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 August 21 , 2024 This meeting was recorded. All members of the public may view this video of this meeting on the City ' s website at http://www.fallschurchva.gov/webcasts 1. CALL TO ORDER Ms. Stein, Board Vice Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:00p.m. 2. ROLL CALL AND INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS The following Board members attended the meeting, and exceptions were noted: Elise Stein Robert Leopold Janis Johnson Steve Morse Erin Cline Claire McCray Jessie Labukas - Absent excused Others present for the meeting: Council Liaison Mary beth Connelly, Library Acting Director Marshall Webster, and Sr. Administrative Assistant Claudia Gutierrez. The Board congratulated Mr. Leopold for his reappointment to the Library Board by City Council. 3.- ROLE OF THE LIBRARY BOARD Mr. Webster reviewed the roles of the Library Board according to the City Code and the current Bylaws. He noted the Board' s duties and responsibilities and included guidelines from the Library of Virginia. 4.- ELECTION OF OFFICERS a) CHAIR Mr. Webster summarized the specific duties of the Chair: Work with the director to plan and faci litate the meeting agenda; ensure the agenda is followed and items are completed; encourage meeting participation by all Board members; serve as a liaison between Board  members and the Director; serve as Board spokesperson. Ms. Elise Stein was nominated to be Chair by Mr. Morse. The Board unanimously voted for Ms. Stein to be the new Chair. Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Morse, and seconded by Mr. Leopold, the Library Board elected Ms. Stein to be the Board Chair. ROLLCALL Robert Leopold ../ Erin Cline ../ Janis Johnson ../ Claire McCray ../ Steve Morse ../ Elise Stein ../ b) VICE CHAIR Mr. Webster indicated that the Vice Chair performs the duties of the Chair in the Chair' s absence. Ms. Claire McCray was nominated to be Vice Chair by Mr. Morse. The Board unanimously voted for Ms. McCray to be the new Vice Chair. Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Johnson, and seconded by Mr. Morse, the Library Board nominated Ms. McCray to be the Vice Chair. ROLLCALL Robert Leopold ../ Erin Cline ../ Janis Johnson ../ Claire McCray ../ Steve Morse ../ Elise Stein ../ 5. BOARD BUSINESS MEETING ADOPTION OF BYLAWS AND RULES OF PROCEDURE Mr. Webster reviewed with the Board the bylaws. There have not been any changes on this document. The Board will revisit the bylaws to focus more on its content and if they need any amendment to be done before the calendar year ends. Upon a motion duly made by Ms. McCray, and seconded by Mr. Morse, the Library Board adopted the Bylaws and rules of procedure as currently written. 2  a) ADOPTION OF PROCEDURES FOR ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION & VIRTUAL MEETINGS This year the law has been changed and amended for remote and all-virtual meetings effective July I, 2024. The City Clerk is working on a draft template for all City Boards and Commissions. Mr. Webster noted some of the changes that have been made to allow caregivers and members with disabilities to be able to participate remotely. They extended the virtual participation to two all-virtual meetings or 50% of their meetings, whichever is greater, in a calendar year. After a discussion of the content, the Board decided to hold off on adopting a new a remote and all -virtual meeting policy until the City Clerk's issues a final template. b) ADOPTION OF 2025 (CALENDAR YEAR) MEETING SCHEDULE After a discussion and review of the calendar, the Board decided to approve the calendar as presented. They will re-evaluate on an ongoing basis throughout the year whether any meeting date needs to be modified. Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Leopold, and seconded by Mr. Morse, the Library Board approved the 2025 Calendar Meeting Schedule as presented. 6. RECEIPT OF PETITIONS None 7. APPROVAL OF JULY 17,2024 MEETING MINUTES Upon a motion duly made by Ms. McCray, and seconded by Mr. Leopold, the Library Board approved the July 17, 2024 Meeting Minutes. 8. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS New Hours and New Hires • The library extends weekend hours starting this week: o Monday- Wednesday 10:00 am- 8:00 pm o Thursday- Sunday 10:00 am-5:00pm • Two new permanent 20-hour Library Assistant I staff have been hired and have officially started work: 3  o Bizzy Bracken in Youth Services (former Board member and library intern and volunteer) o Galya Vashchuk in Adult Services (former library Page) • Mr. Webster thanked City Human Resources for their assistance in hiring these positions and the City Council for including the new positions in the FY2025 budget. July Statistics • The library had 17,058 visits in July, the highest monthly total since the newly renovated building opened. This compares to an average of 13,992 visits per month in FY2024. The increase in library programming has been a key to the increase in visits. • 44,627 items were borrowed in July. This compares to an average of 37,461 per month in FY2024. Overdrive Magazines • This Libby/Overdrive collection launched on August 12 and includes more than 5,000 titles and 3 years of back issues. Magazines have no wait list and do not count against ebook checkout limits. • In the first 10 days, 439 Overdrive magazines were checked out, including tittles in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Holidays and Closures • The library will be closed Sunday, September 1 and Monday September 2 for the Labor Day holiday. • On Thursday, September 19, the library will be closed for a library staff meeting and the City's annual employee picnic. Summer Reading Wrapping Up • I ,891 people registered for this year's Summer reading program (not including the City employee's reading program). • The raffles for teen and adult prizes will be drawn after Labor Day. • 3 children guessed the correct number (327) of bracelets in the guessing jar for the challenge game! August/September Upcoming Programs • Saturday, August 31: Northern Virginia authors showcase with 17 local authors included from the Northern Virginia Writers Club. • Wednesday, September 4: lmprov Workshop: Unexpectedly Funny. 