Library Commission Minutes

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Location: Central Library

Members Present: Fofi Mendez, Kevin O’Connor, Karen Rokala, Lois Ann Rovira, Edward Schenck, K.C. Veio, Sid Wilson.

Staff Present: Shirley Amore, Robert Bowles, Bertha Brunsvold, Gwendolyn Crenshaw, Elizabeth Elder, Eleanor Glover, Jennifer Hartman, Lucas Helling, Letty Icolari, Cori Jackamore, Celeste Jackson, Susan Kotarba, Durae Kubat, Elaine Langeberg, Diane Lapierre, Rachelle Naishtut, Deb Robison, Jo Sarling, Sherry Spitsnaugle, Derek Wolfgram.

Guests Present: Hanne Lichtenfels, Denver Public Library Friends Foundation; Kip Cheroutes, Jen Cotton, Steve Hildmann, and Kathryn Pride community members.

1. Call to Order.
   • President K.C. Veio called the meeting to order at 3:40 p.m.



2. Approval of Minutes of June 15, 2006, Regular Monthly Meeting.
   • The minutes were approved as written.



3. Public Comment Period.
   • The staff and guests present introduced themselves. Steve Hildmann, community member, read a letter into the record.



4. Report of the President and Members.
   • Lois Ann Rovira reported that the June 15 Eleanor Gehres Award Reception for Wesley Brown, former President of both the Library Commission and the Friends Foundation, was an exceptionally well-attended and moving occasion.
   • Sid Wilson reported that as of the July 2006 issue of Dewey’s Dispatch a column for Staff Council news has been added to help increase in-house communication.
   • Fofi Mendez reported that at Mayor Hickenlooper’s request she has agreed to Chair the Cultural Facilities Subcommittee of the Mayor’s Infrastructure Priorities Task Force. This Task Force has been created to determine what projects or capital improvements should be submitted to the voters of Denver and how those improvements should be funded.



5. Report of the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation.
   • Hanne Lichtenfels reported that the July 11 Joint Reception of the Friends Foundation Board and the Library Commission welcoming new City Librarian Shirley Amore was a great success. A letter of thanks on behalf of the Commission will be sent to Dr. Jane Day who so generously opened her home to all current Trustees as well as some past Board members.



6. Monthly Financial Report through June 30, 2006.
   • Robert Bowles presented this report.



7. Report of the City Librarian and Staff .
   • In addition to her written report Shirley Amore thanked everyone for their warm welcome and reported on her plans for the next few months including an analysis of circulation’s upward trend as an item on the August agenda. She noted that summer reading enrollment is up 23% over 2005.
   
   
   
8. Report of the Nominating Committee and Election of Officers for 2006-2007.
   • Fofi Mendez , Chair, presented the slate of officers nominated by the Committee, which also included Karen Rokala and Edward Schenck. The Committee nominated the current officers to continue for a second term: K.C. Veio as President of the Library Commission, Sid Wilson as Vice-President, and Lois Ann Rovira as Secretary. Kevin O’Connor moved to approve this slate. Lois Ann Rovira seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
   • At the Nominating Committee’s request a future agenda item will be discussion of a possible change to the by-laws so that a term is two years instead of one year.
   
   
   
Approval of Resolution of Appreciation for Edward Schenck.
• Upon motion by Lois Ann Rovira, seconded by Fofi Mendez, the motion was unanimously approved.



10. Other Business.
    • Upon motion by Fofi Mendez, seconded by Karen Rokala, the Resolution of Appreciation for Letty Icolari was unanimously approved to great acclaim.
    • Upon motion by Lois Ann Rovira, seconded by Karen Rokala, the Resolution of Recognition for Marilyn Amer was unanimously approved.
    
    
    
11. K.C. Veio adjourned the meeting at 4:35 p.m.
    

Submitted by Lois Ann Rovira, Secretary

Letter by Steve Hildmann

Read into the Minutes of the July 20, 2006 Library Commission Meeting.

I would like to address the document DPL Design For a New Era: Tradition Of Excellence Continues as mentioned in your response letter to me dated June 6, 2006.

I ask the new city librarian to please go out and talk to the community organizations. Especially the ones that are not in a Schlessman or Virginia Village model, before you believe what has been prepared for you in that document.

If you live in a community, that has one of these models. You have all the new top sellers, new DVD's the best programs, great service. The best of the best! If however, you live in a community that doesn't have one of these models you get fewer copies of new books and DVD's fewer programs. This model/style program that Beth Elder started four years ago has set up a system that is discriminatory and elitist to most of Denvers citizens. What started off as a system that would serve the community as a whole? Now servers the fortunate few very well. The rest make do with what they have too.

Again, I ask , How have you been and how are you going to pay for this?

Better to have a style in place that serves everyone at less cost than this program of complicated models/styles that must cost the tax payer 3 to 4 times as much and serves fewer well.

A concern I brought up at the community conversations. Since the styles were already implemented. What was being done to monitor and evaluate the models? Rick Ashton and Beth Elder both told me DPL did not have the ability to monitor or evaluate. ...How can you expect me to believe that? How can you expect to keep the publics trust when it is obvious you take information and reinterpret it to meet you end goal.

From my experience at the community conversations what the public response was to your models and what you interpreted that response as, were two very different things.