Library Board of Trustees

MEETING MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY Held in the Mary Riley Styles Public Library 120 N. Virginia Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046 April18, 2018 1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS OF GUESTS Board Chairman Brad Gemand called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. The following Board members attended the meeting: Brad Gemand Chet DeLong Stephanie Oppenheimer Terry Zawacki Jeff Peterson Kathleen Tysse Don Camp Absence excused Youth Representative Tika Wallace Others present for the meeting included: Planning Commission Liaison Robert Puentes, Library Project Manager Kim Callahan, Mr. Mark Manetti from BKV Group, and Mr. Rob Cullin from Kimberly Bolan and Associates. Also were present a small group of Boy Scouts: Erik Eckem, Beck Brooks, Mathew H. La Pointe, David Banks, Alex Black, Gavin Jones, Joseph Witters, and Erik Black. In addition, Library Staff Cathy Breen, Library Director Jenny Carroll and her assistant Claudia Gutierrez. 2. RECEIPT OF PETITIONS No petitions 3. APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 14, 2018 MEETING MINUTES Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the March 14, 2018 Meeting Minutes with minor changes 4. LIBRARY FOUNDATION REPORT Mr. Camp informed the Board that they are continuing to receive contributions. Original Pancake House donated $335.00 after their fundraiser and the foundation received around $300 from other contributions as well. He said that the current endowment in the Vanguard mutual fund has $454,000, which includes $18,000 from last year's contributions. The Foundation recently had a meeting and decided to provide the library, per the Director's request, $3,450 to cover half of the cost ofFreegal (the free music service provided to patrons) and $3,780 for eAudiobook core collections with RBDigital and the purchase of prizes for the summer reading program. Mr. Camp stated that the bank account has $7,000 available if the library has other needs. 1 5. PLANNING COMMISSION LIASION INTRODUCTION Mr. Robert Puentes has been appointed; he was at the meeting but was not introduced. 6. STUDENT LIASION REPORT No report 7. RENOVATION AND EXPANSION PROJECT- BLOCK PLAN PRESENTATION Mr. Cullin and Mr. Manetti presented to the Board concept plans, with no details, only blocks of space in different colors to indicate programming areas. Ms. Callahan said that this presentation will lead to making decisions about the direction of the project. Mr. Manetti said that this was the third of a series of presentations made - first to the library Management Team, then to library staff, and now to the library Board. He pointed out that primarily the Board is considering the interiors and the exterior images are just for reference. The presentation includes four options of schematic block designs on how the building can be organized; two with the comer entrance and two with the Park Ave. entrance. Mr. Cullin stated that the layouts are based on input from the community and comments from the Board and staff including space needs for adults, teens, and children. In addition, they took into consideration comments from parents about children's story time being in a separate, larger meeting room on the same floor adjacent to the children's room. They studied different variables to address noise issues, better use of children's space, teens and adult spaces, circulation flow etc. The first option presented was lA, with the comer entrance and youth services and popular library in the upper level and the adult section on the lower level. Circulation staff are is located near the entrance, with the possibility of an outside return bin into the office, which will make it more efficient. The popular library area will house new books (fiction and non-fiction), and A V collections (some of which is likely to be gone over time). A designated stroller-parking area is indicated at the entrance and there will probably some other designated stoller parking in the building. The teen library is also located near the entrance. There is a large community meeting room, family restrooms, large windows, and an open stairway located in the north end of the building. In the lower level the plans show public restrooms, the adult collection, reading spaces with large windows, small flexible study rooms, and an expanded Local History room split into a materials area and a work area. Option 1B has the same comer entrance and circulation service area, stairway, restrooms, and flexible meeting rooms as lA. The adult services is located in the upper level with a reading room, meeting room, and expanded Local History room where the current children's room is. Youth services is in the lower level with a larger children's library area closer to the target size, study rooms for tutoring, and a larger meeting room for programs. There is also an