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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01 15 26 LABMinutes 01 15 2026 LAB Library Advisory Board Minutes January 15, 2026 Assembly: The Library Advisory Board met in the Regular Session on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 1:30 pm at the Main Library. Board Members Assael, Shaun PRESENT Carbone, Liz PRESENT Clinton, Ann ABSENT Colin, Emily PRESENT Dodd, Scott EXCUSED Haragan, Ellen EXCUSED Kozik, Lynn PRESENT Lawler, Patricia PRESENT Niggl, Paul PRESENT Salter, Tiffany PRESENT Sheridan, Earl PRESENT Smith, Harriet EXCUSED Staff Members & Board Reps. DeMarco, Susan PRESENT Mays, Yvette PRESENT Zimmer, Ronna (Foundation Rep) EXCUSED Petcovic, Monica (Friends Rep) EXCUSED Lisa Wurtzbacher PRESENT Welcome Patricia Lawler convened the meeting at 1:30 pm. Database Spotlight Branch Manager, Jimi Rider, shared how staff use our databases to assist patrons. Examples presented for newspapers.com, Gale Presents Udemy, and NoveList Plus. To access all available databases, click on Digital Library from the top of the library’s home page. Q: What happened to Coursera classes? A: Coursera had been funded by the State Library and access ended in December. The cost is very expensive, but it is something the library would love to consider in the future. Q: Is there a place where the public can add resources to our local history collection and how is the library collecting local history? A: BiblioBoard is a database we use to store materials for local history. This is available through NC Live and it is unsure if this database will be replaced. We will also be using the same platforms that the museum currently has. Minutes 01 15 2026 LAB Agenda Review Approved Approval of Previous Minutes The minutes from the last board meetings on November 20, 2025, were sent to the board prior to the meeting for review. Motion: Shawn Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Paul Niggl, to accept the minutes of 11/20/25 as written. Upon voting, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. NHC Friends of the Public Library The board met on Monday, Jan. 12th. They are working on future campaigns and fundraising. Friends’ night for the book sale is Friday, Jan. 23rd, from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Foundation Report The board will not meet until February. Library Report Susan DeMarco presented the following handouts for review and discussion. DECEMBER 2024 VS. DECEMBER 2025 LIBRARY SNAPSHOT More people are visiting the library and checking out materials across physical and virtual locations. Fewer programs were offered systemwide, resulting in a modest decrease in total attendance. 8.33% Circulation Increase 6.72% Door Count Increase 10.09% Fewer Programs Offered 9.27% Program Attendance Decrease Social Worker • Resuming IDD programs in February • One intern at Main and LaCretia will be interviewing a second intern soon. Local History Busy! Many new visitors. Sunday, Feb 22, 2026 @ 2:00pm - 3:00pm – Main Library Thomas Peters: Fighting the Other Revolution- Dr. Kim Sherman, UNC Wilmington Story of Thomas Peters, whose journey from enslavement in Wilmington led him across the Atlantic to help found Freetown, Sierra Leone. Explore the many meanings of freedom during the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary. Minutes 01 15 2026 LAB Main • New deputy starts on Friday. Main Library will have a deputy during all open hours. • Jimi is working to finalize wayfinding signage in the building. • New items are being added to children’s dept. early literacy space. • Other building issues are being addressed: hot water, flooring, and doors. • Auditorium is great space for programs: Opera Out and About in December. Bright Star Theater Sunday Feb. 5 @ 2:00 PM, all ages. • Museum staff are moving in. • On 12/9 two new part-time employees started at Main in local history & reference. Northeast • Candidate selected for part-time position, HR working on background check. • Waiting for candidate list for Library Assistant position. • Remediation won’t be completed in the annex until after primaries. (Tuesday, March 3) Winter Booksale Friends of the Library Members Only on Fri, January 23rd 5:30PM-9PM Join at the door for $20.00. No library card is required. Open to the Public: • Sat, January 24th 10AM-5PM • Sun, January 25th 1PM-5PM • Mon, January 26th 3PM-7PM • Fri, January 30th 10AM-5PM • Sat, January 31st 10AM-5PM • Sun, February1st 1PM-5PM Summer Booksale starts July 17. Pine Valley Preparing the library for some additional shelves in the Large Print area and new Large Print books thanks to donation from Hoffman estate. Pleasure Island Preparing to receive replacement furniture. Summer @ Your Library • S@YL: Rooted in Reading - All Ages June 1 – August 1 Track reading in Beanstack Individual Goal: 300 Minutes Community Goal: 500,000 Minutes 1 Tree Planted for every 10,000 minutes read up to 75 trees – logistics/funding TBD Minutes 01 15 2026 LAB • Kids: No set book but lists of suggested titles will be available. • Adult/Teen Book: Dinosaurs at the dinner party : how an eccentric group of Victorians discovered prehistoric creatures and accidentally upended the world by Dolnick, Edward • Author visit Saturday Aug 1, 2026 @ Main Library Children’s StoryWalk updates in progress Hanover Pines is about 5 inches higher than others, standard is 26-32”. Systemwide Services Patrons return items to any location and can request to have items transferred to any location and placed on hold for them. Courier is critical. Staff time to physically process the books is critical. This will increase when Northchase is open. This photo is from a typical Sunday at the Northeast Library. There are approximately 32 bins to be delivered to the other locations on Monday. New Business None. Director Interviews Lisa Wurtzbacher reported that interviews are underway. On January 26th they will do in- person interviews and site visits with potential candidates. Afterwards, background and reference checks are required. Minutes 01 15 2026 LAB Board Q & A Q: Are there plans to have genre signage in the library instead of only using the Dewey Decimal System? A: This has been considered and is part of the wayfinding signage the library is working on. Q: In planning for Project Grace, there had been talks about public art. Is this still an option? A: We wanted staff to have time to use the space and get settled first. We have looked at options for where space is available , but we are not at that place yet. There was a county policy that all new builds would have public art. That policy is no longer in place. Old Business LAB By-Laws The NHC Board of Commissioners revised the Policies and Procedures for county boards on December 15, 2025. Because of this, we will need to revise our bylaws to ensure consistency and to close identified policy gaps. One of the key changes is Remote Participation. Virtual options are now available. Not allowed to make motions, seconds, or vote. Limited to no more than three remote meetings per calendar year. Only members physically present are counted toward the quorum. Yvette Mays will update the boards bylaws and present them at the next meeting for review and discussion. Once a final version has been created, they will be sent to the NHC Board of Commissioners for approval. Adjournment Motion: Liz Carbone MOVED, SECONDED by Lynn Kozik to adjourn the meeting. The board adjourned the meeting at 2:15 p.m. Our next meeting will be February 19, 2026 at the Main Library Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the Library Advisory Board meeting.