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LAB Minutes 03/18/2015 Naples, Florida, March 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 Vacant— District 5 ALSO PRESENT: Tanya Williams, Interim Library Director (absent) Catherine Cowser, Branch Manager, Headquarters Library Karen Tibbetts, Administrative Assistant Vacant, Literacy Program Specialist Dan Kozlowski, President, Friends of the Library APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mrs. Lewis asked for additions or corrections to the minutes of February 18, 2015. No corrections were noted. Mrs. Grieve moved to approve the minutes. Mrs. Murray and Ms. Bettinger-Hennink simultaneously seconded and the motion was carried unanimously. Catherine Cowser attended this meeting in Tanya Williams' absence due to a schedule conflict. LITERACY PROGRAM REPORT • Mrs. Reiss has retired from the Library, and no literacy program report was submitted. REPORT OF OFFICERS — None COMMUNICATIONS a—Written — None b— Personal — None PUBLIC COMMENTS — None UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1) Employee of the Month — March • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink nominated Mona Vega from the Golden Gate Library for the March employee of the month. Mrs. Grieve seconded the nomination and the motion passed unanimously. 2) LAB District 5 Representation — Follow-up • The vacant Library Advisory Board position for District 5 has been posted on the County website. • Mrs. Grieve stated that Jon Zoler has some contacts in Immokalee that he will be reaching out to. There has been one person that is possibly interested, and this information has been forwarded to Tanya Williams. • The manager at the Immokalee Library also knows of an Ave Maria mother, who was a former LAB member, and another person that is associated with the schools that may be interested as well. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink would like for the IM manager to keep the LAB informed of any pertinent happenings in the Immokalee community. • This item will be kept on the agenda for further updates. 3) Library Binders (from the BCC Workshop) 1 • Ms. Tibbetts is creating binders to be kept at each library location. 4) Non-Print Book Survey Results • Mrs. Cowser distributed survey results. 184 surveys were submitted. • She commented that the audio books are used often by visually impaired patrons; however, with the increase in new technology, there has been an increased trend of other groups using them as they walk, travel or exercise. • Approximately 10% of library materials circulated are in electronic format. • Mrs. Cowser added that many audio books on CD cost between $129 and $139. Some companies will replace a single disk if it becomes damaged for $10-$15, others do not replace single disks. • The LEAP students have been very helpful to show patrons the new technology. • The Library also offers classes to assist patrons with electronic devices. • Mrs. Cowser will bring the LEAP project management plan and Gantt chart to the upcoming FOL meeting on Friday. • Mr. Kozlowski added that the recent Nick Linn Series author reported that 80% of book sales for their last book published were in digital format. • He added that many of the authors have not talked in front of 600 people, and they were impressed with the Nick Linn Series. • Mrs. Grieve added that there have been book discussions that included Skyping with the author. There are also YouTube videos of authors that can be viewed during book discussions. • Mrs. Grieve stated that a local friend of hers had written a book, and when she went to Barnes & Noble to order it, she was told that it was a "print on demand" book and that she would be notified when it arrives. • Mrs. Cowser added that many smaller publishers print on demand. 5) Non-Resident Card Statistics • Mrs. Cowser reported that Non-Resident Card Statistics are approximately 4% of library cards issued. Over 7200 library cards are issued to non-residents. The cost is $10/month or $50 for six months. • Library cards are free for County residents or property owners. The County does not consider timeshare residents as real property owners as they only pay taxes a few weeks out of the year. NEW BUSINESS 1) Acceptance of Donations • Mrs. Cowser stated that the Library will be creating a new donation policy. She has been looking at donation policies from other libraries to create a more formal one to better explain the different donation options: money, materials, equipment, furniture, etc. • Many donated books are usually not the most current titles. • Patrons need to be encouraged to bring their new best sellers to the Library after they've read them, as those are more in demand by the public. • Carey Hunt, Acquisitions Specialist will provide information at the next meeting regarding book donations, as there was a recent letter to the editor from a patron who donated materials. 2) Meeting Room Rentals • Mrs. Cowser reported that some groups wanting to rent Library space have asked if they could provide alcohol to attendees. The Museum and Parks & Recreation Departments have policies stating that the vendor must have their own liquor license and insurance. • The renter would have to personally attend a LAB meeting one month ahead of the event to submit their request and provide vendor information for approval. • There were concerns of liability if an accident should occur after leaving the premises. 