BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PIERCE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
REGULAR MEETING, FEBRUARY 8, 2012
CALL TO ORDER
Vice-Chair Linda Ishem called to order the regular meeting of the Pierce County Rural Library District
Board of Trustees on February 8, 2012, 3:35 pm. Board members present were Robert Allen and J.J.
McCament. Stephen Albers and Allen Rose were excused.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Chuck West: Mr. West stated that he was from Key Peninsula and wished to ask for some attention to a
growing problem. There are 20,000 people in Key Peninsula, in a 65 square mile radius, but the area is
geographically isolated. There is a small library in Key Center, but customers can’t find a parking spot. If
they can’t park, they are unable to use the library and its computers. People in the community just drive
by the library because they can’t use it. He also stated that Key Peninsula has 70 miles of waterfront
and generates $1 million a year in taxes being collected by the library system from the Key Peninsula
area. There are also some very low income people; the elementary school is second in free lunch
program. Those kids would like to use the library. He stated that the Key Center library needs
improvements. He noted that he had contacted Neel Parikh eight years ago about the issue, served on
an advisory committee and has continually followed the process, but nothing has happened.
He reported that there is a piece of property adjacent to the library and it could be acquired for parking.
The money derived from the community should be put back into the community. He asked that the
Board set aside some of the money to make improvements to the library, stating that the kids need it and
the community needs it. He also stated the residents are making a lot of improvements to the
community. He recently met with Georgia Lomax to discuss the issue. He stated that he needed to get
on the Board’s radar. He knows that they can’t see the community from here. He ended his
presentation by saying, “Please help us out.”
Jack Gordon: Mr. Gordon stated that he wished to express his concerns about the changes to
reserving magazines (serials). There was no problem up until 6 months ago. A person could get on the
computer, place a request and he would be given the most recent issue. Now it appears that the
computer looks at the month instead of the year, so a person gets old issues. He stated that he
appeared before the Board to advocate for those on fixed incomes who rely on the library to read the
most current issue of a magazine, but can’t find it. They go to library and can’t find their magazine. The
current issue should be in the library and they look it up on the computer and find that it’s been issued.
Lakewood Branch used to keep the current issue in the branch and not release it for holds until the next
issue is available, but that has changed as well. He restated that this change occurred about 6 months
ago and asked that the library go back to the previous method.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Minutes of the January 11, 2012 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
2. December 2011 Payroll, Benefits and Vouchers in the total amount of $3,439,524.50
a. Payroll Warrants 3294 - 3303, dated 01/01/12 – 01/31/12 in the amount of $12,196.45
b. Payroll Disbursement Voucher dated 01/05/12 in the amount of $757,825.96
c. Payroll Disbursement Voucher dated 01/20/12 in the amount of $655,511.89
d. Accounts Payable Warrants, 616704 - 616937 dated 01/01/12 – 01/31/12 in the amount of
$2,013,990.20
Minutes of February 8, 2012 Regular Meeting
Page 1
Ms. McCament moved for approval of the consent agenda. Mr. Allen seconded the motion and it was
passed.
BOARD MEMBER REPORT
J.J. McCament: Ms. McCament was pleased to announce that she had been re-appointed for a fiveyear term on the Board of Trustees. She attended the Pierce County Council meeting when the action
was taken and reported that Council members made very complimentary remarks about the Library
System.
OFFICER REPORTS
1. Key Center Branch: Neel Parikh reported that internal renovations are budgeted for the Key Center
branch. An architect will be hired soon and work will commence in October. Ms. Parikh reminded the
Board that the library does not yet own the building as it was built with Housing and Urban Development
grant monies and restrictions. The library portion of the building was built on slab and the communityuse portion built on a wood floor. That portion would not support the weight of a library. She noted that
the Facilities Master Plan identified the Bonney Lake and Graham libraries as those most in need of
expansion, with the Key Center branch next in line.