option of having a second entrance on this level especially to accommodate parents/caregivers with strollers. Option 2A has the entrance on Park A venue and Youth Services on the upper level. The upper level shows the adjacent meeting room with a storage space for meetings and programs. One of the differences in this option is the circulation service area and the potential for the exterior book drop. Option 2B shows the Park A venue entrance with adult services on the upper floor and the youth 2 services on the lower floor. Very similar to options lA and lB with just a few changes. Mr. Manetti reported that cursory cost estimate for the different options revealed that removing the columns in the lower level to accommodate a larger meeting room would be cost prohibitive; keeping the columns in a meeting room would interfere with the usefulness of the room. For these reasons, Mr. Manetti developed Alternative Plan Option lB; this option shows the large meeting space flipped into the new addition. Mr. Manetti added that in all of the options they tried to eliminate any cost delta between the two different entrance options and the organization ofthe building (children's on the upper or lower level). From the organizational aspect, one of the key costs was remediating those columns, which supports the upper floor and is designed for heavy loads. With this plan, it will not be necessary to remove them and the local history room can be located above. Mr. Manetti explained to the Board that the idea of bringing the youth services to the lower level was to fix the imbalance in meeting the ideal program goals for the library. Splitting the popular library with the youth services area on the upper level level will diminish the size of the children's area and noise will be still an issue in the adult popular library. There was a discussion and concern expressed about a second entrance on the lower level. The Director said that it could be addressed similarly to the rest of the building with safety cameras and a foyer area with a service desk. Mr. Cullin mentioned that the entrance does not have to be there, it is an option for caregivers/parents with strollers so they do not have to use the elevator. There would be adult egress as well with the second lower level entrance since the larger meeting room would be located on this level. Mr. Manetti said that this is an operational model and all the issues could be overcome. Ms. Zawacki suggested if the youth services goes to the lower level, to include some advertising or signage showing people that the children's space is on the lower level. The Director commented that if the Youth Services space goes into the lower level the stacks will be lowered; she also added that currently any adult could come into the library and walk through the children's room. Mr. Cullin added that the library's collection will remain the same size and the adult shelving units as well. In terms of reading light and a warm ambiance, the option of having the adult section on the upper floor will allow for more open space to accomplish that goal. As for the Youth Services being in the lower level, a lot can be done with color and design elements to make the space warm and inviting. It was mentioned that children care more about the books and what they can find to have fun in a space. Mr. Manetti added that ergonomic studies with childhood development show that children do not like high volume spaces and they feel safer in areas that give them a sense of scale. Mr. Camp asked if it was possible in the alternate option lB to move the additional entrance in the lower level closer to the meeting room to allow a separate area that will be closed off for use after hours when necessary. Mr. Manetti responded that they considered a more central additional entrance but there are cost and streetscape impact issues. Mr. Cullin added that there may be insurance issues involved in a meeting room that is operating after hours. There was a question about the difference in square footage space moving the Youth Services to the lower level. Ms. Callahan responded that currently the children's area has 1,900 sq ft. Being in the lower level will increase between 4,700 sq. ft. to 5,100 sq. ft. On the upper level the space will only increase between 4,200 sq. ft. to 4,600. The ideal size determined by the library consultants is 5,700 sq. ft. Mr. Cullin added that the estimate is driven by collection size, usage and zoning for the different literacy age levels. 