LAB Minutes 09/16/202028.A.3
Naples. Florida, September 16. 2020
LET IT BE KNOWN that the LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD met on this date in regular session
via hybrid in -person and video conference attendance at 10:00 a.m. in the Headquarters Library
with the following members present:
CHAIR: Connie Bettinger -- District 3
VICE -CHAIR: Joan Hochschild — District 1
SECRETARY: Joy White — District 4 (via Zoom)
Marjorie H. Gagnon — District 5 (absent)
Lynne Nordhoff — District 2
ALSO PRESENT: Tanya Williams, Library Director
Karen Tibbetts, Library Administrative Assistant
Louise Franck, Vice -President, Friends of the Library (via Zoom)
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Ms Bettinger asked for additions or corrections to the minutes of February 19. 2020. Mrs.
Nordhoff moved to approve the minutes as written. Dr. Hochschild seconded and the motion
was carried unanimously.
REPORT OF OFFICERS - None
REPORT OF COMMITTEES - None
REPORT OF THE FRIENDS
• Mrs. Franck reported that the Friends of the Library office staff have been working offsite
since February.
• Marlene Kern and Cynde Decker have been processing refunds for the last two events of
the season that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• However the FOL has continued to receive checks and reservations for the next season's
events. Authors have been tentatively scheduled for the upcoming events.
• The Ritz -Carlton, Naples Golf Resort has agreed to continue to host the 2021 Nick Linn
Lecture Series luncheons with a limited number of attendees.
• The number of attendees for the Nick Linn Lecture Series and the Non -Fiction Author Series
events is still to be determined.
• Mrs. Franck stated that the FOL is setting up a new website that is more user friendly and
will include links to the Collier County Public Library website, etc.
• The Friends will have a test program on October 26 with a speaker and limited number of
people in the audience. This event will be held at the South Regional Library. Patrons will
also be able to view the program from home.
• Mrs. Franck stated that she has been watching author events online through Zoom,
Eventbrite and BookPassages.com. She encouraged others to visit the website to view
some of the fascinating information that is archived.
• She added that she has also enjoyed the virtual book talks that Barbie Schulze has
presented during the pandemic.
.0
Packet Pg. 526
28.A.3
• Other meeting attendees wanted to thank all library staff for the phenomenal work they did
throughout the past six months
• Ms. Bettinger added that the Golden Gate Branch Library kept the Dr. Seuss items she
loaned to them for a display in March safe and secure during the pandemic. c
• She also wanted to recognize the courage of staff to maintain programming online, as not o
many people are comfortable in front of a camera and being recorded. N
• Ms. Williams encouraged everyone to submit their comments through the Library's website. cL
W
PUBLIC COMMENTS - None
U
O
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1) Report of Expanded Service Hours —May 2019 through January 2020 —(Request
to Close) m
• Ms. Williams asked for this item to be closed as the Library system experienced c,
many changes to the hours of operation over the last six months. y
• Meeting members agreed, and this item was closed. >
2) LAB Elections Process Timeline - Update a
• Ms. Williams reported that three Library Advisory Board member terms will expire on
12/31/2020. These include District 4 (Ms. White); District 2 (Mrs. Nordhoff) and
District 5 (Maggie Gagnon).
• Ms. Tibbetts will confirm when the press release will be posted for the vacancies. M
and when applications can be submitted. c
• Discussion ensued regarding when LAB members will vote on new officers, and it
was decided to have a special meeting in November N
• Ms. Bettinger made a motion that the Library Advisory Board have a special regular N
meeting on Wednesday, November 18 at 10:00 am at the Headquarters Library to
discuss any new items and vote to elect new officers.
• Ms. White moved to approve the motion, Mrs. Nordhoff seconded and the motion
was carried unanimously. a,
• After discussion, Ms. Bettinger made a motion stating, due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the Library Advisory Board is forgoing its annual meeting for 2020 until Cn
the next annual meeting in May 2021.
• Ms. White moved to approve the motion, Mrs. Nordhoff seconded and the motion W
was carried unanimously. aM
3) Ricoh - Update
Ms Williams reported that the contract with Ricoh. the Library's printer/copier vendor w
who was suing the Library for $60k, will expire on September 30. 2020.
