Minutes 09 21 2023 LAB (1)
MINUTES 08 17 2023 LAB 1
Library Advisory Board
September 21, 2023
Assembly:
The Library Advisory Board met in Regular Session on Thursday, at 1:30 pm at the Main Library,
201 Chestnut Street.
Board Members
Assael, Shaun PRESENT Carbone, Liz PRESENT
Clinton, Ann PRESENT Cogan, Erin PRESENT
Dodd, Scott PRESENT Hennessey, Christine PRESENT
Heuring, Tammy PRESENT Kozik, Lynn EXCUSED
Lawler, Patricia PRESENT Miles, Linda PRESENT
Smith, Harriet PRESENT Smith, Ida EXCUSED
Staff Members & Board Reps.
Conners, Dana PRESENT Mays, Yvette PRESENT
Zimmer, Ronna
(Foundation Rep)
EXCUSED Brimberry, Tom
(Friends Rep)
ABSENT
Guest: Jessica Loper, NHC Asst. County Mgr.
Welcome
Chair Linda Miles convened the meeting at 1:30 pm.
The board welcomed new members and introductions were made.
Nominations for Slate of Officers
Chair Linda Miles presented the following nominees:
• Chair – Patricia Lawler
• Vice Chair – Lynn Kozik
• Secretary – Shaun Assael
Motion: Linda Miles MOVED, SECONDED by Liz Carbone, to accept the nominations for Slate of
Officers. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
LAB Member Roles
Dana Conners reviewed the roles of the LAB. Copies of the LAB By-laws were sent out to all members
prior to the meeting.
MINUTES 08 17 2023 LAB 2
LAB Committees
Chair Linda Miles read the description of each committee to the board.
Members selected the following committees.
• Strategic Issues: Liz Carbone, Ann Clinton, Scott Dodd, Patricia Lawler, Harriet Smith
• Policy: Patricia Lawler, Linda Miles
• Intellectual Freedom: Shaun Assael, Erin Cogan, Scott Dodd, Christine Hennessey, Tammy
Heuring
Public Comment
No public comments.
Agenda Review
No changes.
Approval of Previous Minutes
The minutes from the last board meeting on August 17, 2023, were sent to the board prior to the
meeting for review.
Motion: Shaun Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Christine Hennessey, to accept the minutes of the
08/17/23 meeting as written. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Correspondence
None received.
Friends of the Library
No Report.
Library Foundation
Dana Conners reported the Foundation be hosting a Fall Breakfast Fundraiser on Wednesday, November
8th at the Main Library. The topic will be Learning about Library Resources. A library staff member will
be seated at each table and will be assisting attendees on how to find and use library resources.
Once details are finalized, the board will receive invitations.
Director’s Report
Dana Conners reported:
Projects
• Northchase – We meet weekly with the architects and are at 50% design development. By
December we hope to have the project ready for bids. Opening is still expected in 2025.
• Project Grace – Assistant County Manager, Jessica Loeper reported NHC staff recently attended
the Local Government Commission (LGC) meeting. We had the opportunity to share
MINUTES 08 17 2023 LAB 3
information on the project and answer any questions the board had. Their next meeting will be
held in Boone, NC on Oct. 3rd. NHC will again be present for the vote. If approved, we will break
ground in the Fall and expect to open the new site in 2025. The Chestnut St side of the block
will be sold to private development.
o The LGC provides financial oversight for over 1,100 units of local government. The
Commission is composed of nine members: the State Treasurer, the Secretary of State,
the State Auditor, the Secretary of Revenue, and five others by appointment (three by
the Governor, one by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the President
Pro Tempore and one by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Speaker
of the House). The State Treasurer serves as Chair and selects the Secretary of the
Commission, who heads the administrative staff serving the Commission.
• Pleasure Island held their first Storytime in the new space this week with 27 attendees. They
are now able to offer weekly Storytimes.
• Construction on the shelter behind the Northeast library is almost complete. Staff is excited to
begin outdoor programs.
Staff
• One Library Assistant vacancy at the Main Library. Interviews are currently underway.
Programs
• Fiction to Fashion is a teen program that teaches fashion design. At the end of the program,
teens present their designs at the runway show. This year’s show will be held at the Pine Valley
library on Oct 28th at 7PM.
• Spooky Storywalk will be held at the Pine Valley library on October 14th at 6PM & 7PM.
Other
• All library sites will be closed on Monday, 10/9. All staff will be attending a Staff Development
Day at the Main library to take required trainings.
• The library is working with the NHC Strategic Planning dept. to update our Strategic Plan,
Mission Statement and Vision. The 5-year plan will begin in January 2024.
Committee Reports
None.
New Business
Local History Room Consultant Report
With funds from an LSTA Grant, the library was able to work with a history collection consultant. As we
prepare to move forward with Project Grace, we want our collection to have the biggest impact on the
community. Prior to the meeting, Dana had emailed the consultant’s report to the board. The
Deaccession Policy, Fair Use Policy and Loan Policy were discussed.
MINUTES 08 17 2023 LAB 4
• Deaccession Policy: The board requested 2 verbiage changes. Under Deaccessioning of
Materials, change Library Board of Directors to The Library Advisory Board. Under the
Deaccessioning Process, change Executive Director of the Library to Library Director.
Motion: Patricia Lawler MOVED, SECONDED by Shaun Assael, to accept the verbiage change in the
Deaccession Policy. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Motion: Shaun Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Patricia Lawler, to accept the Deaccession Policy with
changes. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
• Loan Policy: Under Eligibility, the board requested the last sentence be changed to read, “Loans
will not be granted without a demonstrated research need.”
Motion: Shaun Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Liz Carbone, to accept the change in the Loan Policy.
Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Motion: Shaun Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Patricia Lawler, to accept the Loan Policy with changes.
Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
• Fair Use Policy: no changes were requested.
Motion: Shaun Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Patricia Lawler, to accept the Fair Use Policy as written.
Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Virtual Meeting Options
Chair Linda Miles reminded the board that members are to attend meetings in person.
The Board’s expectation is that the appointee will attend in person with the occasional need of
participating remotely due to job demands, caregiver situation, or an illness. And there is no
requirement to provide a virtual option for meetings. If a virtual option is offered, members who attend
virtually can participate in the discussion, but their vote will not count. If there is not a majority of the
voting members attending in person for the meeting, then there is no quorum.
Motion: Shaun Assael MOVED, SECONDED by Ann Clinton, to hold LAB meetings in person without a
virtual option. Upon vote, the MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
MINUTES 08 17 2023 LAB 5
Old Business
None
Adjournment
Chair Linda Miles adjourned the meeting at 2:38 p.m.
Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the Library Advisory Board meeting.
Next Meeting October 19th at 1:30 pm