Lodi Public Library Board of Trustees

LODI PUBLIC LIBRARY Minutes Date: November 14, 2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Regular meeting: 5:30pm Lodi Public Library 201 West Locust Street, Lodi, CA. 95240 For information regarding this Agenda please contact: Akiliah Manuel Library Director Telephone: (209) 333-5540 Notice Regarding Public Comments Public Comment may be submitted in the following ways: • In-person – The Lodi Public Library is open to the public in accordance with CDPH and CalOSHA guidelines. • Email amanuel@lodi.gov  Received no later than two hours prior to the meeting • Mail – Lodi Public Library 201 W. Locust Street Lodi, CA. 95240 • Hand delivered to: Lodi Public Library 201 W. Locust Street, Lodi, CA. 95240  Received no later than two hours prior to the meeting A. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL: 5:31 p.m. Trustees Present: Caitlin Casey, Frankie Kooger, Brian Campbell, Eve Melton, and Nick Dalebout. Also Present: Director Akiliah Manuel, Friends president Kathryn Siddle, library staff Yvette Herrera, Lance Earl and Jazmin Duffy. B. INTRODUCTIONS C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Trustee Melton motioned, Trustee Dalebout seconds. Motion Carries. D. COMMENTS BY THE PUBLIC, LIBRARY BOARD, AND STAFF (NON-AGENDA ITEMS) If you wish to address the Library Board, please refer to the Notice at the beginning of this agenda. Individuals are limited to one appearance during this section of the Agenda. (The time allowed per person per non-agenda item for comments made by the public is limited to five minutes.) Yvette Herrera, Literacy and Programs Manager, informs the board that at the December board meeting, library staff will be requesting a holiday closure on Saturday, December 24,2022 at next month’s meeting. E. REPORTS E-1 Library Director Report Building & Technology: • The roof repair was completed, and the rains have since begun. Director Manuel is pleased to report that no new leaks have been discovered since the old roof was replaced. • Facilities discovered that the lift that connects to Pleasant Street is damaged. Public Works estimated that the repair would cost $5,000, and that a full replacement would cost between $40,000 and $80,000. This would come from the Lodi Public Library fund. Due to the lift's proximity to the library building, Facilities confirmed they would not be paying for its replacement. Director Manuel will conduct additional research into what the lift does and why a replacement is required in the future.  Staff & Volunteers: • Final interviews for a new managing librarian will be conducted. The panel for the last interviews will include board member Eve Melton. Since May of this year, there hasn't been a managing librarian present. Continuing Education & Meetings: • No updates to report. Collections & Materials CATEGORY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER J NON-FIC * BT issue 141 38 J FIC * BT issue 240 55 AUDIO CD TEEN NON- FIC * BT issue 64 16 TEEN FIC * BT issue 73 10 DVD ADULT NON FIC * BT issue 137 26 ADULT FIC * BT issue 105 68 TEEN GRAPHIC NOVEL * BT issue BIO * BT issue 10 LP * BT issue 26 7 Adult Graphic Novel Fic * BT issue Adult GN * BT Nonfic issue Link + Books Loaned 119 103 129 Link+ Request Filled 123 95 104 Finance: • There are no financial updates to report. Programming & Outreach: Programs: • Yvette Herrera, our Programming and Literacy Manager, hosted three distinct public events during the month of October. These events attracted 102 people. Trustee Kooger inquires as to whether it is common for teenagers to attend events in smaller numbers. Teens do not typically attend many library events, according to Director Manuel and Yvette. According to the library director, teen programming typically takes place throughout the summer, and more events are being planned through the December holidays. Program Number for sessions Staff/volunteers Total Attendance Story time 4 3/0 152  Cozy Reading 3 1/0 11 Computer Learning 5 1/5 56 Center Chess 5 1/2 26 1 1/2 35 Master Gardener Program 4 1/2 16 Homework Help 1 2/0 86 Children’s Movie/ Craft 1 3/0 3 Teen/ Adults Craft/Story 1 1/0 13 Fall Candle Craft Digital Services CATEGORY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER EBSCO USAGE COURSERA 0 2 TBA NORTHSTAR 0 TBA 0 LinkedIn Learning 1 1 1 A-Z WORLD BRITANNICA ESCOLAR 16 14 12 CULTURE GRAMS 9 3 6 DMV 23 13 7 E-LIBRARY 0 0 0 GALE ARCHIVES UNBOUND GETSETUP TBA TBA TBA JOBS NOW/VETS NOW 14 22 TBA LIB CENTRAL PQRC 5 7 2 SKILLSHARE 0 56 0 Circulation AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 8,068 7199 3900 Reference JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER 138 176 10 Door Count AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 7139 6704 7300 Patron Registration AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 339 291 305 Youth services: • Several events are being planned by the teen advisory board for the month of December. E-2 Private Sector (Trustees’) Investments Report • PNC Bank value on October 31, 2022: $134.30 • Phillips Financial value on October 31, 2022: $146,655.96 E-3 Lodi Public Library