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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPPROVED MINUTES CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Board of Library Trustees Newport Beach Public Library-Balboa Branch 100 East Balboa Boulevard, Newport Beach 92661 Meeting Minutes April 23, 2019 - 5:00 p.m. I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER –Chair Ray called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. II. ROLL CALL - Roll Call by Administrative Support Specialist Elaine McMillion Trustees Present: Chair Janet Ray, Vice Chair Paul Watkins, Secretary Douglas Coulter, Board Member Jill Johnson-Tucker, Board Member Kurt Kost Trustees Absent: None Staff Present: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director Elaine McMillion, Administrative Support Specialist Natalie Basmaciyan, Library Services Manager Melissa Hartson, Circulation & Technical Processing Coordinator Claire Leach, Librarian II Evelyn Rogers, Branch Librarian III. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS None V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Consent Calendar Items 1. Minutes of the March 18, 2019 Board of Library Trustees Meeting Motion made by Board Member Coulter, seconded by Vice Chair Watkins, and carried (5- 0-0-0) to approve the Consent Calendar items as presented. AYES: Ray, Watkins, Coulter, Johnson-Tucker, Kost NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: Board of Library Trustees Meeting Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 2 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. VI. CURRENT BUSINESS A. Items for Review 6. Balboa Branch Update Branch Librarian Evelyn Rogers presents an overview of Balboa Branch's activities and resources. Branch Librarian Evelyn Rogers reported the Balboa Branch is the original Newport Beach Public Library. The building was built in 1929 and expanded in 1960. The Branch houses the Newport Beach Historical Society Museum. Afternoons are busier than mornings, and summers are the busiest time of year. The Branch is open 60 hours a week. The Nautical Collection is one special collection available at the Branch. Two story times are scheduled each week, and a special program is scheduled each month. One full-time Librarian, one part-time Library Assistant, two part-time Clerks, and one part-time Page comprise Branch staff. Rains over the winter caused problems, but leaks have been repaired. Mold from the flooding will be addressed. City staff replaced the lights in the bathrooms. The Branch offers more than 35,000 titles. Much of the nonfiction materials are outdated. Children's nonfiction has been updated, and staff is updating adult nonfiction. Statistics for the Branch use are highest in July and lowest in December. In response to questions from Board Members, Library Services Manager Basmaciyan advised that the City Attorney's Office is reviewing a contract for an industrial hygienist to address the mold problem. Once the contract is approved, work will be scheduled for a Sunday when the Branch is closed. She did not know if mold is contained. Once the contract is approved, a date for the work will be scheduled. Library Services Director Hetherton related that he has spoken with representatives from the Public Works and Fire Departments who believe efforts to replace the Branch could begin in two or three years. The future Branch could be a joint facility similar to the Corona del Mar Library and Fire Station. Public outreach and stakeholder engagement will occur probably after a design for a replacement Branch has been created. Board of Library Trustees Meeting Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 3 7. Review of the Library Meeting Rooms Policy (Council Policy I-7) Staff recommends that the Board of Library Trustees review and approve changes made to Council Policy I-7, Library Meeting Rooms, for submission to City Council. Library Services Director Hetherton reported the Library Meeting Rooms Policy has been revised, and now only pertains to the Friends Meeting Room at Central Library. Vice Chair Watkins advised that he had submitted to staff several non-substantive revisions. In reply to questions, Library Services Director Hetherton indicated the action for the Council will be to delete Policy I-7 from the Council Policy Manual. The Policy can then become a Library Policy. Motion made by Board Member Coulter, seconded by Board Member Kost, and carried (5-0-0-0) to approve the revised Council Policy I-7, Library Meeting Rooms. AYES: Ray, Watkins, Coulter, Johnson-Tucker, Kost NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: 8. Study Room Policy–NBPL-13 Staff recommends that the Board of Library Trustees review NBPL-13, Study Room Policy, and approve changes that include proposed policy