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2022-03-09 LB MinutesBoard of Trustees Michelle Brown, Library Director Christine Gay, President Kathy Redmond, Vice President Cheryl Gowing, Secretary Laura Farley Nancy Frehling MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 8:30am Brockway Memorial Library Reference Room 10021 NE Second Avenue Miami Shores, Florida 33138 Minutes The meeting was called to order at 8:58 a.m. Present were Michelle Brown, Library Director; Christine Gay, President; Kathy Redmond, Vice-President; Laura Farley, Nancy Frehling, and Cheryl Gowing, Secretary. PUBLIC COMMENT: None PRESENTATION: None GUESTS: None 1. Approval of the minutes of the February 9, 2022 meeting: Motion to approve as revised by Cheryl Gowing; seconded by Kathy Redmond. Motion passed. Approval of the minutes of the January 26, 2022 Special Meeting: Motion to approve as revised by Cheryl Gowing; seconded by Laura Farley. Motion passed. 2. Community Alliance Report – Nancy Frehling Nancy Frehling reported on the first in-person meeting of the year for the Miami Shores Community Alliance. Tickets for the Mayor’s Brunch on April 3rd are sold out; however the Alliance is still looking for donations for the silent auction. Ms. Brown will contact Patricia Bonaduce to see if tickets to the upcoming Historic Walking tour could be offered. The discussion of what the Library could offer surfaced the need to develop a room-use policy for the new Children’s Activity Room in anticipation of demand from the public to rent the room. The Library Board will provide breakfast and host the April meeting of the Community Alliance in honor of National Library Week. Breakfast assignments: Christine Gay, yogurts; Kathy Redmond, fruit salad; Cheryl Gowing, scones and frittatas; Laura Farley, coffee, tea, juice, sugar/sweetener; Nancy Frehling, creamer, napkins, cups. Board members should bring their contributed items to the Recreation Center by 8:15 for the 8:30 meeting. Ms. Gay will provide an overview of events at the Library. Ms. Brown will provide the Library’s logo, photos of events, description of the Library & goals, etc. to be featured on the Alliance’s website for the month. 3. Financial Report Ms. Brown noted the Library spending was at a good level at halfway through the FY. The Library received $70 in February from the yoga classes and $146.96 in sales of used books from Better World Books. Motion to approve the financial report by Kathy Redmond; seconded by Nancy Frehling. Motion passed. 4. Circulation Report For the month of February, the Library circulated 2,235 items, and 67 holds were placed. There were 25 digital magazine and 221 e-book/e-audio and 25 digital magazine check-outs on Overdrive; 661 searches on Ancestry; 28 sessions in Mango Languages. Social media statistics will resume now that a new Village Social Media Specialist has been hired. Overall hits on the Village’s Facebook site is up 72.4% and Instagram up 200%. Posts on the Library’s “Tips for Teens”, “Teen Art Series”, “Storytelling with MSV Police, and “Valentine Kits” program has been especially popular. The Library’s volunteer archivist Kimberly Hynes spend 8 hours on digital archive activities. The Library added 99 adult titles, 28 children/youth titles, and 22 media items and acquired 83 book and movie donations. 59 children’s board books in bad condition were weeded from the collection; staff repaired 12 items. The Library provided in-person service to 1,776 patrons. The Library added 29 patrons in February – 17 adult residents, 8 child residents, and 4 child non-residents. The total patron count is currently 6,758. 5. Old Business • Construction Update: Ms. Brown consulted with Jack Rengstl and Jerome Hurtak to confirm the name of the new wing as “The Sydow Children & Family Wing.” The sign will be placed over the threshold of the interior doors opening into the new wing. Motion to approve the sign placement by Cheryl Gowing; Seconded by Laura Farley. Motion passed. The Board will need a special meeting to review potential flooring choices to replace the carpet in the rest of the Library. Ms. Brown met w/ Mr. Stobs and Frank Ruiz from Public Works concerning the status of the exterior ramp. The ramp project is under architectural review. It is hoped we can receive a TCO by keeping the temporary ramp in the front while the new ramp is built on the side off the Reference Room. • Security Gate System Options: Ms. Brown reviewed options for replacing the current security gate system, which is no longer manufactured. The gate will need to be removed to install new flooring. Motion to approve not reinstalling the current gates once the floor is replaced made by Cheryl Gowing; Seconded by Nancy Frehling. Motion passed. The Board will defer a decision on future gates until further research into options can be completed, likely by the May 2022 Board meeting. It was noted the new Children’s Wing exterior door will only be opened for evening programs and remain locked during the day. • Library Card Policy for Barry Students/Teachers: The Board discussed extending resident library card privileges to Barry University students and faculty. It was noted the Village has partnered with Barry on a number of initiatives and the Library formerly provided library cards to faculty. The Village Manager Mr. Scott and the Board view the proposal favorably. Ms. Brown will work on the policy and finalize details for the next meeting. • Library Director compensation: Ms. Gay spoke with Village Manager Mr. Scott and the Village HR Manager concerning a compensation review for Library Director Michelle Brown. Compensation data for other municipal libraries in South Florida will be reviewed. • The Library’s exterior painting has been completed. Landscaping is under review. 6. Other Items • Digital Offerings – Miami Shores Community Alliance Grants: Ms. Brown investigated “BrainPop”, an animated educational site for K-12 that Ms. Holsing has used before. The Board recommended applying for funding from the Community Alliance for a pilot year-long subscription, then request addition into the Library’s collection budget the following year if reviews continue positive. A subscription to newspapers.com will be considered for future funding. • Library Policy Review: Ms. Brown would like the Board to review Library policies at each Board meeting until a review of all policies is complete. Library Tutoring Policy Review: The Board reviewed the “Unauthorized Use of Library Facilities for Profit” policy based on a request by a local parent to allow tutoring services in the Library. The Board recommended the following addition: Exceptions for Residents and library card holders may be granted on a case-by-case basis by the library director. Motion to amend the policy to allow for the noted exceptions by Cheryl Gowing, seconded by Kathy Redmond. Motion passed. • Challenges to Library Materials: Nancy Frehling noted the disturbing and increasing and frequency of challenges to library materials experienced by many public and school libraries and led a discussion to ensure the Board’s awareness of the policies and procedures surrounding the review of challenged materials. • Reciprocal Borrowing: Ms. Brown noted the periodic review of the reciprocal borrowing program with Miami Dade Public Library Systems will be due in 2023. • Village Council presentation: Ms. Brown has been asked to present a report on the Library’s recent accomplishments and goals at the April 5, 2022 Village Council meeting. The Library Board will still present the Library Annual Report at the June Council meeting. 7. Announcements and Special Events • MOCA @ the Library Teen Art Series/OSHER Painting with Pastels for Adults. These programs have proven to be very popular, as was the adult art class on the lawn last weekend. There will be a reception on March 31st for the youth artists and their families. • Next scheduled Board Meeting: April 13, 2022 at 8:30am. • For detailed program/event listing, please refer to the Library’s March calendar. PUBLIC COMMENT ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn by Cheryl Gowing; seconded by Kathy Redmond. Meeting adjourned at 10:32 am. Minutes respectfully submitted by Cheryl Gowing, Secretary