AADL Board of Trustees Meeting - April 15th, 2019

[00:00:34.37] LINH SONG: Opposed? OK. Consent agenda. Can I get a motion to approve a consent agenda?
[00:00:40.28] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I move to approve the consent agenda.
[00:00:43.30] LINH SONG: A second?
[00:00:44.78] JIM LEIJA: Second.
[00:00:46.46] LINH SONG: Any discussion on the consent agenda? No? All those in favor?
[00:00:55.41] ALL: Aye.

[00:00:56.70] LINH SONG: Opposed? OK. Karen, do we have citizens comments?
[00:01:00.96] KAREN WILSON: I have one at this point. I have Lat Brown.
[00:01:06.41] LINH SONG: Great.
[00:01:07.99] JOSIE PARKER: She's coming up.
[00:01:08.90] LINH SONG: OK, great. Come on up to the podium. We've got three minutes.
[00:01:14.66] LAT BROWN: Hello. My name is Lat. And I'm a student at EMU, and I've been a patron at AADL my whole life. This is about the new collection system at Malletts Creek. I would personally never ever go to the Westgate Library if I had a chance because Malletts Creek is my home library. So Westgate is on the other end of town for me. But the emerging writers workshop changed from meeting at Traverwood Library to Westgate, so I've had to spend a lot of more time there.
[00:01:43.96] I like to get to places early. So I often find myself browsing the shelves at Westgate and as a result finding new books I didn't know I wanted to read or recognized books I wanted to read two years ago and forgot about. I've discovered lots of books and genres I might have missed otherwise. It feels much easier to browse at Westgate, and I've brought some discoveries with me today.
[00:02:04.78] I discovered Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett. This is the sequel to Making Money and Going Postal, two books that I really loved but I had no idea a third came out, and this book called Summer Days and Summer Nights, which is a book of short stories. This book was absolutely the thing I needed in the dead of winter this year. And I didn't even know I needed it. And I discovered a bunch of new authors that I've never heard of before reading this book.
[00:02:31.12] If I want something very specific from the library, I'll request it, and it will magically be at Malletts Creek. And I'll show up, check out, pick up my holds, and leave again. The new collection system is much easier to discover books with. And I'm very excited to have it at Malletts Creek. Thank you.
[00:02:49.48] LINH SONG: Thank you. That was lovely. That's super helpful. Thank you. Do we have any other comments, Karen?
[00:02:56.62] KAREN WILSON: No, I haven't received any.
[00:02:58.19] LINH SONG: Great. So folks, if you're feeling a bit shy in the beginning, you're welcome to offer comments at the end of the meeting too.

[00:03:06.25] All right, moving on-- financial reports, Bill?
[00:03:14.27] BILL COOPER: Good evening, everybody.
[00:03:16.08] LINH SONG: Good evening.
[00:03:16.70] BILL COOPER: You have my report for March. As of March 31, we have received $15,801,005 in tax receipts, which is 97.6% of our estimated budgeted tax receipts for the year. There were no line items over budget. And we are at year-to-date revenue over expenditures of $5,061,795. Are there are any questions?
[00:03:58.38] LINH SONG: Any thoughts? That's a nice number, Bill. Thank you for getting us there. Any questions? Any discussion? OK, great.
[00:04:10.55] BILL COOPER: All right, thank you.

