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September 12, 2006
Order of Business for the Regular Meeting
as a Corporation and as an Administrative Agency
of the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 8:00 a. m.
Chairman Jeffrey B. Rudman
1. Approval of Minutes for the Regular and Annual Trustees’ Meetings held on May 9, 2006
Mr. Jeffrey B. Rudman
2. President’s Report
- General Review
- Update on FY 2006/2007 Annual Budget
- Update on the Boston Public Library Reorganization Activities
- Presentation of William D. Smith Honor Award: Accessible Design and Historic Preservation awarded to Hyde Park Branch Library
Mr. Bernard A. Margolis
3. Update on the Boston Public Library Foundation and on Marketing and Fundraising Strategy
Ms. Karyn M. Wilson
Mrs. P.A. d’Arbeloff
Ms. Alexandra Merceron
4. Delegation of Authorization to Finance Committee
Mr. Jeffrey B. Rudman
- Award of Contracts (as an Administrative Agency)
Honorable William M. Bulger
5. Governance and New Committee Structure
Mr. Jeffrey B. Rudman
6. Technology Report and Tour of Digital Imaging Studio
Ms. Zamawa Arenas
Mr. Bernard A. Margolis
Ms. Maura Marx
Mr. Tom Blake
Minutes of Meeting as a Corporation and as an Administrative Agency
A meeting of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston as a Corporation and as an Administrative Agency was held at the Boston Public Library, Trustees’ Room, Johnson Building, 3 rd floor, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA at 8:00 a.m.
Present at the meeting were: Trustees Zamawa Arenas, William M. Bulger, James Carroll, Donna M. DePrisco, Berthé M. Gaines, Jeffrey B. Rudman, Angelo M. Scaccia, and Karyn M. Wilson.
Also present at the meeting were: Library President Bernard A. Margolis; Alice Hennessey; Dennis DiMarzio; Maribeth Cusick; Jean Capizzi; Dr. Sandra Moose; P.A. d’Arbeloff; Kathleen Kalell; Vivian K. Spiro; David Vieira; Sarah-Ann Shaw; Mimi Jones; Inez Foster; Alec Stern; Manya Chylinski; Sue Abbott; Ruth Kowal; Alex Merceron; Elissa Cadillic; Marta Pardee-King; and Jamie McGlone, Clerk to the Trustees.
Chairman Jeffrey B. Rudman presided.
The first item on the order of business was the approval of Minutes for the Regular and Annual Trustees’ Meetings held on May 9, 2006. On a motion duly made and seconded, the Minutes for the Regular and Annual Trustees’ Meetings held on May 9, 2006 were approved.
Chairman Jeffrey B. Rudman thanked all the Library stakeholders who attended and participated in the Trustees’ Committees and Task Forces Launch held in the Abbey Room of the Boston Public Library on September 11, 2006.
Chairman Rudman noted that this unprecedented Committee Launch was a great event for the Boston Public Library which has generated tremendous energy and momentum in an effort to embrace more public participation in all aspects of the Trustees’ stewardship. The Chairman reiterated that the stakeholders are integral to bringing more transparency to the work of the Library and to help forge the priorities, policies, and practices that will guide the Library’s future.
President Bernard A. Margolis, in his report to the Trustees, presented to newly appointed Trustee Zamawa Arenas a photographic album capturing the carving of her name on the Trustees’ Room wall following the tradition established as a historical recognition of the service of the Trustees.
President Margolis noted that the 23 rd Annual Trustees’ Appreciation Breakfast and Staff Recognition Ceremony has been scheduled for Thursday, October 12, 2006 at 8:00 a.m. honoring four Staff members for twenty-five years of dedicated service to the Boston Public Library and the introduction of new employees to the Library.
The President noted that Ms. May Lo, Margret H. A. Rey Children’s Room Librarian, who was honored last year for twenty-five years of service to the Library will be receiving the Sojourner Achievement Award given by the Chinese Historical Society of New England.
