Library Trustees, Board of

City of Beverly, Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board: Library Trustees Subcommittee: Date: September 28, 2021, 4:00 P.M. Place: Remote Meeting on Google Meet Board members present: Margaret Altman, Mary Behrle, Ivy Mahan, Colleen Michaels, Kevin O’Reilly, Joanne Panunzio, Myron Schirer-Suter Board members absent: Marshall Handly, Cathryn Keefe O’Hare Others present: Allison Babin, Bruce Doig, Meghan Karasin Recorder: Meghan Karasin Kevin O’Reilly presided. Meghan Karasin stated that the meeting was being recorded. Joanne Panunzio made the motion, seconded by Mary Behrle, to accept the minutes of the meeting of June 22, 2021. Roll call vote approved, with Altman, Behrle, Mahan, Michaels, O’Reilly, and Panunzio voting yes. Motion passed. Public Presentation None. Committee Reports Personnel: No report. Administration: No report. Finance: No report. Long Range Planning: No report. Report of the Library Director 1. Fiscal Year 2021 Budget: Allison Babin shared the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget report. The library supply line was fully spent. After seeing savings from not purchasing physical library cards, money was spent to purchase 4 new book carts. 2. Fiscal Year 2022 Budget: Allison Babin shared the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. The budget did pass the City Council as proposed. Approved raises for the Director (5%) and the Assistant Director (4%) are not reflected in this budget. The library plans to update the outdoor security cameras which face the parking lot and courtyard. There have been accidents in the parking lot, and the courtyard has been requiring more cleaning after being used after hours by those experiencing homelessness. Allison Babin has been in touch with Sergeant Costa and Beverly Bootstraps to provide support. Margaret Altman asked if behavior has increased. Allison Babin replied that the behavior is different and that this particular group, while remaining outside, has displayed problematic behavior such as smoking and drinking on library property. Kevin O’Reilly asked if any progress has been made on the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC). Allison Babin responded that there will be some information shared in the update on the building. 3. COVID-19 Protocols: After believing there was a positive COVID-19 case on staff, all staff were asked to resume mask wearing and all sought testing. Despite it being a false positive, staff maintained masking at all times. A few weeks later the Mayor instituted a mask mandate for all municipal buildings. Most patrons are cooperative and we have masks to give out to patrons. The library was able to obtain 5 air purifiers for large offices and programming rooms. We have virtual programs, in-person programs, outdoor programs, and hybrid programs. The Monday Mornings program is alternating between in-person and Zoom and the attendance numbers are roughly the same, but with some people more comfortable virtual and others in person. 4. Annual Report Information Survey (ARIS) Highlights: This annual report covers all areas of the library and gives a snapshot of all activity in the library. Allison Babin shared some highlights, with the caveat that it was an unusual year. Library holdings are down, reflecting the fact that staff have had the opportunity to weed outdated and deteriorating material. The decrease in holdings of subscriptions and electronic collections reflects a change in how this is calculated. The use of electronic collections has increased dramatically, reflecting increased use of hoopla. Overall, circulation is down. This is not surprising given the modified service model for some of the year. Projections are that circulation will increase this year. Interlibrary Loan numbers are up. Programming numbers are down, not surprisingly. Volunteer hours are down, but we were able to accommodate a good amount of volunteers. 5. Building Issues: Mike Collins said he just received the HVAC report from B2Q and has some questions he wants answered before he discusses it further. The Farms Branch is also being evaluated as a potential project for HVAC upgrades. The city will be getting $100,000 from Green Communities to update HVAC controls at the Farms branch. Joanne Panunzio asked if some money from the Baker-Polito grant will be used for the HVAC at the library. Allison Babin said she was not aware. Joanne Panunzio located the article in the Herald Citizen regarding the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and shared it with the board. Myron Schirer-Suter joined the meeting at 4:21PM During the summer heat waves, the library was advertised as a cooling center and had some extended hours. The temperature in the library ranged from 75 to 82 degrees, highlighting the need for improved HVAC. Allison Babin and Meghan Karasin met with Erina about the library being a cooling center long term and shared some budget projections for formalizing this due to expected increased costs (staffing). After a box under the entrance of the parking lot caved in, Comcast was identified as the owner. Immediate repairs were done, but a more permanent repair will be done soon. Kevin O’Reilly asked who the city’s sustainability director is. Allison Babin replied that Erina Keefe is the Sustainability Director and has been with the city slightly less than a year. 6. Community Engagement: The library is currently observing Climate Preparedness Week, which gave the library an opportunity to partner with Erina Keefe, the City’s Sustainability Director. The library developed programs for all ages this week. This effort is tied to an Action Plan goal involving helping the community reduce its carbon footprint. The Library of Things Collection will be featured in the upcoming water bill mailer. The $7,500 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Health