LAB Minutes 05/17/202328.A.3
Naples, Florida, May 17, 2023
LET IT BE KNOWN that the LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD met on this date via hybrid in -person and video
conference attendance at the Headquarters Library at 10:00 a.m. in order to hold their Annual Meeting. The
following members were present:
MEMBERS: Connie Bettinger— District 3, Chair
Joan Hochschild — District 1, Vice -Chair
Joy White — District 4, Secretary
Carla Grieve — District 2
Marjorie H. Gagnon — District 5
ALSO PRESENT: Catherine Cowser, Library Director
Rosemary LaBarge, Assistant Library Director
Karen Tibbetts, Operations Support Specialist
Kim Spina, Library Manager, Acquisitions
Brenda Rasch, Branch Manager, Marco Island Branch Library
Denise McMahon, Library Manager, South Regional Library
Julie Blatt, Branch Manager, East Naples Branch Library
Susan Maunz, Library Manager, Naples Regional Library
Connie Kindsvater, FOL Past -President, Membership Chair
Janell Lopus, FOL Board Member
Marie Johnson, President, Marco Island Friends of the Library
Stacey Onorato, Board Member, Marco Island Friends of the Library
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The main purpose of this meeting was to select new officers for the coming year. Ms. Bettinger opened the
nominations. Mrs. Grieve moved, seconded by Dr. Hochschild and carried unanimously to re-elect Ms. White as
Secretary. Mrs. Gagnon moved, seconded by Ms. White moved and carried unanimously to re-elect Dr.
Hochschild as Vice -Chairman. Dr. Hochschild moved, seconded by Mrs. Grieve and carried unanimously to re-
elect Ms. Bettinger as Chair.
OTHER BUSINESS - None
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Library Advisory Board, Ms. Bettinger moved, seconded by
Dr. Hochschild and carried unanimously, that the meeting be adjourned at 10:05 a.m.
Approved
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Connie Bettinger, Chair
Library Advisory Board
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Naples, Florida. May 17. 2023
LET IT BE KNOWN that the LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD met on this date at 10:05 a.m. in the
Headquarters Library with the following members present.
CHAIR Connie Bettinger — District 3 M
VICE -CHAIR: Joan Hochschild — District 1 N
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SECRETARY: Joy White — District 4 cm
Marjorie H. Gagnon — District 5 N
Carla Grieve — District 2
ALSO PRESENT: Catherine Cowser, Library Director
Rosemary LaBarge, Assistant Library Director
Karen Tibbetts, Library Operations Support Specialist 1
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Kim Spina, Library Manager. Acquisitions
Brenda Rasch, Branch Manager, Marco Island Branch Library
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Denise McMahon, Library Manager, South Regional Library
Julie Blatt, Branch Manager, East Naples Branch Library
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Susan Maunz, Library Manager, Naples Regional Library
Matthew Etzel, Library Program Coordinator
Mackenzie Morgan, Public Services Librarian 1, Headquarters Library
Chloe Snider, Branch Manager, Vanderbilt Beach Branch Library
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Connie Kindsvater, FOL Past -President, Membership Chair
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Patty Reed, FOL President
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Janell Lopus, FOL Board Member M
Marie Johnson, President, Marco Island Friends of the Library N
Stacey Onorato. Board Member, Marco Island Friends of the Library
CALL TO ORDER
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1) Grant LAB Member remote attendance (Motion & Approval)
• Quorum was met for this meeting, and was directed by Ms. Bettinger, No motion or
approval for remote attendance was necessary.
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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Ms. Bettinger asked for approval of the meeting minutes of April 19, 2023. Ms. White moved to
approve the minutes as written. Dr. Hochschild seconded and the motion was carried
unanimously.
Awards and Recognitions
1) Library Division Cheers for Peers Recipients for April
• Copies of the April Cheers for Peers recipients were provided to LAB members.
2) County Service Awards and VIP Certificates
• Mrs. Cowser stated that no VIP certificates were received for this month.