2. Ham Rideout Memorial: Lynne Hoffman, Development Director, and Ms. Parikh attended the
memorial service for Ham Rideout, a long-time donor and library supporter. Ms. Parikh was one of the
four eulogists at the memorial. Mr. Rideout’s involvement with the library system began when the
Steilacoom branch was being built and the family wished to honor the memory of his daughter, Danae
Rideout. The Danae Rideout Endowment was created and the children’s area at the branch was named
for her. Mr. Rideout had continued his connection with the library system since that time. He created
notecards and books from Danae’s art and sold them at community festivals and found other creative
ways to support the library. Ms. Parikh noted that many people at the service stated how important the
library was to him and how proud he was of his work. The family intends to continue support of the
endowment.
3. Geek Dads: Ms. Parikh reported that a series of programs will be presented at the Lakewood
branch based on the “Geek Dads” series. A Youth Services librarian contacted author Ken Denmead,
and received his approval and support.
4. Fife History: Mike Seeger, owner of Fife Flowers, came to the Processing and Administrative
Center and gave Ms. Parikh a lovely flower arrangement and left a book on Fife History for each Board
member, which she gave to them. On February 14th, she and Georgia Lomax will give the Fife City
Council a report on usage of the new Fife Branch. In the last two months, 35,000 items have been
checked out, 54% of which was non-print media. Milton/Edgewood checked out 46,000 items in the
same time period
5. Bonney Lake Library: The Bonney Lake Library will close for some interior renovation. During this
time, the City of Bonney Lake will allow the library to present Storytime programs in a meeting room of
the new Bonney Lake Justice Center. Ms. Parikh also reported that the Bonney Lake Library had been
nominated for a “Best Business of the Year” award presented by the Bonney Lake Chamber of
Commerce.
6. Seattle Public Library: Ms. Parikh mentioned a recent news story about inadvertent viewing by a
child of objectionable material at the Seattle Public Library. She reported that Seattle Public Library
filters all computers in the Children’s section of the library and the child saw it on a computer in the adult
area. Ms. Parikh noted she was sharing the information with the Board in case they were asked
questions about the incident.
Minutes of February 8, 2012 Regular Meeting
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7. 2011 Balanced Scorecards and Statistics: Georgia Lomax briefly reviewed statistics from the 2011
Balanced Scorecard. She noted that in the coming year, a high priority will be to look at all of the
library’s data. New tools are available to assist in data collection and analysis.
8. Lakewood Towne Center Report: Ms. Parikh reported that conversations were held with parties
interested in moving the Lakewood branch to the Lakewood Towne Center. The only space being
considered is the former Gottschalk’s space. At this time, it is only a concept and the city and developer
are aware that the library has no capital funding.
9. 2012 Legislation: Ms. Parikh reported that the legislature is concentrating its efforts on budgetary
issues. One issue that may impact library districts is a proposal to study junior taxing districts; perhaps
to consolidate with counties. This proposal is being carefully monitored.
10. Joint Base Lewis McChord: Ms. McCament asked if Ms. Parikh still served on the JBLM
committee. Mr. Allen served on the committee as well and responded that recommendations have been
submitted and implementation of the recommendations is being reviewed. He noted that it was too soon
to know what will happen.
11. Museum Passes: Ms. Ishem asked if there were any sense if the LaMay Auto Museum will allow
free passes to be checked out at the library, as is done with all other museums in Tacoma. Ms. Getchell
said that as yet, there had been no discussions.
12. Pierce County Library Foundation: Ms. McCament thanked the Pierce County Library Foundation
and donors for the funds raised in 2011.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1. University Place Library Status:
a. Project Update: Lorie Erickson, Facilities Director, reported that there is an outstanding issue related
to an improperly connected hot water heater, but it should be resolved shortly. The red-lined drawings
will be wrapped up next week, the OFM manuals are completed and on site, and the exterior elevator is
operating consistently and has been signed off on by the Department of Labor and Industries.
