The two-year relocation will be made possible through a lease to be worked out with the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. The DDA board authorized the signing of a lease at its May 7, 2014 meeting.

The lease would cost Greyhound $1,525 a month, which works out to $36,600 for the two-year period. Buses would not pull into the structure, but would stage on Fourth Avenue. Currently Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority buses are using the west side of Fourth Avenue for staging. But in the next few weeks, when the new Blake Transit Center driveway is poured – which runs between Fourth and Fifth avenues – AAATA buses will no longer need the west side of Fourth Avenue for staging.

The lease by the DDA to Greyhound would include about 400 square feet of office space in the structure, which would be finished out by the DDA for Greyhound. The first year of rent is anticipated to cover the cost of the build out. The lease rate was described at the meeting as at the top of the market – especially considering that the space is located under a speed ramp for exiting the parking structure.

The DDA operates the public parking system on behalf of the city of Ann Arbor using city-owned structures, under a contract with the city of Ann Arbor. The DDA board discussion included reference to the fact that the DDA would ensure that all requirements of the city parking contract would be satisfied in reaching the lease agreement with Greyhound.

The clause in the contract on which the DDA will apparently rely is this one: “The DDA shall have the right to allocate portions of facilities to third party for long term parking usage and mutually agreed upon non-parking-related usage. The DDA shall provide an annual report to the City of any allocation identifying the specific facility and the size, nature and term of the allocation.” A traffic control order will need to be obtained from the city to allow the staging of buses in the public right-of-way.

The historic sign that is a feature of Greyhound’s current location will not be moved to the Fourth Avenue site.

This brief was filed from the DDA offices at 150 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 301, where the DDA holds its meetings. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Dave Fisher of the accounting firm Rehmann presented the AADL 2012-13 audit. (Photos by the writer.)

There was no discussion among board members on that item, though Fisher noted the audit had been discussed at the board’s budget and finance committee in November.

Also approved was a one-year lease extension with Green Road Associates for storage of newspaper archives. The library has leased the Plymouth Park facility – an office park owned by First Martin Corp. on Green Road, north of Plymouth – since January 2010. That’s when AADL took possession of the Ann Arbor News archives, a few months after the owners of that publication decided to cease operations. The library is digitizing the Ann Arbor News archives, along with material from other local newspapers, as part of a project called Old News.

Much of the meeting focused on two staff presentations: A report on library statistics for November in five categories (collections, users, visits, usage and participation); and an update on the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled (WLBPD).

One person, Donald Salberg, addressed the board during public commentary. Part of his remarks focused on the board’s decision – at its Nov. 11, 2013 meeting – to approve a tax-sharing agreement with Pittsfield Township and the State Street corridor improvement authority. He told trustees that they hadn’t identified any real benefit that the CIA would bring to the library.

At the end of the meeting, board president Prue Rosenthal read a statement that defended the board’s decision to participate in the CIA, outlining its benefits to the library and the broader community. She said that although the board vote had not been unanimous, she thought that all trustees were comfortable that the decision was made with a great deal of care.

2012-13 Audit

On the agenda was a resolution to accept an audit of the library’s financial statements for the fiscal year 2012-13, which ended on June 30, 2013. The audit, prepared by the accounting firm Rehmann, gives a clean opinion of AADL’s financial statements – the same as in recent prior years. [.pdf of AADL 2012-13 audit]

Dave Fisher of Rehmann gave a report to the board. He noted that he had reviewed the audit in detail at the board’s budget and finance committee meeting on Nov. 12. [Members of that committee are Nancy Kaplan, Barbara Murphy, and Jan Barney Newman.] He told the board that he planned to hit just the highlights.

From left: Prue Rosenthal, Jan Barney Newman, Eli Neiburger and Nancy Kaplan. Rosenthal is AADL board president. Newman and Kaplan serve on the board’s budget and finance committee. Neiburger is AADL’s associate director of IT and product development.

The audit reflects a clean report on AADL’s financial statements, Fisher said. That’s very good, he added, and it’s the same opinion that the library has received in recent years.

The audit covered AADL’s fiscal year from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. Total general fund revenues for the year were $12.055 million – compared to $11.943 million the previous year. About 92% of those revenues ($11.105 million) came from real and personal property taxes that were levied in the AADL district. Total expenditures for the year were $11.967 million. That left a surplus of $87,446. Compared to the budgeted amounts of revenues and expenditures, AADL recorded a favorable variance of $97,446, he said.

Out of the library’s $8.191 million in combined fund balances, $7.7 million is unassigned and available for spending at the library’s discretion. That amount equates to about 64% of general fund expenditures – representing several months of operating expenses.

The library is on very solid financial ground, Fisher said. Unlike many libraries, AADL has no long-term debt, he noted, so the library doesn’t have to budget for principal and interest payments on loans.

The library has $4.637 million in investments. Bank deposits (checking, savings and certificates of deposit) totaled $3.696 million. AADL’s total net position is $30.445 million.

Fisher mentioned a couple of internal control enhancements that are recommended, including documentation for the review of AADL’s check register. The review is already being done, he noted, so it’s just a matter of documenting that process and indicating that it’s been done. The other recommendation is to periodically change the passwords for access to financial software, for security purposes.

There were no substantive questions for Fisher from the board. Margaret Leary asked director Josie Parker whether the audit would be posted on the AADL website. Parker replied that it would be.

Outcome: The board unanimously voted to accept the 2012-13 audit.

Financial Report

Ken Nieman – the library’s associate director of finance, HR and operations – gave a brief report on the November 2013 financial statements. [.pdf of financial statements]

Through November, the library has received 96.2% of its budgeted tax receipts. The library had $14.338 million in unrestricted cash at the end of November, with a fund balance of $8.121 million.

Five expense items are currently over budget, Nieman reported, but all of those items are expected to come back in line with budgeted amounts by the end of the fiscal year, which ends on June 30, 2014. The over-budget line items are: (1) purchased services; (2) communications, for an annual Internet-related payment; (3) software; (4) copier/maintenance expense; and (5) supplies, due to a large purchase of computer supplies in November.

