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LAB Minutes 02/18/2015 Naples, Florida, February 18, 2015 LET IT BE KNOWN that the LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD met on this date in regular session at 10:00 a.m. in the Headquarters Regional 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 (absent) ALSO PRESENT: Tanya Williams, Interim Library Director Karen Tibbetts, Administrative Assistant Roberta Reiss, Literacy Program Specialist (absent) Jon Zoler, Vice President, Friends of the Library APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mrs. Lewis asked for additions or corrections to the minutes of January 21, 2015. Minor corrections were noted, and Mrs. Grieve moved to approve the minutes. Mrs. Murray seconded and the motion was carried unanimously. LITERACY PROGRAM REPORT • Mrs. Reiss was unable to attend the meeting due to unforeseen circumstances and did not provide a written report. • Ms. Williams reported that Mrs. Reiss submitted her letter of resignation effective February 28, 2015. There will be a farewell party at South Regional on Thursday, February 26th at 11 am- 1 pm. Mrs. Reiss provided 15 years of service to the Library. • Ms. Williams will be reviewing the Literacy Program to see if any modifications are necessary. One suggestion was to increase the technology component of the program. • She also will be reviewing staff to see if anyone has qualifications for this program. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink would like to see more literacy outreach events in the community. REPORT OF OFFICERS — None COMMUNICATIONS a —Written — None b— Personal — None PUBLIC COMMENTS — None UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1) Employee of the Month — February • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink nominated Carly Syren from the Naples Regional Library for the February employee of the month. Mrs. Murray seconded the nomination and the motion passed unanimously. 2) Library Audit to BCC • Ms. Williams reported that the Library audit passed without discussion at the January 27 BCC meeting. • There were minor housekeeping details to be addressed, such as dual control of monies, and keeping monies locked and secured. • Ms. Williams will be meeting with the Public Services Division team tomorrow to discuss how to move forward with making the necessary changes. • The audit information is accessible on the County website. 1 3) Library Workshop • Ms. Williams reported that Mrs. Grieve, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Bettinger-Hennink, and Mr. Zoler attended the workshop. • Everyone agreed that the workshop was very complimentary of Marilyn Matthes and all the work she has done for the Library. • The Board of County Commissioners shared their appreciation of what the Library provides to the community. Commissioner Fiala asked what more they can do to help. • Although Commissioner Nance requested this workshop, he was unable to attend due to illness. • Mr. Zoler would like to see the Library become more aggressive in requesting more funding and support from the BCC, especially for more books. • Mrs. Grieve added that one of the Commissioners stated that Library users want longer hours, more books and more employees. • Mrs. Murray suggested for each LAB member to approach their district Commissioner to discuss Library needs, such as more employees and books. • Mr. Zoler requested copies of the workshop historical information for the Friends of the Library board members. Ms. Williams will bring them to the Friday FOL meeting. • Ms. Williams will also create binders to be kept at each library location. 4) Library Umbrellas • Ms. Williams reported that there currently are 100 umbrellas available system-wide for check out at the Library. • Since adding the umbrellas to the Library in May 2014, 57 umbrellas were checked out, and only four are currently delinquent. • The Vanderbilt Beach branch has sold the most umbrellas. • Library locations display the umbrellas, and maybe should make them more prominent during wet weather. • Mr. Zoler will look into how many umbrellas were originally purchased. • The FOL is looking into ordering more umbrellas. NEW BUSINESS 1) Self Check-Out Grand Opening • Ms. Williams reported that there will be Grand Openings for the Self Check-Out on Monday, February 23 at Headquarters (9am-10am) and Marco Island (10am-11 am). • Commissioner Fiala will be attending the MI event and Commissioner Hiller will be attending the HQ event. • This photo opportunity will have balloons, cookies, and water provided. • Security gates and self check out stations will be fully operable. • Ms. Williams added that all Library materials have been RFID tagged, except for any materials that are still checked out/overdue and the umbrellas. • All locations have the staff RFID stations installed and operable to check materials in and out and for inventory purposes as well. 2) Community-Based Strategic Plan • Ms. Williams provided a handout that was part of the final recommendation at the BCC workshop. • The Library needs to align itself with community goals. • The sustainability of public libraries is important as well as cultivating leadership. • Currently 47% of the community are library users and are vocal about what they want. • Mr. Zoler suggested planning for a sampling of different segments in the community in order to reach the other 53% of the population. • Ms. Williams agreed and recommended creating more workshops within the Library and extending more into the community with more outreach programs by meeting with civic associations, schools, and local business leaders, etc. to find out what the Library needs to provide to reach the other 53%. 