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Minutes 07-26-17MINUTES OF THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD AT THE BOYNTON BEACH CITY LIBRARY, CONFERENCE ROOM A 208 S. SEACREST BOULEVARD, ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2017, AT 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Chris Montague, Acting Chair Alice Warren Chris Simon John Welter Tracy Tebo Robyn Boucard ABSENT: Deborah Hoban, Chair Dr. Stephanie Hayden- Adeyemo Kimberly Bain I. Call to Order Craig Clark, Library Director Anne Watts, Assistant Library Director Jeannie Taylor, Division Head Librarian In the absence of the Chair, Deborah Hoban, Chris Montague called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. New member Alice Warren introduced herself and presented her credentials, noting she is a retired Librarian from the Dade County Public Schools. She lived in Boynton Beach since 1995 and had moved to Texas for seven years. She returned about a year and a half ago. New member Robyn Boucard also advised she has lived in Boynton Beach since 1982. Her first job was working with Betty Thomas as a bilingual Classroom Assistant at Galaxy Elementary School. During the last 15 years, she worked her way up to becoming the Media Clerk at Galaxy, also handling some of the summer programs. At the time, Marva Collins was the Media Specialist. When the new Galaxy School was under construction she was hired by the Village Academy in Delray Beach where she has worked since 2011. All welcomed the new members. Self -introductions were made. II. Approval of Minutes — June 28, 2017 The minutes were tabled to next month. Meeting Minutes Library Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 26, 2017 III. Correspondence and Communications Craig Clark, Library Director, announced he received an email from Deborah Hoban as she a had scheduling conflict. She had a suggestion for October, November and December meetings that will be heard later in the meeting. IV. Public Audience (Individual Speakers Will Be Limited to 3 Minute Presentations) None. V. Chair's Report There was no report given. VI. Unfinished Business: Board By -Laws — Updated, need signatures Mr. Clark explained the By -Laws were changed to reflect the new meeting time from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. A copy of the By -Laws were included in the meeting materials and needed to be signed by the Chair, Co-chair and the regular members of the Board. Required Ethics Training Chair Montague advised last month, the members had to take the required ethics training. There are several different ways to take the course. When completed, an acknowledgement form must be submitted to the City Clerk. Mr. Welter's form was forthcoming. Career Online High School (CONS) Update Mr. Clark explained this was a new program funded by the State Department of Education with a pass through federal dollars to the State Library and disbursed to public libraries that chose to participate. Boynton Beach was the only library in Palm Beach County to do so. The Library awarded nine scholarships and had two graduates. He explained it is a true high school diploma and not a GED. Each scholarship is worth $1,295; however, the Governor vetoed the program funding for the coming year. Mr. Clark explained the program has two parts. The scholarships are through Smart Horizons which created the curriculum. The second part was the platform the students use to complete the program. Staff was working on ways to split the cost for the platform in order to keep the program going. There may be only five scholarships available for fiscal year 2017/2018. Ms. Warren asked if the school board could help finance the program and learned the Library and others have not approached the School Board as the program was for youth 19 and older and adults. The Library will K Meeting Minutes Library Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 26, 2017 fund some of the program with State Aid funds and have it only available to Boynton Beach residents. Large companies sometimes fund the program, but not usually. Staff was pursuing every avenue possible. Mr. Clark advised the platform already blacked out and had received a quote of $2,500 for the platform per year for the library plus the $1,295 per student with a minimum of five to purchase. The program is a great program and Mr. Clark and Ms. Taylor have been keeping it up, working together as a team. Ms. Warren suggested approaching wealthy communities. Mr. Clark explained Hunters Run has donated in the past and have been approached. Ms. Warren thought the City Commission should fund the program. Ms. Taylor announced the program was close to receiving their third graduate. Library Budget Request — FY2017/2018 Chair Montague advised the Library Board was trying to obtain funding for the Library to be open six days a week. The City budget meeting was held and there was no discussion of the item. He indicated he would make it a point to attend future City Commission