Klaressa Howery

Prepared for: Dr. Joe Brandell

Oakland University EA 748

Community Meeting: Rochester Hills Public Library Board of Trustees

I chose to attend a Board of Trustees Meeting at the Rochester Hills

Public Library on June 9, 2014 at 8:00pm. The board consisted of seven
members at the start of the meeting and I was the only community member
present. This board used Roberts Rules of Order to conduct their evening
business. Some of the highlights included a decision on the new library logo,
a discussion on their patronage and circulation data, recent security issues,
legislative updates, the hiring process of new personnel, and the addition
and induction of two new board members. This was my first experience
attending a community meeting of any kind and I was surprised how similar
the issues were with that of a school district.
During the data discussion, the members were concerned about their
circulation data and if it was accurate. These same discussions are
happening in our schools as we look over our MEAP and NWEA data. They
also talked about the need of increased security. Recently they experienced a
theft when a man walked into one of the offices during business hours and
took a computer off an employees desk. Also, the police were called when a
patron was creating a disturbance and then proceeded to the childrens
portion of the library and began acting inappropriately. The final topic that
took up a large majority of the hour long meeting was the resignation of a
board trustee and the interview process that took place to find a person to fill
the board vacancy. This meeting gave me insight into the behind the scenes
work being done at my community library.
A good portion of the meeting dealt with circulation and patronage
data. One of the members brought up the need to count electronic users
within this monthly library usage report. Another member stated that just
because our numbers are decreasing, doesnt mean that we dont have an

excellent library. A third member then stated that we have a lot of data, but
she wasnt sure that it was serving them well enough to get the big picture.
She suggested that a survey be created. During this exchange, I felt like I
was in a school improvement meeting. The board continued with speculation
for the lower numbers of library use. Was it the increased fines? Was it the
fact that they have begun to limit the number of books that a patron can
check out at one time? Or is it simply, that they need to tap into a way to
collect more accurate data that accounts for electronic access/use.
A partnership with the school could help the library increase its
circulation numbers by developing a summer reading program promoted by
the school district. In turn, the library would advertise the schools
participation in the program in their monthly newsletter and possibly publish
winners by school or classroom. My fourth grade daughter took a fieldtrip to
the Rochester Hills Library this school year. Before attending the fieldtrip, she
was required to obtain her own library card so she would be able to check
out books for her report on one of the U.S. states. This partnership was
beneficial to both parties, it increased circulation totals for the library and
broadened the scope of available reference materials for the school report.
This was an excellent way to strengthen the ties between the school and the
public library.

Within the local library, the Friends of the Library run a gift shop.
There are works from local artists that can be purchased by the community.
Another way to promote the school district could be to display childrens art
on a rotating basis throughout the library with a card noting the student
artist and their school. Writings from students could also be placed into
circulation within an area of the library. This would be inspirational for the
children who not only authored the book, but also for those aspiring to write
their own. My youngest daughter loves to write and would be thrilled with
this opportunity. This activity would also show community members that may
not have school-age children some of the great works that are being
produced in our public schools. School districts might even catch the
attention of a home-schooled family with this subliminal advertising and
entice them to enroll their children in public schools.
During the meeting, one of the business items was to vote on the new
library logo. The image had been created, but the controversy was over the

color palate. This could have been another opportunity to foster a schoolcommunity relationship by conducting a student contest from local schools
to develop the logo. Further, many local high schools have graphic design
classes that could have taken on this assignment as a major project to be
presented to the library board. Many of these members have served for
decades on this board and Im sure would be impressed by the work and
technical skills of students today. Who knows? They might even find
someone to help them with their technology needs for patronage accounting.

Proceedings of Meeting: Agenda for June 9, 2014@8:00pm

I.

Call to order of regular meeting

II.

Minutes-May 12, 2014

III.

Treasures Report

IV.

Approval of Monthly May 2014 totaling $447,638.11

V.

Communication
a. New logo
b. Friends book sale proceeds 1991-2014
c. Resignation letter from Anna Biliti
d. PA164 as amended
e. Thank you to Womens National Farm & Garden
f.

Final copies of 2013 audit

g. RHPL program listing from the Oakland Press

h. Customer comment cards

II.

i.

Press coverage

j.

Look again OTBS Newsletter

Directors Information, Statistical Reports

III.

Committee Reports
a. Policy Review Committee-CIRC-4 Fines and Fees Policy
b. Board vacancy recommendation
c. Cost of investment advice-Bob Bonam

IV.

Other Business
a. Board Member Comments

I.

Questions from the Liaisons

II.

Questions from the Floor

III.

Adjournment