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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Library Advisory Board - Meeting Date: 5/21/2009 GLENDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING Minutes Thursday, May 21, 2009 7:00 P.M. Main Library 5959 W. Brown St. Glendale, AZ 85302 Members Present: Others Present: JoAnn Lee, Chairperson Sue Komernicky, Library Director Brian Bates Cathy Foland, Library Staff Sandi Burr Kathy Pastores, Youth Librarian Camille Donley Susan Murray, Teen Librarian/Youth Supervisor Katy Bickerstaff Kearsten LaBrozzi, Youth Librarian Kenneth Wixon Kim Huff, Youth Librarian Members Absent: Brianna Shuttleworth Cherie Hudson Robert Villalobos CALL TO ORDER Ms. Lee, Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Ms. Lee welcomed Katy Bickerstaff, a new board member from the Ocotillo District. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms. Lee requested a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting held April 16, 2009. Ms. Burr moved that the minutes of the meeting held April 16, 2009 be approved. The motion, seconded by Ms. Donley, passed unanimously. SUMMER READING PROGRAM Beginning in the summer of 2000, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Republic joined with the twelve public libraries in Maricopa County to present "Read Your Way to the Ballpark!," a summer reading program for children and families. This cooperative effort proved extremely successful for the libraries and sponsors. The libraries have offered teen summer reading programming which has also been successful. Ms. Komernicky introduced Susan Murray, Teen Librarian/Youth Supervisor at the Main Library; Kearsten LaBrozzi, Youth Librarian at Main; Kathy Pastores and Kim Huff, Youth Librarians at Foothills. Ms. Pastores stated that 9,900 children and 1,900 teens participated in the Summer Reading Program at Glendale's three libraries last summer. She said this year's program starts Tuesday, May 26, and goes through July 25. Kathy presented the game board and how it works and displayed some of the prizes that will be awarded along the way. Once the kids read 35 books, or the equivalent of 12.5 hours or 1,750 pages, they will receive a voucher for a free baseball ticket. Parents pay a reduced amount for their baseball tickets. Ms. Pastores showed some examples of children's books explaining that the librarians try to provide a wide range of titles. Ms. Donley asked how many of the kids who sign up for the program actually finish. Ms. Pastores stated last summer 3,277, or approximately 33 percent, of the kids finished the program. Ms. Bickerstaff asked if we keep track of the percentage of girls compared to boys that participate. Ms. Murray stated we do not, but lots of teen boys participate because of the baseball ticket. Older kids pass up the other toys. Ms. LaBrozzi added that when she makes school visits, the boys really get excited about the baseball ticket. Ms. Pastores distributed the Glendale Summer Programs brochure and talked about some of the programs being offered. The librarians try to be as creative as possible in planning programs to get families to the libraries. Ms. Bickerstaff asked why there are so many more events at the Main Library. Ms. Murray responded that the librarian handling the "What E.L.S.E."program at the Main Library chose to plan more of those events during the summer months, while the other branches used that funding earlier in the year. Also,the Main Library has the space in the auditorium to do the larger programs there. Ms. Burr asked if Spanish is spoken at these programs. Ms. Pastores stated it typically is not. Ms. Lee asked if there is a need for anyone to speak Spanish at these programs. Ms. Pastores explained that the Foothills Branch is very diverse. In addition to some Spanish speakers, they have families from countries such as Japan, the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia. Ms. Burr was concerned about a grandparent that didn't speak English bringing their grandchild to a program and not being able to understand. Ms. Murray said there are Spanish-speaking librarians at Main and Velma Teague if there is a need. In many cases, the child often translates for the adult. Ms. Murray said the state library created an online Summer Reading Program for teenagers this year. She demonstrated how teens can access the website and sign up from there. Their reading log is online where they can also see a schedule of summer events. The prizes have been donated and include Sonic food, Harkins popcorn, and Harkins soda cups. A celebration event at the end of the program includes a free burrito or tacos at Chipotle. At each of the Glendale branches—if they read all of their books—teens can enter a drawing for a grand prize of a digital camera. They are also automatically entered into random drawings that include prizes they can come and select. Ms. Pastores stated that in addition to the other summer programs, they will continue gaming programs with the equipment purchased from last year's LSTA gaming grant. Ms. Murray also mentioned that a lot of the teens volunteer at our branches. There are 59 teen volunteers at Foothills and 35 at Main. It works out for all of us because they need community service hours and