meetings, and it would help if the Board was more vocal at City and CRA meetings. He advised the input meeting was not well attended and funding the Library the extra day was the only idea that was brought up. Discussion followed if there was a way the Board could make an impact or if the City Administration contacted Mr. Clark about the matter. Mr. Clark advised he did not request funds for the extra day in his budget, but it is a discussion he has with the City Manager each year. It is a very high cost item and the initiative was not discussed at either budget meeting although he was prepared to speak about it. Only Commissioner McCray had remarked about the Library in the past. For the benefit of Ms. Warren, it was explained that Mr. Clark is the Library Director, but the Library is run by the City. It is currently open Monday to Thursday, closed on Friday, open on Saturday and closed on Sunday. It would cost $165,000 more per year for the one extra day including hiring additional employees. Mr. Clark had requested an additional position for the last five years which the City Manager believes is needed, but it is a financial issue. The City Manager promulgates the budget based on the City's priorities, but the revenue is not covering each department's budget requests and the City Manager had to cut $4 million. He pointed out all cities have varying amounts of revenue and taxes based on home values. Mr. Welter commented the members are a Board that, until last month, did not have enough attendance to have a quorum. Two members attended a City Commission meeting and it did not sound promising if the City Manager makes the decisions regarding the Library. He thought the Board should show solidarity and how important it was to have a City Library open six days a week. He proposed emphasizing other areas have city libraries that are open all week. Ms. Watts expressed the Library is a municipal library, and the Lake Worth Library has similar hours. Ms. Taylor also explained the Board's role is to advise the City Commission about policy decisions. Even if a petition was used, the Board initially has to raise the issue to raise awareness. 3 Meeting Minutes Library Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 26, 2017 The budget hearings will take place on September 7th and September 19th at 6:30 p.m. with adoption occurring on the 19th. Chair Montague thought the City Commission meetings was a good way to raise awareness. Ms. Warren also commented the Palm Beach Post has a column about Boynton Beach every Thursday. The City Library organizational chart and copy of the personnel allocation, line items and expenses were reviewed. The Schoolhouse Children's Museum is supported by the City through the Library's budget. Mr. Clark pointed out there was funding in the Capital Improvement Plan which will later be used to upgrade its radio frequency identification which is great for inventory and security. He thought it was good for the members to be aware of what was proposed. VII. New Business: Library Building Renovations Mr. Clark noted there was a flyer in the Board packets that discusses the upgrades the Library will receive in association with a new City Hail. Mr. Clark did not know exactly what would occur, but advised the Library will physically change. Information about the Town Square project should be in the paper. Chair Montague urged the members to attend the meetings. All elements of the project have not been finalized and all the meetings are public input meetings. Grant Award — Digitization of the Lake Worth Herald 1912-1970 Mr. Clark announced the Library received a $35,000 grant. Anne Watts, Assistant Library Director, and Susan Swiatosz, City Archivist, worked hard to put the application together to digitize the Lake Worth Herald. The paper dates back to 1912 and has a section on Boynton Beach. The City has the only known copy, but it is deteriorating rapidly. Mr. Clark advised the City was partnering with the Lake Worth Public Library and the copyright holder of the Lake Worth Herald. He was waiting for the Secretary of State to sign the document. Mr. Clark serves on the selection panel and had to recuse himself on the vote for this grant, but felt strongly that if he was not present, the grant would not have been funded. A bid will be issued on August 1St in the newspaper and on Demand Star which is software the City uses to find a vendor. Staff also provided the City with a list of vendors who have successfully worked on similar projects All the work must be completed by September 30, 2018 Once legal permission to digitize the paper is obtained, it will be posted on the City's website. Ms. Watts explained digitizing will allow for full text searches. The material will be digitized from microfilm and then the microfilm will be put in storage. Ms. Boucard explained she loved the older look of the Library and commented years ago, there was an area in the old library where she found newspapers articles of her grandfather's family, the