LAB Minutes 03/15/2017Naples, Florida, March 15, 2017
LET IT BE KNOWN that the LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD met on this date in regular session at 10:00
a.m. in the Headquarters Library with the following members present:
CHAIR: Loretta Murray — District 1
VICE -CHAIR: Connie Bettinger-Hennink — District 3
SECRETARY: Joy White — District 4
Marjorie H. Gagnon — District 5
Lynne Nordhoff — District 2
ALSO PRESENT: Tanya Williams, Library Director
Karen Tibbetts, Administrative Assistant
Sandra Linneman, Secretary, Friends of the Library
Susanne Abele, Resident
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mrs. Murray asked for additions or corrections to the minutes of February 15, 2017. Ms. Bettinger-
Hennink noted that Ms. Williams' title should be corrected to be Library Director instead of Interim
Library Director. This error was also noticed on the minutes from December 14, 2016 and January 18,
2017. Mrs. Nordhoff moved to approve the minutes with this correction. Mrs. Gagnon seconded and the
motion was carried unanimously.
REPORT OF THE FRIENDS
• Mrs. Linneman reported that the Friends of the Library (FOL) will be having a Member/Donor
Appreciation event on March 31 to be held at 9:00 am at the South Regional Library. This event will
be held in place of the Bagels & Books event.
• This is a FOL member event, and all Library Advisory Board (LAB) members are invited to attend.
• Over 300 members have signed up to attend, and there is a waiting list.
• Patricia Schultz, author of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" will speak at this event. Books will
be available for purchase, and a book signing will be available.
• Mrs. Linneman handed out the minutes from the February 17, 2017 FOL Board meeting to provide
reports of the committee chairs.
• Currently there are 2200 FOL members.
• Discussion ensued regarding the changes for registering for Library programs/events.
• Some members are displeased about not being able to register for Library programs/events early,
however, they receive the event guide electronically one week prior to the beginning of registration.
REPORT OF OFFICERS
• Ms. Bettinger-Hennink reported that she has attended all of the volunteer appreciation events held
so far.
• She added that many staff members are very impressed with the fact that Ms. Williams took time to
visit each Library location and meet individually with each staff member shortly after she was
selected as the new Director.
• Ms. Bettinger-Hennink stated that the teenage volunteers at Immokalee have contributed the sixth
highest number of volunteer hours at the Library.
• Mrs. Gagnon added that the LEAP student at Immokalee is incredible, and she has posted a flyer at
her business to encourage residents to visit the library for electronic device assistance.
COMMUNICATIONS
a — Written
• Mrs. Gagnon shared a letter to the editor expressing concern about the self -check-out stations
that the Library has implemented.
• Ms. Williams read the article aloud and assured everyone that these stations are not replacing
staff, but allow staff the ability to interact more with patrons in order to provide better customer
service.
b — Personal — None
PUBLIC COMMENTS — None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1) Employee of the Month — March
• Mrs. Nordhoff nominated Laura Testut, Library Technician at the Estates Branch Library, as
the March employee of the month. Mrs. White seconded the nomination and the motion
passed unanimously.
2) Acquisitions — Carey Hunt
• Ms. Williams reported that Ms. Hunt will be rescheduled to attend the May LAB meeting, as
she was working with the vendor to set up security gates at the Golden Gate Branch Library.
3) 1St Quarter Report
• Ms. Williams distributed and reviewed statistics for the first quarter.
• She noted some trends in comparing these statistics with last year's.
• Circulation of physical items has experienced a slight decline, however, the circulation of e -
books and e -resources has continued to increase.
• Ms. Williams reported that the Library will continue the subscription of Hoopla, which is the
only platform that provides streaming of video and music.
• Readers using a Kindle reader can only access a -books through OverDrive, so the Library will
continue its subscription.
• Ms. Williams will look into providing a breakdown of new cardholder statistics to determine if
replacement and temporary cards are included. Currently, there are approximately 200,000
library cardholders.
• Ms. Williams provided explanation of some of the databases listed.
NEW BUSINESS
1) Fines & Fees
a) Non-resident
• Ms. Williams handed out the current fines and fees schedule.
• She reported that she and Ms. Tibbetts contacted six library systems in the state regarding
their computer usage policies for patrons without library cards.
