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LAB Minutes 01/15/2014 Library Advisory Board Minutes January 15 , 2014 Naples, Florida, January 15, 2014 LET IT BE KNOWN that the LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD met on this date in regular session at 10:00 a.m. in the Headquarters Branch Library with the following members present: CHAIR: Doris J. Lewis — District 4 VICE-CHAIR: Loretta Murray— District 1 Carla Grieve — District 2 Connie Bettinger-Hennink— District 3 Lillian Cuevas— District 5 -< r m i-rt ALSO PRESENT: Marilyn Matthes, Library Director r- N Karen Tibbetts, Administrative Assistant ° cn 4`o Roberta Reiss, Literacy Program G = ;cA N OW GUEST: Steve Carnell, Public Services Administrator v N a4 0 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mrs. Lewis asked for additions or corrections to the minutes of December 11, 2013. A few minor corrections were noted. Mrs. Grieve moved to approve the minutes, Mrs. Murray seconded and the motion was carried unanimously that the minutes be approved as corrected. LITERACY PROGRAM REPORT— Roberta Reiss • Mrs. Reiss reported that there has been "standing room only" for the conversation classes held every Tuesday at the South Regional Library. Two classes were created to accommodate the 40 participants. It has been difficult to add more classes due to a limited schedule. • Mrs. Reiss added that the countries being represented by the recent participants include: Haiti, Peru, Columbia, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany and French-speaking Quebec, Canada. • Some of the conversations included cultural differences in the ways that participants celebrate the Holidays • Mrs. Reiss reported that Joyce Nelson, a former literacy volunteer with the Library Literacy Program, has expressed an interest in helping with literacy programs at East Naples. She will come and observe the classes at SR and Mrs. Reiss will help to train her. • The basic computer classes are also going well. The partnership with the Literacy Volunteers across the street from East Naples has helped to recruit participants. • Mrs. Reiss shared a photograph taken of the recent three Haitian "graduates" that attended all of the classes, and completed the portfolio work to show that they learned the computer skills being taught. She intends to take more pictures of participants in the future. o Mrs. Lewis suggested for pictures to be posted on a bulletin board, put in the newsletter and included on Facebook as well. o Mrs. Reiss reported that participants have learned how to use the computer to access the Library website, and have reserved materials and signed up for programs. o Participants were also taught life skills using the computer, such as using Mapquest. They not only navigated local places, such as how to get to the Library from their home, but also viewed their native country and the area in which they lived. 1 o Participants also created their own email accounts, although not everyone has their own home computer. Many still rely on public use computers. o Ms. Bettinger-Hennink added that there are also many people who cannot afford internet services, and rely on public internet access. NEW BUSINESS 1) Proposed Policy: Waiving Fines and Fees Discussion • Marilyn Matthes introduced Steve Carnell, Collier County Public Services Administrator, and the agenda was adjusted to discuss the proposed policy for waiving fines and fees. • Mr. Carnell thanked everyone on the Library Advisory Board for their great work and service. He currently oversees 20 advisory boards throughout the County, and was happy to report that the LAB adds value to the Library. • He provided some background on his experience, such as having been the Purchasing Director for the County for 25 years. • Mrs. Matthes distributed a proposed policy handout regarding waiving Library fines and fees. She gathered some of the information from the Pasco County Public Library. The Library strives to help its patrons to continue to use their services, and does not want fines/fees to deter them from doing so. • Mrs. Matthes was told by the Finance Department that legally only the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) has the authority to waive any fines or fees. • There are governmental and ministerial duties that are decided upon by the BCC, which establish the parameters that staff operate under. a. Ministerial duties include hours of operation, programs and schedules, etc. b. Governmental are high level policies, such as awarding contracts, imposing fines, etc. • The BCC could make a governmental decision to allow for Purchasing to decide on purchases under$50,000 without BCC approval, which then becomes the ministerial responsibilities of the Purchasing Department. • Currently, the Library Advisory Board governs many Library issues and policies prior to being brought to the BCC (Ex. Censorship issues, etc.). Mr. Carnell would like for the LAB to maintain this authority, as it benefits the County by not having those discussions take up the time of the BCC. • As there is nothing in the Florida statutes regarding Library fines, the solution may be to update the policy. Mr. Carnell stated that fines should be a deterrent for patrons in order to keep them responsible for the stewardship of borrowing Library materials. However, he agrees with the LAB members that no one wants to discourage Library usage. • Mrs. Grieve added that it is unfair for other patrons to not have access to Library materials because someone else has failed to return it. • Mr. Carnell further explained that Finance views the Library's outstanding overdue fine/fee money as accounts receivable and an uncollected County debt. There has been discussion of the BCC writing off this debt. • The County Finance Department requested a list by person, the amount owed, the type of violation, and when the fine was incurred. • Mrs. Murray asked if the Library had an amnesty day. Mrs. Matthes replied that they had an amnesty day in the year 2000, that the LAB approved with the understanding that it would be the last one of the century. She added that the Lee County Library had an annual amnesty day, but patrons would hold their overdue items until that day to avoid the fines. 