BOARD REPORTS
1) Report of Officers
• Ms. Bettinger stated that she updates the Golden Gate Civic Association on Library
matters at their monthly meetings.
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• She also thanked Mrs. Cowser and Mrs. LaBarge for including LAB members at the
recent staff day event. She was excited to be present along with Mrs. Grieve to meet
and talk with Library staff.
2) Report of Committees - None
PRESENTATIONS
1) Report of the Friends of the Library (FOL)
• Mrs. Kindsvater introduced Patty Reed, the recently installed FOL Board Director
• She also introduced Janell Lopus, a new FOL Board member.
• Mrs. Kindsvater reported that the three FOL author series, Nick Linn, Nonfiction and
Author Spotlight, have selected their authors for the Fall 2023-Spring 2024 season.
• The Nick Linn Lecture Series will continue to be hosted at the Ritz -Carlton Tiburon
• The Nonfiction series will meet at the Hilton while the Kensington County Club
undergoes renovations
• The Author Spotlight will meet at the Norris Center while the downtown Sudgen
Theater undergoes renovations
• The Branch Liaisons committee is finalizing the requested items that FOL will fund
for the branch libraries.
• Mrs. Kindsvater encouraged everyone to continue to recruit new FOL members,
• Nominations for FOL Board Officers for 2023-2024 are: President: Cindy Ruddy:
Vice President: Arnie Rubin: Secretary: Gwyn Goodman; and Treasurer: Howard
Becker. Voting will be conducted at their meeting this Friday.
• The Friends of the Library are looking forward to the June V kick-off for the
Library's Summer Reading Program.
• Mrs. McMahon pointed out the "Children's Creative Play & Learning Centers"
(CCPL) banner, which is one of five that the FOL funded
• She explained that this is a new initiative for the Library to provide passive
interaction of educational/sensory toys at each location.
• This program will initially be set up at Headquarters, South Regional, Estates,
Golden Gate and Immokalee branches. and is funded by the FOL.
• Mrs. Kindsvater added that the FOL would like to continue to fund the growth of this
initiative.
• Two PowerPoint programs were presented at the recent staff day event to share
information on this initiative.
• The toys will be rotated among the Library's locations to keep the program fresh.
• These toys will also help provide opportunities for sensory spectrum challenged
children and their families.
• Mrs. Grieve asked if any of the toys would be available for patrons to borrow.
• Mrs. Cowser replied that the cost to do so would be $30k, as the toys would need to
be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis, and current staffing shortages and
budget restrictions make this difficult to do.
• Mrs Reed asked if there is a way to measure the success of this initiative.
• Mrs. LaBarge replied that the Library provides story time surveys to get input from
participants.
• Pre-COVID, the Headquarters Library offered monthly sensory story times provided
by an Occupational Therapist.
• Mrs. McMahon reported that South Regional Library offers a separate designated
"sensory room" after story times
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• She added that there are several other agencies in the County that offer "inclusive"
playgrounds and opportunities as well.
2) Reconsideration Form Received — Kim Spina
• Mrs. Spina provided handouts of the recent "Request for Reconsideration of Library
Materials" request submitted regarding the DVD "Goliath`
• Dr. Hochschild asked if all movies in the Library's collection have ratings
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• Mrs. Spina reported that no ratings were given to films made prior to 1968.
+ The Library currently has 9574 films that do not have an assigned rating.
• Discussion ensured regarding "Goliath".
• Mrs. Spina stated that the movie was premiered at Sundance Film Festival, which
generally only accepts less than 1 % of the submissions it receives.
• Mrs. Spina reported that the Library will respond to this request as they have with
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past inquiries.
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• A letter will be drafted to the originator explaining that the Library does not restrict
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materials on principal. The Library follows the guidelines established by the
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American Library Association (ALA): its Bill of Rights and Freedom to read/view
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materials.
