Winnetka-Northfield Public Library Board Meeting, Dec 2019, Carol
Excuse the poor sound. I did increase the volume 400% (the maximum), but the sound still is slow. When the library posts the sound in January, I'll make a video of that.
Yet, what Carol says is beautiful and worth straining your ears.
To see the disrespect that J.P. Ruiz-Funes showed Lois, click here.
Rotting from the Top
Pattie Morrell speaks out. She's now going to Glencoe Library. How many patrons do we have to lose before the Board acts?
WNPL December Board Meeting | Lois
Lois urges the Board to review former employees' exit interviews and correspondence. She advises them not to let the fox guard the hen house. Why should the Director Rebecca Wolf decide who's on a committee to evaluate or investigate Rebecca Wolf?
In what banana republic does the person under examination get to control the information on her record and get to choose who investigate her.
Board Packet for December Meeting
You can read the Board Packet for the December 16th meeting here.
It looks to me like our spending on other consultants, HR and legal services is high, while our visits and circulation is down.
Do you see anything that should be mentioned to the Board?
(Not that they seem to listen.)
It looks to me like our spending on other consultants, HR and legal services is high, while our visits and circulation is down.
Do you see anything that should be mentioned to the Board?
(Not that they seem to listen.)
Minutes vs. Meeting, Pt. 5 | Unbelievable
Trish and Denise's comments at the November 16th Library Board Meeting.
Do you think that the minutes thoroughly capture what was said?
Why are We Reinventing the Wheel?
A beautiful description of what a library can be and what a difference libraries can make to a community.
The speaker questions why the Director and Board have destroyed this gem of a library.
It bothers me that there's so much secrecy about the leadership's motivations. It's an incredible disservice to the voters to not get this woman's full comments in the minutes.
The Board has had the meeting recording posted online in full on the library's website, but this speaker spoke after an hour and 30 minutes had passed. The leadership knows few are going to listen to a long audio on a website.
"Sunshine is the best antiseptic."
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HR Task Force Started
Here is the recording of the part of the October Library Board Meeting when J.P. Ruiz-Funes announced the formation of a task force to figure out why so many employees have left our library.
By having just 2 Board Members, the task force doesn't have to keep minutes or follow the rules of the Open Meetings Act.
How the Minutes Got it Wrong
We think the Library Board owes it to the public to report the comments in full when a speaker asks for his or her comments to be published in full.
Library Board President J.P. Ruiz-Funes is right when he says they aren't required to, but a little good will and transparency would be appreciated a great deal.
The Minutes v. the Meeting, 2 Examples
We believe the Library Board should have included the full comments of the people, who asked that their full comments be put in the meeting.
Their comments were amended to sugar coat the problem.
Should the fox guard the hen house?
Where's the transparency?
The Minutes v. the Meeting
We believe the Library Board should have included the full comments of the people, who asked that their full comments be put in the meeting.
Their comments were amended to sugar coat the problem.
Should the fox guard the hen house?
Where's the transparency?
Fox Guarding the Henhouse
Isn't this what Library Director Wolf has been allowed to do for too long?
Who was charged with finding a means of solving our management problems at the library?
Director Wolf. She conferred with the Northfield Village Manager and chose to chat with community leaders about what they think of the library, even though few of them use the library. The problem isn't the library; it's how the library's staff is managed.
Who decides if a FOIA request for information about the management problems caused by the director?
Director Wolf. She's denied requests for summaries of the Employee Engagement Survey, though other libraries have supplied theirs.
Who forbid staff of the library to speak with the press?
Director Wolf. When The Winnetka Current first reported on the alarming turnover rate at the library, Wolf immediately sent an email to all staff forbidding them to speak to the press.
Public Comments: Winnetka-Northfield Public Library Board
Some of the public comments from the November meeting of the Winnetka-Northfield Library Board.
Lois points out how the information is altered and spun at the Library and how the Board has known this for years.
She addresses the discrepancy between what the October Board Minutes state and what people, who asked for their full comments to be published, actually said.
The Board President J.P. refused to revise the minutes to reflect the full statements, because technically he doesn't have. too.
