Library Board - Special Meeting

Okay, then gavel just hit. I'd like to call this meeting of the Apache Junction Library Board to order on 9-10 at 6-30. Roll call, please.

Robin Barker.

Here.

Judy Borey.

Yes.

Barbara Fitzgerald.

Yes. Catherine Meek. Present.

Nola Perkins.

Here.

Vera Walters is absent. And Alexander Rairoba. Here. And we have a quorum.

All right. Thank you, Sanchi. I'd like to take this time to turn the chair over to Vice President Barbara Fitzgerald to complete this meeting.

Thank you. I don't think so.

I'm kidding.

So could I have a motion to accept the agenda for September 10th?

I motion we accept the agenda for September 10th. I'll second that. Roll call, please.

Robin Barker.

Yes.

Judy Borey.

Yes.

Barbara Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Catherine Meek. Yes. Nola Perkins.

Yes.

Sarah Walters is absent. And Alexander Royrola.

Yes.

Motion passes.

So moved. And I would now like to request a motion to accept the minutes of the June 11th special meeting.

So moved.

Second. Second. Roll call, please.

Robin Barker.

Yes.

Judy Borey.

Yes.

Barbara Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Catherine Meek. Yes. Nola Perkins.

Yes.

Vera Walters is absent. And Alexander Roy Robo.

Yes.

And motion passes.

And shall I read the call to the public since we have a public?

Acknowledged.

No one is here to speak to the board tonight. Do we have any correspondence or communication at this time?

No, we do not.

All right. Let's move on to the librarians report. Sounds great. Thanks so much.

Pam Harrison, library director. And let me get this started. So tonight's librarians report, we'll be talking about some things that have already passed and some updates on things to come. These are some flyers from some things that are coming up this month that you might be interested in, such as the Harry Potter party on the 21st. And then running into our stats, we have three months of statistics this month. I'm sure you had some time to kind of look at the numbers. But the trends that we are seeing currently is that circulation of electronic content has increased each month. But unfortunately, our physical book circulation has decreased. Not a lot, but a little bit for both. Patron visits and new library card registrations were really high in June and July. And we know that is most likely due to our summer reading program. Lots of families coming in to take part in that. And in July, our program attendance numbers for outreach, as you'll see on this slide, were almost as high as our on-site numbers. And can you guess why that might be? See, I'm making this interactive.

July was 4th of July, Stephanie.

It was 4th of July, but even after that. Why would we do a lot of outreach in July?

Garden.

Say it again?

The garden. No, not the garden.

It's a good guess. Back to teacher, back to school, meet the teacher nights. Yeah, we did a lot of those, Megan and her staff. So that was a big number, 1,223 compared to 1,465 for on-site. And then apparently in August, we have 823 in attendance for our preschool program. You might not be aware, but we don't do our regular story times in the summer. So obviously, everybody missed them. So they all came in August so they could catch up. We do do them during the summer, but just not. We just do one big one for everybody.

Is that the story walk out at Ross Vector?