for use of the Charles Sword Meeting Room. Library Services Director Hetherton reported staff has made no changes to the Study Room Policy. The Policy regulates use of the Study Room well. He recommended inclusion of the Charles Sword Room in the Policy so that staff has a policy to regulate use of the room and to increase the public's awareness of the room. Vice Chair Watkins related that he had provided staff with revisions to correct the title of the Policy Meeting Rooms Policy and to note the Charles Sword Room is located in Central Library. Motion made by Board Member Coulter, seconded by Vice Chair Watkins, and carried (5- 0-0-0) to approve the Study Room Policy, NBPL-13, with the proposed revisions. AYES: Ray, Watkins, Coulter, Johnson-Tucker, Kost NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: Board of Library Trustees Meeting Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 4 9. Library Material Selection & Downloadable Services Librarian II Claire Leach presents an overview of materials selection and downloadable services. Librarian II Claire Leach reported staff uses the Library's Collection Development Policy and the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights to select materials. Each Librarian is assigned a selection area. Librarians rely on patron recommendations, professional reviews, publicity and advertising, current events, curriculum needs, and literary prizes when selecting materials for the Library. Collection HQ provides rich data to help libraries allocate funds by identifying weaknesses in collections and making suggestions based on lending patterns. Collection HQ recommends less than 5 percent of materials be considered "dead", and, the amount of the Library's dead materials is approximately 5 percent of all materials. The amount of the Library's "grubby" materials, materials that have been circulated more than 40 times, is 40 percent of all materials. First in Series labels were added to Adult Mystery titles approximately a year ago to aid patrons with finding the first title in a series. Because of its popularity, First in Series will expand to Adult Fiction and Children's Fiction. OverDrive, a downloadable audio and eBook service, has shown tremendous growth. In January 2019, checkouts for OverDrive topped 10,000. In 2018, eBook and audio checkouts exceeded 100,000. Through Flipster and RBDigital, the Library offers subscriptions to more than 140 eMagazines. The two platforms constantly enhance their services. Monthly downloads from Kanopy, a streaming movie service, has grown 150 percent since the Library began offering it in December 2017. In answer to Board Members' queries, Librarian II Leach advised that staff evaluates materials deemed grubby by Collection HQ and decides whether to order a new copy or remove the item from the collection. The catalog shows the number of a title in a series, and the First in Series label identifies the first title on the shelf. Circulation & Technical Processing Coordinator Melissa Hartson indicated some demographic data is available regarding Kanopy users, but staff has not analyzed it. 10. Wi-Fi Usage at NBPL Compared to Other Libraries Staff presents a comparison of Wi-Fi usage at NBPL with our statistical and regional peers. Library Services Director Hetherton reported Newport Beach Public Library ranks third in Wi-Fi sessions among its peers. Patrons can utilize Wi-Fi in the Library without a library card and on multiple devices. However, the number of patrons and devices using Wi-Fi sometimes causes other patrons to wait for access. The Library Wi-Fi can accommodate 240 devices at any given time. The Library also ranks near the top of Orange County libraries for Wi-Fi sessions. Patrons do not want to access Wi-Fi with a library card; however, the Library cannot utilize Wi-Fi as an incentive for people to obtain a library card. The Children's Internet Protection Act does not require public libraries to filter Wi-Fi. One method to maintain control is to require access with a library card. Staff will prepare information for an agenda item regarding Wi-Fi authentication. If the Board of Library Trustees wishes to reinstitute authentication, implementation of the new Integrated Library System (ILS) could be a good time to begin the requirement. In response to Board Members' questions, Library Services Director Hetherton indicated the last time a comment was submitted about Wi-Fi wait time was July 2018. The only Board of Library Trustees Meeting Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 5 issue with Wi-Fi usage has been a patron downloading copyrighted movies. There have not been any issues with one patron accessing another patron's device through Wi-Fi. Software on fixed computers and laptops protects patrons' privacy and security. The number of Wi-Fi licenses applies to patrons systemwide. Orange County Public Library has incredibly strict filters on its Wi-Fi. Staff continues to oppose providing Wi-Fi 24/7. Wi-Fi is available from 6:00 a.m. until one hour after closing for each Branch. Board Member Johnson-Tucker remarked that removing the authentication requirement simplified the use of Wi-Fi. Deciding whether to require authentication again is difficult. Recently, Library seating and parking have been filled to capacity. 