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 January 15, 2020 1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Chairperson Stephanie Oppenheimer called the meeting to order at 7:02p.m. The following Board members attended the meeting: Stephanie Oppenheimer Chet DeLong Kathleen Tysse Molly Novotny Absence excused Chrystie Swiney, Jeff Peterson and Don Camp Council Liaison, Ross Litkenhous, and Planning Commission Liaison, Rob Puentes, were not in attendance. Others present for the meeting included: Director Jenny Carroll and her assistant Claudia Gutierrez. Ms. Oppenheimer introduced the guest to the Board: CIP Project Manager Lionel Millard. Later, City resident Mr. Anuraag Sensharma, and Mr. Ross Wilson, as well as Councilmember Letty Hardi joined the meeting. Ms. Oppenheimer requested that the library project update be moved up in the agenda. This item was listed as a closed session on the posted agenda. The closed session was not necessary, so the Board meeting remained in open session. 2. CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 2.2-3722.A.29, FOR PURPOSES OF DISCUSSION OF THE AWARD OF A PUBLIC CONTRACT INVOLVING THE EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC FUNDS, AND DISCUSSION OF THE TERMS OR SCOPE OF SUCH CONTRACTS, WHERE DISCUSSION IN OPEN SESSION WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF THE LIBRARY BOARD. [CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT]- NOT REQUIRED Mr. Millard presented a brief library project update without releasing any confidential information involving the GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) negotiations between City staff and Centennial [Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR)]. LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE (OPEN SESSION) Mr. Millard informed the Board that City staff attended the Council meeting on Monday January 13 and had a positive outcome; however, there are still ongoing negotiations with Centennial. The documents and plans to obtain the building permit were submitted to City building officials and once Council approves the library project, these plans will be ready for the project to start. 1  The Director informed the Board that the next step on the library project schedule is attending the Council meeting on Monday, January 27 for the first reading of the budget amendment, then attending the Council meeting on Monday, February 10 for the second reading of the budget amendment and approval of the construction contract award. Once Council gives their final approval to the library project on Monday, February 10, the library move process and construction will start; however, there is no schedule yet until the library project is approved. The Director requested the Board recommend the negotiated price to City Council based on what was presented on Thursday, January 9 Special Board meeting. She also requested permission from the Board to close the library for approximately 3 weeks for the move. Mr. Millard mentioned that construction will probably break ground around March 11. The Director added that there will be a ceremony. Upon a motion duly made by Board Member Molly Novotny, the Library Board authorized City staff to convey the Board's recommendation that City Council approve the library renovation project and contract at or below the cost presented to the library Board in closed session on January 9, 2020. ROLLCALL Stephanie Oppenheimer ChetDeLong Kathleen Tysse Molly Novotny Upon a motion duly made by Board Member Chet DeLong, the Library Board authorized the library to close for the 3 weeks that is required to sustain the move. ROLLCALL Stephanie Oppenheimer ChetDeLong Kathleen Tysse Molly Novotny 3. RETURN TO OPEN SESSION Closed session was not required. 4. RECEIPT OF PETITIONS No petitions 5. APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 20, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the November 20,2019 Meeting Minutes as amended. 2 6. APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 18, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the December 18, 2019 Meeting Minutes with a minor change. 7. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS • In December the library staff and volunteers had a holiday party. The Director thanked the Foundation for supporting the staff with the event. • The Falls Church Police Department has three new hires; they will have a library tour to be familiar with the library location and staff as well. • Staff had a Workshop on Ergonomic Lifting and Moving in preparation for the library move. A trainer from Body Dynamics Inc. presented it. • HV AC related issues: The heating curtain by the front foyer is not working anymore; cost to repair is $2,000+. The communication system in one of the RTU units (number 3) failed; the temperature reached 80 F in the administration and technical services area. It was repaired . . • Last month a patron was trapped in the elevator during the regular library Board meeting. The Fire Department came and released the patron from the elevator. The repair was completed the following day. 8. LIBRARY FOUNDATION REPORT At Mr. Don Camp's request, the Director informed the Board that the final amount for the 2019 fundraising was $36,900, similar as last year. The Foundation's Development Committee is actively working on new fundraising projects. Former library Director Mary Me Mahon has resigned from the Foundation and Ms. Jess Sabo,a former library employee, will take her place. Ms. Tysse added that the Development Committee will be meeting next Tuesday, January 21. 9. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT Ms. Hardy discussed a general alert around guns for the community and in public buildings due to recent activities in General Assembly; staff might expect to see similar demonstrations that we have had in the past with open carry. The Director mentioned that library staff is prepared and aware ofwhat to do if protesters come into the library. Library staffhave received information and advice from Police ChiefMary Gavin and Officer Joe Carter. Ms. Hardy mentioned that most of Council is poised to ban guns on public property once the General Assembly gives them permission in the next couple of weeks. Ms. Hardy also mentioned that budget season is coming and Council will be working on reviewing all City budgets. 