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Minutes 10-25-17 MINUTES OF THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017, AT 6 P.M. AT THE BOYNTON BEACH CITY LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM 208 S. SEACREST BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Deborah Hoban, Chair Craig Clark, Library Director Tracy Tebo Anne Watts, Assistant Library Director John Welter Jeannie Taylor, Division Head Librarian Chris Montague Dr. Stephanie Hayden-Adeyemo (arrived at 6:09 p.m.) ABSENT: Alice Warren Robyn Boucard Chris Simon I. Call to Order Chair Hoban called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Library Building Construction Update — Colin Groff, Assistant City Manager (Heard out of order) Colin Groff, Assistant City Manager, commented the Town Square project is the stimulus for Boynton Beach to become the best City in the County. The feedback is incredible and 50 businesses want to move to the City. The City is building $130 million of infrastructure without touching taxes or revenue and it is an exciting project. The vision is to create a Town Square to attract the community to the downtown and have things to do every night. The City does not want to be like everyone else because if so, people will go somewhere else. The project is a live, work and play area. Currently, based on current units, about 6,000 new people will live within close walking distance of the Town Square, which brings energy without impacting nearby neighborhoods. He noted Delray Beach forgot about the neighborhoods. There will be dense development that will taper off toward the neighborhoods. (Dr. Hayden arrived at 6:09 p.m.) Mr. Groff announced there were a few changes to the conceptual site plan. The teen center will not be in the garage as they cannot figure out how to make it work. There will be public restrooms in the garage that can be clean and maintained which was a change. Every square inch of the site will be monitored via a live crime center monitor and it will be safe. It is a preventative measure and security is very important The site will be safe day or night and will be well lit for events and at night. Multiple types of lighting will be used for events. The north garage was changed. He explained the YMCA approached Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 the City to have a downtown YMCA which is different than the other YMCAs. It is more of an adult exercise, health center with other programs and it will be complimentary to what they already have. Recreation and Parks will coordinate with them not to duplicate programs. If they make the decision to have a facility in the downtown, it will be in the bottom floor of the garage. It is a mixed use space with retail, office, apartments, a hotel, restaurants, the new civic building, new City Hall/Library, parks, the new Fire Station (No. 1) and new Police Department at the High Ridge site. Input on what the building looked like was contained in the handout. One of the Kapok trees will be moved and the City already obtained a quote. All the other large trees will be saved. Mr. Groff commented there will be a community discussion regarding the tree. Ms. Tebo commented the development should be affordable. Mr. Groff explained the south part of the site plan will have apartments and townhomes, with affordable rents from $750 to $1 ,300 a month. He noted there is very little housing for $800 a month in Palm Beach County. Studio apartments will have high ceilings and the square footage of the units will range between 600 and 900 square feet. The first floor plan changed. A portion of the south side of the building will be Library space and the Chamber will be moved to provide more space for the children and teen area. Chambers, during the day, is for programs and library space as all the rooms are multi-chamber rooms. Library staff can program the room daily if they make it available. The dais will be partitioned from the rest of the room. Another large community room was situated along the perimeter of the Library that can be used when the rest of the building is not open. He advised security will control where the public can go. The second floor has Library space above the Chambers. The Old High School will not be its original color. Mr. Groff apprised the Board there will be enough space for Library programs also and it will be complementary space. He noted the Library has programs that Recreation and Parks does not have and there was no reason not to use the Library for those programs as well. There will be shared space. There are large classrooms that can be used for adult literacy programs and others. Drawings of the north garage were viewed. It was noted the garage will not have shutters. The City was stili looking for a sponsor for a screen to show movies on that would be affixed to the garage. Ms. Tebo explained people have phobias about parking garages. Mr. Groff agreed and explained the City needs 2,000 parking spaces. There will be over 100 on-street parking spaces that will be controlled and available for one or two hours. The garage will be camera monitored and the apartments have controlled parking. An image of the new Police Station next to Fire Station No 5 was viewed. Fire