3  Ms. Callahan said that currently the story time space is being held in the 1,900 sq. ft. space. Being in the lower level, programming including story time would occur in the meeting room. This way people who are not in the story time can freely walk in the Youth Services area to look for books, enjoy reading a book, or study. Ms. Zawacki asked about re-creating the ambiance with the bay window in the current children's area if the Youth Services area is relocated on the lower level. Mr. Cullin said that they would use furniture solutions to re-create that feeling. Zoned spaces would have books as well as interactive play spaces, motor skills center options, chairs for studying and working together, and study rooms. Teen space would be located near the children's section and would have visual/audio sight lines for the staff. Young adults want a separate acoustic space for themselves. Ms. Zawacki asked the Director about her opinion having the children's area in the lower level. Ms. Carroll said that she sees the pros and cons in either of the options and issues that have to be addressed. She likes the idea of children's and adults being on their individual floors. She does not like the separation of the adult collection into two floors with the popular collection on the upper level. She understands the concern of a second entrance; however, she would work on the safety concerns to determine a solution if the choice was locate children's on the lower level. In terms ofthe welcoming and warm ambiance, it can be accomplished with furniture, pattern selection, colors, focal points of interest, and different lighting options in order to make it more inviting. She said that the teen area could be next to the stairwell on the lower level and would work well. In the other hand, having the youth services in the upper level there would be fewer concerns regarding staffing and safety that come with having a second entrance. She likes the circulation staff area in the comer entrance options. She also likes a lobby at the entrance so people can meet and socialize. She likes the big space that the children will have in the lower level, which will almost be triple the current size and not including the meeting space where the story time will happen. The Director mentioned that at peak times in the children's room, people who are there only to get books get overwhelmed because it is so crowded and have expressed preferring not to come at that time. Ms. Oppenheimer asked what was the size difference between the teen space being in the upper level vs the lower level. Mr. Cullin said that currently they have about 500 sq. ft. space and they will get over 250 sq. ft. additional space if they go to the lower level. Mr. Peterson asked if the adult collection will be affected by the space in either option. Mr. Cullin replied that it will not be affected either options. It will be more efficient and a better organized space in the upper level in comparison to the lower level. Mr. DeLong stated that the Director needs to work in all the options on where the service points will be. Mr. Camp suggested giving a straw vote to see what the sentiment of the Board was. The Director suggested to the Board to show their preference for the corner entrance vs Park A venue entrance, and the youth services being on the lower level vs the upper level. While they were voting, there were comments about the first option the consultants presented to the Board on last January 31st meeting where the clerestory structure was showing on the roof. Mr. Manetti mentioned that it will not be possible to consider that option since it is extremely costly, however, they will be looking at options to bring light into the center of the building. The majority of the Board expressed a preference for the entrance being on Park A venue and the youth services on the lower level. There were comments about the preference on the symmetry of the entrance on Park A venue rather than the corner entrance; however, in terms of circulation flow for patrons the corner would be more efficient. 4  There were comments and concerns about safety and security with a second entrance having the youth services in the lower level. The natural library community interaction in the front lobby may be affected by splitting the entrances and will not feel the same. One Board member felt that the children would be segregated in the lower level. The Director stated that it could be a possibility of having regular limited hours for the additional entrance on the lower level. Mr. DeLong suggested signage for that. There were questions about having self-checkouts or a full service circulation desk in the lower level. The Director mentioned that the future of libraries is moving towards automation in regards to accepting cash, paying fines, checkouts and check-ins; they are considering automation for the future. Ms. Callahan mentioned that once the Board decides on an option, it will need to be finalized and vetted by the Director to ensure it can work functionally with library staff before they can go to the Planning Commission and the BZA. She asked the Board if there was any additional information they need in order to feel comfortable with the decision they are making. The Director stated that more parking spaces could be lost with the entrance on Park