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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPPROVED 10-17-2016 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Board of Library Trustees Meeting Minutes October 17, 2016 - 5:00 p.m. I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER – Chair Johnson-Tucker called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. at the Mariners Branch Library. II. ROLL CALL - Roll call by Administrative Support Specialist Elaine McMillion Trustees Present: Chair Jill Johnson-Tucker; Vice Chair Janet Ray; Secretary Paul Watkins, Board Member Jerry King, Board Member Douglas Coulter Staff Present: Library Services Director Tim Hetherton Administrative Support Specialist Elaine McMillion Library Services Manager Natalie Basmaciyan Support Services Coordinator Melissa Kelly Branch and Youth Services Coordinator Debbie Walker Circulation and Technical Processing Coordinator Melissa Hartson Mariners Branch Librarian Rebecca Lightfoot Public Works Assistant City Engineer Fong Tse III. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. Chair Johnson-Tucker moved Items VI.B. and VII forward in the agenda and requested these reports be moved up in the agendas for future meetings. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Consent Calendar Items 1. Minutes of the September 19, 2016 Board of Library Trustees Meeting 2. Customer Comments Monthly review of evaluations of library services through suggestions and requests received from customers. 3. Library Activities Monthly update of library events, services and statistics. 4. Expenditure Status Report Monthly expenditure status of the library's operating expenses, services, salaries and benefits by department. 5. Board of Library Trustees Monitoring List List of agenda items and dates for monthly review of projects by the Board of Library Trustees. Chair Johnson-Tucker noted that the monitoring list contained few items for the next few months. She and Library Services Director Hetherton will discuss adding new items and moving existing items to the upcoming meetings. Motion made by Board Member Coulter, seconded by Secretary Watkins, and carried (5- 0-0-0) to approve the Consent Calendar. AYES: Johnson-Tucker, Watkins, Ray, King, Coulter NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: VI. CURRENT BUSINESS A. Items for Review 6. Corona del Mar Branch Construction Update Public Works staff will provide an update on the Corona del Mar branch construction schedule. Public Works Assistant City Engineer Fong Tse reported that the project was currently in plan check. Hopefully the advertisement of bids could be issued in November. If things proceed normally, the branch will likely close in February 2017. Staff would prequalify bidders in order to preclude problems. In response to Vice Chair Ray’s inquiry, Library Services Director Hetherton indicated concierge service was offered at OASIS. Some children's programming will be moved to the Community Youth Center. Assistant City Engineer Tse added that the City was soliciting bids for trailers to house firemen during the construction. In response to Board Member King’s inquiry, Library Services Director Hetherton advised that staff was reviewing the project for cost effectiveness, and would report to the City Council. Approximately a month prior to closing the branch, staff would begin preparing the branch for closure. Assistant City Engineer Tse remarked that staff was awaiting comments from a design contractor in order to review different components of the project. Chair Johnson-Tucker suggested the Library Board of Trustees provide input regarding cost-savings measures. Chair Johnson-Tucker cautioned that the easiest components to remove were often the ones that made the building attractive. Assistant City Engineer Tse reported that the solicitation for bids was based on current plans, i.e., without any proposed cost-savings measures. Staff wanted to know about potential savings, and then would choose whether or not to implement them. In response to Secretary Watkins’ inquiry, Assistant City Engineer Tse stated cost- savings items would be presented to the Council committee responsible for tracking the project. Secretary Watkins concurred with the Library Board of Trustees on providing feedback. Chair Johnson-Tucker felt a Board Member or two should attend the committee meetings and requested Assistant City Engineer Tse notify the Library Board of Trustees of the committee's meeting dates. In response to Board Member King’s inquiry, Library Services Director Hetherton felt there should be an event at the start of the construction as well as a grand opening of the new building once it is complete. Assistant City Engineer Tse stated the plan was to construct the library and fire station as one building. He had considered the various parcels and how best to merge them. Board Member Coulter noted that the community was very involved in the discussions when a proposal to close the branch was presented. Chair Johnson-Tucker felt the issue for the