The Staff Association Minutes

1. Welcome: Lee Hilyer opened the meeting at 10:10 am, thanked Sarah Bentley and Fannie Haynes for providing the refreshments, and briefly went over the agenda.
   
   
2. Disaster Preparedness: Rita Marsales discussed the recent flooding from Tropical Storm Allison, which left Fondren Library mostly unscathed, and the recent leakage caused by a plumbing problem on June 2. She reminded everyone that Fondren Library has a Disaster Preparedness manual available; each library unit should have a paper copy, and it is also available on the Fondranet web page. The manual was last revised in 1996, and the Disaster Recovery Team (DiRT) plans to have a new edition available within several months. Rita also pointed out that the library maintains a supply of materials to help with disaster recovery, such as plastic wrapping, etc. These are kept in a closet and the key is available from the Circulation Desk.
   
   Rita also reported that there are still some vacancies for floor wardens (previously called "fire wardens") on floors 1 and 4. These people are responsible for knowing where the fire exits are on their floors, showing new staff members where these exits are, and making sure all staff are evacuated safely from their floor during an emergency. Rita encouraged volunteers to contact her; otherwise, she will be making appointments in the near future. Lastly, Rita announced that a program on disaster preparedness, featuring Tom Clareson of AMIGOS and staff members from local Houston libraries affected by Tropical Storm Allison, will be held some time in September.
   
   

3. Committee Reports: The Chairs of the Staff Association Committees had previously turned in written reports to Lee, and copies were available at the meeting. Lee Hilyer summarized key points:
   
   

   • Staff Relations Committee (Denise Arial): The next raffle for an Amazon.com gift certificate will be held Friday, 8/24; names of people who have submitted reviews on restaurants, movies, and books will be eligible. Keith Chapman joins Denise Arial as new co-editor of Fondren Forum.
     
     

   • Activities & Events Committee (Sarah Bentley): A reception for recent MLS graduates Keith Chapman and Janna Berry Raven will be held on August 16. Other upcoming events include a Halloween party in October, a "Festival of Salads" in November, and a "Festival of Nations" holiday party, back by popular demand.
     
     

   • Work Environment Committee (Bob Sabin): Debra Cosby was recognized for all her help to this committee and in keeping the Staff Lounge running. Michael Vessels also was thanked for his work in fixing the microwave.
     
     

   • Treasurer's Report (Mauricio Prado & Jorge Cavazos): As of 7/18, the Staff Association account had approximately $1,000.

   • New Staff Recognition: New Fondren staff were introduced, including: Richard Watts (Brown Fine Arts Library), Nancy Infante (Circulation), Susan Leister (Cataloging), Rosa Rosa Almendarez (Interlibrary Loan), Sharon Link (recently moved to Woodson Research Center), and Karen Oster (Information Technology) were introduced.
     
     

4. Brief presentation on facilitation: Lee Hilyer and Denise Arial gave a brief presentation and demonstration of techniques they learned in an ARL institute on Facilitation this past June.
   
   

   New Business: There was no new business.

   The meeting was adjourned at 10:55 a.m., after a motion by Janet Thompson and a second by Keith Chapman.

   - Submitted by Alice Rhoades, 8/2/01