November Board Meeting Board Packet
Winnetka Northfield Public Library, November Board Packet by Susan Kelly on Scribd
https://www.scribd.com/document/435297078/Winnetka-Northfield-Public-Library-November-Board-Packet
In The Winnetka Current This Week
From The Winnetka Current:
While Bianca Cseke’s article last week (“Library patrons remain upset with director’s decisions despite creation of special committee” in the Oct. 31 issue of The Winnetka Current) was solid on many of the key facts of what took place at the Oct. 21 Board meeting for the Winnetka-Northfield Library District, one highly significant one was missed.Although Director Wolf has eagerly promoted the idea that most people who have departed for positive reasons, I listed being aware while I was an employee there and after as a concerned resident, in chronological order, the reasons the eight employees of the Northfield Library (the Northfield Library had a dedicated staff of 13 for many years) left, over a mere 18-month period. None of those reasons were positive. The reasons all originated from changes Director Wolf demanded in how scheduling is carried out.I may not be a mathematics genius, but eight out of 13 employees, in one section (if one were to view one library of a district as a section), over only 18 months is a turnover rate of 62 percent. That kind of turnover rate occurs when a leader is extremely terrible at their job, and needs to be replaced.Amy RichmondNorthfield Resident
Another Librarian Gone
The Winnetka Youth Department has lost another smart, personable Librarian. This woman wanted to work exclusively with children, not with adults, but again and again she was given shifts on the adult desk.
She found a new job where she can just work with youth, which is her passion. You would think the library would know that each department requires different skills.
In Youth, you need to know about developmental stages, literacy levels and issues and how to advise parents, with differing parenting styles. Both youth and adult librarians are specialists.
When you've lost 22 out of 43 staff in 11 months, why would you want to lose another trained librarian? When will they learn? On October 21st a patron spelled this out for them perfectly (see video above). In the Youth Department there is only one employee who worked for the library district a year ago. This poor Knowledge Management hurts the library and holds us back.
Study Session
The Board's Study Sessions are a time for the Trustees to gather and discuss information. They cannot vote on any proposals at this time. Last night the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library Board of Trustees held a Study Sessions to listen to a presentation on Continuous Improvement.
Travis Gosselin, Board VP, gave the presentation on how they can be more efficient and transparent.
Highlights were:
- The idea that they should have a Sharepoint site for managing all their communication, like links to articles about the library. It seems that this would be used as a bulletin board. The Board members believe they should speak with one voice. To comply with the Open Meetings Act, any such application can not be used for discussion.
- They'll have more training on Open Meetings.
- They may review the Director twice a year, but don't know if there's time to do this before April. JP supports the status quo. They're not sure what metrics to use or to just measure strategically. (This is not the first library or the first time this library has had to review a Director.) In the past it seems they just had general criteria (none?).
- They are seeking a way to better show patrons the value of the library.
- They may video tape their meetings as Wilmette does. I wonder if they'd have agreed to that if we weren't there and I hadn't already done so.
- They may have a meeting for JP to meet with other Board Presidents to discuss best practices. They'd begin with other North Shore communities. Rebecca mentioned that the Illinois Library Assoc. has a Trustees Day and JP asked why they'd never heard about this. Rebecca said the meeting is too far away (Peoria or Tinley Park).
- Perhaps they should streamline the packet. Some pushed back on this as they like seeing the checks written each month and other details. They may change the format so there are highlights and details. Raheela proposed having a Managers' Discussion and Analysis of the financials. There was a question of who'd compose this. Deb said she didn't have the needed financial background to put that together. Raheela and JP have the most financial background. The Trustees put this idea on the back burner.
- They discussed doing away with fines.
During Public Comments, I shared how our software has the capability to print library value on receipts and that Skokie PL has begun doing away with fines by starting with youth.
I explained what a Collection Development Policy is found on library websites, but not ours. Rebecca said ours was just updated, but I still don't see it.
Board Meeting
Their plan to address the alarming turnover rate.
We're contacting neighboring libraries for their data. We've found that ours outpaces Northbrook and will probably find that Ms. Wolf's analysis is far off. Stay tuned.
Things Come Down from the Top
An insightful comment on what's going on at the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library
Library Board Meeting, Pt 2
Immediately following the first group of public comments, the board approves last month's minutes and discuss finances.
Heated Sidewalk
The Board is fixing up the patio at the Winnetka for a total of $250,000. They discuss and approve a heated side walk for $15,000.
Another from the Oct. Library Board Meeting
The Board explains that they're going to have more committees to address the problem of our 51% turnover rate for the last 12 months.
Library patrons remain upset with director’s decisions despite creation of special committee
Retrieved from ttps://www.winnetkacurrent.com/p/news/library-patrons-remain-upset-director’s-decisions-despite-creation-special-committee
Bianca Cseke, Freelance Reporter 6:18 am CDT October 23, 2019The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District Board of Trustees created a special committee to review human resources practices and procedures during its Monday night meeting, Oct. 21.
