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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - Library Board - 2020 - 08/04 - Regular ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4,2020 Board Members Present: Maroba Zoeller, Vice Chair Michelle Perry, Secretary Laura Wooten Scott Phillips Kimberly Hinton Jack Bick, Chair Rekha Mathai Board Members Absent: None City Staff/Officials Present: Jeff Timbs, Library Director Lauren Doherty, City Council Member 1. Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present. With a quorum present,the Regular Meeting of the Allen Public Library Board was called to order by Board Vice-Chair Maroba Zoeller at 6:37 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, via a Zoom virtual call. 2. Approve Minutes of the February 4,2020 Regular Meeting. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Laura Wooten and seconded by Scott Phillips,the Board voted to approve the February 4, 2020 minutes. 3. Update on the Library's COVID-Related Service Responses. Library Director Jeff Timbs explained that due to COVID-19, the Library closed for six weeks, starting on March 16. During this time,patrons were allowed to register online for ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 2 REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4,2020 temporary library cards, in order to check out e-books and other digital items. The Library also initiated a curbside pick-up service beginning May 4. The Library's summer reading club was completely online through ReadSquared, and patrons were allowed to register for take-and-make craft kits to complete at home. On June 15, the Library re-opened with limited hours, with continued curbside service. Director Timbs said that the Library is emphasizing its digital collections. Patrons can also check out the new Binge Boxes, which contain six thematically related movies. With a new Wonder Book collection, children get picture books with built in audiobooks. Patrons can also request a book bundle for children, and staff will select and hold a few books centered around a preferred theme or subject. Director Timbs said that since July 6, masks are mandatory in public areas. The Library has a limit of sixty patrons in the building at one time. The program room, reading room, study rooms, and auditorium remain closed. A few computers and printing stations are available. Sanitizer stations are located throughout the Library. On average, every three minutes, the Library has a curbside pick-up from May to July. For the summer reading program, 1,340 patrons registered. Last year, the program had 7,300 participants, so engagement is only 20 percent of what it was last year. Board members shared how much they enjoyed curbside pick-up, Binge Boxes, and the online summer reading program, and commended staff for issuing temporary library cards so quickly. Director Timbs said that even when programming returns to normal,the Library plans to continue to reach patrons virtually. City Councilmember Lauren Doherty asked Director Timbs if patrons were complying with wearing masks, if staff were quarantining books when they're returned, and if the upcoming Library expansion included special plans for ventilation. Director Timbs said that even though patrons weren't required to wear masks during the first three weeks after the Library reopened,most still did. Since masks have been required,the Library has seen good compliance. Staff have given patrons disposable masks when needed, and they've also gently reminded visitors to wear a mask. Director Timbs said that the Library doesn't have the space to quarantine books upon return. If a book is checked back in and put on hold, and the patron doesn't pick it up immediately, it will sit on a shelf, and is essentially quarantined for that time. He said that if patrons are concerned, items could be left in the trunk of a car to be quarantined for a certain amount of time. In the early stages of the pandemic, staff did wipe down DVD cases. However, the chemicals from disinfecting wipes can damage books. As we learn more about COVID-19, ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 3 REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4,2020 the primary source of transmission appears to be airborne. He also said that all programming for the rest of the year will be virtual. 4. Review and Discuss Library Budget and Expansion. Director Timbs explained that the Library was tasked with reducing operating costs by ten percent for this year's (2019-2020)budget, and next year's (2020-2021) budget. This year's budget is five percent less overall than what was approved last September, and the same types of reductions should be expected in next year's budget. The Library has several vacant positions, some of which will not be filled for the foreseeable future to help reduce the City's budget shortfall. Some Library staff also decided to retire earlier than expected due to COVID-19 or other reasons. Two vacant Specialist positions will be combined into one full-time position (including health insurance), which will result in a cost savings for the city. This new full-time employee will be responsible for evaluating new digital technologies for the Library, as well as providing instruction for digital services. Due to budget restrictions,the Library will purchase 1,000 fewer books this budget year, and next budget year. The Library will also sustain cuts in program expenses,professional services (such as training), and supplies. The Library will purchase replacement library cards in the fall. Director Timbs explained that the Library is on the short list for a CARES Act grant by the Texas State Library, which will fund three pandemic-related initiatives: 1) self-service checkout system that enables patrons to check out with an Android or iOS app and deactivate the security tag with one of two contactless tag scanners; 2) document station that enables patrons to scan paper documents to a flash drive, phone, email, or cloud storage; and 3) a mobile service desk to replace the current Information Desk. Director Timbs also said the Library is on the short list for a Texas Reads Grant,which would be used to purchase three early literacy stations for the Children's Library. The stations would include bilingual educational apps. The projects would be implemented in the fall if the Library receives the grant funding. Director Timbs said that the City Council has approved funding for the Library to start the expansion planning process. The planning process involves several steps, including steering committee meetings, public input meetings, and a report to the City Council by the end of 2021. The design and construction phases will follow that initial planning process. 