Other November highlights included receipt of a $40,000 donation from the Friends of the AADL. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary during the month, he concluded.

Financial Report: Board Discussion

Prue Rosenthal thanked the Friends for their donation.

Barbara Murphy wondered about the impact of foreclosed properties that had been sold through a recent tax auction held by the Washtenaw County treasurer’s office. The total sale proceeds had been about $400,000 less than the treasurer had expected, Murphy said, and that shortfall would affect the local taxing authorities. She asked Nieman whether it would affect AADL.

Nieman replied that the impact depends on where the foreclosed properties are located. Only the properties that are located in the AADL district would impact the library. He did not have any additional information.

Ed Surovell noted that the likelihood that there would be a significant impact on AADL is “extremely small.” It’s more than likely that the bulk of those properties are outside of AADL’s district, he said. “Ypsilanti will be hit hard, and some of the rural areas.” Even if the entire $400,000 were divided proportionately among all the taxing entities, it would still be a small amount for AADL, he noted – “in the high two figures.”

Outcome: This was not a voting item.

Lease for Newspaper Archives

The board was asked to approve a one-year lease extension with Green Road Associates for storage of newspaper archives. The annual rate of $38,500 is for a period beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

The library has leased the Plymouth Park facility – an office park owned by First Martin Corp. on Green Road, north of Plymouth – since January 2010. That’s when AADL took possession of the Ann Arbor News archives, a few months after the owners of that publication decided to cease operations. [The newspaper's owners, Advance Publications, subsequently opened a new business in mid-2009 called AnnArbor.com. Earlier this year, that publication changed its name to the Ann Arbor News.]

The library’s original lease was for a two-year period at $38,000 annually. In November 2011, the board approved a one-year extension, also at the $38,000 annual rate. No extension was brought to the board for approval in 2012.

The library is digitizing the Ann Arbor News archives, along with material from other local newspapers, as part of a project called Old News. For additional background, see Chronicle coverage: “Ann Arbor Library Set to Publish ‘Old News.’”

There was no discussion on this item.

Outcome: The board unanimously voted to approve a one-year lease extension with Green Road Associates.

Library Stats

Eli Neiburger – AADL’s associate director of IT and product development – gave a presentation on library statistics, providing details in five categories for the month of November: collections, users, visits, usage and participation. The data is compared to year-ago figures, when available.

AADL November 2013 collections data.

AADL November 2013 data on library users.

AADL November 2013 data on visits.

AADL November 2013 usage data.

AADL November 2013 data on participation.

During his 30-minute presentation, Neiburger reviewed highlights from the November data, interspersed with queries from board members. In addition to statistics in the five categories that he’s been presenting over the past few months, Neiburger included information on AADL’s social media.

Neiburger noted that AADL sees most of its engagement on Twitter, compared to Facebook or other social media sites. He highlighted some of the Tweets that mentioned AADL in November, to show board members how people communicate about the library on Twitter. [.pdf of social media presentation]

Outcome: This was not a voting item.

Director’s Report

AADL director Josie Parker covered several items in her Dec. 16 report. She noted that the building’s lower-level exhibit cases were displaying an exhibit of children’s books with culinary themes. The exhibit was curated by JJ Jacobson, who was the curator for the culinary collection at the University of Michigan’s Clements Library. That culinary collection is now part of the UM Special Collections Library, she said. Before the board meeting, Parker said she’d been down at the exhibit with several UM librarians and curators, as well as Jan Longone, who donated her culinary collection to UM.

AADL director Josie Parker, right, talks with Donald Harrison and Onna Solomon before the start of the Dec. 16, 2013 library board meeting.

Parker said that the collaboration with UM started when she first became AADL director. She’d talked with Bill Gosling, who at the time was the UM librarian, about how to bring the university’s collection into the public library so that it could reach more people. She said that because of her own graduate work at UM as well as Gosling’s interest in children’s literature and pop-up books, she had suggested starting with the children’s literature collection. Every year there has been a curated exhibit of UM holdings at AADL, to mark children’s book week, which is in November.

Parker then told a story related to the weekly reading she does for kindergarten classes at Angell Elementary School, as part of an Ann Arbor Rotary program. Earlier in the day, a little girl from one of the classes had visited Parker at her office, brought by the girl’s father. At the most recent reading, the children had talked about elves. So when the girl visited her, Parker showed her the next book she planned to read to the class: “The Blueberry Pie Elf.” The girl’s father then revealed that it had been his favorite book when he was his daughter’s age. Parker said she’d told that story to the current exhibit’s curator, because it related to the exhibit’s focus on culinary-themed children’s literature. Parker said she thought the board would enjoy the anecdote, too.

Parker also highlighted an article that had been provided to the board, written by Ira Lax for the Music Education Association’s publication about the AADL’s Library Songsters program. Parker said she was proud of Lax for continuing to find teachers who are interested in having him and a musician come to a class, at the library’s expense, to write songs with students that teach about history. The students then come to the library to perform the song.

Parker’s report also included an update on collaboration with Washtenaw Literacy. The library currently hosts Washtenaw Literacy’s English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at its Pittsfield and Traverwood branches two days each week. Washtenaw Literacy asked for an additional day to hold classes at Traverwood, and AADL agreed, Parker reported.

In her final item, Parker updated the board on her work as a commissioner with the state Commission for Blind Persons. Parker and six others had been appointed in October 2012 by Gov. Rick Snyder, who had abolished the previous commission and reorganized the department that provides services to the blind. The current organization is the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, which is part of the state’s Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The commission’s charge had been to visit all the offices of the bureau and talk with consumers and staff, and to make recommendations to the governor. Parker serves on the commission’s subcommittee on consumer services. She noted that a report will be submitted to the governor with a list of recommendations next year. It will be leading up to AADL’s fifth anniversary for administering the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, she noted, which will be marked by an exhibit on Helen Keller at the downtown library in May 2014.

In response to a query from a board member, Parker noted that four of the seven commissioners are legally blind, but all of the other commissioners wear glasses.