Ms. Parikh reported that Cindy Bonaro, Managing Librarian, had retired. There was a very nice and well
attended retirement party for her at the University Place branch.
b. Property Closing Process: Ms. Parikh reported that the easements and site documents are
completed. The maps and plans from the surveyor are almost completed. The closing process is very
close to completion.
2. 2012 Narrative Budget: During the last Board meeting, the Board had requested that the narrative
budget be submitted for an award process. Mr. Jo reviewed the budget with this request in mind and had
made several changes to it in order to meet specific award criteria. He looked at the budget as a
communication tool, to see if it told the Library’s story well. He strived to include the decision-making
that happens throughout the year that drives the budget. Once he had the information and the
necessary benchmarks, the narrative budget was re-written. No line items or budget figures were
changed. The flow of the document is intended to present the messages from the Board and Neel and
show the strategies and decision-making that drives the budget process. He felt it was particularly
important that the document represent the library’s services, efficiencies it has accomplished and a
historical record. The departmental portion shows how the departments work and how they are meeting
the Llibrary’s priorities. The library’s core documents (Leadership Descriptors, Foundations of a Learning
Organization, 9 skills and qualities) are included, as well as information about the communities served.
Minutes of February 8, 2012 Regular Meeting
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Ms. McCament stated that she was impressed with how much thought and work went into the document.
Mr. Allen said that he had thought the first budget narrative was very readable. He was looking forward
to reading the new narrative and liked the idea of merging together the financial process and the
Library’s story. It will provide insight as to how the strategic process feeds into the numbers.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Circulation Report: Lisa Bitney, Reading and Materials Director, reported that there had been a
decrease in circulation of materials from 2010 to 2011. DVD circulation showed the greatest decrease.
She noted that the newly installed DVD dispenser machine was one of the factors as it was learning
experience for customers and the library. She noted that Gig Harbor, Parkland/Spanaway and
Lakewood branches have been closed for periods for renovation and that also affected circulation
statistics. Ms. Parikh mentioned that circulation is flattening or down nationwide
Ms. Bitney distributed a chart of 2009, 2010 and 2011 circulation statistics. Circulation of CDs has
decreased by 9%. However, with the addition of free downloadable music through the Freegal
application, music circulation has risen by 11%. Unfortunately, the system is unable to pull separate
figures for e-book fiction, non-fiction and juvenile use. She noted that “The Lucky Day” collection has
twice the turnover of the standard fiction collection.
Ms. Bitney announced that during 2012, an analysis will be undertaken of collection usage by branch
and type. Ms. McCament noted that YA circulation is down significantly. Ms. Bitney responded that
branches have small YA collections and only two YA librarians in the system. Mr. Allen asked if statistics
were available for more than three years. Ms. Bitney said she was interested in looking at a longer trend
of five years or more.
2. Snow/Ice Storm Report: Ms. Parikh stated that all staff had made a herculean effort to open and
staff branches during the snow/ice storm. In addition to difficult traveling issues, there were major power
outages impacting many branches. The generator at the Processing and Administrative Center (PAC)
failed, which led to a loss of power for the servers and network. As many libraries as possible were kept
open. Lakewood, PAC, Summit and South Hill branches were the most damaged by the storm. Ms.
Parikh noted that she wished the Board to know it was a job well done by library staff.
Mr. Jo reported that a debriefing was done with Branch Managers, Site Managers and PAC staff,
focusing on what went well and what did not. During the debriefing, it was clear that everyone was
committed to finding ways to operate the libraries and keep them open. It was also clear from antidotal
comments that the public was very appreciative that libraries were open. Power outages were
widespread and people were able to come to libraries for materials, warmth and to charge cellphones.
Ms. Erickson reported that it cost approximately $8,000 to clean up the damage from the storm. Ms.
Ishem stated that the ethic and commitment of staff during this crisis was amazing.
