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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-11-2023-BLT-APPROVED MINUTESCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Board of Library Trustees Civic Center Council Chambers 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach Meeting Minutes Monday, December 11, 2023 – 4:30 p.m. I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 4:30 P.M. Chair Paul Watkins called to order the regular meeting of the Newport Beach Board of Library Trustees and introduced and welcomed Chase Rief, the newly appointed trustee. II. ROLL CALL – Roll call by Administrative Support Specialist Francine Jacome. Trustees Present: Chair Paul Watkins, Vice Chair Dorothy Larson, Trustee Antonella Castro (arrived 4:37 P.M.), Secretary Lauren Kramer, Trustee Chase Rief Trustees Absent: None Staff Present: Melissa Hartson, Library Services Director Francine Jacome, Administrative Support Specialist Rebecca Lightfoot, Library Services Manager Annika Helmuth, Branch and Youth Services Coordinator Andrew Kachaturian, Circulation and Technical Processing Coordinator Erin Spivey, Adult Services Coordinator Staff Absent None III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Trustee Chase Rief led the Pledge of Allegiance IV. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC - Waived V. CONSENT CALENDAR Administrative Support Specialist Francine Jacome read the Consent Calendar Notice to the public. A. Consent Calendar Items Chair Watkins inquired if any Trustees had requests to pull an item from the Consent Calendar. 1. Minutes of the November 20, 2023 Board of Library Trustees Meeting Chair Watkins noted the following changes to the minutes: • Handwritten Page 7, second full paragraph/second line of the minutes and stated the book titled “A Prince and A Night” should read A Prince and A Knight. • Handwritten Page 8, sixth paragraph/last line: Add after the word provided “by the Board of Library Trustees”, until an appeal has been submitted. Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 2 • Handwritten Page 11, top of the page, second sentence: Change “it is for advisory” to “it is advisory.” • Handwritten Page 14, Public Comments until Item 7, second line: Change “the Board finds a way” to “the Board should find a way”. Vice Chair Dorothy Larson noted the following changes to the minutes: • Handwritten Page 8, in Public Comments made by Henry Courtney: add the example of Tom Sawyer as context by Mr. Courtney, who had stated that just because he read Tom Sawyer, it didn’t cause him to lie to his parents. • Handwritten Page 12, Item 10, Jim Mosher’s public comment: Mr. Mosher indicated he was a volunteer, he wasn’t looking to be a volunteer. Vice Chair Larson commented regarding the Budget item in the Consent Calendar and commended staff, who have been able to participate in educational opportunities in the last couple of months without making a big impact on the budget. 2. Patron Comments Monthly review of evaluations of library services through suggestions and requests received from patrons. 3. Patron’s Request for Evaluation of Library Resources Monthly review of evaluations of library resources as requested by patrons with corresponding staff responses. Chair Watkins commented that in this packet there were six evaluation requests. He also has a box of close to sixty emails, letters and other materials that he’s accumulated over the past three months from both sides of the Children’s Collection issue. There is a process for evaluations in place that is currently being refined. It begins with a patron request for evaluation; after doing research Library Services Director Melissa Hartson authors a decision. According to the Collection Development Policy NBPL 2, a patron who is dissatisfied with a decision has the right to appeal the decision to the Board of Library Trustees. Since 2004 and until recently, there was only one request for patron evaluation and that occurred in 2004. The Library has never had a defined set of procedures that allow for a dissatisfied patron to appeal a decision to the Board. The Appeal Form is the next item on the Agenda. Ultimately, that appeal request will result in a hearing with procedures in place. The ad-hoc subcommittee created a set of procedures that will be presented to senior staff and the City Attorney for comments and possible revisions. The intended goal is to have that final draft on the Agenda for the January 16, 2024 regular Board meeting for approval and adoption. The most appropriate time to comment on the appeal process will be at the Appeals Process Hearing, and Chair Watkins urged the members of public wishing to comment on the Appeals Form item to defer comments about the process for that time. 4. Library Activities Monthly update of library events, services, and statistics. 5. Expenditure Status Report Monthly expenditure status of the library’s operating expenses, services, salaries, and benefits by department. Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 3 Chair Watkins reported that they are 42% through the fiscal year (FY) and under budget by about 3%. 