Board Minutes: July 2011

350 West Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6B 2B1

Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Present: Catherine Evans Chair; Mary Lynn Baum; Carellin Brooks; Angie Chan; David Chariandy; Kyla Epstein; Erfan Kazemi, Vice Chair; Mike Lombardi, Vancouver School Board Representative; Tim Stevenson, City Council Representative; Loretta Woodcock, Vancouver Park Board Representative

Absent: Debbie Millward; Alan Twigg

Management Present: Sandra Singh, Chief Librarian; Shelagh Flaherty, Director, Central Library; Ingrid VanKemenade, Director, Human Resources; Debbie Schachter, Director, Technology & Collection Management; Daphne Wood, Director, Planning & Development

Absent: Diana Guinn, Director, Neighbourhood and Youth Services; Eric Smith, Director, Corporate Services

Staff: Jean Kavanagh, Manager, Marketing & Communications; Chris Middlemass, Manager, ILL/Sc&Bus/FA&His/Sp.Col

Guests: Jane Curry. Member-at-Large, CUPE Local 391; Gary Jarvis, Vice President, CUPE Local 391; Pauline Preston, Branch Head, Outreach Services; Keith Edwards, Information Assistant; Corinne Durston, President, Friends of VPL; Brenda van Engelen, Executive Director, VPL Foundation; Penny Ballem, City Manager, City of Vancouver; Michele Pye, Vancouver Services Review; Teresa Hartman, Vancouver Services Review; Michel Desrochers, Vancouver Services Review

Recording Secretary: Chrysalyn Tolentino, Executive Assistant

PRESENTATION

1. Employee Recognition Award

Several VPL staff were nominated for various City Service awards, a new program recently launched by the City to recognize outstanding staff for regular duties, special achievements, teamwork, spirit, innovation, initiative and public service. Awards were presented to:

Keith Edwards for the Innovation category;
Anne Dodington for the Heart of the City category,
Eric Smith and Daphne Wood as part of the City’s Capital Plan Team.

Other VPL staff nominated were:

Yukiko Tosa for Calm, Cool & Collected as well as for Connecting our People Leadership category;
Johan Axen, Marketing & Communications Department, Outreach Services and Children’s & Youth Services staff for the Face of the City category;
Marya Gadison and Sophie Middleton for the City Spirit category;
Todd Wong for the Guardian award category;
Beth Davies for the Legacy award category; and
Vancouver Public Library for the Heart of the City award category;
Susan Tremblett for the Go to Person Category.

2. Friends of VPL Cheque Presentation

Friends of VPL President Corinne Durston presented the Board a cheque for the amount of $53,319 which will be used to fund a wide range of activities and programs across the system. Corinne introduced several new Friends of VPL Board members and noted that they will be leading a membership recruitment drive in the fall.

3. Unit Introduction: Outreach Services

As per the Board’s request, a VPL division, branch or service will make a presentation each month to the Board in order for Trustees to better understand how the Library functions and serves the community. Pauline Preston, Outreach Services Branch Head, and Information Assistant Marcia Burdett provided an overview of the types of services provided to people who cannot physically access the Library or who have sight impairments.

4. DTES/Strathcona Consultation Results

Anne Olsen, Manager, East Area and Strathcona Branch Head Megan Langley reported to Trustees on the recent Downtown Eastside/Strathcona Branch community consultation during which staff visited a number of sites and organizations in the community. Anne and Megan said that there were good turnouts at these events and participants actively engaged in the sessions. Trustees were presented with feedback from participants. Trustees thanked staff for organizing these consultation events.

5. Capital Plan Presentation

City Manager Penny Ballem and Michele Pye and Michel Desrochers of the Vancouver Services Review team provided an overview of the City’s 2012-2014 draft Capital Plan that includes $23 million in expenditures for the Library. Library projects identified in the Plan are the new Downtown Eastside/Strathcona Branch, planning for redevelopment of the Central Library Levels 8 and 9, preliminary planning for a proposed Marpole civic facility and some funds for branch renovations. A final plan will be prepared for City Council consideration on September 20th, followed by a plebiscite in November’s civic election to complete the approval process.

Moved by Mike Lombardi and seconded by Erfan Kazemi

THAT the Board receive the 2012-2014 Draft Capital Plan, as outlined in the Council report, for information

THAT the Library support, as feasible, the City’s community engagement on the 2012-2014 Draft Capital Plan during July and August 2011;

THAT the Board instruct staff to prepare a final report on the 2012-2014 Capital Plan for consideration by the Board at its September 7, 2011 meeting.

Public engagement will be held from July to early August and the final capital plan will be presented for City Council approval on September 20th and plebiscite in Nov 2011.

CARRIED

ADMINISTRATION

6. Minutes

The draft minutes of Regular Meeting held June 1, 2011 was presented to the Chair for approval.

Moved by Mary Lynn Baum and seconded by Kyla Epstein

THAT the draft minutes of Regular Meeting held June 1, 2011 be approved as received.

CARRIED

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

CUPE Local 391

Jane Curry, Member-at-Large, CUPE 391, reported that the Union will be participating at the Word on the Street Festival on September 25th and is working with CUPE BC and the Public Library Services Branch to revive the Books for Babies program.

