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LAB Minutes 09/25/2024Naples, Florida, September 25, 2024 LET lT BE KNOWN that the LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD met on this date at 10:30 a.m. in the Headquarters Library with the following members present: Connie Bettinger - District 3 Joy White - District 4 VACANT - District 1 Marjorie H. Gagnon - District 5 (Zoom) Carla Grieve - District 2 ALSO PRESENT Catherine Cowser, Library Director Karen Tibbetts, Operations Support Specialist I Matthew Etzel, Assistant Library Director Tanya Wlliams, Department Head, Public Services Julie Blatt, Manager, Naples Regional Library Denise McMahon, Manager, South Regional Library Kim Spina, Manager, Acquisitions Wesley "Wes" Gunther, Program Coordinator, Tech Services Andrew Meyer, Program Coordinator, Tech Services Cou(ney "CJ" Campbell, Library Specialist l, Vanderbilt Beach Branch Arnie Rubin, Vice President, Friends of the Library John Alexander, Library Specialist l, Marco lsland Branch Library (Zoom) Beth Waniewski, Resident CALL TO ORDER 1) Grant LAB Member remote attendance (Motion & Approval). Quorum was met for this meeting and was direcled by Ms. Bettinger. Approval was given for Mrs. Gagnon to attend remotely via Zoom. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms. Bettinger asked for approval of the meeting minutes of Augusl2l , 2024. Mrs. Grieve moved to approve the minutes as written. Ms. White seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously. Awards and Recognitions 1) Library Division Chee6 for Peers Recipients for August. Copies of the August Cheers for Peers recipients were provided to LAB members. 2) County Service Awards and VIP Certificates. Mrs. Cowser stated that the following staff were unable to attend today's meeting to receive their 1O-Year Anniversary Awards:o Karen Hayman (EN)o Lindy Field-Regan (HQ)o Mrs. Cowser presented the following staff with VIP awards for August:o Courtney Campbell (VB)o Julie Blatt (NR) x 2o Matthew Etzel (AD)o Karen Tibbetts (AD) x 3 CHAIR: VICE.CHAIR: SECRETARY: 1 30.A.c Packet Pg. 386 Attachment: LAB Meeting Minutes (signed) - September 25, 2024 (30015 : Library Advisory Board - October 16, 2024) BOARD REPORTSl) Report of Officers. Ms. Bettinger stated that the Library Advisory Board has officially accepted Dr. Joan Hochschild's letter of resignation from the Board. 2) Report of Committees - None PRESENTATIONS 3) Report of the Friends of the Library (FOL). Mr. Rubin presented the FOL report submitted by Mrs. Ruddy.. He reported that the FOL's Annual meeting will be held on October 18 in the Rees Room at the Naples Regional Library at 2pm.o Mr. Rubin invited members of the LAB to attend.. The FOL gratefully extended their sincere gratitude and appreciation to Denise McMahon for stepping in to finalize plans fot thei 2024-2025 Signature Series.o Mr. Rubin reported that the Nick Linn Series, the Nonfiction Series and Fall Author Spotlight Series events for the upcoming season are sold out.. Tickets for the second Author Spotlight Series event have not yet been advertised. Stephanie Dray, author of Eecoming Madam Secretary will present on 413124.. Mr. Rubin stated that the Local Author Book Fair is currently on hold, event is under review to either reschedule, hold at a different location, or to cancel it for this coming year. . Mr. Rubin reported that FOL membership is just under 2,000. Membership committee is working on projects to boost membership. 2 4) Report ofthe Library Director a) Facilities & Projects Updater Mrs. Cowser stated that the lmmokalee Branch Library has been awarded grant funding for the CDBG Mitigation and CDBG-CV/HUD to harden the facility with a new roof.o This grant is provided by the State of Florida, and the Florida Commerce has requested the design of this project to be put out for bid.. The project manager assigned to the roof is preparing a scope for the job. . Mrs. Cowser stated Facilities Dept has made money available on a purchase order for replacing the carpet in the children's rooms at the Estates and lmmokalee Branch Libraries.. Mrs. Cowser stated that the Estates Branch Library will be getting a new chiller, and the building may need to be shut down for a day in November or December to allow for the big crane to Install the new unit. b) Staffing Updateo Mrs. Cowser introduced Wes Gunther, the new Program Coordinator working in Technical Services.o Mr. Gunther is benefiting from the County's tuition assistance program and is in the middle of his second year working towards his MLIS degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.o He stated that he is focusing on archives, folklore and faiMales, and is interested in also providing programming for youth services/teens in the future. 