Foundation Report – Nancy Potts • Stuart Krengel will now be the Lodi Public Library Foundation's representative at future meetings. • The date for next year's Storyteller dinner has been set for September 2023. E-4 Friends of the Lodi Public Library Report – Kathryn Siddle • Averaging $1,000 per month, the bookstore is staying consistent with its revenue. • The Friends of Lodi Public Library will be at the Hutchins Street Square, Fire Foundation Christmas Festival in December. The Friends will bring several library card applications and program calendars to share with the community at this event. • On December 15, 2022, the Friends of the Lodi Public Library will hold their annual meeting. • The Friends will be providing a holiday lunch for the library staff in December, and they will collaborate with the director of the library to arrange this. • Hosting the Trivia Bee at Five Window is another project that is currently under development. E-5 Local Banking Options for Trustees – Director Manuel • Trustees requested that Director Manuel research information on two local financial institutions those being F&M Bank and Bank of Stockton. The library director informed the board of trustees about both banks' account opening costs. At this time the director did not make any recommendations on how to proceed. Trustee Kooger concluded that the accounts must have a larger balance in order for both banks to avoid extra charges, and questioned if charges could be avoided if a larger amount was entered into the PNC account. Furthermore, the director was directed to review the PNC bank's minimum balance and, if it is the same as the Bank of Stockton's $1,500 or less, to add more funds to the PNC current account. The Lodi Public Library Board of Trustees authorizes Phillips Financial to sell $1,500 dollars’ worth of stock in order to either keep their current account with PNC and not be charged additional fees or open a new account with the Bank of Stockton. Trustee Kooger motions, Trustee Campbell seconds. Motion carries. E-6 Suspension Policy Discussion – Director Manuel • Director Manuel is not requesting action from the board at this time but would value any feedback. The background information stems from two October incidents that resulted in automatic three-month suspensions. One of the incident reports mentioned a verbal policy. The first incident involved a patron who was known to have mental health issues. When asked to take her roller suitcase outside, she threw it on the ground and told security to take it. When staff asked this patron to leave, she mumbled something incoherent about the "Mexican Police" and the library's lack of authority. The patron then left the library after library staff called dispatch. A teen patron was involved in the second incident that resulted in a suspension. This person had been confronted two days prior about their inappropriate behavior in the library. When told to stop their inappropriate behavior, the teen who was using the children's computers to play made the decision to disobey security. He was then asked to leave the building for the third time in a week, at which point the teen decided to threaten security by claiming they would  turn off the computers. Fortunately, this was a hollow threat, and the situation did not worsen. Following the threat, the Lodi Ambassadors were summoned, and the suspension policy was applied to this patron as well. Director Manuel requests input from the board on changing the Suspension policy based on the background information provided. Both of the cases discussed should have been handled differently, with different consequences imposed. She believes that a quarter-year suspension, depending on our staff's tolerance threshold, requires a better rubric of what qualifications justify a three-month suspension. Trustee Kooger suggests that a rubric outline a better framework with possible scenarios. Trustee Melton adds to the suggestion of comparing what other library colleagues in the area do to deal with situations like these. In addition to the suggestions made, Trustee Dalebout requested clarification on what happens when a patron is suspended. According to Director Manuel, the protocol for a suspension entails placing a hold on a patron's library card and informing the rest of the staff via a Google log that is updated daily. Lance Earl, a library staff member, stated law enforcement is only called when staff are feeling unsafe and have exhausted all other options to get a patron to comply. In the case of the person who threw her suitcase, she received three warnings. After disregarding the warnings, staff ensured that the patron is aware that if local authorities are called, she will be suspended for three months, and the patron stated that she understood. The Director shares that the police are only called in violent situations, and that Ambassadors are called in non-violent situations. Yvette Herrera adds that different staff members have different tolerance levels, and some staff members are not comfortable making decisions. Staff will be trained in de-escalation skills in order to better equip personnel in