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LAB Minutes 10/16/2024Naples, Florida, October 16, 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 \A/hite - 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 Chloe Snider, Manager, Headquarters Library Kim Spina, Manager, Acquisitions Wesley "Wes" Gunther, Program Coordinator, Tech Services Andrew Meyer, Program Coordinator, Tech Services Cindy Ruddy, FOL President Beth Waniewski, Resident CALL TO ORDERl) Grant LAB ilember remote attendance (Motion & Approval). Quorum was met for this meeting and was directed by Ms. Bettinger. Mrs. Grieve moved to approve Mrs. Gagnon to attend the meeting remotely via Zoom. Ms. White seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms. Bettinger asked for approval of the meeting minutes of September 25, 2024. Ms. White moved to approve the minutes as written. Mrs. Grieve seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously. Awards and Recognitions 1) Library Division Cheers for Peers Recipients for September. Copies of the September Cheers for Peers recipients were provided to LAB members. 2) County Service Awards and VIP Certificates. Mrs. Cowser stated that there were no County Service Awards or VIP Certificates. BOARD REPORTS I ) Report of Officers. Ms. Bettinger shared the library-themed framed photo of the five LAB members she created to be presented, at a later time to be determined, to Dr. Joan Hochschild to thank her for her 5 years of service as a member of the Board. 1 CHAIR: VICE-CHAIR: SECRETARY: . Ms. Bettinger stated that she is the speaker chair of the Kiwanis Club of Naples. She asked the Library to provide a speaker at these meetings, and tentatively books them in June.. She added that last week's meeting last week was cancelled due to Hurricane Milton. David Chalick was scheduled to speak at this meeting, which has been rescheduled to March.. Ms. Bettinger wanted to thank the Friends of the Library for providing a last-minute substitute speaker to the first Wednesday Kiwanis Club meeting. The original speaker notified her that they were unable to attend due to a funeral.. ln less than two hours, Arnie Rubin, FOL Vice President, was able to get FOL Board Member Connie Kindsvater to be a substitute speaker at the meeting.. Ms. Bettinger said that Mrs- Kindsvater did an incredible job, and her presentation was well received by the Kiwanis Club members.. Ms. Bettinger added that Mrs. Kindsvater was also able to recruit a couple new FOL members at the meeting. 2) Report of Committees - None PRESENTATIONS 1) Report of the Friends of the Library (FOL)o Mrs. Ruddy presented the FOL report.o She thanked the Library for their support of the Friends of the Library.. She reported that Arnie Rubin, FOL Vlce President, wanted to honor Patti Decroot by renaming the Signature Series that she created as the Patti Decroot Signature Series.o Ms. Bettinger added that Mrs. Decroot's husband is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Naples, and he expressed his gratitude when the renaming was announced at their recent meeting.. Mrs. Ruddy stated that Mrs. McMahon has taken over the Patti Decroot Signature Series for the season and has done a wonderful job.. She added that all events in the series have already been booked for the season.. Although the first event in the series was cancelled due to Hurricane Milton, it has been rescheduled to be held on December 17 at the Headquarters Library at 10:00 am. The speaker will be Jerry Franz, who will present "The Bayeux Tapestry: A Well-Told Story of the Conquest of England".. Mrs. Ruddy stated that the Nick Linn Lecture Series and Nonflction Author Series events have been sold out and the first of the two Author Spotlight Series events has also been sold out.. Tickets for the second Author Spotlight Series event have not yet been advertised; however, it is scheduled to be held on April 3, 2025. Stephanie Dray, author of "Becoming Madam Secretary" is scheduled to speak at this event.o The Local Author Book Fair is currently still on hold.. The FOL will be having their Annual Meeting on Friday, October 18 at 2:00pm in the Rees Room in the Naples Regional Library. She invited all to attend.. Mrs. Ruddy stated that she will be presenting under new business some ideas for new series or events. She is unsure if some will be one-time events.. She emphasized that the FOL are looking for new ideas to provide events in areas they may not be subscribing to but may be of interest to Library palrons. She is available by phone, text, or email for any suggestions.o The November FOL Board meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, November 18 at 2:00pm in the Rees Room. 2 2) Report of the Library Director a) Presentation and Vote to Proceed on Bringing to BOCCi. UncollectibleAccountsReceivableso Mrs. Cowser read the executive summary for the Library's five-year uncollectible accounts receivables to be presented to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC).. When asked about the low numbers, Mrs. Cowser stated that the 2019-2020 year included the COVID pandemic.. Mrs. Grieve moved to approve the Library's executive summary as written to present to the BCC. Ms. \Mite seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously. b) General Operationsi. Facilities & Projects Updateo Mrs. Cowser stated that the lmmokalee parking lot is a part of the County's Health Department and is still under review.. She added that the potholes had been filled during the summer.o The Library will be submitting its Annual Update and lnventory Report (AUIR) to the building commission for review.r This report forecasts a ten-year period to determine if the Library has enough space based on the population of the County and foot traffic of the Library.r She stated that the Library should have adequate space until the year 2028.. She reported that the east and south ends of the County are experiencing growth and the report will help determine where the Library may need to expand.ii. Staffing Update. Mrs. Cowser stated that there were two recent promotions:. Linda Hood accepted the Supervisor-Operations position at South Regional.. John Alexender accepted the Library Specialist ll at the Marco lsland Branch.o Mrs. Cowser added that the Golden Gate Branch Library will be hiring a Library Specialist ll.o Mrs. Cowser stated that a new part{ime Library Specialist I will start at the lmmokalee Branch Library on Monday.. Naples Regional and Headquarters will have a new part-time Library Specialist I starting at their locations this month.iii. Programming. Mrs. McMahon stated that everyone is excited about the adult programming coming this season.. She reported that the Public Services Librarians will be hosting book discussions at the Headquarters, South Regional and Naples Regional Libraries. Additionally, they will present book discussions at other locations than their home bases.. Regular speakers for programming have been lined up and additional speakers and new topics are in the works.. Event calendars are available on the Library's website for patrons to view and print upcoming programs and events.. ln addition to the paid programming that's planned, Public Service Librarians will also be offering technology programs at Headquarters and South Regional Libraries. 