10. ARTS AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL REPORT (CATCH) No report 11. DRAFT FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET FOR APPROVAL The Director informed the Board about some changes: 3  • Salaries and Benefits - There is a .6 full time equivalent position open from a Senior Page who retired. The director's goal is to have a full time person in every department in addition to the supervisor. Currently all the departments have one full time person except for the Circulation department. Having full time staff gives more flexibility; this will add a layer of mobility for Library Assistant I' s, and will provide continuity and consistency in all departments. It will also help with vacation and sick leave coverage. With the approval of the Finance Director Kiran Bawa, Deputy Director of Finance Melissa Ryman and City Manager Wyatt Shields, the Director moved money from the discretionary budget into the compensation budget to convert the Senior Page position into a full time Library Assistant I position. There was also a change in the benefits section for this new position. • IT budget - increases in maintenance costs from 5% to 25%. Historically increases were predictable around 5%; more recently there seems to be larger increases. • The Director anticipates having increases in custodial services and supplies once the new library reopens to the public. The utilities might increase as well but not substantially in the 2-3 months the new building will be open in FY21. In past years, utilities have been stable; the new building will see efficiencies which may affect utility usage. During construction, the utilities for the library building are included in the discretionary budget; as for the temporary location, the schools will cover the utilities in the trailers. • Another change in the budget was under the unmet needs for FY2021. The Director took out the part time/full time LAI request; the need will be met in FY2020. The unmet needs for FY2022 include a full time IT PM/Systems Engineer for the library and increase in operating costs. Ms. Oppenheimer had a question about interlibrary loan funding in the budget and whether this will be impacted by the move to the temporary location. The Interlibrary loan services will remain the same; currently patrons pay a fee, which is used for processing and paying for postage. The amount was increased last year because of the level of usage and in FY21 is maintained .. The Director commented that the Local History Room materials and some of the library book collection will go into storage. Kloke, the contracted moving company, will move the library; they have a temperature/humidity controlled warehouse in Richmond where archival materials and books will be stored. They are experienced in moving libraries; and just recently moved the NASA library. Around 30,000 books will be available at the temporary location; and the rest will go into storage. Items in storage will not be accessible to the public nor listed in the catalog. The discretionary budget will remain flat for FY2021; compensation and benefits increased due to the increase in staff and an anticipated 3 percent increase in compensation for staff. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the FY2021 budget with the Director being given the discretion to make necessary changes and especially if the City requires them. The Director expressed her admiration for Project Manager Lionel Millard due to his outstanding performance through the library project process; he will carry the project into completion. 4 12. BUSINESS NOT ON AGENDA Ms. Oppenheimer asked to review some of the attachments to the agenda including statistics. The Director pointed out that the circulation statistics are down from last year for physical items and up fore-materials. The decrease for physical items may be due patron anticipation of the move. However, the library has been an outlier in Virginia, since it has more circulation, visits, and program attendance for its size and population. This is one of the reasons why the Library Journal has awarded MRSPL four stars. The annual report will discuss FY19 statistics and in the future the presentation will be realigned with the end of the fiscal year. Board members invited the guests to discuss issues. Mr. Sensharma stated that they wanted to be involved especially with the move approaching. Guest, Ross Wilson, expressed his discomfort about items missing from the library collection due to the weeding process as the library prepares to move into the temporary location. He mentioned that some of the discarded books are out of print. He added that all of the decisions were made without consulting the public; and that the Board had previously committed to maintain the collection size but did not follow through. Mr. DeLong explained that one of the reasons to reduce the library collection was due to the recommendation from the library consultants involved in the library project. A well curated collection helps increase the turnover of items and increases circulation. Some items were out of date and in a very bad condition. The library also needs adequate space in between the shelves in order to be ADA compliant. The Director stated that once the new library opens the library collection size will be approximately 110,000 items with the possibility of up to 120,000 items depending on circulation. If the library project does not occur the collection will be reduced to 80,000 items in order to accommodate current ADA guidelines. The Director added that the library Board considered the priorities and feedback from the public for the project and tried to convey it to the architects. All the information about the project was available to the public in library Board meetings, Council meetings, the library website, public meetings, farmers market, etc. The Director reviewed the schedule for the budget amendment and approval by Council, the timeline and schedule for the library project preparation, and the moving plan to Mr. Wilson and Mr. Sensharma. The Board and the Director stated that the library staff is responsive to patron requests for materials. A patron can request items to be added into the library collection at any time. Mr. Wilson mentioned that libraries are educational institutions and in this case, it is not consistent due to all the weeding that has been done. He stated that only circulation or popularity of an item was considered when withdrawing an item from the collection. The Director stated that staff consider many metrics when curating the library collection: circulation, condition of the materials, materials that are considered classics, and maintain diversity and inclusivity. City resident Anuraag Sensharma suggested having a public discussion about what to include in the library collection once it reopens. The Director stated that she is open to discussing the collection and any other issues related to library service. Ms. Oppenheimer thanked the guests for attending the meeting and engaging with the project, she added that library staff is open and receptive to patron feedback. This entire project is a process and 5  a balance to meet all of the public needs. Ms. Hardi invited both Mr. Wilson and Mr. Sensharma to be part of any of the City Boards as volunteers so they can be involved and participate in all the decisions. The Director also encouraged them to continue to be involved and to keep in contact with her related to library matters. 13. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:29 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 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. 6 ... ' ,. MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING January, 15 2020 SIGN-IN SHEET NAME ADDRESS EMAIL LiVv\Ll Mtl/ tt ~ ere f~;IIcude~lkchtrt h~ (oya a 4n IA<'"N~--1 SQ.v...s.k""'""'. bZ t L~ll')o.. Dr . t>-)~ 5 ~.,_.-._-"" €_ e..'-""'-~'1 I . t. Ross v0 \WSON lsos tJ .-ru.c.\cAHo£" <g_ ~c.o M'SToc.X.. ~ (CJ 6'MA li..- . C..of\1\ ~~~tfa~ · J 1.. ~ \, ~on\f\..\v 1 • &+ , --- Page 1