3) Report of the Library Director
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a. Staffing Update
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• Mrs. Cowser reported that Library managers will be meeting this afternoon to
address the Library's current staffing. CIA
• She shared excerpts from a Library Staffing Survey recently conducted with over N
200 respondents. M
• The survey results indicated: o
0 77% of libraries nationwide have an opening available
o Over 50% do not have adequate staffing to meet the rising needs of patrons
0 65% reported that their biggest hurdle is hiring new staff
0 15% reported that it is very hard, and 30% reported it is hard, to hire new library
staff
0 7.5% reported that it is very hard, and 23% reported it is hard, to retain library
staff
• Mrs. Cowser introduced Mackenzie Morgan and Matt Etzel.
Ms. Morgan started last Monday as the Headquarters Library's newest Public
Services Librarian.
She graduated from Gulf Coast High School and received dual majors in
Communications and English from Florida State University.
After graduating, she worked at a local Barnes & Noble. which influenced her to
pursue her MLIS. which she received from Simmons University in Boston.
Mr. Etzel began working for the Library in 2021 at the East Naples Branch as a
Library Assistant. He then promoted to the Naples Regional Library as a Library
Technician. Last fall he promoted to a Program Coordinator position in Library
Administration.
He currently has been working diligently with the Library's budget and
acquisitions.
Originally Mr. Etzel considered pursuing a teaching career. however. he is now in
his final term at the University of South Florida for his MLIS.
• Mrs. Cowser stated that many of the Library's current Librarian staff have come
from other parts of the United States; however, housing costs have made it difficult
to attract new professionals.
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• She added that Wesley Gunther, a current full-time Library Specialist I at the
Headquarters Library, is considering to enroll in pursuit of an MLIS.
• She added that she is working with the County's Human Resources Department to
follow the new trend of hiring people that are in the process of acquiring their MLIS.
• The County does offer tuition reimbursement for candidates to agree to continue
employment with the County for a designated period of time.
• In the past, the FOL has also helped to support new staff pursuing an MLIS.
• She is hoping that a final decision will be made this week regarding the modification
of credentials for professional positions.
b. General Operations
Mrs. Cowser reported that the Library has completed its inventory at each location.
i. Outreach
• Mrs. Cowser reported that the Florida State Parks will not be offering free
admission during the summer this year.
• However, the Naples Botanical Gardens will be offering complimentary
admission to Library cardholders June 12-18.
ii. Programming
• Mrs Cowser reported that the Library has increased the youth/teen
programming, and that the FOL has been helping to fund these programs.
• She added that Angela Machalek, one of the new Library Program
Coordinators has been working between the Regional Libraries to provide
these programs, which have been successful.
iii. Summer Reading Program
• Mrs Cowser stated that all Library locations have been decorating in
promotion of the Summer Reading Program.
• She shared samples of the new book cards, which will be used instead of
bookmarks for this program.
• She added that a generic design was created to brand the Library and not
the yearly summer reading program theme, as it is more economical, and
they can be used for more than just one year.
• Mrs. Kindsvater asked for a list of the kick-off events at each location so
that she can coordinate with the FOL liaisons to be in attendance.
PUBLIC PETITIONS TO THE BOARD FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION - None
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GENERAL TOPICS RELATED TO THE LIBRARY DIVISION - None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
• Discussion ensued among LAB members regarding the June 21 meeting.
• As two members will not be available to attend, it was determined to reschedule the
June 21 meeting at the Headquarters Library, and to see if the Immokalee Branch
Library will be able to accommodate the LAB's August 16 meeting.
• All members indicated that they would like to visit this location with all members in
attendance.
• Ms Tibbetts will look into this and let members know if this can be arranged.
NEW BUSINESS — None
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PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GENERAL TOPICS RELATED TO THE LIBRARY DIVISION —
None
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Library Advisory Board, the meeting was
adjourned at 10:50 a.m. N
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Mrs. Cowser will update LAB members as to the format of the Library Advisory Board meeting
scheduled to be held on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at the Headquarters Library, 2385 Orange
Blossom Drive, Naples, FL 34109. 239.2527311.
Appr
5ed bye
Connie Bettinger, Chair
Library Advisory Board
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