• There is a trend with libraries recognizing internet access as part of traditional services
being provided free to the public.
• The Library collected approximately $92K in fees and charges for FY2016. This included
fees for lost or damaged books, processing and repair costs, and non-resident computer
access fees. Late fees collected amounted to approximately $156K.
• Ms. Williams will try to extract the computer access amounts for the next meeting.
• She will also have staff run a risk assessment if the $5 surcharge for non-residents is
removed.
• The Library must present any financial changes to the BCC for their approval.
b) ILL, no paperwork charge
• Ms. Williams distributed the current InterLibrary Loan (ILL) bookmark.
• She reported that ILL patrons have been charged $2.50 whenever the ILL paperwork is
lost. This fee is not listed on the bookmark, however, it does state that ILL patrons are
responsible for fines, fees and lost materials.
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The ILL paperwork provides a history of the book, such as who it belongs to and where it
needs to be returned, and is essential to expedite ILL requests.
Ms. Williams asked LAB members if this fee could be included in the replacement
processing fee for lost or damaged items that is currently on the fines and fees schedule.
Mrs. Nordhoff moved to include any ILL charges with the replacement processing fee for
lost or damaged items. Ms. Bettinger-Hennink seconded and the motion was carried
unanimously.
GENERAL CONSIDERATION
• Ms. Bettinger-Hennink shared a sample of an electronic device connector/converter that she
received at a recent career fair, which she then gave to Ms. Williams as a suggestion for a future
give-away item.
• Ms. Bettinger-Hennink suggested creating a protocol to acknowledge staff when they are retiring
from the Library.
• Discussion ensued regarding minimum years of service and whether the FOL would provide
funding for printing recognition cards, etc.
• LAB members will be notified of any retirement events for Library staff.
• There was discussion about former library staff wanting to volunteer at the library. Ms. Williams will
check with the HR Dept. pertaining to the legality of this inquiry.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT
1) Community Assessment Update
• Ms. Williams reported that the Community Assessment online survey closed at midnight on
Monday, March 13.
• 1846 on-line surveys were completed. 26 were completed in Spanish and 5 in Creole.
• Stantec will be analyzing and grouping the written information provided in the dialogue boxes
of the survey.
• They will also compile information they gathered from one-on-one discussions with the public.
• Stantec was surprised to learn that many patrons are multiple library users, and 64% of the
surveys were completed by year-round residents.
• Ms. Williams stated that the Collier County population is trending towards older than state
average.
2) FY18 Budget Planning
• Ms. Williams reported that the FY18 budget policy was approved at the March 28 BCC
meeting.
• There will be a 2.5% increase in the Library's budget, which equates to approximately $200K.
• Staff will receive a 2.9% COLA and there will be no increase in insurance.
• Baseline salaries were approved for a .6% salary adjustment.
• The Library receives $200K from State aid, and with additional monies/donations, there
should be approximately $1 million for book expenditures.
• Painting and carpeting will be looked at within the Library budget.
• Currently, there are several air conditioning units agency -wide that need to be replaced.
• Ms. Williams will have more information about the FY18 budget after the April BCC meeting.
3) Director's FYI Purpose
• Ms. Williams distributed a list of key tasks and priorities that she plans to address in FY17.
• Ms. Williams reported that the Library has completed the IT migration, which reduced the
CenturyLink operating costs by $12K per month.
• Some of the other tasks will be addressed after the results of the Community Assessment
have been reviewed.
• Collier County Government has a strategic plan to operate in a business model as Collier, Inc.
• There are five tenants stemming from this plan: team, sustainability, operational excellence;
quality of place, and fiscal stewardship.
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• Ms. Williams is working on brand guidelines regarding the use of the proposed new Library
logo. This item will be presented to the BCC in April.
• Ms. Williams will include staff updates at future LAB meetings.
• Catherine Cowser began her new position as Assistant Library Director on March 4.
• Ms. Cowser's former Senior Supervisor position has been posted, and internal candidates are
being interviewed.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Library Advisory Board, Mrs. Nordhoff moved to
adjourn, Ms. Bettinger-Hennink seconded and the motion was carried unanimously. The meeting was
adjourned at 11:40 a.m.
The next Library Advisory Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at the Golden Gate
Branch Library.
Approved by:
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Loretta Murray, Chair
Library Advisory Board
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