6. Board of Library Trustees Monitoring List List of agenda items and dates for monthly review of projects by the Board of Library Trustees. Chair Watkins opened the item for public comments and there were none. Motion made by Vice Chair Dorothy Larson, seconded by Secretary Lauren Kramer, and carried (5-0-0-0) to approve the Consent Calendar Items 1-6 with the minor changes to the November 20, 2023 draft minutes. AYES: Watkins, Kramer, Larson, Castro, Rief NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: VI. CURRENT BUSINESS A. Items for Review 7. Patron’s Request for Evaluation of Library Resources Appeal Application Staff recommends that the Board of Library Trustees approve the proposed “Patron’s Request for Evaluation of Library Resources: Patron Application for Appeal” form. Library Services Director Melissa Hartson explained that the ad-hoc subcommittee looked at the Patron’s request for Evaluation of Library Resources Appeal Application and created a form as one had never been needed before now. This will allow patrons to request an appeal to be heard by the Board regarding decisions that the Library Services Director has made regarding book evaluations. Trustee Kramer requested clarification regarding the tasks and timeline for requesting an appeal. Chair Watkins explained there are two parts to the process. One is the application for the appeal, the other is the procedures once the hearing takes place. Vice Chair Larson and Chair Watkins have drafted those procedures, which are currently under review by Library Services Director Hartson, senior staff, and the City Attorney. They will return to the BLT on a date prior to January 16, 2024. This appeal form is being proposed for those who want to appeal against the recent decision, in an attempt to expedite that process. Trustee Antonella Castro suggested that she would expect there to be a time period in place for the submittal of the appeal form. Additionally, it should be stated that if an appeal is submitted, the Library Services Director will use their best effort to schedule the appeal at the next Trustee’s meeting, or the following meeting. That would provide a framework for a time period for both sides to work with. Trustee Castro inquired if the appeal form Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 4 would be available for online submittance, and if the original request for evaluation letter would be attached to the appeal application. Chair Watkins answered there would be a packet provided to the Trustees that included the application for appeal, the original request, and the Director’s decision that was being appealed. His thought would be that the hearings would be scheduled at a separate time than at a regular Board meeting, such as a special meeting, and they could incorporate a time limit. Library Services Director Hartson added that staff could certainly do 60 days, but it would depend on when the appeal is received as there are certain Agenda requirements that staff must adhere to; the appeal application would include the original request letter with the original evaluation decision, and she did not anticipate a long turnaround time for that to be passed on to the Board. Secretary Lauren Kramer inquired if it was Library Services Director Hartson’s preference to include the appeal hearing in a regular meeting agenda or a special meeting agenda. Library Services Director Hartson answered that because the request for evaluation and her responses are now part of the consent calendar, she could see that being another item on a regular meeting agenda, with a special meeting being utilized for the Trustees to hear the first iterations of upcoming appeal hearings. Chair Watkins responded that the timeline has been addressed in the procedures that have been submitted to the City Attorney and senior staff; the form for appeal can be submitted as a handwritten form or a fillable PDF form digitally. The 60-day best effort suggestion can be added to the procedures that are now being drafted and reviewed. Trustee Castro suggested it also be included on the appeal form and/or online where the form is submitted for those who may not have read the procedures. Chair Watkins stated that presently the procedures will be an exhibit to the Collection Development Policy. Trustee Castro commented that it’s more efficient to not have to go to multiple sources to understand the procedures and suggested that the patron request form, the appeal form, followed by the procedures could be listed all together on the website. The time limit for the appeal would be included on the form. The link to the procedures could be a stand-alone link in addition to being an exhibit to the Collection Development Policy. Trustee Castro explained that due to the Brown Act, they have to brainstorm and have discussions in a public forum, thus this wasn’t addressed sooner, and inquired if the Appeal Hearing would include public comment and if all Trustees would be allowed to ask questions during the hearing. Chair Watkins stated the procedures will indicate public participation during the hearing, and Trustees will be allowed to ask questions. Trustee Castro suggested an email address be included at the bottom of the form, possibly the general administration contact information. Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 5 Vice Chair Larson suggested the title of the form should include the word appeal for clarity, and suggested Patron’s Application for Appeal of Evaluation of Library resources. Chair Watkins opened the item for public comments. Gia Gaffney, Newport Beach Resident, commented she was happy to hear that the Board is taking this topic seriously and putting much thought into creating a procedure. Her hope would be that all trustees would read each case from beginning to end, including the book that’s being challenged. Currently, there are 18 challenges waiting for appeal, and that would require each trustee to read 18 books within a specified time limit; if that time limit is one to two months, which would be a lot of books to read in a month. City Council is encouraging patrons to challenge books on their Instagram accounts, which could spark hundreds of requests for evaluations at a time. Sixty-day timeline is a great goal; the school board typically states they have a 60-day timeline when possible. Haley Jenkins, Costa Mesa resident, commented that she agrees that the trustees should read the books under evaluation review as the Library Service Director does not read the books being evaluated because the decision is not based on content of the book. The reason for the request for evaluation is due to the content of books. Ms. Jenkins requested that the appeal form also include where the book will be located during the appeal process. Chair Watkins responded once the appeal decision has been made, the patron who appealed the decision would be advised of the location of the book. Darla Magaña provided public comment and expressed concern that the request for appeal form is very similar to the request for evaluation form which could lead to a repetitive response on the appeal. She believes staff is doing their research and reading the material, requesting different information on the appeal form may help promote that notion and include staff’s response to the appeal. Bill Dunlap, Newport Beach Resident, asked if the appeal form would include the protocol of what’s being appealed, much like the request for evaluation includes the guidelines for material selection, and suggested the Board be clear regarding what additional or different information will be considered during the appeal. Jim Mosher, Newport Beach Resident, commented that he believes the points are different between the request for evaluation and the appeal, the first being the request for evaluation asks what the reason is for disagreeing with the book and the appeal asks what the patron disagrees with about the response. The second sentence of the top section seems a bit misleading as it gives the impression that whatever procedure is created, it will be the appellant and staff speaking and no one else. He suspected that the City Attorney would note there is a requirement for public comment at all hearings, prior to a decision being made. Chair Watkins noted that changes to the form include mentioning a ‘to the best of the Library’s ability’ the appeal will be heard in a certain period, and a submit to email/physical address with a specified person should be listed on the form. Trustee Chase Reif agreed that the second line in the top section should state that the public would have an opportunity for input at the appeal. Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 6 Trustee Kramer added that it should include a time limit for submitting the appeal. Vice Chair Larson suggested that be included in the initial evaluation request result by the Library Services Director. Library Services Director Hartson stated she would be able to do that once the Board has adopted the procedures. Chair Watkins commented that the Board would appreciate the final draft of the appeal form also be included on the January 16, 2024 Agenda. Motion made by Secretary Kramer, seconded by Trustee Antonella Castro, and carried (5-0-0-0) to bring the item back to the Board of Library Trustees with the incorporated comments, as well as procedures that are currently under review, on the January 16, 2024 Agenda. AYES: Watkins, Kramer, Larson, Castro, Rief NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: 8. Laptop Borrowing Policy (NBPL 10) Staff recommends that the Board of Library Trustees review and accept revisions to Library Policy NBPL 10, Laptop Borrowing Policy Library Services Manager Rebecca Lightfoot reported that the bones of the Laptop Borrowing Policy have been working quite well for many years. Staff recommend accepting the minor changes that were made which included capitalization errors and corrections to other policy references, and the location of the checkout desk for the laptops. Chair Watkins added the policy could be found on Page 52 of the Agenda Packet. Trustee Castro inquired if the patron receives a copy of the policy and fee schedule when they check out the laptops. Library Services Manager Lightfoot responded that there are stickers on the top of the laptops which explain the late fees. Chair Watkins opened the item for Public Comment. Motion made by Secretary Kramer, seconded by Vice Chair Larson, and carried (5-0-0- 0) to approve the revisions to the Library Policy NBPL 10, Laptop Borrowing Policy. AYES: Watkins, Kramer, Larson, Castro, Rief NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 7 9. Review Holidays and Meeting Schedule Staff requests that the Board of Library Trustees review the Library’s holiday and meeting schedule for 2024 and approve as presented. Library Services Director Hartson reported that normally the Board’s meetings are scheduled for the third Monday of the month, however there are two holidays in 2024 that fall on that third Monday so those meetings will be pushed to the Tuesday following those two Mondays. Trustee Chase Reif commented that schools are closed the week of February 