The Public Library of the District of Columbia

Board of Library Trustees Meeting

Minutes
Tenley Neighborhood Library, Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The regular meeting of the Board of Library Trustees was held at 6:00 pm, Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at the
Tenley Neighborhood Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Donald Richardson, Vice-President, presiding.

Present: Donald Richardson, Vice-President, Richard Levy, James Lewis, Myrna Peralta, Kelley Smith, Ginnie
Cooper, Chief Librarian and Secretary-Treasurer. Not in attendance: Bonnie Cohen, John Hill, Brenda
Richardson.

Guests at the Board Table: Susan Haight, President, Federation of Friends and Anna Velazco, Executive Director,
DCPL Foundation.

The meeting was called to order at 6:06 pm.

Adoption of the Agenda

The motion to adopt the agenda was approved.

Approval of Minutes
The motion to approve the minutes of the February 9, 2011 Board meeting was approved.

Public Comments
Mr. Richardson stated the practice of the Board of Library Trustees to entertain public comments at the
beginning of the meeting. He explained that people who signed their names to the sign-in sheet would have
three minutes to address the Board. No members of the public came forward to make comments.

President’s Report
In the absence of President Hill, Vice President Donald Richardson said that staff members are working diligently
on the FY 2012 budget process and that all present would hear more about that later.

Chief Librarian’s Report

Ms. Cooper highlighted items from her report. She said that Martin Luther King’s birthday was celebrated
throughout DCPL with events inspired by Dr. King’s life and legacy. The crowning event at Deanwood Library
was a birthday party for Dr. King that brought together three grade-school classes from nearby schools and 18
neighborhood seniors who answered questions from the students about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil
Rights Movement. She also spoke about a new once-monthly drop-in clinic held at the MLKML for people who
are seeking jobs. The clinic offers personalized support for basic online job search activities. More than 10 staff
members from libraries throughout the system helped over 50 job-seekers set up e-mail accounts, and helped
develop resumes and job applications at a recent clinic. Ms. Cooper also answered a question about recent
changes by publisher Harper-Collins to their e-book usage policy and how the library community is exploring
what this might mean.

Joi Mecks, Director, Marketing and Communications, provided an update on the DC Public Library Services and
Facilities: A Framework for Continuing Success. She said that the Executive Summary is being distributed
broadly; that the full report was posted to the DCPL web-site on March 6; and that it is being promoted on

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DCPL’s Facebook and Twitter pages . Those present also received a report of Tenley Neighborhood library
activities from Nicholas Kerelchuk, Tenley Neighborhood Library Manager.

Finance Committee Report

Eric Coard, Chief Business Officer, and Tammie Robinson, Agency Fiscal Officer, reported on the FY 2011 Year-to
Date. There are concerns with facilities maintenance costs, which increase as the new/renovated libraries open
and usage continues to climb. The Library also has a plan in place should Congress fail to extend the Continuing
Resolution set to expire on April 6. Eric Coard said that the Mayor’s FY 2012 budget will become public on April
1 and go to City Council on April 6 and he shared some of the concerns about the FY 2012 reductions that will be
part of this budget.

Facilities Committee Report

Richard Levy, Chair of the Facilities Committee, congratulated staff on accomplishing yet another new library
opening at Tenley. He reminded those present that 10 libraries have opened as new or renovated facilities since
March 2009 and that the Library has received many awards for these buildings. Jeff Bonvechio, Director of
Capital Construction, reported on where the Library stands on major projects from the Capital Construction
Report and Edward Hampton spoke about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Energy Stimulus
money and where and how it is being spent.

Public Services Report

At the February 9, 2011 Board Meeting, Board President John Hill requested that the Library Performance
Measures First Quarter Report be tabled until the March meeting. Nancy Davenport, Director of Library
Services, reported on the measures. She said it is helpful to see the prior year’s circulation numbers to get a
sense of the significant changes year-to-year. Circulation figures for the first quarter of 2011 for instance, are up
17.97% from the same quarter in 2010.

Micki Freeny, Youth Services Coordinator, reported on the DCPL Summer Reading Program. She said that staff
is planning for the June 1 kick-off and themes for this year are: ”One World: Many Stories” for children and “You
Are Here: Where Are You Going?” for teens. New this year are plans to provide experiential prizes for successful
completion of summer reading. For example, children and teens will be able to spend time with a chef, fashion
designer, judge, and others to learn more about the day to day lives and careers of many in the community.

Foundation President’s Report

Anna Velazco, Executive Director for the DCPL Foundation, reported that the main focus of work over the past
few months has been supporting the openings of the Tenley and Petworth Neighborhood Libraries, completing
work on the Georgetown Wall of Honor, preparing for the annual audit, and developing a multi-year strategic
and development plan.

Federation of Friends Report

Friends President Susan Haight thanked DCPL staff for the special budget review meeting which was held for
Friends members on March 17 at the MLKML. She said that Friends members are preparing to testify at
Council’s Budget Hearing in April and that they are finding volunteers for the experiential prizes that Micki
Freeny mentioned in her report on the Summer Reading program. She also met recently with Council Chairman
Brown to talk about priorities for the Library and the Friends continue to hold book sales at various libraries and
are planning a city-wide book sale.

New Business
There being no new business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:20 pm.
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