Station No. 1 will move to the CRA parking lot. Mr. Groff announced there will be another public workshop on November 1St to present the updated plans. Another workshop is scheduled for November 7 for the City Commission and Mr. Groff will present the changes, price tag for the buildings and financing options. Staff will request consensus to move forward to contracts and then by 2 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 December, the City Commission will vote to move forward. Staff will have all the data ready and the contracts will be fairly complicated. Ms. Tebo asked about a Police Substation. Mr. Groff explained the police will have a space to work from during events. There will have to be full-time security and maintenance seven days a week. It could be private security, off duty police or hiring additional patrols on foot. Mr. Groff favored hiring officers dedicated to the area. Fire Station No. 1 will be designed to have a small area for the police to work from. Mr. Groff explained the Police do not report to the Police Station. They report from home to their grid and each grid has so many officers. There are 30 to 40 officers about at any given time. When a call comes in, dispatch prioritizes the calls. The station is for training and calling muster ahead of their shift at different times and shifts. The detectives, crime lab, SWAT team, Administration and the Marine Division work out of headquarters. Technology is improving the way the City manages government. There will be security in the downtown grid, which will be based on call outs and priority calls. There are plenty of officers to handle priority calls. Mr. Welter inquired how important was the Library to the new Town Square and how central the Library was to its civic obligations. (Dr. Hayden left the meeting at 6:28 p.m.) Mr. Groff commented the Library is the place to activate the downtown and it is designed to be a focal point. There could be quartets and art. It will also have incubator space available for rent month-by-month to help start-up businesses. The Library is the most important building and creates the energy to make all the activities happen. Mr. Clark commented there are items in storage they do not want, but now will have a space to put them. The Library will be high tech and they will design it for the future as much as they can. If the Library is not central to communities, they will cease to exist and will not be funded. (Dr. Hayden returned to the meeting at 6:30 p.m.) Mr. Groff explained the City has to stay within a reasonable revenue that people can afford to pay. The growth will provide the revenue for other resources. The Library has to be integrated and active. By making the Town Square a place to come to for events it will be integrative and active. He commented if done correctly, the Town Square will draw from other areas than it currently does. The Library is an information, technology and art center. Mr. Groff commented two universities will establish subsidiary campuses. The City will install a wireless mess in the entire Town Square, which will provide wireless high-speed internet connection for free. They will use the library and universities' LambdaRail: a university-based internet service which has the highest speed internet service in the world. Only universities and libraries can attach to it and almost no cities 3 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 have it. The City plans to build on that network and is trying to attract a tech firm that will donate its services to tie cities together with the internet. Mr. Groff hoped the Library will offer Pads that can be checked out with a Library card that could be used anywhere in the campus within the mesh area.There would be security devices on them so the Pad would be disabled if outside of the campus area. It will encourage people to go outside and enjoy the amenities. Ms. Tebo asked about shuttles to the beaches. Mr. Groff responded he has and they were planning lyft and Uber stops. He noted Mayor Grant was pushing for a shuttle service, but right now there is no funding. It was unknown if a hyper-loop would be used. Mr. Groff explained Elon Musk is looking for a hyper-loop and their team is looking for a test site for a pilot test. Mr. Groff knows of one of Mr. Musk's team members and submitted the City's name. Mr. Montague asked when demolition would occur at the Library and learned it would be most likely in April 2018. They estimated 18 months, but was trying to push it back to 12 months with the use of early finish bonuses. They have the potential to develop the north side of the campus. If they can clear the site faster, development would occur faster and it would be a less risky development. Staff has not determined where the Library will be temporarily housed. Staff was considering the Women's Club and using the parking lot at the Senior Center. There will be a full time employee shuttling patrons across Federal Highway to the Woman's Club and there are other locations that are much better, but there is nothing yet in writing. By demolishing the Library, the City acquired 1St Street which was necessary from a traffic standpoint. It also freed up space for affordable housing. The high school move in date was September 2018, which Mr. Groff was trying to move up to June 2018. He advised the High School was in better condition than was originally thought so it could be expedited. The contractor was paid $1 .5 million. There is a gym for the larger events and a deck for smaller events. Mr. Groff commented, with everybody's input, they were getting closer and closer to a really cool project. II. Approval of Minutes — August 23, 2017 Chair Hoban announced the September 6th minutes were also available for approval. Motion Mr. Montague moved to approve to add. Mr. Welter seconded the motion. Dr. Hayden- Adeyemo noted a correction to her last name as Adeyemo and not Adeymo. 