Washtenaw Library for the Blind & Physically Disabled

Terry Soave, AADL’s manager of outreach and neighborhood services, gave the board an update on the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled (WLBPD).

Terry Soave, AADL’s manager of outreach and neighborhood services, gave the board an update on the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled.

In introducing Soave’s presentation, AADL director Josie Parker told the board that earlier in the month, the AADL had hosted the directors of libraries from Manchester, Saline, Chelsea, Pinckney, Brighton, South Lyon and Ypsilanti. The focus was on the services that AADL provides through the WLBPD, and how other libraries can promote those services to their patrons. Parker asked Soave to give the same presentation to the board.

Soave began by giving the history of AADL’s involvement, noting that the library took over the administration of these services from Washtenaw County. [The library board had authorized that move at its Oct. 20, 2008 meeting, to take effect on Jan. 1, 2009.]

The WLBPD loans books, magazines and videos in various formats – including digital cartridge, digital download, large print, Braille, and descriptive video – to residents of Washtenaw County who are certified as unable to read or use standard printed materials as a result of temporary or permanent visual or physical limitations. A “talking book” machine and materials are mailed at no cost to individual patrons who qualify. The WLBPD also provides access to download over 50,000 books and dozens of magazines via the National Library Service’s Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) site.

Although WLBPD is located in the lower level of the downtown library, services are available at all branches, Soave said. Anyone who eligible for WLBPD services – along with anyone living in the same household – is also eligible for general AADL borrowing privileges, even if they live outside of AADL’s district.

Soave noted that WLBPD is a sub-regional library for the National Library Service (NLS), which is a department of the Library of Congress. The NLS controls the collection in terms of selecting acquisitions. It also provides equipment and oversees standards that all libraries in the network must meet.

In order to provide services at all branches, AADL staff were trained at every location, Soave said. The biggest challenge was training in the automation system. To help with that and other training, some of the AADL staff created a Wiki page with step-by-step instructions, Soave said.

The model of training all staff, rather than having a dedicated department to handle services for the blind and physically disabled, has been successful and unusual, she said. AADL is probably the only library in the country that’s doing it this way, Soave added. So in May of 2013, AADL staff also launched a national Wiki for the network of libraries for the blind and physically handicapped. Parker noted that because of this work, AADL has been officially recognized by other library organizations.

Soave reported that people who are interested in applying to WLBPD can download an application from the website, and submit it online or via fax, email or regular mail. Applications can also be picked up at any branch, or can be requested by phone at (734) 327-4224. Criteria include:

Blind: Visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting glasses or the widest diameter of visual field subtending an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees.

Deaf-Blind: Severe auditory impairment in combination with legal blindness.

Visually Disabled: Lacks visual acuity to read standard printed materials without aids or devices other than regular glasses.

Physically Disabled: Unable to read or use standard printed materials as a result of physical limitations. Examples include: without arms of the use of arms; impaired or weakened muscle and nerve control; limitations resulting from strokes, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, polio, arthritis.

Reading Disabled: Organic dysfunction of sufficient severity to prevent reading printed materials in a normal manner (this disability requires the signature of a medical or osteopathic doctor as certifying authority).

Soave brought examples of digital machines and other equipment that WLBPD patrons receive. She noted that the national goal to get people signed up for the Braille and Audio Reading Download service, known as BARD, is 10% of eligible patrons. The WLBPD is currently at 29%.

AADL trustees Ed Surovell and Margaret Leary.

The AADL doesn’t house a collection of Braille material, but has access to the collection from the regional library in Lansing, or items can be ordered from the National Library Service. Other materials include “described” videos – movies in which visual elements, like scenes and costumes, are described with voiceovers.

For its large print books-by-mail service, Parker noted that AADL worked out a deal with the post office so that the books can be mailed as “free matter” – at no cost to the library or the patron.

In terms of outreach, Soave reported that WLBPD puts out a quarterly newsletter that’s produced by AADL’s community relations and marketing staff. The newsletters are posted online, and are available in audio and text-only versions.

The WLBPD is required by the NLS to do a patron satisfaction survey every three years. Its first one was in 2012, with a 37% response rate. Of respondents, over 95% indicated that they would recommend the WLBPD services to others, Soave said. The NLS also conducts a site review every two years. Results from the survey and site reviews are posted online.

Soave described a range of other outreach efforts to promote the WLBPD services. All libraries in Washtenaw County are eligible for “demonstration accounts” that include equipment and a sampling of materials, to help sign up patrons. All library systems have agreed to do that, she noted, and “it’s been a tremendous help.”

Originally the WLBPD had targeted eligible patrons, but last year the staff decided to take the additional step of reaching out to readers who wouldn’t be eligible but who would benefit from some of WLBPD services and materials, like the large print book collection. They developed stickers that are placed in every large print book in AADL’s collection. The stickers were also provided to other library systems within the county to put in their large print collection. Ypsilanti District Library, for example, has over 10,000 items in its large print collection.

The average age of a WLBPD patron is 80, Soave said, so natural attrition on the list of patrons is a big challenge. The director of the NLS has challenged all libraries for the blind and physically disabled to increase the number of patrons by 20%. In 2010, there were only seven libraries nationwide that showed any increase at all, Soave said. Since putting the stickers in books, WLBPD has shown a 12% increase.

Soave noted that WLBPD has been recognized twice by NLS for best practices in outreach.

WLBPD: Board Discussion

Margaret Leary, noting that she is a former librarian [she retired as director of the University of Michigan Law Library], pointed out that typically organizations will have specialists who are trained to provide services in one area. But when all staff members are trained, then patrons never have to wait for services if someone is on vacation or away from the desk. Leary praised Soave and the whole AADL staff for pushing this model of integrated training, saying that it hugely enhanced services to the blind and physically disabled. When the WLBPD was managed by the county, it was located in a small building that wasn’t open very often, Leary noted.

Leary said she appreciated Soave’s presentation, because it was about a service that she personally doesn’t need – so she had been unfamiliar with the details of WLBPD. “It’s an example of the iceberg that’s beneath the tip that we see so often in these meetings,” she said.