community was the proposal to build a new branch. In response to Secretary Watkins’ inquiry, Assistant City Engineer Tse agreed to notify the Library Board of Trustees and Library Services Director Hetherton regarding meetings on the process by the committee. It would not be good to have separate parcels for the library and fire station as they would share a common wall. In response to Chair Johnson-Tucker’s inquiry, Assistant City Engineer Tse believed the property was donated for public use rather than solely for the library. He did not believe the donation contained a stipulation for library or cultural use. In response to Board Member King’s inquiry, Assistant City Engineer Tse would determine if there were deed restrictions regarding the parcels. Staff had reviewed the deeds twice and had noted no such restrictions. Resident Jim Mosher recalled someone donated property for library use, but the City sold that property in order to purchase the property adjacent to the fire station. 7. Mariners Branch Update Staff will provide the annual overview of Branch operations. Rebecca Lightfoot, Mariners Branch Librarian, reported that the Mariners Branch facility was unique in that it shared the building with an elementary school. The branch is open 71 hours a week and serves many children during and after school. Programs included story time, LEGO, crafts and performers. She summarized staffing and improvements and provided statistics regarding service population, items circulated, reference questions, and attendance at programs. Library staff hosts class visits with Kaiser Elementary and Mariners Elementary. Special events included a celebration of the branch's tenth anniversary and National Library Week in April 2016. Story times were added in response to demand, and attendance increased. Board Member King inquired whether Librarian Lightfoot saw a void she'd like to fill in the next year, whether a staff position or programming. Chair Johnson-Tucker commented that the parking lot for the branch was usually filled. Assistant City Engineer Tse reported that staff had searched for additional space but none was available nearby. In response to Chair Johnson-Tucker's question, Library staff discussed the lack of State funding for school libraries and the PTA's donations of materials. The school librarian also helps by working at the branch. In response to Chair Johnson-Tucker's inquiry, Librarian Lightfoot indicated invitations were sent to all schools in the area to attend events and programs at the branch. Secretary Watkins liked the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. In response to his question, Librarian Lightfoot advised that homeless people often used the adult side of the branch. 8. Youth Services Update Staff will provide the annual overview of Children's Services. Debbie Walker, Branch and Youth Services Coordinator, reported that Youth Services encompasses juvenile and teen services at all branches. Library staff is incredible. General programming included performers, authors and crafts. Friends of the Library provided funding for these programs. Making Memories was supported by the Library Foundation. Story time attendance had increased 13 percent over the prior year. An English/Japanese story time proved to be extremely popular, and staff was planning another one. Special programs included 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, celebration of National Library Week, and the Summer Reading Program. In response to Board Member King’s inquiry, Branch and Youth Coordinator Walker advised that the Summer Reading Program was independent of the District's assigned summer reading list. Library staff received 1,026 book reviews and displayed them on the wall. The reading list was broken down for younger and older readers. Board Member King added that there was a mix of activities to expose young children to reading. Branch and Youth Services Coordinator Walker also reviewed the Summer Reading Program for adults. Teen volunteers were a great help to Library staff. One hundred and eighteen volunteers worked approximately 1,400 hours during the summer. She highlighted the Making Memories, Children’s authors, STARS, future ACT/SAT preparation and Young Adult Advisory Council (YAAC) programs. Outreach activities included first grade class visits and a table at a college and career fair. Materials totals 94,000 items in all branches. Library staff reviewed many sources to determine which materials to purchase. She summarized book lists for patrons and the Accelerated Reader (AR) program. Youth Services staff were mindful that they were creating library users for the future. Chair Johnson-Tucker remarked that library programs continued to expand and improve, even though she did not believe it was possible for programs to get better. Support Services Coordinator Melissa Kelly added that Library staff held their own Summer Reading Program. 