4 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 Motion Mr. Montague moved to approve both minutes as amended. Mr. Welter seconded the motion that unanimously passed. III. Correspondence and Communications Craig Clark, Library Director, announced he received an email from Ms. Boucard advising she could not make the meeting. IV. Public Audience (Individual Speakers Will Be Limited to 3 Minute Presentations) None. V. Chair's Report None. VI. Unfinished Business: Library Building Construction Update — Colin Groff, Assistant City Manager This item was previously addressed. Career Online High School (COHS) Update Jeannie Taylor, Division Head Librarian, announced the Library funded five scholarships this year for students living within City limits from State Aid grant. She was contacted by others about the program not living in the City about the program. Mr. Clark advised the program will be funded somehow next year, but this year was a lag because the Governor did not support it. Ms. Taylor did not think there would be a problem next year. Last year there was nine scholarships. Mr. Clark was working on a scholarship from the Rotary Club. Students have to complete a self-assessment and a two-week requite class to ensure the student can keep pace with the class and then an interview for the scholarship takes place. They have 18 months to complete the class. The program expires one year from the contract date. It was noted the program got off to a slow start. The program is advertised on the website and on a Library banner, handouts and word of mouth. Mr. Clark explained it is on Facebook and Twitter. Mr. Clark advised he received an email from a person in Orange County wanting to participate in the program. He noted the Orange County and Miami/Date program ended and Broward's program is ending. It was important to keep the momentum going, even though they only funded five scholarships, because he believed the program would be funded next year. It is a viable program. It is important to get an accredited high school diploma. AmeriCorps Program Update 5 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 Anne Watts, Assistant Library Director, advised they have three AmeriCorps workers. The Library now has more than three for Homework Help, which is for grades five and six and an additional dozen AmeriCorp members who come in for four to eight hours a week at the end of their regular assignments. In total, there are about 15 AmeriCorp tutors. A teen person was working as a Library reading coach from about 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. helping teens with resumes, college essays, homework, etc. and then an adult class occurs. All of the programs are doing well and there is a nice number of enrollment. The demographics have changed slightly in the adult program. Up until now, the students were mostly Haitian and now, they have people from Brazil, Eastern Europeans and Iranians. It is a great challenge for the teacher as there are different language barriers. It was noted the program was going well. Mr. Montague thought there would be more Puerto Ricans. Ms. Watts explained it is a wonderful program that works largely through word of mouth. Mr. Welter asked about the Library's educational programs and if staff saw the same opportunities at the new Civic Center which Mr. Groff alluded to earlier. Mr. Clark thought the staff would have to settle into the new space to figure out what they would do where in the new building. If need be, if additional space is needed for a program, they would hold a class there. There will be more staff hired so he recommended waiting to see what the current programming is and see what type of staffing opportunities there would be. Ms. Watt advised there is a problem with homework help as something is always needed. When dealing with juveniles, it is not so easy to move a class and it was agreed youth programs would remain at the Library, but adult classes could use the new Civic Center location. Ms. Watts advised the English language instruction starts about 2 p.m. and they are adults not employed outside the home. They know about the enrollment in school. Staff may need to create other alternatives based on the staffing model such as evening or weekend classes. VII. New Business: Florida Library Association —2018 Legislative Platform Amnesty— Discussion Mr. Clark advised he serves on the Legislative Committee of the Florida Library Association. They hire lobbying firms to carry library platforms to legislators. He noted the State Aid to Public Libraries, Innovative