Story walk, actually, we don't have a way to count our numbers for that because we don't have a counter of how many people attend, unfortunately. So that's not. reflected in the numbers. And on-site program attendance for August was actually greater than it was for July. So we're continuing to do lots like we always do for all age groups. And pretty soon, we'll be getting into our winter months. And I'm sure we'll see our adult attendance grow even further. Summer reading program took place from Memorial Day through the end of July, excuse me, well, mid-July. This is a pie chart showing our participation totals on the left by age group, and then our finisher totals on the right. So the adults, teens, and kids, they get counted by the number of minutes they read, and the littles, the birth through five, get logged the number of books they read. So you can see that our biggest categories, kids and adults, for participation were tied, which I think is fantastic. I love that we use the Beanstack app because for the parents to sign up for Beanstack, they're forced to register themselves first and then the kids. And so I guess they figure since I'm in here, I might as well read. and get some prizes along the way. And plus, it's great to show your kids that you're reading along with them. And then for finisher totals, almost exactly the same for kids and adults, 495, 490. Our teens did actually quite well this year. Altogether participation for this year was up 3.9% from last year. And reading finishers increased nearly 15%. And that's probably because we have an outstanding finisher prize, the grand prize, as you get to choose a free book from the Scholastic Book Fair, which is always fun to go shopping. Okay, so now we got some garden updates. We're really looking forward to the weather getting a little bit cooler so we can go out there and really start enjoying the garden and all the different ways that we're going to be using it. First of all, we are going to be having a formal ribbon-cutting event with remarks by the mayor, city leadership, and myself. I may have told you in the past that that was going to be on October 15th, but that had to be rescheduled due to a conflict. It's now going to be Thursday, October 22nd, so just a week later, which might be good. It might be even a little bit cooler out there. It'll be from 4 to 6 in the garden, and we've got some things planned. for all ages. We're going to have rock painting. We'll have a lot of new gardening books that we've purchased that will be available for the first time to be checked out. Our flute club has graciously offered to play some relaxing flute, Native American flute tunes in the garden while we're enjoying our activities. And I'm can almost guarantee that we're going to have a big group of our master gardeners there that are going to be sharing information about what they're going to be doing as volunteers and what programs that they're going to be offering in the near future. And to talk a little bit more about the volunteer program, we currently have, I believe it's 11 volunteers that have signed up to kind of get us started. Most of them are master gardeners, or if not certified master gardeners, they're very experienced gardeners in their own right. They are going to be meeting here in the next couple of weeks to get things kind of sorted. We've been really busy buying lots of supplies. Catherine and her Husband even made a delivery of compost a couple weeks back. So there's a lot going on behind the scenes to get us ready for the fall. And the volunteer gardeners are planning to collect and save the milkweed seeds and also bring in more milkweed besides what we have planted out there, which is a good amount. And that is hopefully going to become what starts the Monarch Waystation program, is from what I understand. So yeah, there's a lot of great things to look forward to. I know they're talking about the different programs they want to do for elementary school kids, adults, and so forth. And then, of course, our library programming team, they have already come up with a huge list of different things that they would like to do in the future. And I'm going to give you, I just asked for a couple ideas and they sent me a book. So I'm going to tell you some of the things that they have in mind probably over the next year or so. They're planning to do hopefully a garden story walk, plant or nature themed picture books along the garden path with our portable story walk. And I think we're actually going to have that at the ribbon cutting. So we have a portable story walk that we can place when we go to outreach events. And they're going to do a special one for the garden opening. BiblioBytes demonstrations for all ages. They're talking about spiralizing vegetables. garden-to-table salsa and guacamole, garden hydration with infused waters and teas. But I do understand that you guys, as volunteers, are going to be starting off with flowers at least at first. So these things will come in play later on. in the year. Read and Rec in the Garden, if you're not familiar with our Read and Rec program, it's where we collaborate with Parks and Recreation. And we do an event for preschoolers where they can do a literacy activity along with some recreation. So they definitely want to take part in the garden for that. And actually, I do want to shout out to Jamie Sullivan from Parks and Rec because she already has been asking, can they do some programs in the garden? And of course, I can't say no. I said, but we get first dibs. Garden story times, of course, reading under the stars, an evening program in the garden where children and families can enjoy stories and experience the garden in a different type of setting with the lights on. Nature walks for all ages, a little gardener's program that will be like gardening and nature and hands-on and interactive activities. garden photo scavenger hunt, which I really like. A family scavenger hunt where they take photos of various colors or plant types in the garden, and then they earn a prize. They also said that they can incorporate the app called iNaturalist into this, which I'm not familiar with. Sun paper art. Worms and composting. I don't know about that one.

I'm not sure either at this point. Okay.

And then more for teens and adults. One of them, somebody is wanting to do what's called Bee Bath, create a shallower water station for bees and other pollinators to have a drink and a safe place to cool off. Not quite sure what that's going to look like, but it sounds really cool. learning sessions about herbs, teas, cooking, making different garden decor like gnomes, flags, possibly collaborating with Parks and Rec and doing an educational session over in the garden about invasive plants, custom plant markers, garden open mic night, Maker Monday in the garden, lectures, of course, about wildlife, birds, outdoor safety, and hiking. and poetry, a poetry story lock during National Poetry Month, which is in April. So yeah, they've got tons of things already in their minds, and I know that the volunteers do as well. So at the Ribbon Cunning, we will have a short handout to give to folks that show up to let them know of things that they can expect in the next coming months and how they can get involved. So we're really, really looking forward to getting this started.

Is there going to be a little fairy garden in there also?

You know, somebody did, I believe, mention that. And I didn't put that one in my notes. But yeah, there's something about fairy doors. And it went way over my head. But yes, fairy gardens, twinkle lights, anything that's like that. And then we do have the public art piece. It's still getting sorted as I speak, but we will be expecting to have a great public art piece on the sidewalk areas out there in the near future as well. So as I get more information about what that's going to look like, I will let you know.

So is the garden actually open for people to go out into?

Yes. Yes, I have seen people out there either just, like, walking around to check it out, to look at some of the plants. I did see a grandfather and his grandchild reading a book in the amphitheater the other day when it was a little cooler. So, yeah, I've seen some people out there taking pictures.

I didn't see a door with the big emergency on it, and I wondered. I never see anybody out there. I know. Did you see anybody out there?

Unfortunately, we had to leave the emergency exit lettering on the doors because that's still the emergency exit from the building on that side, and fire wanted us to keep it there. That's why we added, well, Sancy added the letters over top that says garden entrance. It's a little misleading, I know, but I think once people realize it's the way to get in and out. Yeah. Pam? Yes, Robin.