Yet, many members of the community remain upset with the board’s handling of the turnover situation at Northfield Library.
The committee will provide support to library staff and gather data. It will be comprised of two newer trustees in an effort to be more objective about the libraries’ issues.
About a dozen individuals spoke during the public comment periods of Monday’s board meeting to show their disapproval with how the situation has been handled and with what they regard as apathy from board members.
Reasons that were brought up for people leaving the library included: wanting hours reduced, being asked to switch hours to the Winnetka library, being passed over for a position for someone less qualified and wanting to take vacation time like in past years.
In August, members of the community attended sessions to discuss staffing issues and renovation plans for the Northfield branch, and they were concerned about the high turnover rate at Northfield and opposed to the renovations. Winnetka’s library recently underwent $2.1 million in remodeling, and Northfield residents said they did not want the same.
Last month, the trustees approved a plan to address the turnover issue, which included fireside chats, an outside HR consultant and increased presence of the library director and other top-level managers in the library.
Library Director Rebecca Wolf said she spoke with six “sister libraries” to compare data on retention and turnover rates and found that the libraries had an average turnover rate of 38 percent. Meanwhile, the Northfield library had a turnover rate of just 25 percent, she said.
Wolf also mentioned that most of the turnover was occurring due to what she called “positive things,” like receiving better job offers or only being temporary employees. Five employees left involuntarily.
But many community members weren’t satisfied with Wolf’s analysis of the turnover rate.
“Happy employees don’t leave,” Sue Erickson-Kelly told the board.
She told board members that she wondered if they actually read the exit surveys completed by departing library employees.
Trustees insisted that they did take community input seriously.
“I take extreme offense at the idea that we do not care,” Vice President Travis Gosselin said.
Gosselin added the board doesn’t get involved in day-to-day operations, but does rely on input from both the library director and the public.
Board President Jean Paul Ruiz-Funes said the board has done a lot of work to address issues that have been brought up. He mentioned the new HR director at Northfield, the board’s reviews of employee surveys and the creation of the special committee, which is expected to reach a conclusion on the issues by December.
“These are serious matters, serious allegations,” he said. “We are giving them all the time that they need.”
The board will also be meeting Nov. 4 for a study session on what can be done better in terms of processes.
Still, some meeting attendees were not satisfied with the board or the library director’s handling of issues.
“You talk about our goals and values,” Margaret Sullivan said. “We had that already. Why reinvent the wheel when we already had it?”
Ruiz-Funes said the board does not run the libraries, meaning that questions have to be answered by the individuals who run the library, not the board.
“We’re on the right track,” Pat Doherty said. “Now it’s time for some decision-making. It’s clear that one thing needs to be done — and that is to fire Rebecca (Wolf).”
Winnetka-Northfield Library Board Meeting, Pt 1
Public comments from the October 21, 2019 Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District's Board Meeting.
Please excuse the poor camera work and take the content to heart.
You can help the library by signing our petition
Board Meeting Video - Public Comments
Here are a few videos from the October 21, 2019 Winnetka-Northfield Library District Board Meeting.
They're rough and rudimentary, but its the content that matters. There will be more to follow.
Hopes for the Next Board Meeting
Next Monday the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District will hold another Board Meeting at its Winnetka location at 7pm. I do hope that all Board Members attend and that they are able to present how they have investigated the personnel problems now that there are at least 93 employee departures since 2013 when its current director, Rebecca Wolf, started. In the last 12 months, at least 21 employees have departed. Has the Board analyzed the Employee Engagement Survey, which was completed and presented to the staff in June? Have they spoken with current employees? What have they done to make sure that they have a full picture of the director’s leadership?
At the September meeting there were empty seats designated for Board members. I hope all members can attend the October meeting. When they ran for office, they knew their commitment to the community is to attend meetings held on the third Monday of a month. In September four of the seven members attended, which is quite disappointing considering that patrons’ call for improvements.
The library has had five meetings so far when patrons have expressed their displeasure with the plans for the Northfield branch renovation and the alarming turnover rate, which exceeds that of McDonald’s.
According to reports in The Winnetka Current, when asked about the high turnover, Board President Ruiz-Funes and the Director Wolf have cited the community survey results indicating that the majority of respondents are highly satisfied with the library. This response reminds me of the Korean proverb: The question comes from the East and the answer comes from the West. The leadership was asked about employee turnover, but changes the subject and shares survey results about another aspect of the library’s operations. We’re not fooled.
