Minutes 05 20 2021 LABMinutes 05 20 2021 LAB Page 1
Library Advisory Board
May 20, 2021
Assembly:
The Library Advisory Board met in Regular Session on Thursday, at 2:00 p.m. in persona and
via WebEx.
Board Members
Baish, Mary Alice PRESENT Brewington, Jan PRESENT
Chadurjian, Denise PRESENT Conlon, Dennis PRESENT
Damutz, Amy PRESENT Dodd, Scott PRESENT
Guenther, Joy PRESENT Maurer, Kevin PRESENT
Miles, Linda PRESENT Montwieler, Katherine EXCUSED
Smith, Ida PRESENT Zimmer, Ronna EXCUSED
Staff Members & Board Reps.
Tom Brimberry (FOL Rep), Paige Owens (Library Director), Yvette Mays (Admin)
Welcome
Chair Jan Brewington convened the meeting at 2:05 p.m.
Public Comment
Project Grace
The LAB invited the Project Grace Discovery Team to the meeting to hear from the board.
The LAB addressed the four specific concerns and request to arrive at the type of facility the
community expects and deserves.
1. Space needs
• Identify the purpose and unique character of the Downtown Library within the
NHC PL system
• Barrier-free green space
• Public meeting space
• Public computer bank
• Reference Desk
• NC History Room
2. Continuted Downtown Library service during construction
• Library use statistics and downtown library as a hub of interaction and connection
• Maintaining expectation of public service and services
• NC History Room availability
• Public computers
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• Children’s Services
3. LAB representation on the builder/developer team
• Consensus of what a modern library is
• Coaching the theoretical consensus to the actaul serviceable library branch
• Maintaining current two-way dialogue as inevitable circumstances necessitate
decision-making mid-process
• Unique needs of downtown library patrons
4. Story Park green space.
• The backstory of Story Park
• Consensus of the meaning of the word “story” in the title Story Park
• Who’s story?
• Past, present, or future?
• How to broaden park’s stakeholders and users
• How can Story Park continue the story?
After the PowerPoint presentation, further discussions were held on the following points:
• Building design to fit the needs of downtown.
• NCR is the crown jewel of the branch. Special collections are the heart of the library.
• A Reference desk is vital.
• The Children’s Museum has expressed interest in leasing space.
• Library and Museum are working together to determine square footage needs per floor
and shared spaced.
• The City of Wilmington had originally expressed interest in the project but has
withdrawn.
• The Discovery Period ends July 5th. Then square footage will be mapped out. By the
first part of next year, we hope to have plans finalized. Summer of 2022 construction
will begin. The project will take two years to complete.
2:55 Presentation end.
3:00 Open Regular Session
Agenda Review
Agenda accepted.
Approval of previous minutes
The minutes from the last board meeting on March 18, 2021 were sent to the board prior to the
meeting for review.
Motion: Amy Damutz MOVED, SECONDED by Dennis Conlon, to accept the minutes of the
03/18/21 meeting as written. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Minutes 05 20 2021 LAB Page 3
Correspondence
Paige Owens shared an email she received from board member Ida Smith. One of the students at
Bellamy School sent her a drawing and note thanking her for being their librarian.
We received an email from two patrons who have been doing research on 1898 in the North
Carolina Room. They thanked the staff for being helpful and knowledgeable. Travis Souther’s
Excel worksheet was a wealth of information to them.
Friends of the Library
Tom Brimberry presented the following report:
• Concluded annual Williston Middle School awards with Downtown Rotary Club
to outstanding students. Possible summer school program.
• Downtown Historic Libraries Walking Tour being developed for greater
awareness and publicity.
• StoryWalk boards standardized and being renovated for exchanges among
locations.
• LEAD projects from Library staff awarded for four projects - home energy audit
kits, business finance /law kits, memory care information kits, and a children’s
librarian team retreat.
• Read Across the County efforts supported to encourage community reading books
selected for three age groups.
Library Foundation
No report at this time
Director’s Report
Paige Owens presented the following report:
Health and Safety
• NHC COVID restrictions lifted 5/14/21.
Operations
• Reopening update:
o Normal services/spaces being restored.
o Meeting rooms being readied for public use.
o Saturday hours began May 8, 12-4
o Full open hours begin July 6: M-Th 10-7; Fri-Sat 10-5; Sunday 1-5
Staff
• Library Social Work Program Manager, LaCretia Keith, hard at work
• Local History has a digitization/preservation intern.
• Now interviewing for 2 positions at Pine Valley
• Posting this week for adult outreach associate (Main Library)
• Staff retreat scheduled June 8: libraries closed.
Facilities
• Pine Valley
o Coastal Landscape Initiative planting completed. Plans underway for signage.
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o Deck and sod installed.
• Main Library
o Discovery period for Project Grace will be complete mid-June.
• Northeast
o Board of Elections moved into EDC May 3rd
o Donations still by appointment only. August book sale being planned, which will
help capacity situation.
• Pleasure Island
o No updates
Budget
• Spending down budget lines ahead of June 30 cutoff
• Recommended budget includes $256,000 increase for library.
• Funding recommended for new public access computer solution.
Library Director goals FY20-21
• Community survey: Jimi Rider and LaCretia Keith working on draft.
• Main Library basement clean-up: Auctioned items picked up. Still loose ends to dispose
of
• Social work internship: Projected start fall 2021.
• Fine relief: County manager included eliminating overdue fines on children’s materials
inf FY21-22 recommended budget to commissioners.
• LSTA grant application: Application submitted for equipment to enhance virtual
programming. Notifications due June 3.
• Pine Valley landscape: underway
• Policy review: 2 policies to be presented to the Library Advisory Board in March. Next
up: Conduct Policy. Draft now under review by Human Resources
• Contract with new public printing vendor by end of FY SPRING 2021: CopyPro awarded
NHC contract to include library public printing. Negotiations underway with current vendor,
Systel, to end contract Sept. 30.
Other news:
• Read across the County, a joint initiative with the NHC Office of Diversity
o Sponsored by Friends of the Library
o Press release goes out this week.
o Timeline: June 1 – August 31
o 3 titles:
▪ Adult: Home Place by J. Drew Lanham
▪ Middle grade: Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla
▪ Younger children: Ruby’s Birds by Mya Thompson
The LAB asked the following in questions:
• Will the Board of Elections be using the Paynter Room?
o Yes. We have a shared calendar with them. We were able to negotiate use for the
book sales. The BOE will have the space for two years.
• Was eliminating fines on children’s materials request in last year’s budget?
Minutes 05 20 2021 LAB Page 5
o Yes, but not approved at that time.
• When will the Conduct Policy be available?
o The library hopes to have it available by our next meeting. It is being reviewed
by Human Resources and then will be forwarded to NHC legal dept. If it is not
ready by then, we do have other policies that are being developed by the staff
group that will be available.
Committee Reports
Intellectual Freedom Committee
At the last meeting, Paige stated that we need to start exploring the issue of racially insensitive
content and how this affects public libraries. Libraries are committed to intellectual freedom, but
what about racially offensive content in our collections?
Jan Brewington had asked the entire board to do some research on how other libraries are
handling this and bring ideas to the board.
After discussions at todays meeting, Jan proposed the committee meet at 1:00 prior to the next
month’s meeting to discuss the issue. Any board members interested are also welcomed to
attend.
New Business
None at this time.
Old Business
None at this time.
Adjournment
Chair Jan Brewington adjourned the meeting at 3:30 pm.
Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the Library Advisory Board
meeting.
Next Meeting is June 17th