we need their help. Ms. Komernicky said she is hoping to get two of those teens to serve on the Library Advisory Board. Ms. Bickerstaff asked if a teen can access the Summer Reading Program online at the library if they don't have a computer at home. Ms. Murray answered that yes, they can definitely do that here at the library. Ms. Pastores explained the importance of teen patrons. It is important to connect with them now so they will continue enjoying the library as adults. Ms. Donley asked if the artists in the summer programs are paid or volunteers. Ms. Murray responded that they are all paid except for Bobby Freeman, the Diamondbacks organist, and Ronald McDonald. They volunteer their time. Everyone else is paid, but it is a nominal amount. Ms. Komernicky added that there actually is a horse coming to the library. He has been here before and the kids just love him. Ms. Komernicky said Glendale has the best children's department in the state. We have wonderful programs and great librarians. She believes every librarian should start in the children's area. The kids have such a thirst for knowledge. Ms. Lee stated Summer Reading is a great program. FAVORITE BOOKS Ms. Burr presented her suggestion for each board member to call their respective Council member over the summer months and ask them for their favorite book titles. Ms. Burr came upon this idea because she really enjoys the "favorite picks" section. She sometimes gets stuck on bestsellers, but knows the stacks are full of fantastic unknown books. Two months ago, she said it was the same every time she came—nothing new. Then she tried to think of a theme and came up with the idea to ask the Council members for their favorite titles. Since the board members are appointed by the Council members, Ms. Burr thought this would be a good way to connect with them and remind them that the board is working for them. She would like board members to ask their individual Council member to list four or five of their • favorite books. Then the books can be displayed alongside the Council member's picture. She suggested the board members call them this summer, find the books, and mount the display in September. Ms. Bickerstaff stated she likes the idea. Ms. Burr asked for discussion. Ms. Bickerstaff asked about a story hour with the Mayor. Ms. Komernicky stated that has been done in the past, but we probably will not be able to do that this summer. Ms. Komernicky added that she believes Ms. Burr's idea is a good one. Ms. Donley stated she is not comfortable calling her Council member. She suggested that a letter or e-mail be sent to them instead. Ms. Bickerstaff agreed that a letter or e-mail would be better and provide more time for the Council members to think about their book picks. Ms. Lee agreed and said that the letter needs to be uniform so each board member is asking the same thing of each Council member. If there is a letter, we will know exactly what is being asked of them. Ms. Burr agreed and said they can follow up with a phone call if they would like. Ms. Burr agreed to draft the letter and send it to Ms. Lee for approval. Ms. Komernicky will work on getting the Council members' photographs. Ms. Burr will include mention of the photos in the letter. Ms. Donley asked if we would need anything from the city attorney to make sure the Council members are not endorsing a specific book. Ms. Komernicky said if we get something that might be questionable, we will handle it then. Ms. Lee thanked Ms. Burr for the great idea. REVIEW OF BOARD ACTIVITIES FOR FY 2008-09 Ms. Komernicky listed the Board's FY 2008-09 accomplishments which include: "What Makes a Great Library"presentation Public art project in main youth hallway Library card design contest in cooperation with the Arts Department "More Than Books"presentation by Cathy Johnson Foothills' New Times Best of Phoenix award for Outstanding Public Library Speaker Series Library cookbook—"From Books to Cooks; Serving it Up at the Glendale Public Library" Installation of Self-Check machines at Main and Velma Teague libraries Glendale Elementary School District partnership Completion of the design phase of West Branch Library Staff attendance at the Arizona Leadership Academy "Library Volunteers" presentation by Cherrilynn Moore $212,000 in grants funding Book drive by the Glendale Office of Tourism Glendale Public Library book sales AZLA awards—Casey Van Haren (Library Support Staff Scholarship Award) and Nina Grubish (Sharon G. Womack Outstanding Library Technician Award) First annual Louise Stephens Memorial Scholarship Awarded "Overdue Fines and Fees"presentation by Casey Van Haren Library "Rules of Conduct"revision Culture Pass Program–Ms. Donley asked what are the most popular and Ms. Komernicky replied that the Phoenix Zoo and Arizona Science Museum are the most popular at this time. "Digital Library" visit to Main Library Budget Cuts Initial development of Strategic Plan is unfortunately on the back burner. Ms. Lee also mentioned the board members whose terms expired during the year. LIBRARY DIRECTOR UPDATE Ms. Komernicky provided updates on the following: • Farewell to Board members - Brian Bates, Brianna Shuttleworth and Robert Villalobos are leaving the board. We're going to miss them. Ms. Komernicky