The board president offered to hold fireside chats for the patrons to meet with the director. The library has already held three Board Meetings and two community “Listening Sessions.” These fireside chats aren’t needed. More chatting and “listening” wastes time. The patrons have clearly stated what they want. It’s time for the Board to act.
Library Hires Media Consultant
We've learned that the Library has hired a Media Consultant in addition to our full time Head of Communications, who's a skilled, capable professional.
Come to the October 21st Board Meeting to find out what's going on.
The meeting is 7pm at the Winnetka Library.
Is this expense needed?
How much does this cost?
Who approved this?
What other small libraries have a Media Consultant as well as a Communications staff?
Come to the October 21st Board Meeting to find out what's going on.
The meeting is 7pm at the Winnetka Library.
Library's Community Listening Sessions
Northfield Library's Co... by on Scribd
Reference Bernard, M. (August 2019). "Director urged to return 'Neighborhood feel' to the Northfield Library." The Winnetka Current.What's Happened to the Books?
 |
| September 2019 |
While it is good practice to weed out damaged books or books that are outdated, many believe cutting this much from a collection is severe.
Help the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District
Our Library's Soul, Collection and Staff Torn to Shreds
The six-year tenure of Rebecca Wolf, the current director, has nearly destroyed a highly skilled, dedicated, caring staff. Our library district has become a toxic workplace.
Are these 91 (up from 88 in just a month) employees just a bunch of complainers?
Certainly not. Some have left because they went to college or the library was a dead end for their career. But a good many left to flee the toxicity or were unfairly forced out by Ms. Wolf.
What are examples of the toxicity?
- Ms. Wolf doesn't meet deadlines or effectively manage projects.
- Our Strategic Plan for 2020-2023 is far behind the November deadline. As of October 2019 the committee has met once.
- The subcommittees were not created as of Oct 1, 2019.
- Ms. Wolf insults, swears at and manipulates her staff.
- Behind closed doors, Ms. Wolf intimidates ruthlessly.
- Ms. Wolf and her managers punish open communication.
- Staff members who've raised concerns about her decisions have received negative performance reviews and have been denied raises for up to 2 years.
- Ms. Wolf has an unusual need to exert power.
- She denied requested office supplies and services like window washing to the Northfield branch.
- Ms Wolf exploits staff with impossible goals and responsibilities, which she capriciously changes.
- She requires Circulation Associates to take on librarian tasks without giving them any time off the desk to complete their presentations and their new collection development duties.
- Ms. Wolf misleads.
- In Board Meetings she claims to be concerned and to "hear" the patrons, but the next day she's proclaiming that it's impossible to continue to give each location a dedicated staff or to not renovate the Branch. Fortunately, the Board has seen to it that for the next year Northfield will not be renovated.
- Ms. Wolf's devastating our collection.
- Although outdated books and materials in bad condition should be taken out to make room for the new, but why are our shelves suddenly so empty? Small libraries shouldn't have so much empty space.
- Ms. Wolf is whittling our staff down to the bare minimum.
- Our Technical Services Department had 5 employees a few years ago. Now there's one full timer who's pressured to do the work of 5 with some assistance from colleagues who already have a full workload.
- On weekends the Winnetka desk is often unattended as the 2 staff members are busy helping patrons throughout the adult department.
Director urged to return ‘neighborhood feel’ to Northfield Library
“We’re not Winnetka wannabees!”
That was the recurring loud and clear message sent by the Northfield residents who came to the Northfield branch of the Winnetka-Northfield Library District on the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 13, and the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 14, to discuss staffing and revised renovation plans.
At the Aug. 14 session, Library Director Rebecca Wolf sought feedback on seven areas of concern that she posted on the wall — staff issues; staff room/quiet space; staffing; the link between the community room and the library; shelving; self-check; and collection.
But staff issues and staffing were the only two of these topics that the approximately 25 residents at the meeting wanted to talk about, and they perished the thought of a renovation modeled after the $2.1 million undertaking at the library in Winnetka.
They told Wolf that the status quo was fine and dandy.
“The overwhelming interest has nothing to do with books and shelving and carpeting,” Pat Doherty said. “It’s about people. The people want the library the way it has always been.”
“We are not Winnetka,” added Trish Andrew, who came to the meeting with her four children. “We don’t want the changes. We don’t need the bells and whistles.
“This is a small community. It’s a completely different feel when you walk into our local library. I feel personal interactions with the staff are essential for our children. The children were very comfortable with the staff. They knew your kids; they could talk to them about their dog. We were so blessed. This has been part of their lives.
“I feel that is changing. We are asking to get our neighborhood feel back.”
“We want a more regular staff here,” Sue Klock agreed. “People are missing that a lot.”
