Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library Board meeting highlights

JUNE 21, 2010

Note: No observer was able to attend the June library board meeting. However, library director, Nancy Levin, made available to this observer a copy of her response, given at the meeting, to a list of 15 goals for 2010. Board president, Glenn Billington, had presented the goals, which were a list of what he would like to see implemented during his term as board president, at the January board meeting. Due to space limitations, only a few goals and responses are set out here.

Collections development

Goal: Understand how the selection process for our collections works and be sure that it reflects the needs of our community.

Response: The circulation rate of authors and/or types of materials plus reviews determines fiction selection. The library continues to experiment with new authors and trends to see what patrons will check out.

A tool called Director’s Station monitors nonfiction. The library has been honing the collection at each building based on circulation data of specific books, areas of Dewey, subjects, authors, etc.

Finances and state funds

Goal: Monitor our finances with a view to being prepared for whatever the governor and state legislature to be elected in 2010 may do in 2011.

Response: The fiscal officer continues to provide five-year plan updates, which include building and technology spending. State funding has dropped 14 percent since 2009 and the library has taken steps to adjust to this reduction.

Children’s services

Goal: Strengthen children’s services staff and programs with increased outreach to any underserved population.

Response: The library is:

• Allocating Teen Spot hours to the children’s department for the summer.
• Reaching the underserved by hosting the Cleveland Foodbank summer lunch program and staffing it with a combination of volunteers and managers.
• Providing meeting space for home-school groups at all branches.

Activity Center computer classroom/boardroom

Goal: Maximize the usefulness of the computer classroom/boardroom in the Activity Center.

Response: The library has:

• Added 20 hours of instruction time to the supervisor position in May.
• Added the Senior Citizen Computer Series (six classes).
• Launched weekly computer classes for the deaf, with an interpreter.
• Reintroduced one-on-one sessions at Lee Road.
• Given technology trainers the ability to log on to the classroom PCs and add and remove software as needed for their classes. They can also add links or documents needed for their classes or class evaluations.

LWV observer, Anne S. McFarland.

Look for earlier, and often expanded, postings of meeting summaries online at www.heightsobserver.org.

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Marilyn McLaughlin, 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.