From left: Barbara Murphy and Rebecca Head.

Barbara Murphy asked how AADL can make people aware of WLBPD, even if they don’t need it, so that they can tell people they know. Soave noted that staff of the outreach department goes out into neighborhoods talking about AADL services, including WLBPD. Parker added that local ophthalmology offices are also aware of WLBPD, as is the University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center. She said it’s like any of AADL’s programs and services – if you don’t need it or use it, it’s not on your radar.

In response to a query from Ed Surovell, Parker said there’s no other service that’s comparable to WLBPD locally, or to the network of the National Library Service. She noted that when Washtenaw County was having budget problems several years ago, county administrator Bob Guenzel asked if AADL would help. At the time, Washtenaw County’s program served several counties, but AADL agreed to serve just Washtenaw County, Parker said. However, no one goes unserved, she added. The other counties are served now by the state library, and the level of service is different.

Parker noted that the decision to incorporate WLBPD into the overall AADL services – and not to have a “library within a library” – had been controversial when they first took on the project. But five years later, they can show a positive outcome.

Rebecca Head praised Soave, saying that the AADL has shown what outreach and communication can do to promote what the library has to offer. That’s critical, she added, because people are so busy and don’t always have the time to find out about the AADL programs and services that are available.

Outcome: This was not a voting item.

Committee Reports

The board has six committees: communications, budget and finance, facilities, policy, director’s evaluation, and executive. Two brief committee reports were made during the Dec. 16 board meeting.

Committee Reports: Budget & Finance

Nancy Kaplan reported that the board’s budget and finance committee met with Dave Fischer of the accounting firm Rehmann to review the audit. Committee members were very pleased that it was an excellent report, she said.

Committee Reports: Policy

Barbara Murphy reported that the policy committee met and reviewed proposed staff updates to the AADL policies. She indicated that a resolution to update the policies likely will be brought to the full board at its January 2014 meeting. Murphy joked that the updated policies will “no longer refer to bookmen.”

Resolutions of Thanks

The board was asked to pass resolutions of thanks for two employees who are retiring at the end of 2013. Sharon Iverson has worked for AADL since mid-2004. Betsy Baier started working for AADL in February of 1975.

AADL director Josie Parker noted that Baier is a children’s librarian who was instrumental in developing the preschool storytime program. Within the last few years, she’s been responsible for the acquisition of children’s material in all formats. Parker invited board members to a reception held later that week for Baier.

Parker reported that Iverson is a teen librarian, who came to AADL after serving as a public school librarian. She primarily worked at the Malletts Creek branch.

Outcome: Both resolutions were passed unanimously.

Public Commentary

Donald Salberg began by wishing the board members a merry Christmas and happy new year. He hoped that when they next met in 2014, they’d have some new resolutions for dealing with library issues. He hoped they would revisit the accessibility and safety issues for disabled people at the downtown library. His understanding was that library officials met with people who were familiar with ADA standards prior to the November 2012 referendum on bonding for a new downtown library. He said he understood why any changes to be made would have been postponed until after that vote, since a new building would have made renovation unnecessary.

However, the referendum did not pass, he noted, and there are recommendations for improvements – especially for the front entrance, where there are certain risks along the ramp leading up to the front door, he said. Also, bathrooms could be improved and there are other minor changes that would help the disabled move around with more ease.

Salberg also noted that the Saline District Library and the Washtenaw Community College have opted out of Pittsfield Township’s State Street corridor improvement authority. He said that officials from both entities had indicated that taxpayers had not voted for a millage to be spent on street construction, and they preferred to have the tax revenues spent for the originally-intended purposes. There’s hope, he said, that if enough taxing authorities don’t join the CIA, then the project won’t be initiated, he said, and that the AADL then wouldn’t lose the tax revenues that it will lose if the CIA moves ahead.

He said the AADL board hadn’t identified any real benefit that the CIA would bring for the library. “It appears that the biggest benefit will be to the real estate industry,” Salberg added, because purportedly 40% of properties along the State Street development area are undeveloped. Property will appreciate because of the road improvements, Salberg said, so the real benefit will be to the people who sell, develop or manage those properties. In the future, he concluded, it would be helpful for the AADL board to get input from the community before making a decision on how to spend the community’s money.

Public Commentary: Board President Response

At the end of the meeting, board president Prue Rosenthal read a statement regarding the CIA. She noted that the board voted at its last meeting, on Nov. 11, 2013, to approve a tax-sharing agreement with Pittsfield Township and the CIA. The board had discussed it since they first heard about it in August, she said, and there were differing opinions. The vote on Nov. 11 wasn’t unanimous, she pointed out. [Nancy Kaplan cast the lone dissenting vote on the seven-member board.]

The board’s fiduciary responsibility requires that they make decisions that serve the public the best, Rosenthal said. Sometimes, those decisions affect tax revenues – as is the case with the CIA, she noted. State law gives the board the power to opt-out of a corridor improvement authority, but the board’s duty is to consider all relevant elements and make the best decision for the library. The amount of money was relatively small, she pointed out, and the project would improve access to AADL’s Pittsfield branch. If the CIA goes forward, it would increase the library’s tax base, she added. And if the project doesn’t move forward, AADL will be held harmless.

A publicly funded road is more equitable than requiring property owners to do it themselves, Rosenthal said. “We believe in being a good neighbor to Pittsfield,” she said, which has helped AADL considerably when the library branch was built in the township. She noted that only 50% of the tax increment increase will be captured by the CIA, and that the township worked with AADL to negotiate terms of the agreement.

Rosenthal said the AADL cares about the environment and sustainability, and this project will improve pedestrian and non-motorized transportation between Pittsfield Township and Ann Arbor, and will enable better public transportation to reduce the use of cars and improve air quality. It will provide better stormwater management to protect the watershed, she said.

Although the board vote was not unanimous, Rosenthal concluded, she thought that all trustees were comfortable that the decision was made with a great deal of care.

Ed Surovell responded directly to Salberg’s commentary. He noted that if the value of the land adjacent to the road improvement is increased, then any of that land that’s within the AADL district will provide increased tax revenues to the library. That’s a direct benefit to AADL, Surovell said.