Avenue as compared to the comer entrance option. She expressed that the comer entrance gives a nice potential connection to the park across the street and the rest of City campus. The Director expressed similar concerns to the Board in regarding to security and staffing if Youth Services is located in the lower level. She added that any of the options are going to change how the library operates. If Youth Services goes to the lower level, there will be more changes. The consultants did not consider options that could not be covered within current staffing levels. Mr. Peterson asked about the existing elevator, Mr. Manetti said that it is getting harder to maintain and it is highly costly to remove it. Mr. Manetti said that it will remain in place. The Director addressed the actions that she will be taking after this meeting. She will talk to the Chief of Police Mary Gavin about safety and security; she will have a meeting with the library Management team about staffing of a second entrance. Ms. Zawacki asked the Director to inform the Board about the library staff comments, she consider it an important factor in the decision. The consultants finished their presentation to the Board and left the meeting. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board moved that the Board express their general preference for having a separation of the Youth Services from the adults with a general preference for the youth services to be on the lower level. Ms. Kathleen Tysse dissented. 8. SECOND READING BOARD LIBRARY BYLAWS The Director informed the Board that she sent the first reading of the bylaws to the City Attorney Carol McCoskrie who made some suggestions. One of them was in the bylaw number 111-3 about the petitioners not being required to provide their address if they objected to. Another suggestion was on bylaw 111-1 about the posting ofthe Board meeting agenda being official once it is posted on the library's bulletin board and the library's website. Another change was in the wording of bylaw 1-5 from "Personnel Office" to "Human Resources Office". Ms. McCoskrie also recommended in bylaw III-9 to remove the direct quotes from the Code of Virginia and only including the Section number that it refers to and if that changes, the bylaws do not have to be entirely changed. There were some other changes in punctuation as well. The Director informed the Board about new provisions for electronic 5 participation. Board members can participate electronically for two meetings a year. Currently Council is using this provision. The library Board bylaws do not include this new provision but Ms. McCoskrie is willing to talk about it with the Board if they are interested. The Board agreed to do it since Mr. Camp sometimes is out of town working. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the changes as recommended. 9. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Director informed the Board that Council approved the Broad and Washington Project. The voluntary concessions are included at $500 per unit. There are 280 units excluding the ADU's. The concessions are to be shared with Recreation and Parks. The total contribution will be paid prior to issuance of the first residential certificate of occupancy. Mr. Peterson suggested to keep in mind that money should not become part of the library's operating budget that the City provides. The Director said that money could be used to cover upgrades needed for the library. Mr. DeLong suggested writing a letter to the City Manager requesting to separate the library proffers from the Recreation and Parks proffers. The Director stated that the Board had requested separation in the Broad and Washington Project feedback letter to Council. The Director also mentioned that for the Founders Row Project the proffers for the library are separate. • There will be two changes in personnel in the Circulation department. Caroline Tirona accepted a full time job in Fairfax County and Jess Sabo is also leaving. The Director will be working in the hiring process to fill the vacancies. • The Director remarked that the Planning Commission Liaison was present at this meeting but he left early. He will be attending meetings during the library renovation/expansion project. • The Director had emailed the information to the Board about the youth representative roles and responsibilities. At the May Board meeting, there will be a discussion about the youth representative. • At the March meeting, Mr. Peterson had questions about the Local History room and the focus group that had met in the past. The Director reminded the Board that there was a focus group meeting about how the community partners felt about the Local History room. In addition, a scope statement was written narrowing the scope to the City of Falls Church and the library Board voted in December of 2016 affirming the scope statement. The Director noted that the size of Local History being considered in the library renovation/expansion is within what the master plan recommended and what the staff needs. • Reference Supervisor Marshall Webster is applying to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions in May. This will assist in the ability to preserve the library's Local History collection. Mr. Peterson said that if the library needs community support for the application, VPIS would want to support the library. 