Initiatives, Public Library Construction, Multi-Type Library Cooperatives and Smart Horizons Career Online High School all affect the Library. He noted the Bureau of Braille and Talking Books and the State Library of Florida, Department of State Ongoing Funding also affects the Boynton Beach Library State Aid to Libraries was looking to increase funding to the 2001 level. He thought the City may receive a small increase this year. Last year, the Library received $72,000 and this year may receive $75,000. There was a bill to fund Innovative Initiatives this past year, which the Governor vetoed. If the Innovative Initiative of $2 million is funded, it will result in competitive grants and staff may be able to write a grant to get something innovative at 6 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 the Library. The City will actively seek another$500,000 from Public Library Construction and will write a grant next year for the following year. Mr. Clark explained the Library is a member of the Southeast Florida Information Network, (SEFLIN) which serves Palm Beach County and advised he may become the Treasurer in November. Ms. Watts sits on its training committee. He noted the five Multi-Type Library Cooperatives split. Much of the Library's training and networking is done through SEFLIN. They have innovative training opportunities for Library Staff and they manage the Overdrive and Zinio Online accounts. They have cost sharing initiatives. Smart Horizons is the Career Online High School was being funded $750,000 and Mr. Clark believed it would be funded in the next fiscal year as well. Mr. Clark pointed out staff writes the grants. Grants are a team effort. Susan Swiatosz, Librarian Archivist, was helpful in that she knew what she wanted for digitization and specialization. Mr. Clark handles the State Aid to Public Library grants and was teaching Tiffany Pagan, Library Accountant, about them. He noted State Aid to Libraries grants are funded by federal funds that trickle down. Ms. Taylor reviews the grant. The Public Library Construction grant application will be a team effort with the City. Ms. Watts commented she would love more competitive grants. She advised one item that changed was there was no assistance for collections or resources. The price of books increases all the time. There has been at least a 25% increase in the cost of books over the last three years, and staff has managed to supplement the collection budget from the City Commission. There were years when the Library had a flat budget. She thought it would be wonderful to have money available to focus for those types of materials or for a special project. She noted there are endless databases. (Dr. Hayden-Adeyemo left the meeting at 7 p.m.) Mr. Clark explained any librarian can qualify patrons to participate in the Bureau of Braille Talking Books for free. The Bureau has talking books for the sight impaired or blind. He advised it is a good program that has been around for many years and it was sponsored by the Library of Congress. Ms. Watts noted the elderly prevail themselves to the books as sometimes the books are too heavy or the reader needs help turning pages. She advised the entire package is mailed to them including a listening device and an output device. The program is totally independent and all is franked so the users do not have to pay postage. The County Library manages the program in this area, and staff refers patrons to them. There are forms in the Kiosks. Mr. Clark recalled a former department head whose mother was losing her sight. She was at the library and learned about the program. Her mother loved the program. Ms. Watts explained the program is different than the talking goods. The program reader reads everything on every page. If there is a photograph, the reader even describes the picture. Ms. Tebo asked about people with severe learning disabilities. Ms. Watts explained there are programs to help, but this program was not designed for those with severe learning disabilities unless there is a sight or physical disability. The rule is the program is 7 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 accessible to those that cannot hold standard reading materials. The program is designed for adults and not youth. Mr. Montague was impressed with all that staff handles. Mr. Clark agreed the Library handles a great deal of information and more recently, spent a lot of time handling the new footprint of the new library. They were counting chairs and computers to ensure they will have at least the same amount of equipment as they do now. Mr. Clark advised there is a great deal of variety in the job. Amensty Mr. Welter commented amnesty to him is the fine schedule and the punitive aspect of overdue library material. It was always something they stumbled upon to reduce fines or eliminate fines carried over to overdue materials. The more he investigates it with other library programs that have inclusive programs and borrowing structures, have eliminated the fines for overdue materials or are in the process of being not as punitive regarding the fine amount. The Library will reduce the fine and it is not like a true punishment. He commented Libraries want to encourage people to