5. Review and Discuss the Annual Board Report to the City Council. ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 4 REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4, 2020 Due to COVID-19, the Library Board was,unable to present its 2018-19 Annual Report to the City Council in July. Hopefully the Board will be able to schedule a date to present its report to the Council as soon as that becomes feasible. 6. Discuss and Provide Input About Fines for Overdue Items. Director Timbs explained how neighboring library systems in Plano, Frisco, and McKinney handle overdue items and fines. He also explained how the process works in Allen. The Board discussed the pros and cons of collecting fines for overdue items. Board members expressed concern about turning over a patron to a collection agency for lost items. Director Timbs explained that library collection agencies operate differently than standard collection agencies, in that they only deal with libraries, and they don't continually engage with the patron. He also explained that collection agencies are only used as a last resort, when items haven't been returned for a prolonged time period. Director Timbs said that due to COVID-19, revenue collection for fines is down this year, since no items were due back between March 16 and June 14. He also said collection agency referrals have been suspended until at least September. The Board asked how often items are not returned, and at what point library privileges are lost. Director Timbs said that if fines total more than five dollars, the patron is asked to pay the account down to that amount in order to reinstate borrowing privileges. The Board also discussed how the auto renewal process for books has helped tremendously with reducing the number of items that become overdue. Director Timbs said the cost of replacing lost materials is the biggest burden for the Library, and not necessarily the non-payment of fines. • 7. Status Report on Digital Collections. Director Timbs said-that there has been a substantial increase in use of the Library's digital collections. This year,there has been a 68 percent increase in digital material checkouts. In July alone, there was an 82 percent increase in digital material checkouts, compared to last July. Director Timbs explained that patrons are likely to continue to use digital materials, even when normal library services resume. Through the CloudLink consortium, a substantial number of digital materials, aggregated from over twenty library systems, are available for patrons to check out. Without the consortium, the Library would be unable to offer patrons access to such a wide range of materials. 8. Review and Discuss January, February, March,April, May, and June 2020 Library Statistics. ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 5 REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4,2020 Director Timbs said that in January and February, visits to the Library, program attendance, and checkouts were lower when compared to the same time last year. He explained that many families who were already aware of COVID-19 in other parts of the world stopped coming into the Library. In March,the week of Allen ISD's spring break was extremely slow when compared to previous years. In April, when the Library was closed to the public, digital checkouts doubled compared to April 2019. While the Library was closed, its virtual programming and take and make kits were very successful. The Library reopened mid-June, and made shelf holds and curbside pickup available. Holds are popular, and Director Timbs said that feedback from the public has been extremely positive in this regard. He is considering the feedback, and whether the Library might be able to continue these services. Overall, digital checkouts have increased this year, with 118,000 checkouts, versus 70,000 last year. Even with COVID-19, and the closure of the Library, checkouts are almost up to one million. In comparison, check outs last year totaled 1.4 million. Understandably, new library card totals are down,program attendance is down, and visits are down when compared to last year. 9. Recap Friends of the Library, Allen Library Endowment Fund, and ALLen Reads Activities. The Friends Board hasn't been able to meet since February 10, but they were able to approve their annual budget. The Friends generate funding through membership dues and their book sales. The Friends' book sale is on hold since proper social distancing in the Library gallery would be difficult to maintain. In lieu of traditional fundraising efforts, the Allen Library Endowment Fund is considering an online auction. Authors who were scheduled to visit Allen in October for ALLen Reads might delay their visits to early next year. ALLen Reads is considering authors who could visit Allen in late 2021. Their plans are on hold, dependent on what happens with COVID-19. 10. Discuss Items for Future Board Meeting Agendas. Kimberly Hinton inquired about options the Library could implement to support students during COVID-19. She mentioned that more distance between study carrels and computers might be a way to allow more usage of library resources. ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 6 REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4, 2020 Rekha Mathai asked about book bundles for students who are participating in virtual learning. Director Timbs said that librarians do put together book bundles. Patrons can fill out a form or call the Youth Services desk, and based on the request, staff pull books by age or by topic. 11. Items of Interest.[Board announcements regarding local civic and charitable events, meetings,fundraisers, and awards.] i.November 3 —Next Scheduled Library Advisory Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m., location to be determined. 12. Adjourn. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Scott Phillips and seconded by Rekha Mathai, the board voted to adjourn the board meeting at 8:09 p.m. These minutes approved on the 3rd day of November 2020. APPROVED:LT ATTEST: / Oa=-- CHAI ERSON S CRET Y