I just wanted to tell you that the reason that you're library book count went down in August is because I've been down since the first of August.

Oh, no.

So that's why you haven't had any checkouts.

Is that why the electronic books went up? Were you reading on your tablet? Okay.

Exactly. Exactly.

Well, that's good to know. So when you're back in service, we'll have to see if our circulation goes up.

Absolutely.

And then quick question about the hours, too, for the garden. Are they the same ones as the library hours?

They are. When we're open, it'll be open unless we choose to close it due to weather or some other event or something like that. But, yeah, it'll be 9 to 8 or 9 to 5. And we do, since the volunteers want to get in earlier when it's cooler, We did just put up a gate key lockbox on one of the gates so the volunteers will have that code and they can get in before the library opens. So that way we don't have to worry about building codes and alarms and all that fun stuff. So, yeah, good question. Thank you.

Wonderful. Thank you.

All right, moving on. Certified Autism Center. This is a certification that we just earned at the library. We became a certified autism center through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. That's a mouthful. IBCCES. So almost every library staff member Completed specialized training to better understand autism, sensory needs, communication differences, and ways to provide positive and respectful interactions with autistic and neurodivergent patrons. Because, of course, we serve people with all different types of needs and accessibilities. So this also encourages to look at the library environment itself. We're actually having a site visit next Monday afternoon with staff from the IBCCES. They're going to do a visit where they review things that are looking great in our programming space and things that could maybe use a refresh or use a different set of eyes to make us more accessible and more customer service friendly. So we're looking forward to that. And the great thing about this is that now that we're a certified autism center, not only does that satisfy one of our strategic plan goals that we've had over the last year, but also it gives us this formal recognition that gets put onto a special app that is called the Accessibility App. Lots of people with autism and disabilities go to this app to see where there is friendly places for them to go. to go for all different things that they need in their lives. And we still have our sensory boxes. That's one of our newest things that we've incorporated into the library to help those with those needs. And actually, I just got an email from programming staff yesterday that they're actually seeing great use, and they've asked for some additional materials for those. So we're really excited and proud to be a certified autism center. It's something that a lot of libraries across the country are doing now. And I think it's, of course, a little bit too late. Not too late, but later than we probably could have done it. But this gives us a certification for until 2030, and then we can go back and recertify. So as new staff members come on board, they will also go through the training so that we least have 80% of our staff that is certified in autism and there were a couple of different trainings that staff took there was a four-hour training that probably 75% of the staff took that don't necessarily work with adults and children on a program level and then all of our programming staff and all supervisors and managers they all took a 14-hour course and So it was a lot of fun. We learned a lot, and we just received our framed and printed certificate in the mail today, so we'll have that hanging up here soon. The press release for this is coming out on Wednesday next week through the city and through the Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards, so you'll probably see that in your readings here soon.

Awesome. Congratulations.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Robin. Okay, if you've been on the board for a little while, you have heard about our student library card that we have with the Apache Junction Unified School District. We're going to be in our fourth year of providing this. And what this does is that it provides an automatic library account to all Apache Junction Unified School District students. And they will utilize their... student ID number as their library card number, and it entitles them to always be connected to our reference databases, our research products, all of our digital e-books, audio books, and so forth. And then they can also come to the library or go to the bookmobile, which we do bring to the high school every month, and sometimes to the Cactus Canyon middle school allows them to check out three physical items at a time But the physical item needs to be a book has to be a book a graphic novel or a command audiobook Which these days the CDs and kids don't know what that is So they're usually doing books, so we're really excited to do this again It takes a little bit of work in the beginning we have to coordinate with the school because they have all new students we have to get them all entered into the system correctly and But it seems to be growing a little bit more each year as more and more students and parents realize the power of it. So hopefully, if you see parents and families out there that talk about the library, that they can't make it to the library, this is one way at least they can get accessibility. And it's instantaneous with their student ID number. We are beginning a new service. that is for patrons, but it's not a public-facing service. It's called U-Renew, or also known as the Automated Borrower Renewal. So what this is is a service that makes our annual library card renewal process faster and more efficient for both patrons and staff. You might be aware that every year everyone's library card expires. If you're an Apache Junction resident, you can come in in person or use our website form on our website to renew your card. However, it's a little bit more complicated if you're maybe in Maricopa County or if you can't get to the library. And it becomes a hurdle for people. So this service will let us use a system through a company where we can verify the address on file, and they use available address data. And this is a company that we're already doing business with for our collections notices. So when the information can be successfully verified, the library card will be renewed automatically without the patron needing to contact or visit us. And then for the patrons that And then for the patrons that can't, they will still receive an email saying, please visit the library because we need to verify some information on your account. So patrons, everybody will get an email. One will just be, yay, you're renewed. The other one will be, yay, you will be renewed as soon as you come visit us. So we're really looking forward to starting this. It's one of those other processes where we have to send lots of technical behind the scenes stuff from our circulation system to this company to get it all set up. But we will soon be there. And this is going to just free up so much time for us and just so many patrons come in and say, my card doesn't work. And we'll be like, well, it's probably expired. Well, why is it expired? Well, it expires every year. I mean, it takes a big conversation. Why do you do that? And so doing this is just going to make it so much nicer. This is just a very high-level city services expansion project graphic of what... Design-wise, the campus is going to look like down on Ironwood and Warner and Ray area. So this is the 22-acre parcel. The biggest building there that is on the left in the middle is the police station. I'll point to it on here. That's them. Here's the library. And as you can see, we're right on the fishing lake. The playground area is going to be right over here, so the kids will have great access to the playground area. Our kids' programming porch will be out here as well. And then a reading deck over here that will also overlook the lake, and that will be where the adult services reading area will be. So that's just kind of some of the different components of the new library that we're looking forward to. We're beginning to... get into our next phase of the project by doing some of the schematic design with our architects. That's going to be starting here at the end of the month. And then we are also looking forward to the construction manager at risk was selected by myself and other people that were on that panel. And that's going to be presented at a council work session on October 5th and voted on on October 20th to do the construction and pre-construction services for this project. So that's just the beginning. And let's see, three years from now, we hope it'll be open. A lot to look forward to. And as I mentioned earlier, I think right before we became live here on air, Trish Pelletier reached her 40-year service award on

