River Forest Public Library
Minutes
Regular Board Meeting
July 17th, 2007  7:30PM 
 
 
Call to Order and Roll Call 
Vice President Margaret Horstman called the regular meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Present were Trustees Cusack, Horstman, Fischer, Beck, Halloran and O’Connor. Trustee Mark Coe was excused. Also present were Interim Directors Dee Brennan and Sarah Hampson and staff member Blaire Valentine.
 
Audience to Visitors, Trustee and Staff Comments 
 Deborah Bayliss, the new River Forest reporter from Pioneer Press, introduced herself. 

Consent Agenda 
Ms. Horstman requested a motion for the July Consent Agenda, including the minutes of the regular meeting on June 12th, the June Treasurer’s Report and the Warrant and Benefit List for the period of June 13th to July 17th, 2007 including checks numbered from 7147-7211. Total expenditures for the period were $57,125.71.  (The minutes of the executive session on May 15th were not ready but will be distributed in time for the August meeting.) Ms. O’Connor moved that the Board accept the Consent Agenda. Ms. Fischer seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
 
Communications 
A. Announcements 
	None
B. Patron Suggestions 
      Trustees and staff noted the patron request to purchase the top 100 DVDs. 

The August Board meeting was rescheduled for August 28th.
 
Director’s Report 
	Ms. Brennan presented a Holabird & Root invoice came or $38,000. The trustees discussed whether the billed work had been completed. Mr. Coe will contact Holabird & Root to discuss the matter. Ms. Fischer addressed the need to discuss facility planning with the trustees ahead of the upcoming Director interview sessions. A review of the Capital Improvements project will be covered in August. Trustees will tour the library prior to the next meeting.
      ASK program: Trustees and Acting Directors discussed program content and staffing for the coming schoolyear. All agreed that the objectives of the ASK Program should be as a structured library program that engages library staff. 
	The new patron statistics were not available due to the server being down.
	Ms. Beck complimented the shortened summer reading program. 


Old Business 
A. Update on Director Search 
	An update from Kay Speyer was provided to trustees. The update included staff input regarding the qualifications for the Library’s next Director. 
	Ms. Hampson reflected about staff morale during the recent months of transition. The Board complimented the Interim Directors on their support of the staff. The collaborative agreement between OPPL and RFPL appears to be working favorably for both Libraries.
      Ms. Speyer is communicating with the director candidates. 

B. Update on Liability Insurance for the RFPL 
	Staff checked with the Village and determined that the Library and its trustees are covered by the Village’s liability insurance policy.

New Business 
A. Proposal for Board Ethics Statement 
	Interim Directors Brennan and Hampson presented American Library Trustees Association documents for review. Trustees agreed that the Board Ethics Statement could be the first step toward developing a policy manual for the board. The trustees will discuss what trustee training entails at the meeting in August. Ms. Fischer will look at Trustee Fact File to look for supporting documents. Ms. Hampson noted that The Per Capita grant requires a narrative about trustee training and new employee training. 


Adjournment 
	At 8:57, Ms. Cusack moved to adjourn the regular meeting. Ms. Beck seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.