Present: Bob Bates, Teresa Myott, Steve Balzarini, Becky Dickerson, Chuck Petras and Peggy Bryan.

Becky Dickerson board chair, called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. She asked for additions or modifications; Peggy asked to delay the revision of WCL’s Intellectual Freedom Policy until next month under new business.

The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed. Steve Balzarini motioned to approve the February minutes; Chuck Petras seconded and the motion passed.

Peggy presented the financial reports through February 28, 2013. She presented payment voucher resolution #05-14 totaling $60,220.95. Steve Balzarini motioned to approve the resolution; Chuck Petras seconded and the motion carried.

Peggy reviewed the circulation reports for February. Overall materials circulation saw a slight decrease of 6% while online digital checkouts rose by about 17%. Database usage from our website (like Consumer Reports, Auto repair, etc.) was down by about 28% but this is a figure that can vary widely.

Branches performing exceptionally well related to circulation were Palouse, St. John and Uniontown. Tekoa’s usage is amazingly strong in computer usage with a 73% increase over last year, up from 66 uses to 242.

Attendance at library programs for all ages saw an increase of 29% or 2472 attendees. These include programs held in our library branches or as outreach to daycares, schools or retirement homes, etc. Branches performing exceptionally well in this area are Colfax, Endicott, Garfield, St. John and Tekoa.

New information added to this month’s report comes from Facebook and Twitter. Facebook counts how many people our posts reach while Twitter tabulates twitter followers for the month.

Looking specifically at the databases, Ancestry.com saw a big increase and Consumer Reports usage is very strong. As renewals come in, we always evaluate the cost per usage. For 2012, Small Engine repair cost $4.83 per usage while Consumer Reports cost .11 per usage. Cost per usage is interesting when comparing with the cost of purchasing books on these topics as well.

OLD BUSINESS: Peggy announced that the Washington State Auditor’s Accountability Audit for 2009-2012 will continue, as it was discovered that a special audit on the Federal funding the library received was over $500,000 is required. Since this Audit is required by RCW, the library will assume the burden of the cost as it does for the accountability audit too.

Peggy reported that the Endicott Library renovation is expected to be complete in April. She said that Kristie is working on a Fundraiser with the Town of Endicott to raise funds to assist with the project.

Peggy announced that the library submitted a .09 application for the LaCrosse Library in the LaCrosse Market building. The request for $28,000 will fund the remaining work to be done in the library and the shared community space where the library will host programs. The projected date the library will move into the LaCrosse Market building is May 2013.

Peggy announced that the library contracted with a grant writer for the Community Enrichment Center (Hamilton Building.) The grant writer is searching for grants that match up well with this project.

NEW BUSINESS: Peggy reviewed the reconsideration of materials procedure that the library uses when there are objections to library materials in our collection. Customers are given a form letter, explaining the library Bill of Rights and The Freedom to Read Statement and a Request for Reconsideration of Materials to complete. When they return the Request for Reconsideration, it is reviewed by the library and a follow-up letter is sent to the customer. A brief discussion followed.

Peggy announced upcoming public programs: CCS ACT 2 classes, Randy Suess & United Arab Emirates and Transforming Life After 50. She announced that there was a webinar on April 10, 2013 on The Open Public Meetings Act; if board members are interested in participating, she asked that they contact her.

Patti Cammack and Janet Nastasi shared information on the Whitman County Rural Heritage project. The project began in 2007 with a grant from Washington State Library. Library staff have digitized nearly 3000 historic photos throughout Whitman County. The photos are uploaded to the WSL website and can be viewed on the WCL website. Patti reported that the WCL photos receive a lot of hits on the WSL website, and usually are in one the top three of most uses in statewide statistics. Patti and Janet highlighted photos from the collection and gave board members of tour of their work area, explaining the process. The board expressed their appreciation to Patti and Janet for their good work on this project.

Sheri Miller, Youth Services Manager, shared information on the Early Literacy Landscape in her work area. The project began in 2000 at WCL with Early Learning Brain Development Program Grant from WSL. Sheri was brought on staff to do education and training on Early Learning Brain Development in all branch locations. Other highlights in the timeline were Every Child Ready to Read in 2005-07, Early Learning Public Library Partnership, Librarians included in “EL Professionals” and currently the Race to the Top grant funds available to libraries. The board expressed their appreciation to Sheri in serving the youth and families in Whitman County.

The next board meeting will be April 16 in Colfax at 4 P.M. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:08.

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Peggy Bryan, Recording Secretary

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Becky Dickerson, Board Chair

For more information, contact:

Kristie Kirkpatrick at 509-397-4366