On the customer service front, President Margolis cited an example from the BPL’s website suggestion box from a patron expressing their appreciation for the public service staff at the Information Desk of the Central Library for excellent service.
On the legislative front, the President noted the heroic efforts of the Honorable Angelo M. Scaccia reporting that the Massachusetts House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted on July 31, 2006 a capital bond bill for funding of library capital projects including the provision of $24.7 million earmarked for the McKim Restoration project and other capital projects. Meanwhile, the capital bond appropriation bill will be addressed by the Legislature for consideration by the end of the year which hopefully will enable the funding for the McKim project to move forward.
On the financial front, President Margolis reported that the Boston City Council approved a home rule petition which will permit the $50 million cap imposed in 1953 on the assets held by the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston to be lifted.
On the State Aid front, President Margolis reported that he and Ms. Vivian K. Spiro, Chairman, Associates of the Boston Public Library have been appointed to serve on the State Aid Review Committee convened by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to review and recommend improvements including increased funding earmarked for the State Aid program.
On the legal front, President Margolis updated the Board on the status of the U.S. vs. E. Forbes Smiley III libraries map theft case. The Boston Public Library along with over a half dozen other libraries have filed victim impact statements which will be presented to the judge at the U.S. District Court sentencing hearing slated for late September 2006 in New Haven, CT.
On the fundraising front, the President reported that the Fidelity Foundation has agreed to a $200,000 match earmarked for a grant submitted to the Save America’s Treasures for the NormanB.LeventhalMapCenter. Additionally, State Street Bank has awarded the Boston Public Library $25,000slated for educational programming at the NormanB.LeventhalMapCenter.
The Boston Public Library is the beneficiary of $169,237 from the estate of Louise Wolf earmarked for the Margret H. A. Rey Children’s Room. Ms. Wolf was a friend of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Artick who established the Elvira and Robert Artick Children’s Room Fund at the Boston Public Library.
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded the Boston Public Library a planning grant for the collaboration with the Museum of Afro-American History to support the national traveling exhibition of “Words of Thunder: The Life and Times of William Lloyd Garrison” which was on exhibit at the BPL in the fall 2005. Further, Target Stores has awarded the BPL a gift of $30,000 in support of literacy initiatives.
On the exhibitions front, President Margolis reported that the New York based Florence Gould Foundation has pledged $75,000 in support of the “Voyager and Visionary ALEXANDRE VATTEMARE (1796-1864) and the Origins of International Cultural Exchange Exhibit”.
This international exhibition was conceived and co-produced by the Biblioth èque Administrative de la Ville de Paris and the Boston Public Library and is slated to open in Paris January 2007 and then at the Boston Public Library in mid-June 2007. The French Ambassador to the United States has confirmed his attendance at the BPL opening and an invitation has been extended to actress Candice Bergen whose father Edgar had a ventriloquist routine in the 1930’s and learned his ventriloquism through reading about Alexandre Vattemare.
President Margolis announced that the grand opening night reception of “John Adams Unbound: Featuring the personal library of President John Adams” will be held in the McKim building on September 21, 2006. This has been reviewed as one of the most spectacular exhibits in the history of the Boston Public Library since its founding in 1848.
John Adams Unbound marks the first public exhibition of the complete personal library of founding father and lifelong book collector John Adams. This landmark event is the culmination of a three-year project to catalog, preserve, digitize and provide access to the extraordinary personal library of America’s second president which has been held by the Boston Public Library since 1894.
On the circulation front, President Margolis reported that the Boston Public Library ended FY 2006 with total circulation up 8.3% and an 11% increase in the Branch Libraries. Currently, circulation has increased 10% overall during the first two months of FY 2007 with a 14% increase in the Branches. The significant system-wide increases in circulation reflect a new collaborative approach to the selection, acquisition, and delivery of materials recently implemented at the Library.