Girtman's, who owned land in Pineapple Grove. Mr. Clark thought that information was already contained in the archives. Ms. Watts explained the !I Meeting Minutes Library Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 26, 2017 Lake Worth Herald was a newspaper in Lake Worth, Florida which was important because there was no newspaper in Boynton Beach, Greenacres or Lantana in 1912. The project will start with the early dates and continue to 1970. The material Ms. Boucard found in the newspaper was probably from other local papers that have already been digitized that are available in the reference department. Mr. Clark suggested the members tour the Library in September. Ms. Warren noted she received a wonderful tour from Jonelle and she praised him. Mr. Clark explained for the past several years, the Board has made the decision to cancel the August meeting and merge the November and December meetings to the first week in December. Motion Chair Montegue moved to hold the August meeting. Ms. Warren seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting will be held August 23rd at 6 p.m. The members discussed combining the November and December meetings due to the holidays. After brief discussion the members agreed to meet on December 6th Motion Chair Montague moved to hold the meeting December 6tn. Mr. Welter seconded the motion that unanimously passed. VIII. Library Director's Report/Statistic Monthly Report for June 2017 Mr. Clark reviewed the Library statistics and explained the statistics were compared to a year ago. Ebook usage increased and they can be used with iPads. They have over 10,000 Kindle books to download through their membership with SEFLIN. Zinio and Overdrive are also services offered through SEFLIN. SEFLIN provides for staff training and statewide delivery service. If Mr. Clark has to send an item to the Boca Raton Public Library, he puts it in a certain bag and the delivery service delivers it to the Boca Library. It is a statewide library loan. Mr. Clark explained the State negotiates contracts for library services and has negotiated contracts with large book vendors. SEFLIN is a multi -library coop and the State has five of them. It covers Miami, Dade, Broward, Martin and Palm Beach Counties. The members are able to serve on committees. The organization provides networking opportunities, and Mr. Clark was formerly the President. SEFLIN will be the contracting agent for the Career Online Program. 5 Meeting Minutes Library Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 26, 2017 The SEFLIN Onecard is another membership card which FAU, NOVA, Southeast University and Palm Beach County State University use. Patrons can apply to receive a card from that Library to check out materials, but cannot use their data base. It is a resource sharing tool available to anyone over the age of 16. Ms. Boucard asked if usage could be tracked. Ms. Taylor advised quite a few college students use the Library study room and staff helps. Mr. Welter asked if the study rooms could be advertised and learned the Library could provide additional advertising. The card was formerly called the Sunshine Library card. There are bookmarks the Library distributes with the information as well as a welcome packet for new card holders containing information on all the services the Library provides. Staff can advertise it on Facebook and Twitter. Ms. Watts explained residents can go to any Library in Palm Beach County, except for Boca Raton, and get a card without going through any of the processes. Onecard permits the holder to go through the Library registration process at FAU's Library and several other institutions of higher learning. The patrons that benefit the most from Onecard are college students. Ms. Taylor advised the following libraries use Onecard: Everglades University, Florida International University, Florida Memorial University, Larkin Health Sciences Institute, MSU Alvin Sherman, Palm Beach Atlantic, Palm Beach County, Palm Beach State College, Richard Sullivan, School District of Palm Beach County, and St. Thomas University Libraries. Broward should also be joining. The advantage of Onecard is it is beginning to include people from outside of Palm Beach County. She recommended, if thinking of going to another Library in Palm Beach County, it is easier to apply directly for a card and use Onecard for libraries outside of the County. Ms. Watts also explained the Library has a policy that if a patron requests a book the Library does not have and it falls within the purview of the Library's collection policy, the Library will order it if it is not extremely expensive. Staff accepts patron requests as often as possible and most often, the book is received in less than a week. Mr. Clark explained the Library honors 98% of patron requests including DVDs, books, music CDs. There is a request for purchase form at the front desk. As a Library that receives State Aid, Mr. Clark explained Boynton Beach is required to reciprocate with other libraries in