Board members.

New Business

Kimberly Richardson stated that typically a Board meeting in the summer will change locations. She stated that a location change for July should be anticipated. Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch suggested North Avondale or any neighborhood library.

Director's Report

• Kimberly Richardson received contact information for the new owner of Eastwood library’s property. The information will be shared with Sandi Lee, Interim Director; Edith Major, Personnel Officer; and Caroline Jackson, City Attorney.
• Review of the meeting room policy will be a priority upon Sandi Lee’s return from vacation.
• Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch requested information on the programs at East Lake and Inglenook that had a high number of attendees. For the month of May 2016, East Lake had 1 program with 336 attendees, and Inglenook had 4 programs with 396 attendees.

Board Members' Comments

• Kimberly Richardson noted that both June and July’s financial reports will need to be approved at the July Board meeting.
• Gwendolyn R. Amamoo commented that she likes the afternoon time for the Board meeting and noted there was full attendance of the Board meeting.
• Willie S. Davis III is looking forward to the ALA Conference 2016 in Orlando to learn about what other libraries are doing and what he could bring back to BPL.
• Patty A. Pilkerton was in a meeting where she had the chance to explain the library’s escalator and elevators situation. She said a person in that meeting was not aware of the entire situation and believes we need to continue to spread the word that we are doing the best we can.
• Dora U. Sims thanked Gwendolyn R. Amamoo, Eunice Johnson Rogers, full Board, and Administration for their support of recognizing the first recipients of the Innovative / Cool Award at the May Board meeting.
• Kimberly Richardson thanked the Board members for their leadership particularly last week with some difficult decisions. Richardson regrets she was in Washington D.C. for a prior commitment. Richardson stayed in communication and tried to do her part from a distance. The Board was able to come to a consensus on an action and pressed forward. Richardson attempted to share and communicate with the staff so people do not feel in limbo in terms of our library system. For the most part, she believes business should continue as usual. Richardson is personally in favor of using a company for an executive search. She has confidence in Sandi Lee, Edith Major, and coordinators. Richardson is open to any conversations, calls, concerns in public or offline.
• Gwendolyn R. Amamoo thanked Kimberly Richardson for her leadership.

Next Board Meeting is July 12, 2016

• The meeting was adjourned at 5:19 p.m.
• The Board reconvened at 5:24 p.m. with a full Board vote. Kimberly Richardson requested an approval of the revised photo of the Board of Trustees. Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch moved to approve the revised photo. Georgia Morgan Blair seconded the motion, and all were in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 5:21 p.m.

Submitted By

Mary McCann, Senior Secretary