3 . Mrs. Cowser added that 3-4 library staff members continue to assist Genealogy volunteers, and she thanked the FOL for providing funding to redo the Genealogy room.. Ms. Snider reported that the Youth Services Team is very busy after the Summer Reading Program.. The 80th birthday of Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge will be held at the Headquarters Library during October.. Many locations will be having Halloween events with trick or treating and crafts. There are also some Halloween Outreach Events this month.. Headquarters and South Regional Libraries had several school visits.. October will feature the "Leaves and Library Cards" event to invite residents to register for a library card.o More story times have been added to the Headquarters Library. There are now six story times throughout the week. Generally, 50-70 people attend.. During early voting, story times will be put on hold; however, patrons will be encouraged to visit other library locations during that time.o Mrs. Cowser added that the Headquarters Library is the largest early voting site in the state of Florida.. Ms. \Nhite suggested adding "good citizens on the internet" programs to teach children proper etiquette when on the internet.e Ms. Snider stated that there are tutorials on the Library's website.o The Youth Services Librarians will be attending trainings on "super-charged" story times at the Southwest Florida Library Network (SWFLN).o Ms. Blatt reported that every day the teens from the local middle school come to the Naples Regional Library.o Gisele Tadros, the Program Coordinator at this location ensures that the room is clean and tidy each day.. She is creating a "spooky walk" in the quiet room at this location for one hour in the afternoon.. Ms. Blatt stated that library staff have reached out to other organizations, such as the recycling center and sheriff's office to talk with the kids.o She added that Golden Paws has visited the Naples Regional Library and were a huge success with the kids.o The Supervisor of Elections also held a mock election for students last month.. Ms. Tadros is also creating additional programming for the teens such as using the Cricut machine.iv. Operations & Budget Update. Mrs. Cowser stated that there are currently no changes regarding the Library's budget.o She reported that the Supervisor of Elections will be setting up for early voting at the Headquarters, South Regional, and Marco lsland Branches.. She stated that the County was closed at noon on Tuesday, October 8 in preparation for Hurricane Milton.. The Library reopened for business at 8:00 am on Friday, October 11, with the exception of the Marco lsland Branch, which did not have power. v. State Aid Applicationo Mrs. Cowser stated that the Library submitted its preliminary state aid application for review. 4 . Financial data will need to be provided by the FOL to update the statistics portion of the application which is due December 1 .. Mrs. Cowser will provide updates. 3) Reconsideration Request Received - Wesley Gunther-Administration. Mr. Gunther distributed information to LAB members pertaining to the recent reconsideration request received by the Library on September 25 regarding the book: "Snapdragon" by Kat Leyh.. Mr. Gunther stated that this book is shelved in the junior graphics section for grades 4-6 or ages 9-14 and there have been 75 checkouts of the five available copies over the four years since it was added to the collection.o Mr. Gunther reviewed the synopsis ofthe book and the patron's objections.. He stated that the patron did not read the entire book, as she stopped when she got to the part where the main character began to question her gender identity.. The patron felt that the material caused confusion in children; however, the topics are presented using appropriate language for the recommended reading level and the ob.jectional subject matter is not a main focus of the plot, nor is it presented in any objective way.o Although the patron states there is nothing of value in the material, this title is lauded in reviews and has received multiple awards, included in several "best-of' lists, and nominated for several awards.o Mr. Gunther stated that during his research on this reconsideration request, he does not recommend moving or removing this title from the juvenile catalog based on the personal patron beliefs.. Ms. Bettinger stated that the patron's daughter was right to choose not to read the book, and that every reader should be allowed the opportunity to make their own choices.o Ms. \Nhite made a motion to approve the Collier County Public Library's recommendation to retain the book "Snapdragon" by Kat Leyh in its collection. Mrs. Grieve seconded, and the motion was canied unanimously. PUBLIC PETITIONS TO THE BOARD FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION - None PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GENERAL TOPICS RELATEO TO THE LIBRARY DIVISION - None UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None NEW BUSINESS 1) Review of Applications Received for Library Advisory Board. Ms. Bettinger asked if members wanted to consider scheduling interviews for the applications received.. Ms. Tibbetts reminded members that at last month's meeting, they decided to close the posting ofthe vacanuterm-ending positions on November 6. She asked if they wanted to extend the date to November 13.. Discussion ensued and members decided to keep the November 6 date.. The Library has posted information on is social media posts and website to announce the library advisory boards vacant and expiring seats.. Ms. Bettinger asked if signs were also posted. Mrs. Cowser replied that brightboard postings will be displayed at all locations.. Ms. Tibbetts will inform LAB members if any additional applications are received. lf no candidate is selected for any of the seats, the posting can continue until a new member is selected. 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 11:25 am. Mrs. Cowser will update LAB members as to the format of the Library Advisory Board meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at the Headquarters Library, 2385 Orange Blossom Drive, Naples, FL 34'109. 239.252.7 311 . by: Connie Bettinger, Chair Library Advisory Board o