Present: Rebecca Head, Nancy Kaplan, Margaret Leary, Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman, Prue Rosenthal, Ed Surovell. Also AADL director Josie Parker.

Next meeting: Monday, Jan. 20, 2014 at 7 p.m. in the fourth-floor conference room of the downtown library, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor. [Check Chronicle event listing to confirm date]

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The library has leased the Plymouth Park facility – an office park owned by First Martin Corp. on Green Road, north of Plymouth – since January 2010. That’s when AADL took possession of the Ann Arbor News archives, a few months after the owners of that publication decided to cease operations. The original lease was for a two-year period at $38,000 annually. In November 2011, the board approved a one-year extension, also at the $38,000 annual rate. No extension was brought to the board for approval in 2012.

The library is digitizing the Ann Arbor News archives, along with material from other local newspapers, as part of a project called Old News. For additional background, see Chronicle coverage: “Ann Arbor Library Set to Publish ‘Old News.’”

This brief was filed from the fourth-floor boardroom of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library at 343 S. Fifth. A more detailed report will follow.

The board approved the 10-year lease of a county-owned Head Start building at 1661 Leforge Ave. in Ypsilanti to the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. [.pdf of lease agreement] The WISD is taking over management of the Head Start program from the county, which has administered it for over four decades. After considerable debate, the board made the decision in late 2011 to relinquish the Head Start program.

The county took out bonds to pay for the construction of the $2.29 million Head Start facility in 2002. Ten years remain on the bond repayment for a total of $1.66 million.

WISD will begin making payments in 2014. Annual payments vary, beginning with $166,862 by Oct. 1, 2014. [.pdf of rent payment schedule] After the final payment, the county would deed the Head Start building and surrounding 11-acre property to the WISD. During the term of the lease, WISD will pay for utilities and basic maintenance, but the county will be liable for structural issues with the building, including roof repairs, broken windows, and other repairs – unless the repairs are caused by WISD action.

In a separate resolution, the board approved a lease with Dahlmann Apartments Ltd. for space in the City Center Building at 220 E. Huron in Ann Arbor.

At its July 10, 2013 meeting, the board approved a broad strategic plan for county facilities. Part of that plan called for relocating the office of community and economic Development (OCED), office of infrastructure management, and the public defender’s office out of their current space in the county Annex building at 110 N. Fourth Ave. The lease approved on Aug. 7 will be for office space on the fifth and second floors of the City Center for the public defender and office of infrastructure management.

The county will pay $333,037 for the first year, with 3% increases each year after that. The term of the lease is nine years and five months, starting Sept. 1, 2013.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building at 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

The new three-year lease with one two-year renewal option will begin on July 1, 2014. The new proposed rate is $300,862, with a 3% increase each year. Over a five-year lease period, the district will receive over $1.5 million in rent.

Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties, noted that the tenants have paid for renovations over the past 10 years, while the district pays for maintenance.

As a school building, Trent noted, the property was not very lucrative. When it was last assessed several years ago, it was appraised at $600,000 for the building and the 40 acres of land it sits on. However, if the area becomes more developed in the future, Trent said, it could be an important property for the district to own.

This brief was filed from the board room of the Ann Arbor District Library in downtown Ann Arbor at Fifth and William. A more detailed report of the meeting will follow.

Friends of AADL operates a used bookstore in the lower level of AADL’s downtown branch at 343 S. Fifth Ave. Proceeds of the store – about $90,000 annually – are given to the library. [.pdf of current FAADL space-use agreement]

This brief was filed from the fourth-floor conference room of the downtown library at 343 S. Fifth. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

If approved, the new three-year lease with one two-year renewal option would begin on July 1, 2014. The new proposed rate is $300,862, with a 3% increase each year. Over a five-year lease period, the district will receive over $1.5 million in rent.

Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties, recognized that the tenants have paid for renovations over the past 10 years, while the district pays for maintenance.

As a school building, Trent noted, the property was not very lucrative. When it was last assessed several years ago, it was appraised at $600,000 for the building and the 40 acres of land it sits on. However, if the area becomes more developed in the future, Trent said, it could be an important property for the district to own.

The board of education will be asked to approve the lease renewal after a second briefing at its next regular meeting.

This brief was filed the day following the April 24, 2013 AAPS board meeting. A more detailed report of the meeting will follow: [link]

The terms of the lease stipulate $18.892 per square foot. According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, Solo Aviation is a fixed-based operator offering flight instruction, discovery flights, fueling, aircraft maintenance and service. Solo employs 30 people at the Ann Arbor municipal airport facility.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

The DDA manages the two lots as part of Ann Arbor’s public parking system. The leases, which have been in place for several years, are between the DDA and two limited liability companies owned by local real estate development firm First Martin Corp. Those two companies are Huron Ashley LLC and City Hall LLC. The lease for the Brown Block had been with the city of Ann Arbor, but this year it’s with the DDA.

The monthly rents paid to First Martin under the terms of the leases are stipulated at $28,333/month and $2,122/month, respectively. Based on arithmetic done by The Chronicle on DDA revenue data, the monthly revenues for the two lots since July 2009 have averaged around $61,000 and $9,500, respectively. There is a provision in the leases for the rent paid to the DDA to increase based on the consumer price index (CPI).

Although the two parcels are not zoned for parking use, First Martin Corp. could itself choose to use the surface parking lots for commercial parking – as a pre-existing, non-conforming use, according to city planning manager Wendy Rampson’s response to an emailed query from The Chronicle.

The lot on the Brown Block is used by the DDA for hourly parking, paid to an attendant in a booth. The other lot, across the street from Ann Arbor’s city hall, is used for monthly permit parking.

This brief was filed from the DDA offices at 150 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 301, where the board holds its meetings. A detailed report of the meeting will follow: [link]

Celeste Choate, AADL associate director of services, collections and access, holds up a replica of a fossilized wooly mammoth tooth and a wooly mammoth model – items that are included in Science to Go kits available from the AADL. Choate was giving a presentation on the library's realia collections. (Photos by the writer.)