borrow library materials. Chair Hoban asked about the outcome and response from libraries that backed off the punitive schedule. Mr. Welter explained the American Library Association has a policy statement that encourages libraries to either reduce or eliminate fines. The Library Association says it is an economic barrier for poor communities and Mr. Welter noted there are some struggling communities in the City that could benefit by lower fines, while still encouraging literacy and borrowing. Fines discourage those activities. Ms. Tebo questioned if books would magically disappear if there were no fines. Mr. Montague commented he has overdue CD's. He can bring the CDs back and not pay the fine at that time, but it prevents him from checking out more materials until he can pay the fine. He thought the fine does not motivate patrons to return items. Ms. Watts explained the purpose of a library fine is to sanction a borrower with overdue materials because they kept another person from viewing the material on time. If the patron returns the material, they are being neighborly, not bad. Discussion followed if the fine was the accepted practice. Ms. Watts explained the nature of the fine and the fine process was the same in every library she has visited and was what she was taught in school, but she agreed the concept does not translate well. It teaches youth that they have a responsibility to return material they borrowed. Ms. Watts informed the members that Ms. Taylor speaks with the patrons and can negotiate the fine. They let youth read off the fine, which translates to the staff encouraging youth to read and to have library privileges. Youth pledges to a staff member of their choice how much they will read to eliminate the fine and signs a pledge. Most of the youth come back to the staff members indicating they finished reading off the fine. Staff engages in a positive conversation and tries to make it as positive as possible. 8 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 Mr. Welter asked if Ms. Watts saw other public libraries In Florida moving to a substantially less fine and learned the only county that has no fines in Florida was Alachua County, which was not the norm. They have the university and the universities do not fine, but they hold back student grades. Mr. Welter asked why staff does not restrict borrowing privileges in the sense they burdened another library patron by not returning material timely and learned that is done, but it does not encourage anyone to read. Mr. Clark explained the fines they collect go into the General Fund and is about $30,000 a year. If the Board wanted to eliminate the fines, the Board would have to obtain City Commission approval. Mr. Welter commented there could be Board consensus. He asked if a member could appear before the City Commission. Mr. Montague was not opposed to the fine as if he does not return a Red Box remtal, there is a fine and it is a commonly accepted principal, but he did not favor the fines collected being directed to the City. He asked if Mr. Clark was getting anything back. Mr. Clark explained it is a revenue source for the City. If the revenue source was eliminated, the City Commission would have to make it up. The City could cut funds from other programs. The collection agency is used to get material backs. It is a revenue neutral process. Mr. Clark also apprised the members the Library is similar to a City Department. They all need funds from the General Fund to run their department. Ms. Taylor works with patrons to restore borrowing privileges. When dealing with customer service she can negotiate the accrued fines, sometimes by paying half. She strives to restore patron accounts. Some patrons have gone to collection and cannot pay the fine. Ms. Taylor does not waive the fee the library pays to the collection agency for that account, but she can waive half of the outstanding balance. Most individuals in collection have their accounts in good standing in about two months Chair Hoban inquired if the patron just pays the $10 collection fee. if they return the actual item and learned they do. Late fees cannot be more than the value of the item. The DVDs have the highest late fees and are more because they have the most abuse. Mr. Welter noted Library staff expressed interest in patrons not having the burden of costs and inquired why reduce the fines. Chair Hoban responded it has more to do with students not being able to graduate as the library fines kept students from graduating. Mr. Montague understood the most important thing is getting the material back. If they lose the book, it is a wash. He asked if the university library saw a difference when they made the switch from having the fines to eliminating the fine in terms of book circulation. Chair Hoban replied she saw no difference. If a student lost the book they are charged for the book and they cannot graduate until paid. If they return the book, it was a wash. She has not noticed a changed in missing resources since the fines were dropped. They also let students check out materials for an entire semester. The platform Mr. Welter sees in other libraries is to have longer loan periods than the Boynton Beach Library and more forgiveness. Chair Hoban disagreed