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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 10 17 2019 LABMinutes 10 17 2019 LAB Page 1 Library Advisory Board October 17, 2019 Assembly: The Library Advisory Board met in Regular Session on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Main Library in Wilmington, NC. Board Members Brewington, Jan PRESENT Chadurjian, Denise EXCUSED Conlon, Dennis PRESENT Damutz, Amy PRESENT Dodd, Scott PRESENT Guenther, Joy PRESENT Miles, Linda PRESENT Montwieler, Katherine PRESENT Shore, Sam EXCUSED Smith, Ida PRESENT Smith, Paul PRESENT Zimmer, Ronna PRESENT Staff Members & Board Reps. Tom Brimberry (FOL Rep), Paige Owens (Library Director), Yvette Mays (Admin) Jan Brewington convened the meeting at 2:00 p.m. Welcome Jan Brewington welcomed the board and re-introduced new members, Joy Guenther & Linda Miles. Public Comment None Agenda Review Agenda was approved by consent. Approval of previous minutes The minutes from the past board meeting on 9/19/19 were sent to the board prior to the meeting for review. Motion: Dennis Conlon MOVED, SECONDED by Ronna Zimmer, to accept the minutes of the 9/19/19 meeting as written. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Correspondence Paige Owens stated that the Pine Valley library continues to receive comments cards about the new building. These were read to the board. Each is being addressed as needed. She also received an email from a patron who recognized Joe Sheppard in the Local History dept. for his outstanding service. Friends of the Library Report Report presented by Tom Brimberry.  The Historic Downtown Walking Tour was very successful. Plans are to hold a 2nd tour in the spring (date TBD). Information for the tour has been compiled into a PowerPoint presentation what will be shown on Monday, 10/21 at Pine Valley at 3:30 and on Wednesday, 10/23 at Northeast at 10:30. Minutes 10 17 2019 LAB Page 2  The Fall book sale generated $91,623 for the library.  Lead Awards (Leadership, Experimentation, Advocacy, Development): Library staff are submitting proposals thru 10/31, with evaluation and awards to follow. Foundation Board Report Ronna Zimmer presented the following report:  The Fall luncheon will be held at Pine Valley Library on Thursday, October 24th, 11:30 – 1:00. The speaker will be Beverly Tetterton. Please RSVP to Yvette Mays. Director’s Report Paige Owens submitted the Director’s report to the board prior to the meeting. In addition to the report she reported the following: New Hanover County news:  New Hanover County and New Hanover Regional Medical Center have established a Partner Advisory Group to research options for the future structure of NHRMC. The group has 21 members representing communities of interest including business and nonprofits in addition to medicine. The process is expected to take at least a year and will include public discussions.  Bids are being accepted for purchase of the former Myrtle Grove Library site. Bidding closes on October 18.  An RFQ has been released for the redevelopment of the government center. 15 interested parties attended the pre-bid informational meeting.  The Community Relations Advisory Committee is a joint committee between the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County. Its purpose is to address prejudice and discrimination in the community. The committee meets every Monday 9:00 – 10:00 at Main Library to assist people with complaints. The committee will be conducting a survey on perceptions of prejudice. Senior Resource Center and Main Library will be distribution sites for paper surveys.  The Health and Human Services building dedication was held today. Information from the State Library’s new director orientation:  The North Carolina State Library is made up of three sections: o Government and Heritage Library o Library Development o Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped NHCPL News: Facilities:  Pine Valley o Branch Manager Patricia Dew submitted a suggestion to add paint markings to the parking lot to slow traffic. Our Property Management Department is in agreement and researching how to proceed o Songbirds are flying into the back windows. We are researching options for mitigating the problem. o Plans are underway to make The Nest more inviting. We are looking at carpet, acoustic panels, and window shades. o Patricia is working on a grant to provide automatic door openers to the adult area Minutes 10 17 2019 LAB Page 3 o The first purchases have been made for low vision assistive devices. The reading area behind The Hub now houses the large print collection and is being rearranged to be easily accessible.  Northeast Library o We continue to host hurricane recovery operations and bankruptcy court in the EDC meeting spaces  Main Library o We are in the process of turning the Consumer Health Library space into an adult education center  Pleasure Island o We are inquiring about the status of the leased space next to the library. If the space were to become available, we would consider enlarging the library. Technology  We continue to face challenges with our public access PCs, the latest being issues related to the Windows 10 upgrade. We are currently researching options to apply for an LSTA grant to replace our public computing system. Staff  The addition of several casual part-time employees over the summer months is making a difference.  Scooter Hayes being named one of the StarNews 40 under 40 at Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday. New Business Proposed Library Holiday Hours We have just received the 2020 Holiday schedule from the County. Paige Owens asked to table this topic until the next meeting to allow additional time to review staffing options. Bird Boxes in Story Park Amy Damutz presented the following request for a rapid assessment: NHC LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD WILDLIFE HABITAT FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR STORY PARK Request: LAB approval for a feasibility study for placing bird/bat boxes on the walls adjacent to Story Park at the entrance of the Main Branch of the NHCPL. ● to beautify the facade of the parking deck and library entrance ● to further establish Storybook Park as an urban oasis and a nature destination ● to contribute to the quality of life downtown ● to encourage collaboration with the environmental and arts communities ● to advocate for nature conservation at the local level ● to extend library profile and engagement Benefits: ● Foster environmental awareness ● Increase sanctuary for avian populations ● Enhance urban site and soundscape ● Encourages community engagement ● Provides educational opportunities ● Builds upon the success of the park ● Underscore library's impact beyond books Minutes 10 17 2019 LAB Page 4 Drawbacks: ● Initial design, materials and installation costs ● Potential maintenance requirements ● Potential unplanned wildlife interactions Relevant facts: ● Potential birds (cavity nesters): Carolina Wren, House Sparrow, House Finch, Bluebird, etc… ● Birds are an indicator of environmental quality and chemical toxicity ● Short supply of current nesting sites for songbirds ● Entrance-hole sizes varied to accommodate specific/various species ● Bluebirds can be territorial-- need distance between boxes or visual blocks ● Cautions against using birdseed or feeders-- potential to attract pests ● Hummingbird feeders require daily maintenance ● Bats can take years to find a box-- might take time and patience Potential city/county/state partners: - The Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County - NHC schools - NHC Parks Department - NC Cooperative Extension - Kids Making It - Nature Conservancy - Coastal Plain Conservation Group Request: Approval for Andy Wood of Habitat Gardens (former director for the NC National Audubon Society) to assess the viability of erecting bird/bat boxes adjacent to Storybook Park. He has agreed to an on-site rapid environment assessment followed by a presentation of findings and recommendations to the LAB. Amy Damutz and her husband offer to cover his $75 assessment fee if the LAB agrees to explore the concept. The study was read and discussed by the board. Paige Owens stated that she had shared this with the Parks Director, Tara Duckworth, and she was accepting of the assessment. Jan Brewington held a vote from the board to accept Amy Damutz’s request as written to have a rapid assessment conducted. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Board Community Engagement/Volunteerism Jan Brewington reported that she and other board members have discussed ways to share information about the Library and the services they provide. She suggested that all board members use their community engagements to serve as ambassadors of the LAB and the Library. The Library staff will work on creating bookmarks that promote our services that you can hand out at events. In addition, we would like to hear back from the board about what you have shared and to whom. This will be beneficial in assisting the library about what new interests the public has. Community Engagement will be added as an agenda topic for future meetings. Old Business None Adjournment Meeting adjourned 3:07 p.m. Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the Library Advisory Board meeting.