Library Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the August 8, 2019 4:05 p.m.
Library Advisory Board Meeting
The Lady Lake Library Board Meeting was held in the Town Hall Commission Chambers at 409 Fennell Blvd., Lady Lake, Florida.
A. Call to Order
The meeting convened at 4:05 p.m.
B. Invocation
C. Pledge of Allegiance
D. Roll Call
Joseph D’Elia, Member; Dr. Rick Jones, Member; Dorothy Grubb, Vice Chairperson and Member; Dr. Lily Kliot, Member; Reverend Dr. Paul Harsh, Chairperson and Member
STAFF PRESENT
Marsha Brinson, Library Director; and Carol Osborne, Staff Assistant
OTHERS PRESENT
Commissioner Ruth Kussard
E. Public Comment
Chairperson and Member Harsh asked if anyone in the audience wished to speak. There were no comments.
F. New Business
1. Approval of Minutes
Member Kliot made a motion to approve the June 13, 2019 Library Board meeting minutes as presented. Member Jones seconded the motion. All were in favor, 5-0.
G. Old Business
No old business.
H. Report By Chair
No report.
I. Report by Town Commission Liasion
Commissioner Kussard reported that Wawa’s grand opening was held on July 25th. The Village’s Charter High School band performed; the American Legion Honor Guard was present, and there was a hoagie-building contest between the Lady Lake Police Department and the Lake County Fire Department. The Lady Lake Police Department won and was awarded $1,000.00 which was donated as an equal split between the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. She reported the newest announced tenant for the new shopping plaza is Mission BBQ.
Commissioner Kussard stated that the Town employees attended an active shooter awareness program at the Lake County Emergency Operations Center in Tavares.
Chairperson/Member Harsh asked if there is protocol in place if such an event occurs at the library.
Ms. Brinson replied that staff has been trained for active shooter situations, and there is annual training as well. She advised there are panic buttons strategically located on each side of the youth library and the adult library.
Member Kliot stated that some of the library volunteers have discussed this issue and asked that they be included in this training.
Ms. Brinson stated that there are 48 security cameras throughout the building, including the bookstore and the lobby. She stated the training is through the Town and is usually online training, although the Lady Lake Police have been onsite to review items with staff. She stated that she will inquire as to whether volunteers could be included when this training is scheduled.
Ms. Brinson advised the protocol for an active shooter incident is run, hide, fight. She stated it is an issue that concerns staff, because the library is a very large building.
Chairperson/Member Harsh stated the First Baptist Church has also had training regarding this issue. He stated the Lake County Sheriff’s Department has been very helpful in evaluating the church buildings and offering suggestions.
Member Grubb asked how the panic buttons operate.
Ms. Brinson stated that the panic buttons are connected directly to the Lady Lake Police Department.
J. Report By Lake County Library Advisory Board Representative
Member Jones stated many of the library representatives speak out with concerns. He presented the State appropriations for the member libraries and reported that the Lady Lake library receives $137,030.
Ms. Brinson stated the appropriations are distributed based on circulation; this is an indication of how busy the libraries are. She stated staff is always working on ways to increase circulation. She advised that the libraries included on the appropriations list are all member libraries; libraries that are run by their individual municipalities. The branch libraries, those that are run by the county, are not included with these distributions. She stated that Mt. Dora and Leesburg are considered “walkable” and have higher circulation.
K. Report By Library Director
Ms. Brinson reviewed highlights of the Library Director’s Report as follows:
Summertime at the Lady Lake Library has been tremendously busy and successful! The months of June and July have seen huge attendance at the youth and adult programs. When statistics are completed, there is no doubt that all records will be broken as far as number and attendance at the youth summer programs. Nicole and Ryan have done a fantastic job with their creative and fun activities for kids. Over 200 children signed up for the state sponsored Summer Reading Program, A Universe of Stories, with most kids reading 80 to 100 books each. There were over 175 children registered for Ryan’s Pokémon Challenge, the children won a Pokémon character sticker for each book read. All of the children’s reading logs and charts are displayed on the walls of the Youth Library. It is quite a visual to see how much reading those items represent!
The Youth Summer Reading Programs were very well attended. There were science and technology programs, magicians, Uncle Donald’s Farm, Gator Land, Steve Turner drumming and others. These programs illustrate the diversity of modern library programming. The children celebrated the completion of the Summer Reading Program with a Star Wars themed party with over 100 kids attending. The youth library served over 2,500 children and families this summer.
Nicole and Ryan organized a Back to School Bash on Monday August 5th, from 4: to 7 PM. Cal’s Barber Shop provided children’s haircuts at no cost, and the Lion’s Club provided vision screenings. The Lady Lake Police Department attended and promoted bike and pedestrian safety. Several other vendors attended. There were refreshments, games and face painting. It was a great time to celebrate going back to school! Nicole and Ryan are planning programs for the fall, including new afterschool programs for older kids. Their regular programs will continue.
The adult library is usually a bit slower in the summertime, but is still busy with the book discussion groups, and computer and device classes. Best Buy continues to be present at the library on the first, second and fourth Friday to teach various classes. The Association of Mature American Citizens presents many programs about elder health and estate planning, Humana is also sponsoring a Golden Conversations Hour on the second and fourth Wednesdays to correspond with when SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) is at the library. The Census Bureau has been in the library lobby several times to recruit for the national census. Staff is in the planning stages for new adult programming, such as craft classes and a ukulele club.
The library bookstore (Second Chance Books) continues to do well and offers a variety of materials with all monies coming back to support the library. She stated all of the library volunteers are very much appreciated.
Chairperson/Member Harsh stated it would be impressive to see a report showing the total cost of the library and then apply a dollar amount value from volunteer hours.
Member Jones stated that is an important statistic when writing for grants because it becomes in—kind.
Chairperson/Member Harsh stated it would be a terrific report to show the amount of community support our library has.
Ms. Brinson stated that there are many people who make unsolicited donations as well.
L. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 4:41 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
s/ Carol Osborne, Staff Assistant
s/ Dr. Paul Harsh, Chairperson