President Margolis shared with the Board a 2006 study entitled “Long Overdue: A Fresh look at Public and Leadership Attitudes about LIBRARIES in the 21 st Century” which was prepared by Public Agenda with support from Americans for Libraries Council and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The President noted that the study reviews a variety of library issues, and among the most salient points raised, pertains to the public’s interest in library usages and hours of service including more evening and weekend hours.
On the programming front, President Margolis reported on a variety of upcoming programs and events being held throughout the Boston Public Library including a program titled “Kids with Asthma Can”. Funded by a $100,000 grant from Children’s Hospital and in collaboration with WGBH and the City of Boston’s Health Commission the series of programs is slated to be held in five BPL branch libraries which are designed to focus on the challenges of kids and asthma.
On the Friends’ programming front, the President noted that the City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library will be hosting their Annual World of Friends Conference at the Parker Hill Branch on October 28, 2006. The Associates of the BPL will be hosting the very successful Annual 2006 Literary Lights for Children celebrating children’s literature and its creators on October 29, 2006 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel with a book signing to follow in the McKim building.
On the personnel front, President Margolis noted that the Trustees and City Finance Officials have been invited to daylong interviews which have been scheduled for the Boston Public Library Chief Financial Officer position on Wednesday, September 27, 2006.
The President updated the Board on the Library’s ongoing Reorganization activities, including the recent implementation of an interim management structure and the elevation of Ms. Ruth Kowal as Deputy Director. On the budget front, President Margolis updated the Board on the FY 2006/2007 Operating Budget noting that the Library is on target with meeting budget goals and salary savings established by the City for FY 2007.
Lastly, on the awards front, President Margolis shared with the Board the William D. Smith Honor Award: Accessible Design and Historic Preservation which was awarded to the Hyde Park Branch Library from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Architectural Access Board on May; 31, 2006.
Chair Karyn M. Wilson, Trustees’ Marketing and Fundraising Task Force, Dr. Sandra Moose, Chair and President, Mrs. P.A. d’Arbeloff, Executive Director, the Boston Public Library Foundation, and Ms. Alexandra Merceron, Communications Manager, updated the Board on the Boston Public Library Foundation and on the Marketing and Fundraising Strategy.
Ms. Alexandra Merceron recapped her remarks outlined at the Committee Launch on the development of a collective marketing and fundraising strategy for the Foundation and the Library. Ms. Merceron noted that the plans for establishing a strategic marketing plan would be done in concert with the BPL’s FY 2007 Action Plan. To further those ends, efforts will be make to identify marketing projects that would be funded through the Foundation including new exterior signage for the branches and a website redesign for the BPL.
Chair Karyn M. Wilson reported on the purpose of the Trustees’ Marketing and Fundraising Task Force which is to assist the Library in effectively deploying a continuous program of public awareness, promotion and education regarding all of its services and activities. The Committee’s purpose is to advise on support for the various fundraising strategies and activities required for the effective delivery of Library services.
Additionally, the Committee’s purpose is to bring expertise to the process of effectively marketing the Library, its rich resources and services to its various constituencies and assisting the Library and its various support organizations in effectively bringing more financial resources to the support of its mission and goals.
Chairman Jeffrey B. Rudman reviewed background information on the proposed delegation of authorization to the Trustees’ Finance and Audit Committee of the right to act for the full Board to approve any contract not exceeding $350,000. Following discussion among the Board, the Chairman tabled the proposed resolution delegating the authorization to the Trustees’ Finance and Audit Committee pertaining to the award of contracts not exceeding $350,000 following the review of the Trustees’ By-Laws.
The Honorable William M. Bulger, Chairman, Trustees’ Finance and Audit Committee, in a Meeting of the Administrative Agency, reviewed background information on the proposed award of Contract for the Fabrication and Installation of miscellaneous Exhibition Display Furniture and Accessories for the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library.