11. Further Review of Library Fines Staff presents a discussion of NBPL's use of overdue fines. Library Services Director Hetherton reported fines are not an issue for the Library. Staff will work with patrons regarding fines. In reply to inquiries, Library Services Director Hetherton advised that calls, emails, and verbal notifications are used to make patrons aware of fines. Currently, fines total about $200,000. 12. Corona del Mar Branch Project Update Staff will update the Board on the Corona del Mar Branch Library replacement project. Library Services Director Hetherton announced the grand opening is scheduled for July 20, 10:30-12:30. There has been a complication with power service to the building. The Branch should be open for business prior to the grand opening. The construction company is confident it can complete the project by the contract date of June 16. 13. Lecture Hall Update Trustee Johnson-Tucker will update the Board on activities related to building a lecture hall facility on the Central Library site. Larry Tucker reported Board Member Johnson-Tucker, Library Services Director Hetherton, and he met with Public Works staff to discuss the Request for Proposals (RFP) for architects. Because the project will include private funding, the building needs to be both functional and attractive. He will meet with Mayor Dixon to determine whether Council Members will be involved in the design process. The RFP should be complete and ready for release in the next month. Board Member Johnson-Tucker clarified that the Lecture Hall should be bright and airy and offer amenities. In answer to Board Members' queries, Mr. Tucker explained that the City's proposed capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2019-2020 contains $500,000 for the Lecture Hall. In June, the City Council will vote to approve the budget. The RFP will be sent to certain architects and posted online for any architect to submit a response. Board of Library Trustees Meeting Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 6 Ronnie Watkins suggested the Lecture Hall contain more or larger women's restrooms. Board Member Johnson-Tucker advised that the discussion has not reached that level of detail. 14. Library Services Report of Library issues regarding services, customers, and staff. Library Services Director Hetherton reported the 25th Anniversary reception and celebration is scheduled for July 11. Palaces for the People is an interesting book about public libraries. B. Monthly Reports 15. Friends of the Library Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Friends of the Library Board meeting. Board Member Coulter reported the next book sale will be held on May 3 and 4. In March, book sales raised approximately $19,000. Christina Lynch will speak at the Friends' luncheon on June 11. 16. Library Foundation Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Library Foundation Board meeting. Meg Linton, Newport Beach Public Library Foundation Chief Executive Officer, advised that the Library Live and Witte series have concluded. Medicine in Our Backyard and the Book Discussion Group are ongoing. The Library Foundation will organize the VIP reception for the Library’s 25th Anniversary celebration. The Books and Bunnies event will be held on July 13 to end the 25th Anniversary Celebration week. 17. Witte Lectures Committee Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Witte Lectures Committee's monthly meeting. Board Member Kost indicated lectures by Joel Sartore were sold out. The Committee is considering speakers and a budget for the next series. 18. Literacy Services Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Literacy Services Advisory Board meeting. Vice Chair Watkins related that the ProLiteracy Luncheon on April 5 raised approximately $28,000. Recruitment for a Literacy Department Assistant is progressing. 19. Library Live Lectures Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Library Live Lectures Committee's meeting. [See Item VI.B.16.] Board of Library Trustees Meeting Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 7 VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS None VIII. BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON-DISCUSSION ITEM) None IX. ADJOURNMENT – 6:30 p.m. Submitted by: Janet Ray Chair Approval of Minutes