Friends

Corinne Durston, President, Friends of VPL, reported that they will be conducting a membership drive during the Word on Street Festival. The Friends are also looking at reducing the association fee to increase membership and to develop a volunteer recognition program to recognize the efforts of the members, as well as looking into upgrading their resources like purchasing book scanners and upgrading the Bookmark’s computer software system.

VPL Foundation

Brenda van Engelen, Executive Director, VPL Foundation, reported that they are currently working on the Books for Kids Campaign including selling the “I love the Library” buttons, as well as planning for fundraising activities in conjunction with the opening of the new Terry Salman Branch. The VPL Foundation’s next meeting will be held on July 14th.

British Columbia Library Trustees Association

No report.

InterLINK

No report.

VPL Trustees

Trustees Carellin Brooks, Kyla Epstein and Mary Lynn Baum attended the 100th Library Anniversary sponsored by the BC Library Association held on June 29th at Central Library.

Board Chair Catherine Evans reported that she attended the First Nation Storyteller-in-Residence event in June.

ITEMS FOR CONSENT

Moved by Erfan Kazemi and seconded by Carellin Brooks

THAT the following Board reports be approved on consent:

May 2011 Financial Statements
Word on the Street Space Request

CARRIED

ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION & DECISION

7. Board Meetings: Paperless Board Meetings

Chief Librarian Sandra Singh informed Trustees that the package for the regular Board meetings are available on the VPL website the Friday before the Board meeting for those Trustees who would like to access a paperless package.

8. Board Meetings: Monthly Reporting

Trustees agreed that the Monthly Report template will be revised to align with the Strategic Priorities, with unit presentations and a quarterly strategic plan update. The purpose of the Monthly Reports is to keep the Board apprised of progress on the Library's strategic priorities that impact operations and services. The Board has also requested that staff include challenges as they relate to the implementation of the strategic priorities.

9. Meeting Space for Community Groups at Central

Moved by Carellin Brooks and seconded by David Chariandy

THAT VPL implement Option 1: Increase Profile of Existing Offerings and assess its community impact based on feedback from the community groups after one year.

CARRIED

10. BC Library Trustee Association Liaison

Moved by Kyla Epstein and seconded by Angie Chan

THAT Carellin Brooks be appointed as the Library Board’s liaison to BCLTA.

CARRIED

11. Friends of VPL Liaison

Moved by Mike Lombardi and seconded by Carellin Brooks

THAT Kyla Epstein be appointed as the Library Board’s liaison to the Friends of VPL.

CARRIED

12. Britannia Board Liaison

It was agreed that VPL staff will discuss with the Britannia Board regarding the need to have a Library Board liaison in their organization. It was also agreed that the Board will appoint a Vice Chair in September as replacement for departed Trustee Loring Bohach.

STRATEGIC PLAN, DISCUSSIONS, AND ISSUES

13. Status Report: Strategic Actions

VPL staff provided an update on the accomplishments to date on the strategic goals & priorities action items. Trustees approved the format and suggested that for future reports staff grey-out the previous actions so that they would only see the new updates.

14. VPLF Fund Development Strategy

Daphne Wood, Director, Planning & Development presented an approach for a new fundraising strategy for the VPL Foundation Board, moving away from project-based to fund-based model of support. In the new model, donors would direct funds to one or more strategic areas of interest and importance to the Library such as: lifelong learning, neighbourhood libraries, community building, special projects and greatest need. The new model will address administrative challenges currently experienced by Library staff as a result of the current project-based fundraising model. The Library Board approved the concept, which will be presented to the VPL Foundation Board for approval on July 14th.

15. Beyond 2012 Plan

Staff will proceed in presenting four topics as part of the series of bi-monthly programs to engage the community, staff and Board. Each of these discussions contemplates a core service area of traditional library services. The programs will begin in September 2011 culminating with a scenario planning workshop in July 2012. The information gathered at the bi-monthly programs and the scenario planning workshop would inform the strategic planning process for 2013-2015.

The four topics are:

Future directions of library collections including digital formats
Public space and learning spaces
The role and purpose of public programming and training
The role of the library supporting children and families

COMMITTEE MINUTES

16. Draft Minutes – June SFHR Committee Regular Meeting

For Trustee information.

MANAGEMENT REPORTS

17. Employee Engagement Plan

Components of an Employee Engagement Plan to address the results of the 2010 Employee Engagement Survey were submitted to Trustees for information. The report was received with interest along with a request for a quarterly progress report.

18. Levels 8 & 9 Planning Update

Chief Librarian Sandra Singh reported that the Library recently met with Central Library architect Moshe Safdie, Library supporter and donor Dr. Yosef Wosk and City planning staff to discuss possibilities for redevelopment of Levels 8 and 9 when those floors become part of the Central Library in 2015. Sandra also presented, for Trustee information, the conceptual drawings of the proposed green roof. She added that the City Archives have issued a Request for Proposal to hire a consultant to undertake a study to see if co-location with the Library is viable. This feasibility study will conclude in November. Discussions will continue in the coming months with reports back to Trustees

19. Activity Reports: Central and Branches

For Trustee information.

20. Correspondence

The Board received the following from:

a) Letter from Joanne Richards, Director, Kootenay Library Federation to VPL Board Chair Catherine Evans re: VPL Children’s Librarian Anna Swanson

b) Letter from Terri Thompson, Director, The Salvation Army Belkin House to Debbie Schachter, Director, VPL Technology & Collection Management re: donation of books.