Call to Order: President Bogue called the meeting of the Duluth Public Library Board to order when a quorum was reached at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 25, 2012. On a motion by Brissett, seconded by D'Allaird, the agenda was approved.

Members Present: Sister Edith Bogue, Jane Brissett, Dan D'Allaird, Printha Markert, Andrew Slade, Peter Spooner
Also Present: ALS Board Member Teresa Dawson, Public Administration Department Director Roshanda Smiley, Carla Powers
Excused: Frank Jewell, Liz Benson Johnson, Virginia Katz

Approval of Minutes
On a motion by D'Allaird, seconded by Markert, the library board minutes of the regular meeting of August 28 were approved as drafted.
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Reports
A. Friends of the Duluth Public Library - Markert
The author event featuring William Kent Krueger was very successful. Once the silent auction items are paid for, proceeds will total $5290. The Friends are planning another such event in the spring. There has been discussion of getting Friends t-shirts printed and offering them for sale. The Storyland exhibit from the Minnesota Children's Museum will be arriving in October, and volunteers are needed for the grand opening and to staff the exhibit through the end of November. Markert passed around a newsletter article about the new Friends board members.

B. Duluth Library Foundation - Katz/D'Allaird
The Foundation board is developing a five-year plan broken down into yearly increments. Goals include raising the profile of the organization and convincing people to change their giving habits, talking to attorneys involved with estate planning, and raising the visibility of the Foundation at the branches. There was discussion about the pros and cons of partnering with the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

C. Stability in Funding Committee - D'Allaird
Committee members are doing historical research on library funding, which is proving more difficult than anticipated. In looking back at old meeting minutes they are finding many of the same issues that are still being discussed today. The group met with Mayor Ness in July, and he is not in favor of a ballot initiative for a library fund. The committee is continuing to try to get a better understanding of library funding and state law before determining its next steps.

D. Arrowhead Library System - Guest Teresa Dawson
Dawson is in her final months of service on the ALS board. Only one meeting of the board has taken place since ALS and the North Country Library Cooperative (NCLC) completed their merger. As a result of this merger, the governing board meets every other month instead of every month. ALS Director Jim Weikum is beginning to receive budget figures from counties within the region and is expecting a cut in county funding by up to 10 percent. The Minnesota Library Association's Legislative Forum took place in St. Cloud in July. Legacy Amendment funding and Regional Library Basic System Support were among the topics discussed. ALS is currently in the midst of strategic planning, and information about the process can be found on its website.

C. One Book, One Community - Brissett
The adult title for next year's program will be "Clara & Mr. Tiffany" by Susan Vreeland. Themes of the book include art and design, women in the workforce at the turn of the century, and labor unions. Vreeland is willing to come to the region in April. Brissett is pursuing Legacy funding for the visit, and the Friends groups from Cloquet and Virginia have agreed to pitch in. The One Book committee hopes to focus some programming on Duluth's Tiffany windows. Committee members are in the process of choosing tie-in books for young people, and is considering the possibility of three additional titles for different age groups.

Old Business:
Roshanda Smiley arrived during the One Book report, and introductions were made.

Talking points.Tabled until next month.

New Business:
City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting. There was discussion about the presentation that Powers and City Architect Tari Rayala provided to the City Council on September 24. The purpose of the presentation was to raise issues about needed maintenance and upgrades at the Main Library. Replacing the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system and modernizing the interior to better suit current library needs will cost an estimated $6 million. Powers, Rayala and Smiley will be meeting with Chief Administrative Officer Dave Montgomery soon to discuss next steps. Board members expressed an interest in advocating for the library's needs when the time is right to do so.

Communications/Correspondence:
Manager's Report
There were no questions.

The meeting adjourned at 6:10 p.m. and was followed by a tour of the West Duluth Branch Library.
The next meeting will take place Tuesday, October 23 in the senior center at City Center West.

1/30/13
Duluth Public Library, 520 W. Superior St., Duluth, MN 55802