Among the most popular is AADL’s art print collection, which includes work by local artists, according to Celeste Choate, AADL associate director of services, collections and access. Meter readers to gauge the energy efficiency of home appliances and electronics are also popular.

Science to Go kits are the newest addition to AADL’s realia collection. Each kit focuses on a theme – prehistoric mammals, for example – and contains materials that include books, DVDs, Fandex educational cards, and objects like a replica of a fossilized wooly mammoth molar. The kits have only been available for about a month, but are all checked out, each with a long wait list. The realia collections are listed in “Unusual Stuff to Borrow” on AADL’s website.

Other agenda items for Monday’s meeting were less show and more tell. The board re-elected its current slate of officers for another year, with president Margaret Leary noting that the board faces several important decisions in the coming year – she indicated that continuity of leadership would help the board in that context. Though she did not mention it explicitly, Leary likely was alluding to plans discussed by the board in November to restart the process for determining the future of the AADL’s downtown location.

In a formal address at the start of Monday’s meeting, Leary reviewed the library’s accomplishments for 2011. Among other things, she mentioned the board’s decision to keep its millage rate down, while still balancing its budget. AADL’s millage rate for the current fiscal year is 1.55 mills – below the 1.92 mills that the district is authorized to levy. However, she cautioned that if the state eliminates the personal property tax and no replacement funding is found, the library would lose about $600,000 annually in revenues out of a $12 million budget.

Later in the meeting, the board was briefed by Eli Neiburger, AADL’s associate director of IT and product development, on a draft terms-of-use policy for the library’s website. The decision to develop the policy was driven in large part because of issues related to the library’s digitization of the former Ann Arbor News archives – AADL will be putting a lot of material online for which it doesn’t hold the copyright. The board is expected to vote on the policy at its Feb. 20 meeting.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the board voted to approve a two-year lease renewal with Westgate Enterprises LLC for the location of AADL’s branch at the Westgate Shopping Center, at Jackson and South Maple roads. The annual lease rate is $82,260, beginning Feb. 1.

Election of Officers & President’s Remarks

In the meeting’s first action item, the board re-elected its slate of officers for 2012. The board’s president for a second one-year term is Margaret Leary. Other officers re-elected were Prue Rosenthal (vice president), Barbara Murphy (treasurer) and Jan Barney Newman (secretary). There were no competing nominations, and all the votes were unanimous. Board member Rebecca Head was absent.

Following the election, Leary commented that it’s a good thing to have the same officers in place because the board faces important decisions in the coming year, and it’s nice to have a smooth transition. She indicated her preference to keep the committee membership unchanged as well, but asked board members to contact her if they’re interested in changing committee assignments.

Outcome: The board unanimously re-elected its previous slate of officers. Later, in a separate vote, the board also unanimously approved its 2012 schedule of meeting dates, and will continue to meet on the third Monday of each month.

Before the election, Leary addressed the board, saying it was important to pay attention to what the board and the library accomplished in 2011. She noted that in November, AADL received the Library Journal’s five-star rating for the fourth year, and was the only Michigan library to achieve five stars – the highest possible rating.

In October, board member Ed Surovell had received the Michigan Library Association’s Trustee Citation of Merit, Leary continued. It was awarded for his contributions in promoting library cooperation, working toward state legislation and funding that benefits libraries, and for outstanding work in developing local library services. She read from a statement issued by the MLA: ”One of his contributions has been to push his fellow trustees to break new ground architecturally and programmatically, and to understand the political, financial, historical, and strategic factors when considering a decision, whether the decision is large or small.”

Directing her comment to Surovell, Leary said: “Ed, I hope you’ll continue to push us in that direction.”

AADL board president Margaret Leary was re-elected to another term in that board office at the Jan. 16 meeting. In this photo, she's signing attendance sheets for local high school students who attended Monday's meeting.

Among other awards, Leary cited the four ADDYs for marketing and promotional materials that AADL received in 2011, including a gold award for materials related to AADL’s summer reading program. The awards are given by the Ann Arbor Ad Club.

Leary also highlighted the recognition of associate director Eli Neiburger, named by Library Journal as one of its 2011 Movers & Shakers, in the category of tech leaders.

The Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library have continued their generous support of AADL, Leary said, especially for the summer reading program. In May, the library and FAADL renewed the space use agreement that allows FAADL to operate a bookstore in the lower level of the downtown library building. In June, FAADL’s annual meeting was hosted at the site that the library leases for its digitization project of the former Ann Arbor News archives, she noted. And while the AADL and FAADL are separate organizations, they are building increasingly tight symbiotic relationships that benefit both groups, she said.

In July, Leary noted, AADL director Josie Parker addressed the Ann Arbor city council, a report that included data on the impact of the library’s Fifth Avenue location on the downtown. Parker will continue to participate in discussions at the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority regarding downtown development, Leary said. Parker’s involvement helps the AADL board understand those issues, she said, and Parker has a lot to contribute to the DDA discussions.

Leary listed several examples of AADL involvement in national and international projects during the year. Tim Grimes, AADL’s community relations and marketing manager, helped develop a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-funded project titled “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Worlds.” That effort resulted in AADL being selected as one of six libraries chosen to serve as focus groups for the project. Also, Grimes and Neiburger are advisors on another NEH-funded project: “From Bluegrass to Broadway: A Film History of America’s Popular Music.”

Parker was also involved in national and international projects. Leary cited Parker’s participation, by invitation, in a small working group that helped launch the Digital Public Library of America project. Parker was also invited to serve on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation‘s public access technology benchmarks program, and was asked to speak at the second UNESCO Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries, held in June 2011 in Milan, Italy with the theme “The Book Tomorrow: The Future of the Written Word.”

The board’s own education about library services continued during 2011, Leary said, with presentations from staff on eBooks in April, the Old News project in October, and the Play@AADL game in November.

Regarding the library’s finances, Leary said AADL continues to be a fiscal success – levying less of the millage than it’s authorized to use, running a balanced budget, and getting a clean audit. In May, the board adopted its $12 million budget for fiscal 2011-2012, which kept AADL’s millage rate unchanged at 1.55 mills – below the 1.92 mills that the district is authorized to levy.