2 • Mrs. Cowser added that the BCC determined that the administrative titles of the County were not in accordance with a Florida statute. The Library is now a Division (not Department) of the Public Services Department (not Division). GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS • Mrs. Grieve asked when the RFID self-check gates would be installed at the other locations. Mrs. Cowser replied that the RFID project will be done in three phases. HQ & MI were the first; Phase 2 for RFID should begin in May and take effect October 1, 2015 at NR, GG & VB; Phase 3 for RFID should take effect October 1, 2016 at SR, IM, and EN & EB. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink stated that the State Library Advisory Board rescheduled their June meeting to the beginning of May. There are seven members on this board. DIRECTOR'S REPORT 1) Current Statistics • Mrs. Cowser provided information on February's 2014 & 2015 circulation statistics. • Friday hours for EB, VB & EN were included. There were increases in circulation for VB and EN; however, EB had a decrease in circulation. • Mrs. Cowser reported that tourism on Marco Island is at an all time high since 7-8 years ago. • Historically, January-March have the highest circulation numbers. August & September generally have the lowest. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink added that early voting and the weather also affect the statistics. • Mrs. Cowser added that there has been construction near the East Naples library that has also affected their statistics. • Ms. Bettinger-Hennink asked if a decrease in the Inter Library Loan service saves the Library money. Mrs. Cowser said yes. She said that some libraries limit the ILL service to educational materials only. • Mrs. Grieve and Ms. Bettinger-Hennink commented that when they requested a book for purchase, they received a notification suggesting the use of the ILL services. • Mrs. Cowser added that other statistics for door counts, program attendance, etc. are also generated into reports for staff to review. • She added that MI and HQ use smart gate manager to monitor the door count. • The software will also provide the exact title of a book if it does not check out properly. • There is a staff member nearby to assist if necessary. • Many patrons appreciate the efficiency of the RFID system. It helps many older patrons as they can keep their materials in a tote bag to check out. • Mrs. Cowser will provide door count statistics at the next LAB meeting. 2) FY16 Budget—Staffing & Saturday Hours • Now that Friday hours have been established for EN, VB & EB during the school year, the County may consider adding Saturday hours to some of the branches and Sunday hours to the Regional libraries depending on staffing. • The Library had requested eight FTEs in order to open on Fridays at three locations; however, only three were authorized to be hired. • Mrs. Cowser stated that Tanya Williams will be looking at phasing Saturday hours over two years, based on community needs. • Many students are busy with extracurricular activities, such as sports, on the weekends. • Currently Library staff comes from other locations to rotate working on Saturdays for Regional libraries that are open. • The budget to expand hours also needs to factor in additional utility and cleaning costs. • The biggest budget item for the Library is the IT migration. This was necessary to provide security and stability for the network. • New email addresses for Library staff should be live on Thursday. Emails sent to their former"collier-lib.org" addresses will automatically be forwarded to the "collier-gov.net" accounts. 3 • Mr. Kozlowski asked about the budget regarding books. • Mrs. Cowser stated that there is an increase in the FY16 County budget of approximately 3%, which should include money for materials. • She added that the Acquisitions Department keeps track of item demands to better meet public requests and limit the wait time for patrons to receive their requested items. • Some patrons will provide a "false demand" for an item when they request the item in multiple formats. REPORT OF THE FRIENDS • Mrs. Grieve reported that she recently received the newsletter for the Friends of the Library. The Bagels & Books featured author, Sue Monk Kidd, is well known and the cost to attend is $100 instead of $30. It is anticipated that this will be a sold out event. • This program is one of the big fundraisers for the Friends of the Library. • Mr. Kozlowski reported that the Friends of the Library provided the Library with $130,000 for FY16. The FOL also supports over 380 library programs, funding for the LEAP students, etc. • Mrs. Grieve asked if help was needed for the upcoming book sale. Mrs. Cowser believes that they have adequate help at this time. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Library Advisory Board, Mrs. Grieve moved to adjourn, Ms. Bettinger-Hennink seconded and the motion was carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 11:05 a.m. The next Library Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for April 15, 2015 at Headquarters. Approved by: Doris J. Lewis, Chair Library Advisory Board 4