What was it?

August 26th of this year. So she began working in the new library, which here you can see what it looked like in 1986 versus today. She started working there like six weeks after it first opened. She was actually one of the few that worked there at that time. The staff wasn't quite as big because the library wasn't as big as it is now. So she started as a library clerk and over the years worked her way to senior library assistant and now a supervising library assistant. So she's one of our cherished supervisors. She has always done an exceptional job in her work. She does our acquisitions. our purchasing, our ordering. And, of course, she supervises about 10 of our staff. So she got this award. Her name is already out on the plaque out there. She's the first female to reach 40 years in Apache Junction. So that's another thing that she can brag about. And then she did announce just a couple weeks ago that October 15th, mid-October is going to be her retirement date. So she will be leaving us here in a few weeks. We're scrambling, of course, to get things set up so we know her job as well as we can for when she leaves, which is big shoes to fill. But to be somebody, I mean, I've worked in libraries for 27 years, I believe it's been now, but to work in 40, she's seen more than I did, you know, the card catalog phase and computers becoming widespread and used in libraries for all different types of things I mean and just the people that she's seen over these 40 years she she knows so many people she loves to talk about the city and what used to be here and there on that corner and she's just got an invaluable amount of knowledge that we're truly gonna mess and we're gonna miss her she's just a a true asset to our team. So if you see Trish, make sure you say congratulations, both on her 40 years and on her retirement. And we also want to say thank you to Catherine. Catherine will not be renewing her library board membership.

I didn't ask for it this time around.

I know.

I didn't ask for it the first time. I was going to bring that up.

Catherine so eagerly just says, put me on whatever board you need. Where you need me, I'll do it. And a few years ago, we needed somebody on the library board. Catherine was put on the library. Thank goodness for us, because you've been a gem for us. You are always at the library. You help us in so many different ways. You're just a shining light. And we know that you care not only about the library but the whole community. We see you everywhere we go. So it's great to have you here. And at least we're not really losing you because you are a volunteer for the garden. So we will see you still. just not in this capacity.

I got approved by the background check. I was quite happy.

Well, I'm so, oh.

I wasn't sure if there was something I didn't remember.

I'm glad you were, too. So, yeah, we just want to say thank you for your time and dedication. In case we don't have another meeting before November when the new members come onto the boards and commissions, thank you so much for all you do, not only for the library, but like I said, for the whole city, and just for being you, because... We just enjoy you.

Well, I don't know how you feel once I bring some more worm castings and compost.

I'm going to learn. And I'm going to love it. You're going to teach me a lot. You're going to teach everybody a lot.

I'm learning a lot.

I'm sure you are, too. Thank you. And that's it for tonight's librarians report.

Do we have any old business?

We don't have any old business or new business tonight. But if you'd like to go on to letter J, we can talk about that.

Requests for future agenda items? Any suggestions, thoughts, or hot desires?

Robin?

No, you cover it beautifully.

Okay, great. I thought we heard something in the background.

You probably heard my dog. They've got a toy.

Oh, how cute. All right, then. If there's nothing else, I'd like to request adjourning the meeting at 7.01 p.m.