Minutes and Bill Registers

President Bergman called the meeting to order at 12:00 Noon. Schuessler moved and Eng seconded approval of the June 11, 2003, minutes. The motion passed. Ducklow moved approval of the June, 2003, bill register, Eng seconded and the motion passed. Bergman appointed Bloedow acting secretary to sign the bill register.

Board Retreat Follow-up

All agreed that the retreat had been worthwhile and interesting. Next year during the primary planning cycle we will take a closer look at the board’s committee structure to determine if any changes are needed. The Board expressed thanks to Will Bloedow for the meeting facilities.

Director’s Report

Dawson summarized HR 1157, a bill currently in congressional committee, which would repeal sections of the USA Patriot Act that apply to libraries and bookstores. Schuessler moved to direct Dawson to communicate with elected representatives in our area the board’s support for bring HR 1157 out of committee for a vote. The motion was seconded by Bergen, and approved unanimously. Dawson noted that staff will work on revising the Privacy Policy to ensure that the staff are prepared to deal with issues that may arise.

Dawson reported that Mary Pat Thompson, a half time page/clerk, had requested a leave of absence for medical reasons. The timing was such that he was unable to bring the request to the board prior to her leaving, and so he worked with the City of Appleton Human Resources Director to arrange the details. While the library staff is working with the City HR staff to bring policies into greater alignment, requests for leave from library employees must still be approved by the Library Board. Bloedow moved that the leave be approved, Eng seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Dawson noted that the library technology plan had been on the agenda for the Board retreat, but had not been discussed due to lack of time. He offered to answer any questions about the particulars. It is not necessary to formally approve the plan, since the library is no longer required to have an official plan on file with the state. Eng wondered whether the plan was useful to staff, and Kelly responded that it helped staff keep track of all of the things that were happening in technological areas and how they are interrelated.

Dawson distributed statistics for June.

Other

There was discussion of issues related to parking in relation to the City Council debate over changing parking fees.

There will be no meeting in August, 2003. The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.