2 • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink added that there is a need for different language speakers and suggested reaching out to the community through churches. • Ms. Williams added that the local elementary schools are good avenues, and all five schools in Immokalee have literacy nights for parents, which are good opportunities to talk with parents about the Library and its services. • Ms. Williams would like to dispel some Library myths. Some see the Library as a government institution; however, the Library provides equal access to resources and materials for everyone in the community. • Mrs. Grieve asked if the Leadership Collier and Greater Naples Leadership groups include the Library in their presentations. • Mr. Zoler will contact the Greater Naples Leadership group. 3) Non-Print Book Survey • Ms. Williams provided a sample survey form, and explained that this public input survey will be conducted during the month of February. • The survey is available on the Library website as well as in print format. • Ms. Tibbetts will look into whether it is being promoted on the Library's social media sites. • The Library has initiated several public surveys over the years, most recently, the one pertaining to expanding hours at the EN, EB and VB branches. • Internal surveys for magazines are conducted using a paper tally sheet for patrons to initial when they've viewed the magazine. Staff members collect the tally sheets to calculate the usage. • Mr. Zoler asked about specific topic magazines, such as Architectural Record, that he has noticed at the Library. He commented that this magazine is designed for architects. • Ms. Tibbetts replied that there are some patrons that donate magazine subscriptions to the Library, and that this title may be one of them. • Mrs. Grieve added that a friend of hers has donated copies of the Circumnavigator Club's publication "The Logy' to the Library. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink added that Zinio provides other magazine options electronically that the Library may not have available in print for patrons. • Ms. Williams will look into Zinio posters at each location. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink commented that Marilyn Matthes' Retirement party was wonderful. It was good to see representation from the Commissioners and other County Staff as well as FOL and LAB members in attendance. The Seminole quilt made for her was beautiful. • Discussion ensued regarding Lillian Cuevas' LAB membership. She has acknowledged that her work schedule has conflicted with her ability to attend the meetings. • Ms. Williams will contact her regarding if she has any intentions to resign. • Everyone agreed that the Immokalee community needs to be represented; however, geographically, it has been difficult to find a representative for that area. • Jon Zoler has some contacts in that area that he will reach out to. • This item will be added to the March LAB agenda. DIRECTOR'S REPORT—Tanya Williams 1) Current Statistics • Ms. Williams provided information on January's statistics. Circulation is down overall, except for the jail. • OverDrive, Mango Languages, and Zinio still show an increase in circulation. • Friday hours that were added to EN, EB and VB on January 23rd were not factored in the statistics. • Ms. Williams reported that these numbers may still be indicative of fewer books on the shelves. 3 • Much of this was due to the Library having less money at the end of the year to purchase new materials. • Also a mass weeding was conducted system-wide and concluded in December. New materials have since been purchased and are being processed into the collection. • Currently there are approximately 700,000 items in the Library collection. • Some weeded materials will be available for the public to purchase at the March book sale. • Ms. Williams will create a report to show how many temporary cards are used. • Mrs. Grieve recommended partnering with the real estate groups to promote the Library in their welcome packages for new residents. • She added that many people do not browse the Library as much. • Mr. Zoler stated that most people are interested in the new best sellers. • Ms. Williams agreed and explained that during the recession, the Library would reorder additional copies when requests averaged more than 10 holds per book. Since the economy is coming back, this rate has been lowered to 3-5 holds/book. • Some patrons request materials in all formats in order to increase their ability to get a new book. The