the future. E-7 “Can Your Fines” – Director Manuel • The Can Your Fines campaign was launched in December 2021 to allow patrons to pay off their fines by bringing in nonperishable canned food items. The canned goods were donated to the Lodi Community Center last year. This campaign will be repeated in December, with patrons able to pay down fines of up to $10. Patrons who do not have any fines can donate their cans to help pay off another patron's fines. Director Manuel's recommendation is to approve Trustee Campbell's request to reinstate the "Can Your Fines" campaign as outlined. Trustee Campbell motions, Trustee Kooger seconds. Motion Carries. E-8 Tutoring Policy – Director Manuel • Director Manuel received a call from a frustrated parent who inquired as to why staff had prohibited his child from receiving tutoring at the library. She informed them that the library had recently encountered problems with a patron who was holding classes at the library and monopolizing a large area in the children's reading area. The parent stated that his child and the tutor met one on one, and the Director agreed to continue the tutoring until a formal policy was established. Tutoring was previously prohibited at the library due to tutors becoming territorial and taking over large areas. The tutoring policy that has been written adheres to similar guidelines as other California State Libraries' tutoring policies. This will be the Lodi Public Library's first Tutoring Policy. Trustee Kooger suggests removing the statement "guidelines and procedures," as well as the instructions referring to money exchanges. The board agrees to approve the tutoring policy as amended. Trustee Kooger motions, Trustee Melton seconds. Motion Carries. E-9 Library Cards Based on Address – Director Manuel • On November 5th, a staff member emailed the library director about a patron being denied a library card at the Salvation Army address. A post-it note was left at the circulation desk informing other staff that all residents of this location would not be granted access to a library card. Kathryn Siddle, a committee member, and social worker informed library staff that the residents of Hope Harbor are permanent residents at the Salvation Army address. According to Director Manuel, patrons at three different Lodi shelters are issued internet-only cards and are unable to check out materials from the library. Prior to internet-only cards, the library attempted to use a limited-use card to reduce the possibility of lost materials. The director believes that the verbal policy issued in 2012 is biased and should be updated. The library staff cannot predict which groups of people will not return library items. Trustee Kooger agrees that, while the library staff cannot predict whether or not a person will return items, it is critical to review the full information contained in the library's system regarding what library materials are not being returned and where data points stand. A suggestion would be to reduce the number of materials that can be checked out. The director proposes reaffirming the current policy of issuing a regular library card to anyone with a valid California license, regardless of address. This discussion requires no further action at this time. F. ADJOURNMENT: 6:51 p.m. LODI PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES DATE November 14, 2022 PAGE TWO Pursuant to Section 54954.2(a) of the Government Code of the State of California, this agenda was posted at least 72 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting at a public place freely accessible to the public 24 hours a day. ______________________________ Jazmin Duffy Administrative Clerk **Notice: Pursuant to Government Code §54954.3(a), public comments may be directed to the legislative body concerning any item contained on the agenda for this meeting before (in the case of Closed Session items) or during consideration of the item. All staff reports or other written documentation relating to each item of business referred to on the agenda are on file in the Office of the Lodi Public Library, located at 201 W. Locust Street, Lodi, and are available for public inspection. Agendas and staff reports are also posted on the City’s website at www.lodi.gov. If requested, the agenda shall be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with a disability, as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132), and the federal rules and regulations adopted in implementation thereof. To make a request for disability-related modification or accommodation contact the City Clerk’s Office as soon as possible and at least 72 hours prior to the meeting date. Language interpreter requests must be received at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting to help ensure availability. Contact Yvette Herrera at (209) 333-5554. Solicitudes de interpretación de idiomas deben ser recibidas por lo menos con 72 horas de anticipación a la reunión para ayudar a asegurar la disponibilidad. Llame a Yvette Herrera (209) 333-5554. For information regarding this Agenda please contact: Akiliah Manuel Library Director Telephone: (209) 333-5540