20, so there may not be a quorum, and he will be out of town. Trustee Castro stated she would also be out of town that week. Library Services Director Hartson stated that Monday, February 19, is the City’s scheduled observance for President’s Day. Chair Watkins suggested changing the meeting to Monday, February 26. Chair Watkins opened the item for Public Comment. Motion made by Secretary Kramer, seconded by Vice Chair Larson, and carried (5-0-0-0) to approve 2024 Board of Library Trustee meeting schedule as amended . AYES: Watkins, Kramer, Larson, Castro, Rief NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENCES: 10. Lecture Hall Update Chair Watkins reported that City Council appointed a committee to negotiate the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Foundation that will include an increased financial contributory amount by the public through the shared private and public partnership between the City and the Foundation. The negotiators for the Foundation are Board Chair Kevin Barlow, Board member Mireya Llaurado and Board Secretary Marilyn Krahe, with Foundation CEO Jerry Kappel advising. The City is represented by Councilmember Lauren Kleiman, Mayor Noah Blom with support by Yolanda Summerhill and Dave Webb. The City Council expects to vote at their January 9 meeting. The City would manage the new Lecture Hall, with the Foundation’s role being the facilitator for the community’s philanthropic support of the Hall construction. Chair Watkins opened the item for public comments, seeing none he received and filed the report. 11. Balboa Branch Replacement Update Library Services Director Hartson reported the Balboa ad-hoc subcommittee has not met recently. They look to meet after the beginning of the new year to consider initial design options that will be forthcoming to the public at a future meeting. Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 8 Vice Chair Larson commented in response to Mr. Mosher’s public comment about not being told about a meeting with the architect for this project because the meeting has not yet been scheduled due to conflicts on all party sides. Chair Watkins received and filed the report. 12. Library Services Report of Library issues regarding services, patrons, and staff Library Services Director Hartson reported that the Friends of the Library celebrated their Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon last November. There are over 80 regular volunteers who work in the Bookstore in addition to a Board. They recognized combined years of service collectively; among the volunteers they have 706 cumulative service years. The Library is very grateful for the group of very dedicated volunteers and its Board. The Library's Integrated Library Systems (ILS) vendor, SirsiDynix, was unable to reach an agreement with their third-party app vendor, Solus. As a result, Solus has disabled the Library's mobile app, rendering it inoperable. SirsiDynix is working on developing an entirely new app. City IT is working with Library staff to determine the best path forward. There is currently not yet a timeline, however, the Library website has been made to be as mobile friendly as possible. Those who had Library cards on the app can take a picture of the library card and use it on any of the self-checkout machines. There is a possibility that the January Board meeting will be down on the Peninsula as the Balboa branch replacement will be a topic on that agenda. The location has yet to be determined. Chair Watkins opened the item up for public comment. Joni Nichols, Newport Beach Resident commented that she loved the Library app, and it would be helpful if staff could let the public know that it’s no longer working as four books she has already returned are still showing as outstanding on the app. It’s been a great app that not only automatically rechecks out a book for you, but also lets a person know if there are others waiting for the book. Chair Watkins received and filed the report. B. Monthly Reports 13. Library Foundation Liaison Reports A. Library Foundation Board Report on the most recently attended meeting. Chair Watkins reported that the last three pages of the packet is an excellent summary of what the Foundation has been doing with the MOU negotiations, Library Live and Witte Lecture ticket sales and other involvements of the Foundation. Trustee Reif inquired about the number of tickets sold for the sold-out events. Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 9 Chair Watkins stated the room seats 200. Chair Watkins received and filed the report. B. Library Live Lectures Committee Report on the most recently attended meeting. Secretary Lauren Kramer stated there is nothing to report this month. Chair Watkins received and filed the report. C. Witte Lectures Committee Report on the most recently attended meeting. Vice Chair Larson reported the Witte Lectures Committee had a subcommittee meeting in November that she was unable to attend. They are continuing to explore the topics that will have relevance in 2024-25, which indicates a great deal of hard work and foresight on their part. Chair Watkins received and filed the report. 