9. Review of Library Capital Improvements and/or Capital Outlay Needs Prior to drafting the next year's budget for the Library, the Library Administration is considering various capital improvements to address the appearance and/or functionality of the libraries. An oral report will be presented for the Board's consideration and is not an actionable item. Support Services Coordinator Melissa Kelly reported that the first and foremost Public Works project was the Corona del Mar Library. Staff requested that the Library Board of Trustees' note any suggestions for improvements. Other needed improvements were painting the interior of Central Library, resurfacing the bamboo courtyard, and carpeting. In a few years, the exterior of Central Library would need painting. Some improvement projects were funded through donations. Last year's list included bathroom remodels, which were now out to bid. In response to Chair Johnson-Tucker’s inquiry, Support Services Coordinator Kelly advised that many fixtures in the upstairs bathrooms at Central Library had been replaced. The downstairs bathrooms at Central Library and the public restrooms at Mariners Library needed remodeling. In response to Chair Johnson-Tucker’s inquiry, Support Services Coordinator Kelly indicated she had spoken with contractors but not received bids for painting the interior of Central Library. B. Monthly Reports 10. Library Services Report of Library issues regarding services, customers and staff. Library Services Director Hetherton had attached survey results to the report. Overall, the Library was doing a good job. A date had not been set for the Library Admin retreat. National Library Card month went well with 1,200 sign-ups. In response to Secretary Watkins’ inquiry, Library Services Director Hetherton indicated about 120,000 people were cardholders. He could obtain the number of cards utilized in the last year; the number was probably 65%. The Library had approximately 80,000 active users. In response to Board Member Coulter’s inquiry, Library Services Director Hetherton explained that cardholders did not have to be a resident of the City. There was a $10 fee for out-of-state residents. The Library also offered a computer use only card. The Library lost approximately $300,000 in revenue when the State stopped its transactional reimbursement program in 2011. The Library's services are open to everyone. In September, Friends of the Library and the Library Foundation presented sizable checks to the City Council for Library Services. Those checks would provide collections, services, and resources. The Board of Library Trustees and staff discussed Costa Mesa schools visiting the Library, outreach to schools including Costa Mesa, the cost of transporting children by bus, whether schools would visit the Library if funds for transportation were provided, and Friends of the Library donations for transportation of Newport Beach school children. In response to Secretary Watkins’ inquiry, Library Services Director Hetherton stated he wanted to hold the retreat by the end of October or early in November. Secretary Watkins had reviewed the four themes of the survey and attempted to identify trends. He suggested the Board of Library Trustees review the survey again after the retreat. There was a lot of good information in the survey. 11. Friends of the Library Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Friends of the Library Board meeting. Board Member Coulter reported the Friends of the Library was collecting paperback books and selling them for 4 cents a pound. The Friends of the Library received $590 through sales on Amazon.com. 12. Library Foundation Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Library Foundation Board meeting. Board Member King did not have a report for the Library Foundation. Chair Johnson-Tucker reported the Library Live event was well attended. 13. Witte Lectures Committee Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Witte Lectures Committee's monthly meeting. Vice Chair Ray indicated the next lecture with Linsey Addario, scheduled for October 29th, was almost sold out. VII. BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON-DISCUSSION ITEM) Chair Johnson-Tucker attended meetings regarding creating a lecture hall within existing space. She would travel to San Diego to review facilities there. She was gathering information and exploring ideas to present to the Board of Library Trustees and the Library Foundation. Vice Chair Ray volunteered to assist. Secretary Watkins concurred with Chair Johnson-Tucker that the Library Live event was fascinating. John and Elizabeth Stahr were being celebrated on November 11, 2016, at the Balboa Bay Resort. If Board Members could attend, perhaps they could have a table. VIII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Jim Mosher believed one purpose of the Library Board of Trustees meeting at various branches was to obtain input from people who visited the branch. Meetings at the Mariners Branch were not well advertised to patrons of the Mariners Branch. The Library Board of Trustees might be interested in their comments. IX. ADJOURNMENT – 6:38 p.m. Submitted by: Jill Johnson-Tucker Chair Approval of Minutes