4  • Saturday, September 7: Watergates' Unexpected Hero: The Life of Peter W. Rodino Jr. by Lawrence Spinelli. • Tuesday, September 17: National Voter Registration Day and Constitution Day; sponsored by The League of Women Voters of Falls Church and the library. Building Updates • The replacement of the new RTU3 unit for the HVAC is scheduled for Monday August 26. N. Virginia Ave will be closed for the crane to place the unit on the roof. The library should open at 10 am as regularly scheduled with no disruption to service. Mr. Webster will make sure that the schools are aware of the morning street closure for the bus schedule/routes. • A quote has been received from the contractor for the new motor for the inside front door that is not working (and is frequently propped open). An additional motor will be purchased as a backup. • New sign holders have been installed on various doors throughout the building to minimize the use of less attractive laminated taped signs. City Senior Level Vacancies • The City has retained Baker Tilly Consulting to assist in the hiring of the Human Resources and DPW Director positions. • Interviews for the Library Director position will begin next week. An appointment will be made in September. Further details will be provided at the next Board meeting. Next Month • Library Board Policy discard. • Exam Proctoring Policy update. • Reflections from the Falls Church Festival table. 9. LIBRARY TABLE AT FALLS CHURCH FESTIVAL ON SEPTEMBER 14 Mr. Webster informed the Board that the library will have a table at the festival from l 0:00 am to 4:00pm. There is a sign-up sheet for any Board members who would like to volunteer. At the table, there will be information about the 125 111 Anniversary, library card sign-ups for patrons, and general information about the library and the Foundation. The Foundation will be participating again in the beer garden. If any Board members are interested in volunteering at the beer garden, let Mr. Webster know and he will forward your name to the Foundation. 5 10. FOUNDATION & LIAISON REPORTS FOUNDATION REPORT • Reminder about the Chet DeLong Award nominations. September 2 is the deadline to submit nominations using the Google form that was sent out by the Foundation. The Foundation will review the nominations and will make a decision in October. They will then present the winner to the City Council. Ms. Stein noted that the Board can individually nominate any library staff member that they strongly fee l is deserving of this award. Ms. Stein also noted that the Board can at anytime,if desired, issue commendation letters recognizing staff for specific work (and cited Laura Miller and the team that completed the picture book reorganization as a possible example). a) CITY COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT • There will be a special election on November 5, 2024. The ballot will include two candidates to complete the remaining term of a vacated City Council seat through December 31 , 2025. • City Council will reconvene after Labor Day. • Consideration of adoption of accessory dwelling units will occur this fall. • Bike Master Plan final approval is coming. • There is tax relief coming through Housing and Human Services to increase the current $3,000 annual amount that people can receive. • Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 6:30pm, will be the Board and Commission Appreciation Picnic at Cherry Hill Park. An invitation will be forthcoming. • Council will begin discussions about the national Vision Zero program to make streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. • The City is in the final stages ofthe crosswalk enhancement around the City. • The City received a Smart City grant to upgrade traffic signal equipment along Broad Street to address safety concerns. It will start with 10 traffic signals and the intent is to eventually cover the entire City. • The Great Streets Plan is still in the works. • The 2024-2025 School year has started! b) SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON REPORT No report 6  c) ARTS AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT No report. Ms. McCray pointed out the decorated utility boxes in the City. There are two more planned. 11. ON-GOING EQUITY DISCUSSION No discussion 12. BUSINESS NOT ON THE AGENDA Mr. Webster asked the Board to approve the FY2025 12-Month Strategic Workplan as presented at the July 17 Library Board Meeting. Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Stein, and seconded by Mr. Leopold, the Library Board approved the FY2025 12-Month Strategic Workplan as presented at the July 17 Library Board meeting. Mr. Webster mentioned that he will present the Library 's annual report- previously approved by the Board - to Council at its meeting on Monday, September 9. Final year end numbers have been reported and total circulation for the year was slightly higher than initially calculated, which has been reflected in the final version ofthe annual report. 13. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, upon a motion duly made by Mr. Morse and seconded by Ms. Cline, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 7:37p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marshall Webster Acting Library Director Approved: 7 Copies: Board ofTrustees, City Manager, Library Reference Desk, Staff Bulletin Board, City Clerk, Library Web Page. he City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To equest a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703 -248-5032, TTY 711. 8