Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library Board meeting highlights [2-21-11]

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

Esther Moss, board vice president, was absent.

Donations to the library

The board accepted the following gifts given to the library in 2011:

• Dr. John F. Burke, Jr., $1,001.46 for programming
• Recovery, Inc., $50 for meeting rooms
• Sandra Stewart, $50 for Adult Services materials
• Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, $6,000 for Coventry Deaf Services programming
• Anonymous donor through Friends of the Library, $3,500 for the teen writing program

Personnel changes

Children’s Services Librarian Susan Black will be interim children’s services coordinator.

The events coordinator position is open due to the resignation of Tonya Gibson. Job specifications and duties for this position will be evaluated before the position is filled. The part-time circulation assistant position will be filled immediately.

Sheryl Banks has been appointed marketing and communications manager. She has over ten years experience in the marketing, communications, and events fields.

Organization and compensation review

Reshaping the library’s organizational structure and redesigning the compensation system will be a major effort in 2011. Especially in light of funding reductions, this process is necessary “to modernize our service delivery to customers and to survive as an institution.” The board passed a resolution to hire The Human Resource Department for consulting in an amount not to exceed $45,000.

Public service highlights for January:

• Family Lego Night was a big hit.
• Three staff members attended a training session for a proactive approach to working with teens and setting and enforcing behavior limits.
• Planning continues for the PLAYroom at Noble.
• The Tap It Smart Board will enhance literacy-based programs and storytimes.
• Electronic device lending began Jan. 24. The six eReaders were checked out within a few hours. One iPad is also available.
• Large print materials are now on the first floor by the doors from the parking lot.
• A program at Coventry Library featured nurse and energy practitioner Ruth Thayer talking about and demonstrating Healing Touch.
• Senior Spot at University Heights Library held a program on Flickr and other photo-sharing sites.
• Dave Howell, a Coventry Young Adult Associate and Pat McParland, library media specialist at Wiley Middle School, created a reading group that meets at Wiley twice each month after school.

LWV observer: Anne S. McFarland

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Morse and Maryann Barnes. To receive e-mail postings of full reports, send an e-mail to mbarnes9515@gmail.com or join through Google groups using “lwv-chuh observer reports” as a search phrase.

These reports contain member observation and selected highlights of public meetings and are not official statements of the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga Area. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.