30.A.c Packet Pg. 387 Attachment: LAB Meeting Minutes (signed) - September 25, 2024 (30015 : Library Advisory Board - October 16, 2024) . Mrs. Cowser reported that the library has selected candidates for the two open part-time Library Specialist I positions at Naples Regional.. Gisele Tadros, who previously worked at Parks, recently accepted the youth services Program Coordinator position and is working at Naples Regional.. lnterviews are being held for the Program Coordinator position for the south end of the county.. A selection has been made for the Library Specialist ll position at the Marco lsland Branch Library, and the Library Specialist ll position at the Golden Gate Branch Library is expected to post this Friday. c) Operations & Budget Update. Mrs. Cowser stated that county staff received an email this morning regarding yesterday's Board of County Commissioners' approval of a 3% COLA for FY2025.. She reported that the Library's budget has been submitted with no changes and should be approved.. Mrs. Cowser provided LAB members with the exemptions for Hoopla and OCLC that were presented at the BCC's prior meeting. The exemptions were approved for one year.o Mrs. Cowser also provided a letter recently published in The Naples Press referencing this BCC meeting and the Commissioners' discussion regarding the Library's exemption requests. 5) Reconsideration Request Received - Kim Spina, Administrationo Mrs. Spina distributed information to LAB members pertaining to the recent reconsideration request received by the Library on the following book titles: "My Weirder-est School" (Grade 2-3, Age 7-8), 'My Weird School Daze' (Grade 3-4, Age 8-9), and "My Weird School Special" (Grade 2-3, Age 7-8) by author Dan Gutman.. Mrs. Spina reported that the patron came into the Headquarters Library on 8127124 and complained to children's library staff with objections to various words found within the narrative of the books, such as "electrocute', "evil', 'kill' and various name-calling references.o She added that at the August 21, 2024 LAB meeting, an earlier challenge was made to Dan Gutman's book titled "My Weird School Goes to the Museum" (l Can Read Easy Reader Series). During this review, the author's awards, educational conneclions, and Horn Book and School Library Journal reviews were summarized.. Mrs. Spina provided an article written by the author for School Library Joumal on challenges to his series and his answers to his critics.. lt is the Library's recommendation to retain these popular series, which reflect middle-school in a goofy, real-life way, notwithstanding ob,iections to isolated words that aren't framed in context in the public library system.. Ms. \y'Vhite made a motion to approve the Collier County Public Library's recommendation to retain the book series by Dan Gutman in its collection. Mrs. Grieve seconded, and the motion was canied unanimously. 3 PUBLIC PETITIONS TO THE BOARD FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION - None 30.A.c Packet Pg. 388 Attachment: LAB Meeting Minutes (signed) - September 25, 2024 (30015 : Library Advisory Board - October 16, 2024) PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GENERAL TOPICS RELATED TO THE LIBRARY DIVISION - None UNFINISHED BUSINESSl) Review LAB new member information packet. Ms. Bettinger reported that in addition to Dr. Hochschild's resignation, three Library Advisory Board members' terms will be expiring in December,. Discussion ensued regarding the timeline of the posting of the vacancies by the County Attorney's Office, announcements on the Library's website, social media and within the buildings; lhe application deadline; the application review/selection process; and the deadline to submit selections to the County Attorney's Office in order to meet the deadline for the BCC's December 10,2024 meeting. o Mrs. Grieve asked if the posting could continue if no applications are received for any ofthe vacancies. Mrs. Cowser replied that an extension can be requested.. After further discussion, LAB members decided to wait until they receive the applications in order to determine how they will proceed to review and select members to the board. o They will also wait to determine how they will proceed to orient any new members prior to the LAB'S annual meeting, at which the election of officers is made.. The LAB's annual meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held on January 15,2025. o Ms. Tibbetts stated that current members should receive a letter from the County Attorney's Office stating that their term will be expiring and providing details on how to reapply.. She added that she will also inform members when the press release regarding the board vacancies has been publicly published. NEW BUSINESS - None 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 1 1:25 am. Mrs. Cowser will update LAB members as to the format of the Library Advisory Board meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at the Headquarters Library, 2385 Orange Blossom Drive, Naples, FL 34109, 239.252,7 311 . App roved b Connie Bettinger, Chair Library Advisory Board 4 30.A.c Packet Pg. 389 Attachment: LAB Meeting Minutes (signed) - September 25, 2024 (30015 : Library Advisory Board - October 16, 2024)