• Ms. Williams added that an internal audit was conducted by the County's internal
controls team. Upon review of the audit the County Attorney ruled that Ricoh did not
have any grounds to sue the Collier County Public Library. W
• The Library's contract with the new vendor, Total Business Solutions, will begin on a
October 1, 2020. m
NEW BUSINESS
9) 2020-2021 Annual Plan of Service (Review, Motion & Approval)
• Ms. Williams stated that Annual Plan of Services outlines the direction of the
Library's five-year plan and is included in the application for State Aid.
• Dr. Hochschild asked how the completion dates are determined, to which Ms.
Williams replied that some objectives may be targeted to be completed within the
fiscal year. while others may take a couple of years to complete.
Packet Pg. 527
28.A.3
• This information is sent to the County Attorney for review and then given to the BCC
for approval
• Ms. Bettinger made a motion to approve the Addendum to the Collier County Public
Library 2018-2022 Strategic Plan 12020-2021 Annual Plan of Service as written.
c
•
Dr. Hochschild moved to approve the motion. Mrs. Nordhoff seconded and the
c
motion was carried unanimously.
`"
2) WiFi
Hotspot Device Check-out (Discussion & Feedback)
N
•
Ms. Williams stated that the Library has subscribed to twenty (20) WiFi hotspot
devices through their cellular provider, Verizon Wireless. Verizon did not charge the
o
Library for the devices, and the unlimited usage plan will cost $361month per device.
p
•
A hotspot device is a pocket -sized mobile router that connects to a WiFi network to
provide internet connection.
•
Library staff are developing a policy to allow the devices to be checked out by
m
patrons. The policy will outline the parameters regarding loan periods, deposits. or
fees if the device is not returned. The devices can be programmed to shut off if the
o
device is two days past due.
">
•
Ms. Williams stated that the draft policy should be ready for LAB members to review
Q
in October.
•
Mrs. Franck will look into the possibility of the FOL funding the hotspot subscription.
+
Ms. Bettinger added that Collier County Public Schools have a supply of hotspot
devices. If a student shows a need. they can apply for one device per residence
M
•
Ms. Williams added that initially. the Library would deploy hotspots to Immokalee,
Golden Gate and possibly East Naples communities.
•
Additional devices may be added if there is a need.
N
•
Ms. Williams reported that the Senior Resource Center at the old Golden Gate
N
Library building has not been open to provide in -person programming to the seniors
in the community and the hotspots could be used by seniors without WiFi to access
the online programming.
•
Ms. Bettinger added that the Social Security and Veterans offices are not open to
provide face-to-face assistance. Everything is being processed online.
3) Annual
Meeting (originally scheduled for May)
•
This item was addressed under unfinished business.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT
1) Staffing Update
• Ms. Williams reported that the Library lost 13 employees and is currently operating at
75% staffing levels.
• The Library has been backfilling positions starting with full-time positions and working
down.
• The Library currently has one LEAP student, and does not anticipate hiring more as
social distancing is difficult to maintain while providing technical support.
• The Library currently has four of eleven job bank employees working.
• The County is moving job bank employees to a third party outside vendor. New job
bank employees will be hired and orientated by the temp agency and provided to the
County.
• The Library is hoping that the current four job bank employees will be promoted to
permanent positions.
• There are four librarian positions open, and some positions may be moved.
• The Library has a staffing level to handle the current operational hours as they are.
3
Packet Pg. 528
28.A.3
• To be eligible for State Aid, the Library has to have at least one location open 40 hours
or more each week. The Regional libraries satisfy this requirement.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Library reopened its locations in a phased
approach following CDC.. Health Dept. and the Governors guidelines.
• The Regional library locations opened first and continue to provide curbside service in
the morning; prior to the buildings opening to the public.
• Golden Gate and Marco Island branch libraries opened next, and also continue to
provide curbside service.
• The Immokalee branch library did not have enough staff for the building to be open to
the public, however.. they did provide curbside service.
• Once adequate staffing was available, the Immokalee library was reopened in time to
help residents applying for assistance under the Collier CARES Act.
• The Everglades City Library is housed within the Tax Collector/Clerk of Courts building
and opened prior to other library locations.