Leary gave an example that she said showed how the library is remaining fiscally responsible and alert. In 2004, the library changed the vendor it uses to collect overdue fines. The library’s return on investment for that service is over $7 for every dollar it pays the collection company, she noted. Since 2004, about $600,000 in cash has been recovered, plus more than $100,000 in materials.

The year ended with the board approving labor agreements with two unions representing library staff, Leary reported.

Looking ahead, Leary pointed to the possibility that the state would eliminate the personal property tax, which she said would have a very negative effect on the library. If no replacement funding were found, eliminating the PPT would result in a loss of about $600,000 annually to AADL, she said – or about 5% of its budget.

Leary concluded her remarks by thanking Parker and her husband Robert Parker for their generous financial contribution to the library.[Responding to a follow-up query from The Chronicle, Parker indicated that the contribution – an undisclosed amount – was made in honor of the board and is designated for the Marcy Westerman Fund, which supports youth programs.]

Parker responded briefly, thanking the board on behalf of the administration and staff.

Westgate Lease Renewal

The board approved a two-year lease renewal with Westgate Enterprises LLC for the location of AADL’s branch at the Westgate Shopping Center, at Jackson and South Maple roads. The annual lease rate is $82,260, beginning Feb. 1. That’s unchanged from the current rate, according to AADL director Josie Parker. The new agreement also includes two one-year renewal options.

Known as the West Branch, the 5,900-square-foot library branch has been open there since 1977. It’s the only branch of AADL that operates in leased space.

Margaret Leary clarified with library staff that the lease renewal options mean that if both the owner and the library agree, the lease could remain in place at this rate for a total of four years. AADL director Josie Parker said this is the same agreement the library has had with Westgate for the previous two leasing periods.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the lease renewal at for the branch at Westgate.

Director’s Report

AADL director Josie Parker’s report focused on upcoming participation by library staff at professional events.

AADL director Josie Parker.

Erin Helmrich, a teen services librarian at AADL, is chair of the American Library Association committee that selects the Michael L. Printz award, given for excellence in young adult literature. It’s an award on par with the ALA’s Newbery Medal and Caldecott Medal awards, Parker said, and the selection committee is a prestigious group. Helmrich is traveling to Dallas this week for the award’s final selection process.

In February, Eli Neiburger – AADL’s associate director of IT and product development – will represent AADL and the U.S. at an upcoming conference in Australia, Parker said. He’ll be giving a presentation on information technology and digital access in public libraries. [Neiburger later clarified for The Chronicle that he'll be giving the talk at VALA, a group originally known as the Victorian Association for Library Automation, which is now an independent nonprofit that conducts tech education and support conferences. He'll also be speaking at the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney. Neiburger noted that expenses for these professional trips are paid for by the conference organizers, not AADL.]

In March, Celeste Choate  – associate director of services, collections and access – and DeAnn Doll, manager of human resources, will be speaking at the Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia. They’ll be on a panel about the development of the next generation of librarians, and talking about a partnership between AADL and the University of Michigan’s School of Information. The library recruits UM students twice a year to fill public library associate (PLA) positions.

Parker said she wanted the board to know that library staff are out there in many ways and many places.

Financial Report

Ken Nieman – AADL associate director of finance, HR and operations – noted that because the board didn’t meet in December, the Jan. 16 meeting packet included financial reports from both November and December. [The board held a special meeting on Dec. 8 to approve labor agreements, but canceled its regular Dec. 15 meeting.]

Nieman focused his brief report on the December financial statement. [.pdf of December 2011 financials] The library’s unrestricted cash balance was about $13 million, and AADL has received about 96% of its budgeted tax receipts. Three items that are over budget are expected to come back in line with the budget by the end of the fiscal year, he said. [AADL's fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30. The over-budget items are in communications, software licenses and postage.]

Nieman noted that $44,168 in the line item for grants/memorials reflects a donation from the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library.

Board members had no questions regarding the financial report.

Website Terms-of-Use Policy

Eli Neiburger, AADL’s associate director of IT and product development, briefed board members about a proposed website terms-of-use policy that the board is expected to vote on at its Feb. 20 meeting. [.pdf of draft terms-of-use policy]

AADL director Josie Parker introduced the topic by saying that the need for such a policy reflects the success of the library’s online services. She noted that the policy has been reviewed by the board’s policy committee and the library’s legal counsel.

Eli Neiburger, AADL associate director of IT and product development.

Neiburger described the policy as a fairly standard attribute of corporate websites. It defines the legal relationship between the website’s users and its owner, and is put in place in case there is any problem regarding the website’s use or content.

Users won’t need to click on an “Accept” button to agree to the terms. Recent case law has indicated that if a link to the terms-of-use policy is included in a website’s footer, by simply using the site you are agreeing to be bound by those terms, Neiburger said. The library retains the right to revise the terms, he noted – the document is not set in stone.

Neiburger briefly described the different sections included in the five-page document. The website privacy policy defers to the library’s existing general privacy policy. The content on the site is licensed under the Creative Commons license for non-commercial use. This means that most content is available to use for free for non-commercial purposes – such as educational, personal or research uses. Credit must be given to the library if content is used.

However, the site does include material that is protected by copyright – such as digitized content from the former Ann Arbor News archives. The AADL policy states that the onus is on the user to obtain permission from the copyright holder to use this kind of material.

Other sections of the policy cover guidelines for user-generated content; how copyright complaints will be handled; the policy for website registration, accounts and passwords; issues related to points awarded by the library for its summer reading game and other activities; spamming; external site links; termination of use; disclaimers; and indemnity.

Website Terms-of-Use Policy: Board Questions

Margaret Leary asked whether any aspects of the policy might be considered controversial or unique. Neiburger replied that it’s fairly unique for a library to put its website content into the Creative Commons, and that the item related to library points was also unique because the point-system approach is relatively unique. Also the fact that the policy is brief and clear is somewhat unusual, he said.

