Kankakee Times

The Kankakee Public Library board of directors met Tuesday, May 17.

"For over one hundred years the Kankakee Public Library has been meeting the information needs of the residents of the city of Kankakee. In March 1896, the first Kankakee Public Library opened in the Arcade Building, located at the northwest corner of Schuyler and Merchant Street. By the fall of 1897, a drive was underway to build a new building to house the Library’s growing collection of 2,200 books. The building, constructed on the corner of Indiana Avenue and Station Street, opened in January of 1899 and remained the Library’s home for nearly 105 years."

Here are the meeting minutes as provided by the Kankakee Public Library board of directors:

Kankakee Public Library

May 17, 2016

Board Meeting Minutes

The meeting of the Kankakee Public Library Board of Trustees met as scheduled at 5:30 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Present: Bruce Conway, Bob deOliveira, Sheila Donahue-Kramer, Dr. Steven Epstein, Liz Gernon-Lipofski, and Matt Olszewski.

Absent: Alia Lockett-Faulkner and Dr. Beth Patrick-Trippel.

Also present were: Stephen Bertrand, Library Director; Allison Beasley, Library Assistant Director; Teresa Cline, Library Business Manager.

Review of Minutes: The minutes from the March meeting were reviewed. There being no corrections, Dr. Epstein motioned to approve the minutes; Mr. deOliveira seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Public Comment: There was no public comment.

Communications: Mr. Bertrand presented the April 2016 statistics, the results from the April Amnesty campaign, and a thank you note from Theodis Pace for Ms. Beasley’s participation in the Kennedy school Career Day. The Board congratulated the staff for the $621.99 worth of materials that were reclaimed during Amnesty month. Mr. Olszewski inquired if there were to be more steps taken to recoup some of the remaining outstanding losses. He suggested that perhaps the City could file judgments against any patron who had more than $300 in fines. Ms. Donahue-Kramer suggested that perhaps all City departments, including the Library, should pool their names of residents that had outstanding fines/fees, then make it a requirement for those fines to be paid in full before they received their yearly vehicle sticker. This idea may be presented to Mayor Epstein.

Bills and Invoices: The Library’s bills and checks were reviewed. After a few questions on specific line items, Dr. Epstein motioned to accept the report as written. Ms. Gernon-Lipofski seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

Financial Report: Dr. Epstein complimented the Library staff for the increase in rental income, and for their ability to keep the library in the black despite the lack of the per capita grant in the past fiscal year. He also had a few questions regarding specific line items that had gone over budget, which Ms. Cline and Mr. Bertrand were able to explain. After a short discussion, Dr. Epstein moved to accept the financial report, and Mr. deOliveira seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Director’s Report:

Budget: Mr. Bertrand noted that he was presenting several budget line amendments due to some miscalculations in projecting the year-end totals. Due to decreasing “wiggle room” in the budget line – from stagnant property tax income and rising costs – Mr. Bertrand suggested that next year, the final budget should not be presented until the May meeting. This would allow him to use real data from the previous fiscal year to set reasonable goals for the upcoming year. This would mean, however, that the Board would need to vote in April to continue under the previous budget into the month of May. After a short discussion, the Board agreed this seemed a logical step to get the most accurate budget. There was no need for a vote, however, since these changes would not take effect until April 2017.

Personnel: Mr. Bertrand announced that Jeffrey Poole had accepted the full-time maintenance position. His start date is currently pending the return of the required pre-employment drug test. Mr. Bertrand also discussed another personnel issue that is pending in the Fall. Since this is a pending issue, however, no names were discussed.

Building and Grounds: The Kankakee Kultivators have completed the Reading Garden plantings.

Policies: Mr. Bertrand is currently working on a new material donation policy, due to some conflicts that arose when a local author wanted a coloring book he had created added to the collection. While the Library does not accept coloring books because they are consumable, the discussions with the author revealed some flaws in the current donation policy. Mr. Bertrand is seeking to set up a standing committee of the desk supervisors to review donations. He is hoping to have this policy ready for the Board at the June meeting. In addition, Mr. Bertrand and the supervisors are also working on form letter that will be given to patrons who are banned from the Library. This should also be ready by the next meeting.

Programs: The family of the late Phyllis Enright, a local educator who encouraged literacy, made Kankakee Public Library the benefactor of memorials made in her name. The funds will be used to extend some of the summer reading programs that would usually end mid-summer.

Other: The Library has launched a web series on YouTube called “Kankakee Street Talk.” This series will interview authors and community leaders as they drive around the city. The first interview, with local science-fiction author Steven Case, drew 125 views in just four days. The Adult Services department, led by Vicki Forquer, has created the program. Mr. Bertrand also noted that he had taken steps to monetize our YouTube videos in hopes to raise some additional money for the Library.

Unfinished Business: The amendments to Fiscal Year 2016/2017 budget were discussed. Mr. Bertrand noted that the projected income had been reduced by $1000, due to the end-of-year total of the Sun River Terrace cards. Other budget lines had been reallocated; again, based upon the end-of-year totals. Mr. deOliveira motioned to accept the budget amendments as presented. Ms. Gernon-Lipofski seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

New Business: No new business was discussed.

Executive Session: There was no executive session needed.

There being no further business, motion to adjourn was made by Mr. deOliveira. The meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m.