President Bulger reported that the Clerk to the Trustees conducted a telephone poll of the full Board on July 24, 2006 pertaining to the proposed Award of Contract for Fabrication and Installation of Exhibition Display Furniture for the McKim Building which the Board unanimously approved.
Following further discussion, on a motion duly made and seconded, and on the recommendation of the Trustees’ Finance and Audit Committee, it was
“VOTED: to authorize Library President Bernard A. Margolis, or his designee, to enter into a contract with Maltbie, Inc. 708 Fellowship Road, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 for Fabrication and Installation of Miscellaneous Exhibition Display Furniture and Accessories for the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library for the period August 1, 2006 through September 30, 2006. The total cost of the contract should not exceed Ninety Four Thousand Three Hundred Thirteen Dollars and No Cents ($94,313.00).”
President Bernard A. Margolis reviewed background information on the proposed Award of Contract for Grounds Demolition and Site Improvement Services at the North End Branch of the Boston Public Library which is part of a city Brown Fund grant as follows:
- CONTRACT FOR GROUNDS DEMOLITION AND SITE IMPROVEMENT SERVICES AT THE NORTH END BRANCH OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
“PROPOSED: to authorize Library President Bernard A. Margolis, or his designee, on behalf of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston, to enter into a contract for Grounds Demolition and Site Improvement Services at the North End Branch of the Boston Public Library, with the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, for the period of October 16, 2006 through June 30, 2007, at a total cost not to exceed Ninety Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Dollars and Ninety Nine Cents ($99,999.99).”
Following discussion among the Board, Chairman Jeffrey B. Rudman tabled the proposed resolution pertaining to the Award of Contract for Grounds and Site Improvements at the North End Branch Library pending further review and examination of the bid documents by Trustee Donna M. DePrisco. Subsequently, the Board will review the proposed contract in a conference call in a Meeting of the Administrative Agency.
Chairman Jeffrey B. Rudman reviewed the Governance and new Committee Structure of the Board of Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston as highlighted in his remarks at the Trustees’ Committee Launch on September 11, 2006 to the Library’s stakeholders. The Chairman noted that the newly established Committees will focus on the areas including: Neighborhood Services, Marketing and Fundraising, and Technology, along with the reconstituted Committees for Finance and Auditing, Capital Projects, and the Collections Committee.
Chairman Jeffrey B. Rudman established the goal to report back to all the Library stakeholders on the progress and accomplishments achieved in these key priority Library areas in the spring of 2007. The Chairman noted that the proposed Committee and Task Force Charters are suggestions the Committees might wish to focus on and he encouraged each Committee to sharpen its mission on its own under the leadership of its respective Committee Chair.
President Bernard A. Margolis, Ms. Maura Marx, Digital Library Manager, and Mr. Tom Blake, Digital Imaging Production Manager, led the Trustees and guests on a tour and demonstration of the new BPL digital imaging studio. Operational since October of 2005, the imaging studio is equipped with an Epson 10000 XL flatbed scanner, a Sinar 54H digital camera system, Broncolor lighting equipment, and three Macintosh G5 work stations.
Mr. Blake demonstrated the agility and versatility of the imaging configuration by highlighting various system features such as remote-controlled rise and fall of the copy stand chassis, live-video focus, UV-filtered photographic strobe lighting, vacuum easels, and quick release light stands.
An engraved portrait of John Quincy Adams from the Print Department was digitized live in-studio and reproduced on a laser printer within minutes. Many other examples of recent imaging work were put on display including an 1888 photograph of the BPL Trustees and Boston City Councilors at the McKim building cornerstone.
Over the past 11 months, the imaging studio has produced over 8600 digital images in a tightly controlled and standardized environment. Before the actual imaging process was begun, however, a descriptive record was created for each file. These records (metadata) will eventually enable patrons to discover their accompanying images on the web via the BPL digital asset management system.
There being no other business, the Meeting of the Corporation and Administrative Agency adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jamie McGlone
Clerk to the Trustees
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