will make sure Mr. Bates gets his plaque. She thanked him for his time and input during his term. Mr. Bates said he would love to serve another four years! • Retiree Farewell–The party for the 11 retirees from the Library and Arts Department is next Wednesday, May 27, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Foothills. Ms. Komernicky said she has heard from some of the board members and asked if anyone else will be attending. She needs to know in case a quorum shows up. No other board members will be attending. • City News - Mayor Scruggs is currently being treated for breast cancer. She started chemo on Monday and we wish her the best for a speedy recovery. • Reorganization–In the wake of retirements and temporary employee cutbacks, Ms. Komernicky has spent the last couple of months reorganizing and it has been a major feat. Because there is a hiring freeze, the reorganization had to be done with internal staff, which necessitates shuffling folks around a bit. She stated she is almost finished and staff seems pretty happy. She is very sorry to see the retirees go. A lot of history is walking out the door. However, she is looking forward to the future. • Employee of the Month - Coreen Wagner, Youth Librarian at Velma Teague is May's Employee of the Month. In his nomination, Terry Oxley wrote that"Coreen has brought "teamwork"to life for the Velma Teague Youth Department. Her open and supportive supervisory style makes it a pleasure to come to work. It's truly wonderful to feel like a part of the team and it makes everyone want to continue to contribute in any way they can. Further, Coreen's willingness to explore new approaches to better serve our patrons and work with staff shows that she truly deserves to be employee of the month. Coreen serves as a"prototype" of how wonderful a supervisor can be." Lesa Holstine added that "Coreen has made a great difference in our Youth Services Department. There is a definite "teamwork" environment in that department." Ms. Bickerstaff knows Coreen and loves her. • Budget Update—The third quarter budget report was presented to Council on Tuesday during a Workshop session. It seems that the steep declines are starting to slow down. Ms. Komernicky hopes budget cuts are finished for now. We are continuing to acquire additional volunteers. Ms. Komernicky added that Foothills will have to close the drive-up window from 6:00- 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and it will only be open for a period of four hours on Saturdays. The volunteers that staff the window are leaving for the summer, and we do not have back-up anymore. That may change if we get more volunteers. The branches will be closed on Sundays beginning July 1. Main will remain open on Sundays. • My Library Bookstore—After further research on this program, it is not going to be beneficial for us. We also ran into glitches on the sales tax. Staff contacted a library that uses it and the money that came back to the library through the sales was not substantial. We are going to do an online wish list. Staff is working on that now and it should be up soon, certainly before September. • Summer Recess—The Library Advisory Board will be on recess June, July and August. We will meet back here the third week of September. At that time we will go over how the reorganization is going. Ms. Komernicky added that she heard today that the library will be awarded two LSTA grants. One is for $54,000 framed around the recession and includes computers for job searching. The other will fund the second year of the Glendale History Online grant, which will bring Luke Air Force Base into the mix. We have only received verbal news so far. LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS This being his last meeting, Mr. Bates stated it has been fun; thank you very much. Ms. Burr asked about the award that Lesa Holstine received. Ms. Holstine received the "2009 Spinetingler Award" as the year's best reviewer. This is the second year for the Spinetingler Awards. Spinetingler Magazine, an internet magazine, publishes short stories, reviews and interviews of established and emerging authors. Ms. Komernicky stated that Lesa's reviews have been picked up by the Chicago Sun Times and various other papers. She's becoming well-known. Ms. Burr mentioned that she attended Lesa's last brown bag lunch and she had several books that she gives away. She also gives them to prisons for the prison libraries. Ms. Komernicky explained that the books are galleys that we cannot circulate. They are pre- published proofs. Ms. Lee stated that she admires how Ms. Komernicky is handling things. She thinks Sue is doing very well. It is not easy to see your friends walk out the door and "plug up the dike." Ms. Komernicky thanked Ms. Lee for her kind words and admitted these past two years have been the toughest ever. With the West Branch Library being put on hold until FY 2013-14 and the budget crisis, it has been challenging. Ms. Lee stated she particular likes hearing, "But the good news is..." ADJOURNMENT Mr. Bates moved that the meeting be adjourned. The motion, seconded by Mr. Wixon, passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned by Ms. Lee at 8:15 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, 61 Cathy Foland