Library breaks down the statistics of holds in all formats and looks for the most economic choice when ordering materials. • Currently there are 400+ holds for the print copy of the book "Girl on a Train". There are 21 copies in the system, 65 being processed into the system, and more on back order; however, some of these requests come from seasonal residents which makes it difficult to decide on how many to order. • The Library will be re-implementing Reader's Express rental books to be available at some locations. These books are not able to be reserved and do not float. • Discussion ensued regarding patrons reserving materials. Library staff can assist patrons in reserving materials; however, some do not want to wait. • Mrs. Murray added that many patrons will buy the book, and Mrs. Grieve hopes that they donate it to the Library when they're done with it. 2) FY16 Budget a. Staffing • Ms. Williams reported that the budget policy which gives each department guidelines when preparing their budget will go before the BCC at their March 10th meeting. • The Library will be given the policy to generate the FY16 budget. • She is looking at current staffing levels, and where we can go to increase those levels to best benefit the Library. • She is looking into the status of job bank employees to see if they will be continued or offered permanent positions. • She will also be requesting additional FTE's for the Library, and needs to determine the justification for those employees. • Budgets need to be generated in April, and budget workshops are held in June to review the FY16 budgets. All budget information is approved at the end of September. • It is anticipated that there will be a 3% increase in the FY16 budget from last year. • Ms. Williams added that the new Library Director, Valerie Kocin, will start on April 22. b. IT Migration • Ms. Williams is continuing with the IT Migration to the County's IT Department. • She is working with a County Budget Analyst and Steve Carnell to see how the County will help the Library to absorb some of this additional cost. • There currently is instability with both staff and public use computers. Some have not been updated with the Windows 7 operating system. • Countywide, the Library is currently the only place to access free public use computers. There may be some other state or federally funded career centers that have public access computers for employment opportunities, etc. • Everyone agreed that it is very important for the community to have access to computers, and it has been beneficial for the Library to assist the public and provide them with computer usage information. 4 REPORT OF THE FRIENDS • Mr. Zoler reported that the Friends of the Library are in the midst of the Nick Linn lecture series, which usually features fiction authors. Over 500 people attend these lectures as the Naples Ritz-Carlton. • The Non-Fiction Author Series features a breakfast at the County Club of Naples. Mr. Zoler commented that the quality of the authors is amazing and that the authors are very articulate. • The Bagels & Books Club is a more upscale breakfast event held in Port Royal. • Mr. Zoler reported that the Friends of the Library sponsored 280 adult programs and 104 children's programs last year. He believes that they provide more programs than any other Friends group in the entire country. • He would like to increase the promotion of the Library and its programs. • Mrs. Grieve writes articles for the Collier Citizen; however, she would like to be able to include information in the Naples Daily News in order to reach more of the community. Maybe a section can be dedicated to "From the Library Director". • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink commented that Collier County has a diverse level of education throughout the population and that many people do not read the newspaper. There may be other avenues to communicate, such as through social media. • She added that one example is the recent farmer's market situation in Golden Gate, and most people learned about it through social media. • She further added that some social media sources, such as Snapchat and Instagram, do not use written communication as they are picture based. • Ms. Williams agreed that the Library is caught in the middle of a shift between print books and new technology. Technology is continuously evolving, and the Library is making every effort to keep up. • Ms. Williams explained that according to many scholars, society is in the midst of a "Gutenberg Parenthesis" where a paradigm shift from print material to digital is occurring. Just as oral culture was interrupted by Gutenberg's printing press, now so too is the printed culture being interrupted by digital technology. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Library Advisory Board, Ms. Bettinger-Hennink moved to adjourn, Mrs. Grieve seconded and the motion was carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 11:35 a.m. The next Library Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for March 18, 2015 at Headquarters. Approved by:e ,, Doris J. Lewis, Chair, Library Advisory Board 5