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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - Library Board - 2024 - 02/06 - Regular ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6,2024—6:30 P.M. Board Members Present: Bryce Farlow(Place 1) Maroba Zoeller, Chair (Place 2) Jimmy Wright (Place 3) Jeremy Wallace, (Place 4) Kimberly Hinton (Place 5) Adyna Akins, Vice Chair (Place 6) Board Members Absent: Kathryn Edds, Secretary (Place 7) City Staff/Officials Present: Jeff Timbs, Director Claudia Wayland, Assistant Director Visitors Present: Rekha Kumar 1. Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present. With a quorum of Board Members present, the Allen Public Library Board was called to order by Board Chair Maroba Zoeller at 6:30 p.m. on February 6, 2024. 2. Approve Minutes of the November 7, 2023,Regular Meeting. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Board Member Kimberly Hinton and seconded by Board Member Jimmy Wright,the Board voted six (6) for and none (0) opposed to approve the minutes of the November 1, 2023, Regular Meeting, as submitted. 3. Discuss the Library Board Annual Report. The City Council requested the Board present the annual report at an upcoming City Council meeting. The date of the report is not set but will likely be in May. The format of the annual report can be adjusted from prior years, if necessary. The Board discussed information to include in the report, including names and photos of the Board, an overview of the activities and programs at the Library, an update on the Library expansion plans (including updated construction plans and architect renderings), and the Library's story walk activity at the ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 2 REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2024 Stephen G. Terrell Recreation Center (possibly including quotes from visitors that have visited and enjoyed the story walk). 4. Preview of Spring Break Programming. The Library anticipates more people in the building during Spring Break. The Library has planned twelve programs during the week, including family, elementary, and teen programs, as well as an Onstage @ APL Program with Fiddlinda&Friends. The Library will also host its Food for Fines program during Spring Break from Saturday, March 9, through Sunday, March 17. During this period, patrons can donate non-perishable food items at the Library and patrons with any fines will have $1 of late fees waived for each item donated. All donations will go to the All Community Outreach's food pantry. 5. Receive Updates On and Discuss Library Expansion. Since the last Board meeting, Fransen Pittman was selected as the Construction Manager at Risk. City and Library staff are meeting bi-weekly with Fransen Pittman and Hidell and Associates Architects. Hidell is preparing a site plan, and Fransen Pittman is developing a cost estimate for the project budget. The current goal is to have the guaranteed maximum price ("GMP") set this Spring and ready to present the construction contract at the May 14 City Council meeting. If the City Council approves, the City Manager will have the authority to sign the contract and begin construction. The current plan is to have subcontractors begin pouring concrete pads as early as June. This will allow construction to begin without requiring the Library to close during the 2024 Summe Reading Club. During this stage, the east entrance to the Library will be closed but the rest of the Library will remain open and operational. Around August 2024, the Library will prepare to move operations to a temporary location where the Library will operate throughout the remainder of construction. The Library initially sought to remain open at the current location during construction, but additional analysis concluded that there would be significant savings in both costs and time if the Library operated at a temporary location off-site during construction. The site of the temporary Library has not been confirmed yet but should be soon. The Library plans to maintain all current staff at the temporary location, and to offer current or similar services. The Library is evaluating options to hire a company to move all books to the temporary location and considering whether to resume virtual programs as offered in recent years. Final decisions as to any changes in hours, services, etc.have not been made yet,but the Library plans to set up a page on the new website that will provide the community with a single, comprehensive source of operations (including hours, services, programs, and schedules) and expansion details (including updates on the status of construction). ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 3 REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6,2024 The Library hopes to return all operations to the current location by late Spring 2025. 6. Status Report on Library Initiatives and Services. The Library's "Reading Wonderland" reading program over the Winter was successful, and the Library is planning its Summer Reading Club, "Adventure Begins at Your Library." Library staff will preview other planned programs and events at the next Board meeting. The Library has now switched its online catalog to default to the Vega interface. The old catalog is still available to the public and still used for library card registration and interlibrary loans. The Library is evaluating options to incorporate a children's catalog with Vega, but the program is only available at an extra cost and is still under consideration. 7. Update on Digital Collections A new library joined the consortium (Robert J. Kleberg Public Library in Kingsville, Texas), bringing the number of libraries in the program to 69 total. The Library has seen increased interest and engagement on Biblio+, with 160 users accessing the platform in December 2023 and 321 users accessing the platform in January 2024. Biblio+ has added content to the platform and there are now approximately 5,200 videos available. 8. Review and Discuss October, November, and December 2023 Library Statistics. Checkouts at the Library continue to decrease year over year despite increases in Library visitors (including a 75% increase in program attendance and a 16% increase in information requests). The decrease in checkouts with an increase in visitors is accompanied by a substantial increase in materials used in-house. Looking forward, the Library anticipates a sharp drop in checkouts after it moves operations to the temporary location but then expects a sharp increase in checkouts when the Library expansion is completed due to the "new library phenomenon" and increased exposure and interest in the community. 9. Recap Friends of the Library, Allen Library Endowment Fund, and ALLen Reads Activities. The Friends of the Library and the Rotary Clubs are co-sponsoring a candidate forum on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The forum will include candidates for the Allen City Council and the Allen ISD Board of Trustees. All interested persons are welcome to attend. The forum will also be recorded and available to the public online. The Friends of the Library will also have its Annual,Meeting on April 1, during which it will elect a President and a Treasurer. ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 4 REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6,2024 The Allen Library Endowment Fund's("ALEF")fundraising committee is exploring strategies to raise funds for the Library's teen area. In addition, ALEF has decided not to host its annual wine and chocolate fundraiser this Fall this year because of competition with other events and activities during the late-Fall season. ALEF will likely move its program to the Spring of 2025. Considering the Library's anticipated move to a temporary location after the Summer of 2024, ALLen Reads is evaluating whether and to what extent its programming will be viable during construction. Similarly, the Library anticipates that the temporary location will result in reduced revenue for the Friends of the Library through the suspension of its ongoing book sale, resulting in fewer donations to the Library. 10. Discuss Items for Future Board Meeting Agendas. Library staff will preview its planned activities and programs for Summer 2024 at the next Board Meeting. The Library will also provide an update on the construction planning process. 11. Items of Interest. [Board announcements regarding local civic and charitable events, meetings,fundraisers, and awards.) i. March 9-17, 2024—Food for Fines (During Allen ISD Spring Break). ii. March 31, 2024—Library Closed for Easter. iii. May 3, 2024—Staff Development 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Library Opens at 1:00 p.m. iv. May 7, 2024—Next Scheduled Library Advisory Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. v. Other Calendar Items. 12. Adjourn. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Vice Chair Adyna Adkins and seconded by Board Member Bryce Farlow, the Board voted six (6) for and none (0) opposed adjourning the meeting at 7:31 p.m. The Motion passed. These minutes were approved on the 7th day of May 2024. APPROVED: ATTEST: 4771/ _ 4. 546. CHAIR SECRETARY