and Wellness Grant has been completed. It paid for materials, programs, furniture at the library, and wellness kits for Beverly Bootstraps. Lisa Ryan, Head of Reference, did a great job with this grant and was written up in the Bootstraps newsletter. The library has many new programming partnerships, including with the YMCA for yoga story time, Endicott College for 9/11 Kindness programming, The Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf for Fran’s Frantastic Story Time, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC)/Mass Center for the Book for a virtual program which featured a National Book Festival video of Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste, talking about the book, followed by a live discussion with Byron Rushing and Roopika Risam. The library’s participation in this program was written up in the Salem News. This month the library began circulating 20 iPads (10 adult, 5 teen, and 5 childrens) with apps curated by library staff. The library has 19 circulating hotspots that can also be borrowed. Joanne Panunzio asked how long the iPads circulate for. Allison Babin replied that the loan period is 3 weeks. Kevin O’Reilly asked if they can be renewed and what happens if they are not returned. Allison Babin replied that they can be renewed. If they are not returned the patron will be charged the replacement cost of $400. These were obtained with CARES funds so there will be no financial loss to the library. Colleen Michaels asked if people are using the WiFi from the parking lot. Allison Babin stated that staff have visually observed this, and did advertise this access while the library was closed at the beginning of the pandemic. The library can also track unique WiFi logins per day. The library will soon be offering book discussion kits, with 10 copies of a title and discussion questions in library tote bags. Initially these kits will have books from the BIPOC Voices book discussion groups, with more titles to follow. Library staff are researching digital signage for the lobby to better direct patrons to programs and meetings. Colleen Michaels offered to facilitate collaboration with a Montserrat intern for design assistance. Allison Babin explained that a Land Acknowledgement Statement acknowledges the original inhabitants of the land a building is built upon. A library staff member spearheaded the development of a statement for the library and has drafted a shorter version, to be read at the beginning of each library program, and a longer version for the website. Ivy Mahan asked if the statement is meant to be read at the beginning of each meeting. Allison Babin stated that it would be read at the beginning of each library program. Outside users of the library would not be required to read it. 7. Summer Reading: Allison Babin showed the report from the Children’s Summer Reading Program. Outdoor programming was successful and will continue next summer as well. Paper registration was more popular than online. Allison Babin shared an email from a patron to Margie McClory, Head of Childrens, thanking her and the staff for their support and resources on their child’s journey to 1000 Books Before Kindergarten. Allison shared the report from the Teen Summer Reading Program. Outside programs were very popular, including Henna on the library lawn. Passive programming was also very popular. The Teen Advisory Board created their own Battle of the Books on Instagram. 8. Personnel:There will be a 1-hour mandatory training session for all staff on Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace on October 6, 2021. Ona Ridenour has been appointed to the Executive board of Massachusetts Library Association’s Program Planner Session. Graham Goss has been named co-chair of the Digital Commonwealth Conference Committee.Katie Nelson has been certified inMental Health First Aid and appointed as a judge for the Mass Book Awards for the Middle Grade/Young Adult category. Allison Babin has joined the Beverly Cultural District Committee. The library is hiring for several substitute librarian positions. 9. Programs: Allison Babin spearheaded the Climate Preparedness Week programs for the library. For adults, Monday Morning programming has begun and the Living Room Conversation series continues. For teens, there’s a movie showing, book clubs, and Slime Time. Children’s programming includes a visit by Playful Engineers where participants will build Rube Goldberg machines. Ivy Mahan praised the library staff for their hard work and innovation. Colleen Michaels praised staff member Eddie Negron for their participation in a Montserrat initiative about what is beautiful in Beverly. Communications None. Unfinished Business None. New Business Trust Fund Proposed Spending for Fiscal Year 2022: Allison Babin shared the proposed spending plan for the trust funds. Bryant Ayles supplies a 3-year rolling average of income to provide target spending. Many funds come with restrictions. The proposal includes spending for the Library of Things, Teen programming, Children’s Books and Supplies, OverDrive Advantage, Climate Prep Week, digitizing microfilm, and purchasing iPad apps. Additional spending includes possibly painting outside utility boxes and hiring a firm to redesign the library website. Quotes for this are currently being collected. Margaret Altman asked if the web design companies work specifically with libraries. Allison Babin replied that all three companies the library is seeking quotes from have a lot of experience developing library websites. Joanne Panunzio asked that the trust fund proposed expenditure information be sent to the Trustees. Allison Babin said she would email it after the meeting. The next regular meeting of the board will be held virtually on Tuesday October 26, 2021 at 4PM. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:15 PM.