• The Primary elections held in August went well at the Library. There was light traffic
and social distancing was enforced.
• The Supervisor of Elections plans to have two manned drop boxes for ballots
accessible outside of the Headquarters Library for the upcoming elections
• The Sheriff's office is aware that added security may be needed during elections.
• East Naples and Vanderbilt Beach branch libraries recently opened with limited hours.
Additional hours of operation will be addressed when more staff are hired.
• Library staff have been cleaning high -touch areas throughout the day. and conducting
a more thorough cleaning one hour before their shift ends. Some locations that open at
I O OOam do their cleaning in the morning prior to opening to the public.
• The Library continues to quarantine returned materials for a minimum of 72 hrs.
• Materials returned to the Vanderbilt Beach and East Naples branches may take longer
to process due to their limited hours, and it may take a week before items are removed
from a patron's account.
• The Library experienced the same issues as the rest of the County in acquiring
cleaning supplies and PPE for staff.
• Ms. Williams stated that she has pictures of the book drop at Headquarters that shows
a four -foot pile of returned materials.
• In order to conserve PPE's, staff would clear the book drops once a day.
• The Library has stood firm with the health department and risk management guidelines
while phasing its re -openings.
• Open Library spaces are currently being used as quarantine areas and cannot be used
for programs/meetings.
• Ms. Williams reported that to -date.. the Library has had only three employees with
confirmed COVID-19 cases. They were from three different library locations.
• In April, Sharon Keshock retired after 24 years of service. April Ristau, former HQ
manager, moved back to Minnesota. In June. Joanne Wannemacher who was
responsible for library volunteers retired, and Becky Wilder from HQ children's dept.
also retired. Tracy Williams, reference librarian retired in August.
• Chloe Snider came from NR to become the new marketing/programming librarian,
formerly held by Rose LaBarge. Rose LaBarge was promoted to Senior Library
Supervisor for Headquarters
• Three Vanderbilt Beach branch library staff members were promoted.
• Ms Bettinger asked if the LAB packets could be emailed due to delays with USPS
deliveries and the uncertainty of the USPS status.
4
0
N
O
N
N
a�
0
0
N
O
N
r
a�
E
d
a
aD
Packet Pg. 529
28.A.3
• Ms. Tibbetts will check with Parks and Recreation to see how they handle their
advisory board information.
• Ms Williams reported that the Governor's executive order expires at midnight on
September 30. If the order is extended to include the continuation of hybrid -remote
0
meetings. the October LAB meeting may be held in this format. Otherwise, the meeting
c
would be held face-to-face.
2) Capital Projects Update
N
• Ms. Williams reported that she meets the second Monday of each month to discuss
Capital Projects. Capital IT Projects are also updated monthly.
• Ms. Williams reported that the Immokalee Branch Library will be having security
0
upgrades.
• The Immokalee Library parking lot area has gone out for bid to be completely re -
engineered and work is expected to start at the beginning of the fiscal year, and be
o
completed by the end of the fiscal year.
m
• The repairing and repaving of the Estates Branch Library parking lot was completed in
o
March.
• Both Immokalee and Marco Island branch libraries will be having their A/C units
Q
replaced. This will be paid using surtax money.
• Naples Regional will be having its A/C unit replaced. however. it will also need to have
the interior duct work replaced. The library will be shut down for approximately four
weeks as the project will need to be done in phases for the five zones. The work is
currently out for bid with the stipulation that the scope includes for the work to not
CD
begin until March.
v
• Ms. Williams will provide the FOL with a better timeline, as the Friends office will be
o
affected by this project.
N
• A CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) mitigation grant was submitted for the
Immokalee Branch Library to have windows. doors and roof hardened. Impact
resistant windows and a metal roof will be installed.
• A CDBG mitigation grant was also submitted on beha3f of the Golden Gate Senior
Center to either remodel and expand the old Golden Gate Library building, or demolish
�-
a�
and rebuild.
Cn
• The remodeling option would include an additional 1900 sq. ft. for the Library to use for
meeting/programming use.
• The County Manager's office also instructed the Library apply for a state appropriation
through the house and senate for funding the project.
• Ms. Bettinger reported that at a recent Golden Gate Civic Association meeting the
Golden Gate golf course was discussed.