The residents’ concerns about staffing was a consequence of the rotation of employees between the Northfield branch and Winnetka following the reopening of the Winnetka Library on June 23. A handful of staff members didn’t want to work in Winnetka. Some resigned and others reportedly were terminated.
“Our staff (at the two libraries) is 43 people, 19 of whom are full-time,” Wolf said. “We do rotate staff more often, which we did not do in the past. We’ve had to switch people around because of necessity. As people leave, we need to have new faces. We currently are hiring. There is no legal reason why former staff members can’t apply for positions posted on our website.”
Wolf said the major remodeling project in Winnetka prompted the Library Board of Trustees to contemplate a smaller-scale project in Northfield.
“It feels really weird to focus on one library when we have two that need updates,” she said. “We need to make sure we are treating our patrons fairly and equally. The board discussed it and came back with a $200,000 renovation. We didn’t want to come back to the board until we had affirmation from the community.
“I know we need to do carpeting, do lighting, do painting. Should we look at more than just the basics? Do people want us to look at full library renovation?”
Wolf said she was going to convey the sentiments expressed at the Aug. 13 and 14 community meetings in her report to the library board at its Aug. 19 meeting and “the feedback we’re getting is not going to be sugar-coated to the board.”
Her conclusions were: “There is no appetite for renovation; there is an appetite for maintaining; what we are concerned about is staffing.”
None of the six library board members were present at the Aug. 13 and 14 meetings and their absence upset several members of the audience.
“I think it’s reprehensible that none of the directors saw fit to come,” Doherty said.
Library’s staff retention addressed with The Current
Amy Richmond worked at the Northfield Library for seven-and-a-half years.
“The library has been really important to me. It’s my little local library,” she told The Current.
The Northfield resident, however, left her position last February for a combination of things.
“There were some artistic things I wanted to pursue and a ridiculous scheduling policy,” she said. “I would’ve pushed through and stayed (if it wasn’t for the policy). But, I left on very good terms.”
Hard feelings have recently surfaced for Richmond after seeing more turnover and learning about the recent renovation proposal. She estimated a total of 70 people leaving in the last six years, and said the library does not need any major renovation.
“Almost all of us had been there for many years — [the schedule] was working, no need to change it,” Richmond said regarding the policy that has employees working across both libraries now.
“[Library Director Rebecca Wolf] has her vision, but it’s a public library, you have listen to the public,” she added about the renovation.
Richmond’s feelings, however, are not unique. Many voiced their opinions about the staffing changes made by Wolf at the recent open houses Aug. 13 and 14.
Former Head of Adult Services Shauna Porteus cited areas of concern revolving around Wolf, including “terrible communication, lacking fiscal/accounting accountability, poor judgement,” among others.
“I really care for the community and now having worked in multiple public libraries in multiple states it has reinforced my opinion that Rebecca cares less for the library and staff and more for her position of power,” she told The Current in an email. “It’s not groundbreaking but it sure does make a difference to everyone involved and, unfortunately, it has a ripple effect down to the community.”
When asked about the amount of employees who have left the district in the past six years during her tenure, Wolf couldn’t pinpoint a number. In regards to the estimated 70 people by Richmond, she said, “It could be right.”
“I’m looking into that number,” she said. “That number includes all those employees that are circulation staff that come and go or go back to school. They’ll have jobs here for like six months, that type of thing. So when I look at that number, I go, ‘Well, it could be right, if you consider that.’”
“We did have some turnover as a branch,” she added. “We’ve had three or four people leave this year; that concerns me. That’s something we’re looking into and addressing. That’s why the majority of folks were like, ‘These are the people we love and the people we care about.’ Absolutely. That’s something we take to heart. ... We very much care about retention and keeping employees with us.”
When any staff member leaves the library, people are going to notice, Wolf added, and even more than ever now because they work at both library locations.
The schedule crossover between Winnetka and Northfield libraries, however, is no reason for concern, Wolf said.
“Over the last few years and even more now, we have established that we are one district and one staff. The biggest thing has been that we are trying to cross-train our staff in both buildings across the district. ... It’s a compliment to the staff that people are noticing and they appreciate the services.
“We are trying to do that, and I’m even working more at Northfield, so that people can get to know me and the other staff. It’s the idea of familiarity.”
Reporting by Megan Bernard, Editor.
Thank you, Kristin
Kristin Carlson was a chief reason the Northfield branch had such a special community feel. However, we weren't able to thank her and wish her well.
Please use the comment space below to do just that.
Please use the comment space below to do just that.
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