as public library lending periods are not the same. Mr. Clark explained it may be easier for a county library that has a higher collection/development budget. He pointed out the City's collection budget is so small, 9 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 people would never get the material they requested because of the longer loan period. He commented it is a downfall of not charging fines. If the requested material is a best seller the Library only has 10 copies of, and there are 50 people waiting for the material, they would not see the book timely. Mr. Welter thought if some people could take advantage of negotiating better to cap the fines he thought it should be opened up to everyone. Ms. Taylor conveys it is a responsibility, and if there is an issue, she will help them get through the issues, but there is a grace period. Ms. Tebo explained it was a big thing for a young child to get a library card and it was impressed upon youth they are responsible for getting, taking care of, returning materials, and paying a fine. Chair Hoban agreed with Ms. Watts it is a community responsibility and patrons tardy in returning materials are preventing other patrons from enjoying the library. There are limits to the amount of renewals depending on many factors, such as if an item is on hold. Mr. Montague thought the only benefit of having no fines was marketing the Library as a no fine library from a marketing standpoint. It conveys the Library trusts the community with materials. Ms. Watts explained what occurs with e-books is a patron borrows a book for a finite period of time due to the consortium rules. In two weeks, the information disappears from the e-book, regardless of how many pages were left. There are traps built into the system. She thought it was unfair the a-book content disappeared because if someone wants the option, they should be able to have a cost benefit analysis. Patrons consider whether it was worth it to get in their car to drive across town to save 40 cents. She commented people always have a fine. Mr. Welter suggested a cap be put on the fines instead having no fines. Mr. Montague asked how often someone is disgruntled about fines and learned it is not a daily situation. He noted the amount of the fine is small although, cumulatively, patron fines are significant. It appears patrons are okay with fines. Libraries have had fines all along. Ms. Watts commented if there was a problem, they were proactive with the youth. When they identified youth losing privileges, they went to the City Commission and requested they forgive fines for youth because it was causing community youth not to use the library. Mr. Clark pointed out, during the recession, there was a request to increase the fine from 10 cents to 15 cents a day. Mr. Montague thought the fines collected were not recycled to the Library. Mr. Clark explained they used to, but during the recession, the City needed the funds. He noted next year, if the additional $25,000 homestead exemption is approved, the City will lose $1.5 million in revenue. He advised the City Manager struggles every year to fund the general fund. Mr. Clark pointed out Recreation and Parks operates the same way. Fee-based recreation program revenue goes back to the general fund, which funds the department. Ms. Watts pointed out the reason libraries use a collection agency is to get the material back. Collection activity would not impact the patron's credit report as the law was changed in June. Mr. Clark explained they still use the service because it works and the fees collected increased although the main goal was the return of the materials. After further 10 Meeting Minutes Library Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2017 brief discussion, there was agreement this item will be added to the December 6th agenda. Ms. Watts suggested speaking to other libraries and Mr. Welter agreed to conduct further research. There were newspaper articles about a library in Montana who decided not to collect fines from the ranchers who came to town. Mr. Welter was aware of the article and commented a lot of the issue pertained to income levels and trying to address the needs of the community. He sought to encompass fines as a community based problem or to have a policy that says if the patron returns the material, they will forgive the fines. It is a policy decision. Ms. Watts commented Red Box does not charge a late fee. Instead, it charges another day's rental, which adds up. VIII. Library Director's Report/Statistics Monthly Report for September 2017 Mr. Clark noted the Library was closed during the hurricane, which reduced the numbers. News/Media Coverage An article about the Library's Halloween program was included in the meeting materials. The Zinio list was supposed to be reviewed by all participants. There were no new issues. The Library received an announcement Men's Health Magazine was ceasing publication. IX. Announcements Next Library Board Meeting — December 6, 2017 @ 6 p.m. X. Adjournment Motion There being no further business to discuss, Mr. Montague moved to adjourn. Mr. Welter seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:53 p.m. ,, .0,14jali Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 11