14. Friends of the Library Liaison Report Trustee update on the most recently attended Friends of the Library Board meeting. Chair Watkins reported there has been no new meeting since the last Board meeting. Tomorrow morning at 10a.m., Chair Watkins and Library Services Director Hartson will be meeting with the Friends of the Library Board. They are an amazing group who are very passionate and committed to what they do. Chair Watkins noted that after the scheduled meeting tomorrow, Trustee Reif will be the new liaison for the Friends of the Library. Chair Watkins received and filed the report. 15. Literacy Services Liaison Report Trustee update of the most recently attended Literacy Services Advisory Board. Trustee Castro stated she met with Literacy Coordinator Gabriela Leman, Literacy Assistant Christina Smith, and Library Services Manager Rebecca Lightfoot regarding the adult literacy program last week and has a meeting scheduled with the advisory board, Pals4PAL, the fundraising arm of the program. They held a holiday potluck on Sunday, December 3. Chair Watkins stated that advisory board member Ms. Rhonda Watkins, attended the potluck that Christina and Gabriela hosted. It was a great event; the attention to detail was spectacular. Chair Watkins received and filed the report. Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 10 VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS – Two Minutes per speaker Jim Mosher, Newport Beach resident, commented about the exceptionally excellent and patron-friendly operation that the Board oversees. There is a van that moves books from branch to branch and thus assumed they have a way to move paper from branch to branch and suggested that van be allowed to carry the handwritten forms submitted by patrons to the Central Library Administration office. Dianne Wells, Newport Beach resident, suggested consideration of additional resources for the book reviews used for book collection. The Book List is a good resource for book review services. Three of many options include the Book Nanny, Cubby’s Book Ratings, and Plugged In. Francine Howard, Costa Mesa resident, commented that she was glad to hear that one commenter stated he did not become a liar by reading Huckleberry Finn. She is surprised to hear so many who do not read the books under review choose to continue allowing them in the children’s collection. Ms. Howard read excerpts from the book Who Are You? and expressed concern over allowing the book to remain in the children’s collection at the Library. Joni Nichols, Newport Beach resident, suggested using the review service of Welcoming Schools, a project of the Human Rights Foundation, which also has a list of age- appropriate books, and responded to the prior public commentor about her experience with a variety of genders. Gia Gaffaney, Newport Beach resident, commented that there are dozens of chromosome combinations possible and intersex babies that lead to a host of psychiatric problems later on. People come to the Library, over a million in Newport Beach alone, there could be a million sides to one issue, the question shouldn’t be who likes or dislikes a book. A library is for children to explore topics they have not been exposed to and learn about people. Haley Jenkins, Costa Mesa resident, read excerpts from a novel titled Flamer on the shelves at Central Library for teens. Ms. Jenkins stated the website includes a theme tab for this book that includes Boy Scouts of America, Comic Books and Juvenile Fiction. Her concern is the Library Services Director, nor the librarians read the books they are reviewing. It is not possible to appropriately review a book for age appropriateness without reading the content. Sydni Webb, Newport Beach resident, commented that the Library should be a safe place without children having to worry about topics being pushed on them. Some of the content in the recently reviewed books that being allowed in the children’s collection could qualify as sexual harassment in the workplace, yet they remain available for children to read. Children should be protected from inappropriate content and read an excerpt from the book Flamer. Debra Klein, Newport Beach resident, expressed concern regarding things she’s seen at schools and now in libraries. She submitted a complaint at a recent meeting that suggested several books that appear that they should be located in the adult fiction section. The book Who Are You? is highly inappropriate for preschoolers. Those who did Board of Library Trustees Meeting December 11, 2023 Page 11 not agree with her comments at a previous meeting are people who do not have young children, only adult children, or none. She understands people want a choice, but the same should apply to the choice of parents trying to raise young children. Darla Magaña, an experienced school librarian, took offense to the idea that a book on a shelf is being forced into the hands of children. She believes the book Melissa is very age appropriate for elementary schools and is sad that it’s not often checked out. Parent’s and librarian choice should also consider and respect children’s choice for books. Annie Vangrow, Newport Beach resident, takes offense as being considered one of the parents who does not have skin in the game, she has several stepchildren and a recent great grandchild. This is about parental choice, which is removed when a book is banned from a shelf. Ms. Vangrow read an excerpt from Library Services Director Hartson’s review results letter. Chair Watkins asked if there were any other public comments. Hearing none, public comments were closed. 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 – 5:52 p.m. Submitted by: Paul K. Watkins Chair Approval of Minutes