6  • The Director informed the Board that Jeremy Edwards, who is the City's Green Space Manager, will be replanting a few library plants to other City Project areas this year and a major transplant will be happening next 2019 spring season. • The Director asked the Board for feedback on the new digital Board packets system. The Board likes to have it all available in one link. They just wanted some print copies for items that the Board needs to approve or discuss. 10. BUSINESS NOT ON THE AGENDA Mr. Camp mentioned that about two months ago the Board wrote a letter to City Council about the loan issuance fees that should come to the library. He wanted to know the status. The Director said that the City Manager Wyatt Shields and Kiran Bawa responded to the Board in a memo that it was not possible. However, the Director keeps raising the issue. Mr. Camp also informed the Board that he has repeatedly asked the organizers of the Bikeshare program for the City to have a bike share dock for the library. Finally, they said they have established docks for the next fall. There will be a Government Complex dock halfway in between City Hall and the Library, almost in front ofthe 313 Park building. He would have preferred to have on library property but the Director mentioned that it would take parking spaces from the library. The Director added that with the renovation there will be new bike racks outside the library. 14. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Approved: Copies: Board of Trustees, City Manager, Library Reference Desk, Staff Bulletin Board, City Clerk, Library Web Page The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5032, TTY 711. 7  Mary Riley Styles Public Library 2018 User Survey Please take a moment to complete this survey and drop it in the box. If you are filling it out online, please be sure to submit your answers. The results will be posted on the library's website ·and public bulletin boards. Thank you for your feedback. 1. How important is the library to you? 0 Extremely; 0 Very; 0 Somewhat; 0 Not very; 0 Not at all 2. How often do you use the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in person? 0 At least once a week; 0 Once a month; 0 About six times a year; 0 Seldom 3. How often do you use the Mary Riley Styles Public Library remotely (online)? 0 At least once a week; 0 Once a month; 0 About six times a year; 0 Seldom 4. When you last used the library in person, did you find what you were looking for? 0 Yes; 0 No; 0 Partly 5. When you last used the library online, did you find what you were looking for? 0 Yes; 0 No; 0 Partly 6. Check ALL the statements below which explain why you did not get what you were looking for either online or in person: 0 Item was checked out; 0 No material on the subject; D I could not find the material; 0 Title not owned by library; 0 All computers were in use; 0 Other: _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 7. How helpful is the staff? 0 Extremely; 0 Very; 0 Somewhat; 0 Not Very; 0 Not at all 8. What streaming/downloadable/research database services are you currently using (either paying for or using from another library system)? 0 Movies (e.g. Kanopy, IndieFlix); 0 Continuing education classes (e.g. Lynda); 0 Legal Forms 0 Foreign Language Learning (e.g. Mango, Rosetta Stone); 0 Test and career prep (e.g. Learning Express) 0 Research Databases (e.g. Newspapers, Investment); 0 Other-- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - -- -- - - - - - - - 9. What streaming/downloadable/research database services would you like to see at Mary Riley Styles Public Library? 10. Are you a Falls Church City resident? 0 Yes; 0 No; 0 I'm not sure  MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING April, 18 2018 SIGN-IN SHEET NAME ADDRESS EMAIL f>~Jc (0~ &410 A-r 1(.,f-.9----- lS /uJ. e.,r:l(~~~ 01\.~· ~---- r-- v I '\$ { 0 0 kJ tJ evlL Moii-ihftA h. ~ a?a lllf ( 1_7_7_ ~ wwp DCO.,r'Oe Ba Itt; ~ l.f I I <. fA_tlD1 I .a h re__ ~tex Q (~~ ~ ~\ V'~tlf>~rBl ~A__ rA__b_ it7/{/)I (c PJ I/.· 7 Ol \f ,'Yl JOhi~ ·so~c;Rr6t~/Vvlf- Bl l!lL IJ Jvsevb I '\;l~+f P~ 5o r; r\?co::eyefj- ~ v) ~ ~~(L_ ~ c;-D} (2.-tro)~lL.- r ~LVD / ,4 US {;J~'57fZ-{..P::.!{ ::f @ f ,A-H oo . ~ t ~ Jl. Lrf £e fe :> /1 loS fv( lv'1 Ave rob -01.-(?fiTo e c.// tfA CAA Tht11 Bre-e-n ~\ i Ml cA VAiv ~+ (U, t- ~~ ~('uJ)t.Q~~i •cOf\1\ ~ ,vz1' Cr1/&tZ1J11 q0) frLo-d/5 en Cv-1 l?ob 6/l,~ /1J'1[7 a_~ hr~ {.·, UrN( v !1a1/L.. HavJfbfl J,5;?.17 /)¢/tl!h hiAfl- Page 1