3. New Circulation Training Presentation: Ms. Lomax introduced the presentation, noting that one of
the challenges in creating a learning organization, with its variety of many learning styles, is bringing staff
together in the library’s large geographic area served by 19 separate locations. A new circulation training
method will overcome some of that challenge. Trainer Steve Campion reported that in the spring of
2012, a new training system will be in place for new staff. In the past, circulation training involved 5 faceto-face classroom sessions for a total of 13 hours of classroom time. The next training process will
involve 4 self-paced online classes, 2 interactive online classes, 2 classes with a supervisor in the
employee’s branch and 1 class at PAC. 7 of the 8 sessions will be done in their home branch location,
greatly decreasing travel time, classroom time and staff scheduling issues for the branch. This approach
better supports people with different learning styles.
Mr. Campion ran a demo of the new circulation training, pointing out interactive features and test points.
He noted that supervisors will be beta testing the training program before it is implemented system-wide.
Minutes of February 8, 2012 Regular Meeting
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Mr. Allen asked if metrics for success had been developed. Mr. Campion replied that work has been
concentrated on the structure and metrics haven’t been set as yet, although a testing component was
part of the training program. Mr. Allen said he felt it would be interesting to see the effectiveness of the
old training style versus the new training style. He also noted that online classes would lose some of the
interaction among participants that occurs in a classroom setting. Mr. Campion said that he had the
same concern when design of the program began, but it was alleviated by the interactive components of
the online training, and the face-to-face sessions with supervisors and the System Trainer. Ms. Lomax
noted that some pioneering of the concept had taken place through the training of the reference triage
classes. Small groups received online training and were able to discuss aspects of the training with the
Learning Department staff.
4. 2011 Reciprocal Borrowing Report: Ms. Parikh presented a report on 2011 reciprocal borrowing
usage. Puyallup Public Library (PPL) customer usage of Pierce County Library (PCLS) branches has
decreased. PCLS usage of PPL is twice as much as is PPL usage of PCLS. The percentage of PPL
circulation by PCLS is 34%. On the whole, PPL circulation went down 6%. The Director of PPL is
concerned about the percentage because it is not equal. Ms. McCament said she would be interested to
know how many non-residents using the branch are buying goods or services in University Place. They
don’t pay property taxes, but may be paying retail taxes and supporting local businesses.
Seattle Public Library (SPL) is roughly equal both ways. SPL had assumed more PCLS people would
use SPL than vis a versa and this proved not to be true.
The Tacoma Public Library (TPL) numbers were surprising. PCLS use of TPL is decreasing. PCLS
customers primarily use the Main Library and Fern Hill branch on 84th and Pacific Ave. TPL was
concerned about PCLS usage of Kobetich, and actual use proved to be low. Ms. Parikh noted that as
the bookmobile stops in the Browns Point area were eliminated this year, PCLS usage of Kobetich may
increase.
Ms. Parikh also noted that 17% of the circulation from University Place branch is from non-residents. Mr.
Allen said he would be interested in knowing if there had been an impact on the Yelm branch of
Timberland Regional Library due to elimination of bookmobile stops. Ms. Ishem asked about use by
Fircrest residents. Ms. Parikh noted that Fircrest residents cannot purchase PCLS library cards or use
cards purchased from Tacoma Public Library.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 5:16 pm, Mr. Allen moved to enter into executive session for 10 minutes, as per RCW 42.30.110 for
discussion of potential litigation. Ms. McCament seconded the motion and it passed. The session was
reopened to the public at 5:26 pm
UNFINISHED BUSINESS CONTINUED
1. University Place Library: Ms. McCament moved that the Board of Trustees approve Bill Holt’s
proposal dated February 7, 2012, as a basis for a settlement agreement with the City of University Place,
with the understanding that the final agreement will be brought to the Board for approval at a future date.
Mr. Allen seconded the motion and it passed.
Minutes of February 8, 2012 Regular Meeting
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ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 5:28 pm on motion by Ms. McCament, seconded by Mr. Allen.
_______________________________________
Neel Parikh, Secretary
Minutes of February 8, 2012 Regular Meeting
_______________________________________
Stephen Albers, Chair
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