• The discussion included saving 12 holes on the golf course and providing a building to
house firefighters.
• Another topic included constructing a building for veterans to include a senior resource
center. The building would not house veterans, however it would provide , daycare"
activities.
• Ms. Bettinger will forward any information that was provided at the meeting.
• Currently the Golden Gate Senior Resource Center is closed to the public. however
they continue to provide a food pantry on Thursdays from 2-4pm. Community &
Human Services has resumed the in -person meal program.
• Ms. Bettinger added that people begin lining up at noon for the food pantry, and the
cars sometimes interfere with access to the Golden Gate library.
• In addition, the Golden Gate Community Center offers a food pantry on Wednesdays.
5
Packet Pg. 530
28.A.3
•
Ms. Bettinger asked about the replacement of the East Naples branch library carpet.
As this is not an urgent matter, Ms. Williams will circle back to that project.
3) CQVID-19 Service Levels & Statistics
•
Ms. Williams distributed a situation report comparing statistics for the summer (June.
c
July, August) for this year to last year.
c
•
This information was presented to the BCC by Steve Carnell on September 8.
N
•
The report shows that circulation and door counts were down, obviously due to the
N
library's closures.
•
However, ebooks statistics show a 31 % increase.
o
•
The new curbside service will continue as long as patrons are requesting this service.
O
•
Virtual programming statistics were higher than previous in -person programming
'
statistics and will continue to be offered.
•
195 virtual programs were offered with over 100k views.
CO
m°
•
Library staff reported good numbers when tracking social media promotions of library
L
services.
0
•
Some postings were created by staff, and some were captured through other
resources such as Good Reads.
Q
Although the summer reading program participant statistics were down due to social
distancing. the number of books read was almost equal to last year's statistics.
• Ms. Williams stated that in the beginning of the pandemic, she was required to provide
J
a daily situation report and then gradually a weekly report to show everything the
M
Library did since the doors shut on March 18.
• It took staff approximately one week to shift programming into a virtual format.
The Library implemented phone line reference services and added an "Ask a Librarian"
N
widget to its website to continue to assist patrons. The phone line was staffed during
N
operational hours.
• Technology assistance has been provided online or by phone.
4000 unemployment applications were distributed by the Library.
E
• Data usage numbers are holding and the combined ebooks and print circulation has
Q
been comparable to last years numbers.
in
• Ms. Williams reported that several staff members accepted assignments with other
Departments/Divisions.
o Mona Vega (GG) staffed the EMS warehouse from the beginning for five months.
o George Sims (Ni Bryan Watt (HQ) and Nelly Rafael (EB) worked as contact'
tracers for the Department of Health for three months.
o Johanna Casares (EN) provided summer camp activities at the museum for
agency children.
o Glenda Agnoli (NR) continues to work at the Collier CARES call center.
• Ms. Williams tried to keep staff employed at the workplace, as over 50% of staff cannot
work from home.
�?
• Various teams and workgroups were created to upload, monitor and maintain
marketing and social media announcements.
• Mrs. Nordhoff asked if there were any updates regarding volunteer appreciation
events.
• Ms. Williams stated that the library cannot defend having volunteers while current staff
levels can manage the work. She doesn't anticipate volunteers returning to the Library
until after the first of the year.
• Ms. Williams added that due to short supplies of PPE, staff needed to be comfortable
working with each other in the workplace Some staff needed to get comfortable
Packet Pg. 531
28.A.3
working with staff at other locations. Staff then needed to get comfortable interacting
with the public through curbside service, and then directly interacting with the public
when the regional locations reopened at a time when there was no mask mandate.
• Ms. Williams will provide volunteer statistics at the October meeting.
• The Census has been extended through the end of September. however, Collier c
County is still underreported. N
N
ADJOURNMENT a�
There being no further business to come before the Library Advisory Board. the meeting was 2
adjourned at 11:40 a.m. o
Ms. Williams will update LAB members as to the format of the next meeting which is scheduled
to be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at the Headquarters Library, 2385 Orange
Blossom Drive, Naples, FL 34109, (239) 252-7350.
Approved by:
Connie Bettinger, Chair
Library Advisory Board
0
N
O
N
T
L
E
Q
Cn
Packet Pg. 532