the County that receive State Aid. Boca Raton does not apply for State Aid so Boynton Beach does not reciprocate. There is no reciprocity with the Highland Beach, Palm Beach and Manalapan libraries either. Mr. Welter learned individuals using the Boynton Beach Library have to be a resident, own property or be a teacher to get a free Boynton Beach card; otherwise a card costs $30. Staff verifies all patron addresses. Ms. Tebo advised many people think they have to pay to use the Library. Ms. Warren explained a Library in San Antonio has received national attention because its Library has no books and is all high tech. Mr. Welter was trying to survey policies and procedures from other libraries and put together preferences. Chair Montague explained advertising is as much of a challenge for libraries as it is for everyone else. Meeting Minutes Library Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 26, 2017 Ms. Warren asked about the percentage changes from last year for Customer Service and was told the economy improved. Mr. Clark explained the cost of books increased, and when recessions hit, Library use is very high. When things are good, usage decreases. Library use is cyclical over time and with the economy. Ms. Watt also explained Libraries perform a very different function than they did 20 years ago. Mr. Clark explained the Library just obtained a software package that allows staff to count the Wi-Fi connections. Chair Montague pointed out the Library has a recording studio in the teen center. it is a free space and an AmeriCorp member with a background to record helped. No one was presently on staff with a recording background but the youth are familiar with the equipment. In future, there would be two studios at two different locations or at different times by different age groups. Ms. Taylor explained small businesses are using the Makers spaces to create podcasts. Attendance for computer classes increased and staff is trying to find someone to teach the makers class. The Library is down one instructor and Ms. Taylor will teach Pad classes herself. Teaching is one hour, two to four times a month. They do an hour of instruction and another hour of one-on-one instruction. Social media and Freegal were reviewed. Aildata is car repair articles. Mr. Clark explained staff conducts return on investment reviews to be sure the information is worthwhile. He reviewed adult services and had conducted outreach with the Lantana Rotary Club. The Library offers a lot of youth and teen programs including the Virtual Zone. The Library would have three AmeriCorp volunteers paid for through the General Fund instead of Library Donations. Chair Montague reminded the members no one will see the Library on Facebook unless they ping, but one strategy used by non -profits was the Director giving a live periodic update. He thought it is the most economical way for people to learn about the Library and its services. It was noted a performance by the choir at Boynton Beach High School was streamed live. News/Media Coverage Ms. Tebo noted a realtor flyer for a home for sale included a great picture of the Boynton Beach City Library. She agreed to try to obtain the flyer and thought it was free advertising. IX. Announcements Mr. Clark pointed out a letter to Adopt a Magazine was included in the meeting materials and a few hundred dollars was already received. He also announced a Schoolhouse Children's Museum fundraising Casino Night event at the Woman's Club on Friday at 6 p.m. On a different matter, Ms. Warren shared an article about the Florida Legislature giving every resident the right to formally challenge the use of 7 Meeting Minutes Library Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 26, 2017 specific books in the public schools and thought this would impact public libraries. Mr. Clark explained every public library has its own policy to handle those types of situations. Schools and public libraries are very different. Ms. Boucard attended two City Commission meetings in June to be visible to the City Commission. She agreed the members should push its services and thought they should publicize what activities are planned for September. She suggested having something for attendees to take to the meetings. Chair Montague suggested taking a copy of the calendar and announcing the event and other positive things the Board is doing during public comments. Mr. Welter agreed the meetings are the venue to talk about issues and get a better sense of what is occurring and forming consensus. Having the Library open for a sixth day was a common issue but there are bigger and broader topics. Chair Montague explained an engaged Board would have much to talk about and have a unified voice. It was noted the Mayor announces events on the record. Next Library Board Meeting — August 23rd X. Adjournment Motion Chair Montague moved to adjourn. Ms. Warren seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:49 p.m. &AUV�L Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 0