2 • Mrs. Matthes added that some libraries use collection agencies, and there is one agency that works only with libraries. The Library currently sends out overdue notices electronically and by phone, depending on how a patron's account is set up regarding contact method. • Mrs. Matthes wants for LAB members to review the proposed policy and provide input so that this request can be presented to the BCC for approval. Mr. Carnell and Mrs. Matthes plan to meet with the County Attorney as well to determine if the LAB can continue to be authorized by the County to set Library policies, and what their limitations would be in this capacity. Currently, any policies dealing with finances need to have final approval by the BCC. • LAB members agreed that some sort of fine waiving policy needs to be created. They reviewed the list provided. • Mrs. Cueves was curious to know if any sort of proof would be required for the reasons listed. Mrs. Matthes replied that parameters would need to be established. • Library cards do not include a patron's name or picture, due to cost, however, photos can be put into the system. • The RFID system would allow staff more time to manage exceptions. It would also reduce theft, as an alarm would sound if someone tried to leave with materials that were not properly checked out. • Mr. Carnell stated that the BCC would like to reduce the number of advisory boards, and recently eliminated eight or nine that were inactive. • He added that Commissioner Hiller would like to create one advisory board to oversee each of the four divisions of the government, such as one for the Public Services Division. However, he realizes that members are volunteers, and may only have an interest in one area, such as the Library, and therefore, may not be as knowledgeable about the other departments. It is helpful to have people who understand the Library system and can have discussions about those topics, and then present any concerns to the BCC for approval. • The discussion concluded, and Mr. Carnell will coordinate with Mrs. Matthes to meet with the County regarding these matters. REPORT OF OFFICERS — None COMMUNICATIONS — None a—Written • Mrs. Grieve stated that since the Collier Citizen has a limited distribution, she will be looking into alternative publications for the Library articles she writes. One possibility is the Florida Weekly. Mrs. Grieve will continue to research into options. • The recent article she submitted to the Collier Citizen took a long time to be published, and they do not always print the articles she submits on a regular basis. b— Personal — None UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1) Employee of the Month —January • Mrs. Murray nominated Janet Pereira from the Headquarters Regional Library for the January employee of the month. Ms. Bettinger-Hennink seconded the nomination and the motion passed unanimously. a. Drawings for "Nominator of the Year" and "Employee of the Year" 3 • Winners will receive a ticket to one of the lecture and lunch events that the Friends of the Library sponsor. • Silvia Puente from Immokalee was selected as Employee of the Year. • Sharon Berrueta from South Regional was selected as Nominator of the Year. • Tanya Williams was nominated for Supervisor of the Year for the County. Although she was not selected, she was one of the top five candidates. • Mrs. Matthes clarified that Supervisors are not eligible to be nominated for County Employee of the Month, but maybe selected as Library Employee of the Month. 2) RFID Update • Mrs. Matthes reported that the vendors have completed their product demonstrations. • The follow-up questions sent to the vendors need to be answered within the next week. The RFID committee will review their responses and make their selection. They will then negotiate for the items needing to be purchased along with the timetable and costs. 3) June meeting at Naples Regional, June 18 • Mrs. Matthes reminded everyone that the June Library Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for June 18 at the Naples Regional Library. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink stated that she has resumed attending the Golden Gate Civic Association meetings and will report monthly on the Library. She added that there are representatives from other areas of the County Government that attend as well. • She also recently met a board member of the Senior Resource Center, and they discussed the newly painted and refurbished rooms that the group is using at the old Golden Gate Library. They also discussed the need for a new sign. • Mrs. Matthes added that this non-profit group has generated more visibility in the community, and has become more proactive in developing programs and services for senior citizens. • Mrs. Matthes added that Parks and Recreation is continuing to use the building as well for their after school and summer programs for disabled children; however, they may relocate after the summer. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink reported that she had lunch with Commissioner Donna Fiala in December and they discussed the Commissioner's mission to assist the media center at Shadowlawn Elementary School to collect children's books. Apparently, the Superintendent of the School District was only recently made aware of the problem, and will be working towards a resolution. Shadowlawn does not have a PTO/PTA in place, and this committee usually holds fundraisers and scholastic book fairs to help generate money for the school. • The Media Specialist stated that she would prefer to have monetary donations in order to purchase books with the more durable Library binding. Mrs. Grieve thought that the state allocated a certain amount of money to the schools to purchase books. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink mentioned that there is a program called First Book that provides new books to children in need. • Commissioner Fiala has been trying to get other community groups, such as the Community Foundation and the East Naples United Methodist Church, to help fund this project. Ms. Bettinger-Hennink suggested for Commissioner Fiala to also request for people to come to the schools to either read to students or listen to children read. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink also ran into Ronney Cox from South Regional, and she was concerned about the $1 per day fine for an overdue DVD. She had commented that it only 4 takes ten days for a DVD to generate the maximum $10 overdue fee, whereas, it takes 100 days for a children's book and 40 days for an adult book to reach the $10 maximum. The fine for an overdue book per day is 100 for children and 250 for adult. Any changes to the current policy would need to be brought before the BCC for approval. • Another concern that Ronney had was regarding sending email notifications to patrons to let them know that their Library materials are due, before the fines become large. Mrs. Matthes replied that the Library cannot guarantee that the messages would be sent or received as there are sometimes computer glitches. • Ms. Lewis reported that one of her friends recently became a volunteer at the SR Library. However, another potential Library volunteer she met had been discouraged from volunteering after a staff member at EN commented that the process was overwhelming and difficult. Mrs. Matthes will look into this. • Mrs. Grieve hopes that the article she wrote for the Naples Daily News will encourage more people to volunteer at the Library and/or with the Friends of the Library. • The Library Book Sale will be held March 21-28 at the South Regional Library. DIRECTOR'S REPORT— Marilyn Matthes 1) Current Statistics • Mrs. Matthes distributed a handout showing monthly circulation comparisons for October, November and December for FY14 vs. FY13. The October statistics had been corrected from what was previously discussed. • She stated that staff noticed fewer patrons than usual coming to the Library over the Holidays. • OverDrive and Zinio continue to do well. Freegal statistics have also been included. • Mrs. Matthes reported that in addition to providing audio lessons, Mango Premiere has added DVDs to their language learning system. The company provided T-shirts to Library staff to promote Mango. She reminded everyone that the Library pays for this subscription, and it is free for patrons. • Flyers for the LEAP program have been distributed to the public and private schools, as well as some home-school associations. This employment opportunity has also been posted on the County website under"Library Page". Within that last week, staff has received at least a dozen calls expressing interest in the program. • The Friends of the Library indicated that they would be willing to help students with transportation needs by providing bus passes to and from the Library. • Tanya Williams, Jamie Reilly (Reference Librarian), Bobbi Skaggs (FOL Secretary), and a representative from Human Resources will interview the candidates. 2) Staffing Update • Mrs. Matthes reported that she has selected Tanya Williams as the Assistant Library Director. Tanya will retain her responsibilities as Branch Manager at HQ. Once she officially takes this position, she will receive a raise and some of her previous responsibilities will be assigned to other staff members. In turn, she will become responsible for other duties, such as monthly statistics and e-rate applications. She also would likely begin to attend some LAB meetings. • Mrs. Matthes has requested a 10% wage increase for Silvia Puente, as she will assume many supervisory responsibilities at IM when Tanya's new position becomes official. • Mrs. Matthes is working to have the Automation Specialist position reposted, as Michael Widner officially retired on January 2"d 5 • Mrs. Matthes is requesting to have two part-time positions combined into one full-time position at MI. Many staff members have moved to other branches for full-time employment. This request is under review, and the position should be externally posted soon. REPORT OF THE FRIENDS • Mrs. Matthes attended the Marco Island Friends of the Library meeting yesterday. They have a program scheduled for February called "Books and Brews" (coffee and tea). • The group discussed giving the Library money to allow for the Marco Island Library to be open on Saturdays. Mrs. Matthes reported that their funds would not be sufficient to sustain supporting the cost to do so for very long. • Mrs. Matthes will be attending the Naples Friends of the Library Board meeting on Friday at the South Regional Library. LAB members are invited to attend. They will be discussing Library program registration procedures. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Library Advisory Board, Mrs. Grieve moved to adjourn, Ms. Bettinger-Hennink and Mrs. Murray seconded and the motion was carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 a.m. Approved by: ), Doris J. Lewis Chair, Library Advisory Board 6