Leary asked whether it’s typical for a library to have this kind of policy. It’s typical for corporate sites and large libraries to have a terms-of-use policy, Neiburger said. The decision to develop one for AADL was driven in large part because of issues related to the library’s digitization of the former Ann Arbor News archives, he said, since AADL will be putting a lot of material online for which it doesn’t hold the copyright. Neiburger said that the policy being reviewed by the board differed only slightly from the draft that was prepared by the library’s legal counsel.

Jan Barney Newman, who chairs the board’s policy committee, said the committee was fascinated by the policy’s scope and felt it was important to “get ahead of the game” in implementing this kind of policy. The board anticipates voting on the policy at its Feb. 20 meeting.

AADL Realia Collections

AADL director Josie Parker introduced this agenda item by saying it was prompted by conversations regarding a recent Michigan Radio report on bicycle rentals, which indicated that AADL might start a bike-sharing program. In that context, she felt that the staff should share with the board the types of realia items that the library does circulate, adding “and we don’t circulate bicycles!”

The presentation was given by Celeste Choate, AADL associate director of services, collections and access. Choate noted that the most popular realia collection is the art print collection, which the library has been circulating for over 20 years. Over 500 prints are circulating, and new prints are added every year. Typically 80-90% of that collection is checked out, she said. Each item can be checked out for an eight-week period.

In the past couple of years, the focus has been on acquiring work by local artists, Choate said. It’s possible to search the collection by artist name or the name of the print, or patrons can browse thumbnail images of the prints online.

Another realia collection – of energy meter readers – began with a partnership with the city of Ann Arbor. The city originally gave the library 10 meter readers to distribute, enabling residents to check the amount of energy used by different home appliances. The city later added to the collection to bring the total to 19 meter readers. Most recently, 10 outlet energy meter readers – which resemble a power strip – were added to the collection. [As of Jan. 17, all of the new outlet meter readers were checked out, with 56 holds placed on the items.]

Celeste Choate holds up a set of Fandex cards with information about famous painters.

Choate said that in the context of the library’s strategic plan, staff began thinking about how they could increase current realia collections – the art prints and energy meter readers – as well as adding different items that would address the library’s strategic goals of serving the needs of educators and students.

She highlighted some of the newest additions to the collection, including Brain Quest and Fandex educational cards. The 22 Fandex sets include information on dinosaurs, painters, birds, Washington D.C., Africa, the Civil War and a range of other topics. There are 20 Brain Quest sets available, on topics ranging from math and reading basics to general quizzes that “challenge the mind.”

The library also recently added new Science To Go kits to its realia collection. The kits are an outgrowth of Stories to Go kits that were started several years ago with funding from Pfizer, Choate said.

Each Science to Go kit has a theme – prehistoric mammals, for example – with supporting materials that include books, DVDs, Fandex cards, and objects like a replica of a fossilized wooly mammoth tooth and a small-scale model of a wooly mammoth.

Seven topics are available, with two identical kits per topic. They’ve proven to be popular – all kits are checked out, with multiple holds on each, Choate said.

AADL Realia Collections: Board Questions

Jan Barney Newman asked if the AADL staff puts together the science kits. Yes, Choate said. For example, AADL librarian Jody Harnish compiled the materials used in the life cycles kit, which includes examples – preserved in lucite blocks – of bean germination, dragonfly development and other life cycles. Those materials were purchased separately, but Harnish decided what should be included in the kit. AADL director Josie Parker noted that Harnish was also the librarian who designed the popular exhibit of Cecropia moth caterpillars this summer. Kids and families would return to the Traverwood branch multiple times to watch the caterpillars grow through their life cycle, she said.

In response to a question about how the items in the kits are tracked, Choate said that each kit contains a tag that lists all of the items in the kit.

Prue Rosenthal said she was curious about the art prints. What kind of people check out the prints – are they primarily students? Choate replied that a range of people are interested in the prints, including students but also families and businesses. Newman noted that the art print collection was started by the Ladies Library Association.

Barbara Murphy asked about the renewal policy. Choate explained that art prints can’t be renewed, but they circulate for a longer period – eight weeks. Generally, though, there’s no limit to renewals unless other patrons have reserved the item.

Margaret Leary asked Choate to comment on what kinds of realia collections work well for the library, and what might not work. One criteria would be what users want to borrow, for example. Leary ventured that another criteria might be whether the library’s existing infrastructure would support circulation of the collection. However, Leary speculated that some items – like lawnmowers, for instance – wouldn’t be something the library would want to circulate.

Cost is one factor, Choate replied, including how often someone might purchase the item themselves, or how often they might use it. Is it a high-cost item that someone might want to try first, before they buy it – or need to use only one time?

Another factor is how easily the library can move the item through its existing circulation system, including how many copies the library would need and how much space would be required for storage. It sounds mundane, Choate said, but the library isn’t equipped, for example, to provide lawnmower storage. Parker added other factors, including maintenance, parts replacement and how often items are broken.

As for circulation infrastructure, Choate said the goal is that it won’t take longer to check out realia than it does to check out a book or DVD. That’s why the library isn’t circulating chemistry sets, she joked.

Leary said that an item’s potential to do harm might be another consideration, in the context of liability to the library.

Nancy Kaplan asked whether the Science to Go kits are being requested by educators. Choate said the kits have been available starting only about a month ago, so she’s not sure that many teachers know about them yet. One kit per topic is located at the downtown branch, and the second copies of the kits are distributed throughout the branches. For the Brain Quest and Fandex cards, one set of each is available at each branch.

Several board members praised the staff’s efforts, and the board gave Choate a round of applause.

Closed Session Set

At the end of each monthly meeting, the AADL board typically votes to schedule a closed session at its next month’s meeting. On Monday, board members voted to hold a closed session at its Feb. 20 meeting for the purpose of getting the opinion of legal counsel.

Present: Nancy Kaplan, Margaret Leary, Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman, Prue Rosenthal, Ed Surovell. Also AADL director Josie Parker.

Absent: Rebecca Head

Next meeting: Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the library’s fourth floor meeting room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

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