Min - Library Board - 2021 - 11/02 - Regular ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
REGULAR MEETING •
NOVEMBER 2,2021
Board Members Present:
Scott Phillips, Chair(Place 4)
Maroba Zoeller, Vice Chair(Place 2)
Laura Wooten, Secretary (Place 3)
• Kimberly Hinton(Place 5)
Rekha Mathai (Place 7)
Board Members Absent:
Adyna Akins (Place 6)
Bryce Farlow(Place 1)
City Staff/Officials Present:
Jeff Timbs, Director
Claudia Wayland
1. Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present.
With a quorum of Board Members present,the Regular Meeting of the Allen Public Library
Board was called to order by Board Chair Scott Phillips at 6:31 p.m. on Tuesday,November
2, 2021, in the Allen Public Library Meeting Room, 300 North Allen Drive, Allen, Texas.
2. Approve Minutes of the August 3,2021 Regular Meeting.
MOTION: Upon a motion made by Maroba Zoeller and seconded by Kimberly Hinton,
the Board voted (5) for and (0) opposed to approve the August 3,2021
minutes. The motion carried.
3. Status Report on Library Initiatives and Services.
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Library Director Jeff Timbs updated the Board on Library initiatives and services.
The Library ended advertised curbside checkouts August 31. The service was well-used
during the pandemic,but as the summer proceeded and visitors increased in the Library,
curbside use declined by 90%from July to August.
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The Library received a$2500 grant from the Texas Book Festival to fund Korean books for
the World Language book collection. An anonymous donor provided some Mandarin
Chinese children's and adult books.
The Fall Festival was held on September 18 and very well attended. The Friends of the
Library provided a craft, the North Texas Municipal Water District provided an activity, and
the Library Endowment Committee provided face painting. Kona Ice attended and distributed
480 cups of flavored ice. Allen Parks and Recreation, Police, and Fire Departments also
participated.
In September, 663 patrons attended story times in-person. The Library began using
Eventbrite for event registrations and reservations with mixed results.November is Dinosaur
Month including CeCe's Library Adventure, a Dino Story Walk, Dino Sleepover, Dino
Dance Party, a Zoom program with the Dallas Paleontological Society on November 22 for
ages K-3, and an arts and craft Dino DIY planter for grades 4-6.
4. Status Report on Digital Collections.
Mr. Timbs provided a report on the Library's digital collections. The Library will now
provide the Bluebird Languages app for patrons, which offers lessons in 164 languages in
daily lessons for both iOS and Android phones.
The Texas cloudLibrary consortium continued to grow. It includes 50 participating libraries,
with three more slated to join. There are 260,000 total e-books and audiobooks available
through the consortium with a collective value of more than$8 million.
The Library applied for and received a Texas Treasures Grant from the Texas State Library
to digitize Allen American newspapers from 1972-2002. The digital files will then be
accessible from the University of North Texas Portal to Texas History collection online.
The Library asked Allen ISD for permission to digitize yearbooks and make them available
online. The request was denied, possibly due to privacy concerns. Donated print volumes for
1972-2006, 2068-2012, and 2014-2016 are currently in the Library's collection. The Library
would like to receive donations copies of 2007, 2013, and 2017 to fill in the gaps. Vice Chair
Maroba Zoeller expressed interest in following up on this project.
5. Review and Discuss July,August, September, and Year-End 2021 Library Statistics.
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REGULAR MEETING
NOVEMBER 2,2021
The Board reviewed July, August, and September 2021 statistics and FY 2021 annual
statistics. The Library's new book collection has been, and will continue to be, impacted by
supply chain disruptions that affect books as well as other consumer goods.
The July 2021 checkout rate was 45 percent higher than July 2020. Program participation
tripled compared to the same month last year. Library visits tripled in July year-over-year
from 7885 to 21,801, with 123,000 items checked out. Program attendance increased from
2760 to 10,328.
Visits nearly tripled, from 7730 to 20,184 in August with 113,542 checkouts and from 7922
to 20.440 in September with 104,224 checkouts. In September,the Library moved to hybrid
programming with some programs held in-person and others virtual, or both, as for Cultural
Arts programs in the Auditorium.
Fiscal Year 2021 checkouts were 1.15 million items, compared to 1.04 million in FY 2020
and 1.46 million items in FY 2019.
6. Receive and Discuss Update on Library Expansion Survey and Process.
The Library expansion process continued the evaluation of Allen's future library needs. In
the May 2016 bond elections, voters approved up to a 45,000 foot expansion and a
$16,045,000 project budget. From that total, approximately $800,000 was spent during the
2017 parking expansion. The community survey garnered 1300 responses. The themes
• commonly identified were to: expand the children and teen areas, increase collection sizes,
provide more programming space,provide more meeting space, improve the external book
drop functionality, and improve staff workspaces.
The community also expressed interest in an energy efficient building with long-term
operational efficiencies and the ability to adapt as Allen's Library needs adapt. The Library
Expansion Steering Committee, with consultants from Hidell and Associates Architects,
toured four libraries in September: McKinney, Coppell, Bedford, and Arlington. The
architects are currently working on initial recommendations to provide to the Steering
Committee. A second survey will present these ideas to the community for input. The City
Council would then be asked to approve the sale of bonds for Phase 2 of the project to
develop the final plans and begin construction.
7. Recap Friends of the Library, Allen Library Endowment Fund, and ALLen Reads
Activities.
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The Library is again accepting book donations again for the Friends' book sale. The
Endowment Fund's annual fundraiser, a wine and chocolate tasting event, was held on
October 16 and raised $14,000. The Endowment Fund continues to meet with local groups
and businesses to increase awareness of its mission.
S. Discuss Items for Future Board Meeting Agendas.
The Board wants to follow up on the Allen High School yearbook digitization project and on
the Library bond sale and expansion.
9. Items of Interest.[Board announcements regarding local civic and charitable events,
meetings,fundraisers, and awards.]
i. November 5—Library Closed for Staff Development.
ii. November 25-26—Library Closed for Thanksgiving.
iii. December 3 —Annual Board Appreciation Dinner.
iv. December 4—Holly Jolly Celebration and Christmas Tree Lighting.
v. December 13-January 10—Winter Reading Club for All Ages.
vi. December 24-27—Library Closed for Christmas.
vii. December 31-January 1 —Library Closed for New Year's.
viii. February 1 —Next Scheduled Library Advisory Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
ix. Other Calendar Items.
10. Adjourn.
MOTION: Upon a motion made by Kimberly Hinton and seconded by Maroba
Zoeller, the Board voted (5) for and (0) opposed to adjourn the board
meeting at 7:40 p.m. The motion carried.
These minutes approved on the 1st day of February 2022.
APPROVED: ATTEST:
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