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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 03 20 25 LAB Minutes 03 20 2025 LAB Library Advisory Board March 20, 2025 Minutes Assembly: The Library Advisory Board met in Regular Session on Thursday, March 20th at 1:30 pm at the Northeast Library (Oak room). Board Members Assael, Shaun PRESENT Carbone, Liz EXCUSED Clinton, Ann PRESENT Colin, Emily PRESENT Dodd, Scott EXCUSED Haragan, Ellen EXCUSED Kozik, Lynn PRESENT Lawler, Patricia PRESENT Miles, Linda Resigned Niggl, Paul PRESENT Salter, Tiffany EXCUSED Smith, Harriet PRESENT Staff Members & Board Reps. Conners, Dana PRESENT Zimmer, Ronna (Foundation Rep) EXCUSED Petcovic, Monica (Friends Rep) PRESENT Mays, Yvette PRESENT Thomas, Leigh NE Branch Mgr.) Welcome Patricia Lawler convened the meeting at 1:35 pm. Prior to the meeting, Linda Miles resigned from the board due to other commitments. The opening will be posted on the county’s website. Public Comment None Agenda Review Approved Approval of Previous Minutes The minutes from the last board meetings on February 20, 2025, were sent to the board prior to the meeting for review. Minutes 03 20 2025 LAB Monica Petcovia stated the book sale bullet under the Friends of the Library listing was not from her report. Motion: Shawn Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Lynn Kozik, to accept the minutes of the 02/20/25 meeting with amendment to FOL report. Upon voting, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Correspondence None Friends of the Library Monica Petcovia reported the following: • LEAD Grant applications from library staff are due March 31st. • April 7th is the start of National Library week. • April 8th is Library Workers Day. We will be providing snacks at all sites for library staff. • The Summer Book Sale begins on August 1st. Library Foundation No Report Director’s Report Project Grace • Windows are being installed. • The vertical stripping on the glass is to mimic books and to deture birds from flying into the glass • 12 Solar panels have been installed. • The artist for the public art installation has been selected. They are working on the agreed concept that will still need to be approved by the board of commissioners. Northchase • NHC Commissioners recently approved a public art display that will go outside of the Northchase Library, designed by local artist Wynn Buzzell. Northeast • The Board of Elections has moved out of the space at Northeast. This space will be converted for our Youth Outreach department and to store books for the book sale. • In FY27, the library will request a review of the building for renovation updates or a rebuild. Minutes 03 20 2025 LAB Staff • We have a recent vacancy for a Monday courier. The job posting will be coming out soon. Programs • Summer Reading for kids will be thru the Collaborative Summer Library program. “Summer @ Your Library: Read, Learn, Discover” • Read Across the County will be on hiatus this year. Instead, summer reading for adults will focus on True Crime. The book selected is “The Devil at his Elbow” Alex Murdaugh and the fall of a Southern dynasty by Valarie Bauerlein. This will include a presentation from the author. Parking on the Downtown Deck The deck is closed to all traffic to repair a pothole on the 3rd floor of the deck. For the concrete to set, there can be no vibrations from traffic. Staff and Tax Aide volunteers are being shuttled from NHC Facilities Management to the Library. There are a few spaces on the 1st floor that can be used for library visitors. Starting Monday, the deck will be partially open and should be fully open by Friday. Budget There is a budget meeting going on now. The County Commissioners are considering all departmental requests. IMLS We’ve had questions about Trump’s IMLS order and what it means. For our context - when they refer to "grants to states" those are allocated by the State Library of NC in the form of LSTA grants. New Hanover County Public Library currently has one LSTA grant - for Local History interns - but have been told by the State Library that they believe the funding for this grant is safe as the funding was from a Congressional allocation that was made last year. The State Library of NC website has a full listing of LSTA grants that are currently funded to libraries and for statewide projects. These "grants to states" are not to be confused by what we typically refer to as "state aid." The State Aid funds are allocated by the NC General Assembly and are state funds, not federal funds. The recent Presidential Executive Order that includes the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services only applies to federal funds. Database Spotlight Leigh Thomas, NE Branch Manager, spotlighted Gale LegalForms. Minutes 03 20 2025 LAB • Gale LegalForms provides national and state-specific attorney forms to help users understand and actively participate in their legal affairs. Key coverage areas include wills and estates, landlord-tenant, and business law. • Listing with an asterisk (*) denote forms available in Spanish • This is legal information and not advice. • The attorney directory contains a list of attorneys who have created accounts in Gale and is not a list of all attorneys in that area. Board Q & A • Harriet asked how we can get the word out about the library’s databases. o Dana replied, “We talk about our databases with many different groups/customers, and we showcase it on social media. We are working with NC Live to get QR Codes to add to the book stacks related to the various topics. • Emily Colin reported that planning for the local author’s event has begun. It will be held in mid-November. o The FOL are supporting us again this year. o From the 100 surveys we collected last year, 100% of those said they would attend again next year. • Harriet Smith asked about the Library’s Podcast. o Between the Stacks is a Podcast for Library Lovers. o This was created from a Friends of the Library LEAD Award Grant submitted by Riley Gary. o This month features staff member Joe Sheppard as he shares stories from his years in the Local History Room and at his new position at Pine Valley. Adjournment Motion: Ann Clinton MOVED, SECONDED by Harriet Smith, to adjourn the meeting. Upon voting, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The board adjourned the meeting at 2:25 Next Meeting on April 17, 2025, at the Main Library Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the Library Advisory Board meeting.