[00:04:10.76] LINH SONG: Thanks, Bill. Committee reports, executive committee-- the executive committee met last week. We covered a bit on Josie's evaluation and we were reminded that there is another step in the evaluation process where trustees will receive a form to fill out upon reading Josie's evaluation. So this is why we didn't have a closed session tonight. We're planning on having that next month and will be able to review your feedback on Josie's evaluation then.
[00:04:51.59] We talked a bit about-- gosh, I'm trying to remember. It was like a week ago. Usually we have our executive committees prior to our board meeting. But with scheduling, it was just better for us schedules last week. We spoke a little bit about plans for the coming year, a little bit about a potential capital campaign for the library and what kind of things we'll need for that, including working closely with staff, trying to figure out how the reports that we got from the architecture firm a couple of months back would inform a capital campaign, the support that Josie would need for this effort. But so we're in the very, very beginnings of a conversation about this.
[00:05:46.06] I don't know. Jim, Colleen, and am I missing anything else from when we met last week?
[00:05:53.10] JIM LEIJA: I just want to revisit, just to make it really clear with the evaluation process, which is something that we created anew for Josie last year period with the support of a consultant, and this is the second time that we've gone through this process. So we're still trying to get the rhythm of it.
[00:06:15.24] So what happens is, Josie has submitted her self-evaluation to the executive committee, which we reviewed with her. And then what will happen is that will be passed on now to the full board for review by Lynn. And I'm cribbing this all from a text message that Jamie sent to me because I was like I can't find the document. But I think it's worth saying out loud again what happens.
[00:06:41.82] We all look at the document. And everybody has the opportunity to provide feedback. There is a feedback sheet, which we need to locate, I believe, and make sure that everyone gets a copy of that. Everyone fills out the feedback sheet, returns it. Lynn, as president, will collate that feedback and integrate it into essentially a written draft of our evaluation of Josie as a board. We have a chance to meet with Josie then again as a full board to discuss that and give feedback verbally before we make that evaluation public in this meeting.
[00:07:24.84] LINH SONG: So we've already done a first pass on giving our comments to Josie. And Josie has already responded to that pretty quickly. So thank you, Josie.
[00:07:31.59] JIM LEIJA: Yes, thank you very much.
[00:07:33.58] LINH SONG: And has integrated our feedback. I think Josie is very humble and understated in the work that she does and always leans on the idea that it's really the team here at the library that's the secret sauce for all the things that happen here.
[00:07:56.87] JOSIE PARKER: It's the team.
[00:07:58.06] LINH SONG: It's the team, yes. So we've asked her to give a bit more insight into Josie's leadership and how she makes things happen here.
[00:08:12.17] JIM LEIJA: And one of the things we really wanted, in terms of our initial round of feedback was to ask Josie to really dig into what does she see as some of the true challenges that are ahead of us, especially as a board working together.
[00:08:29.14] I would also just-- because we mentioned talking about a capital campaign, one of the conversations we had was about what it would mean for the library to really begin proactively fundraising. And that is in response really to we continue to expand our services, and we have ambitions to grow our service and sustain it, and our taxed income does not grow larger with those ambitions. And in fact, at some point it may decrease with the Headlee amendment. So we're sort of--
[00:09:11.78] LINH SONG: We're exploring.
[00:09:12.54] JIM LEIJA: --we're exploring that idea. We have explored it before. We've talked about it in budget and finance committees in years past. And this is not a new idea. And this is something that the library has approached in the sort of distant past. So I think it's important for everyone just to kind of begin to think about that. And as we move forward with that idea, that would need to be clarified and our approach to it.
[00:09:39.58] LINH SONG: And thankfully, we do have donors and supporters who give every year. They were acknowledged in the annual report. Josie has a great relationship and has the ability to cultivate these relationships more. But Josie can't do it alone. So this is where we're kind of at in trying to figure out what the scope of the work might be, what the campaign might look like overall. So at this point, it's super early. We don't have numbers. We're just trying to figure out-- well, one, we're just thankful for the goodwill and the love for the library that is out there. And we're trying to just kind of organize around that.
[00:10:20.28] JIM LEIJA: I do think that it is worth saying, of course, that we do receive these annual contributions, particularly from the Friends of the Library. And those are really valuable to us and keep the wheels turning, especially on the summer game. But I also think we all recognize that there's maybe some potential with individuals and even corporate sponsorships for certain kinds of programs and for growing what we want to do, which is also something we can talk about in strategic planning as well.
[00:10:48.38] DHARMA AKMON: I was going to say, is this maybe something that we could use a consultant to advise on. Because it strikes me that it probably could use a lot of expertise in running successful capital campaigns.
[00:10:58.86] LINH SONG: Yes.
[00:10:59.37] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, and that was one of the things we discussed. And although it's worth saying, of course, that Josie is really the face of the library and, I think, wants to be doing this work with someone who can kind of develop that kind of a plan.
[00:11:14.52] LINH SONG: But has also already gone to-- Seattle Public Library had an event last year?
[00:11:20.61] JOSIE PARKER: Yes, in the summertime. It was a fundraising for public libraries conference. And it brought libraries from all over North America and talked about fundraising. And I think that's where I got some really good questions answered about our situation. And most of them were very envious of our very active friends group and the amount of money that the friends give a library this size. And we're very clear on that, what a positive that is.
[00:11:48.78] I was the only public library there without a foundation. And they were like, well, you don't necessarily need a foundation. So it was good information and helpful. So we have those connections.
[00:12:01.15] LINH SONG: So we've got bits and pieces that we're collecting. We've got some work to do.
[00:12:07.87] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I want to second what Dharma said, which is I worked with campaign firms before and firms that do development and fundraising and give advice. And I think, given that we don't have professional staff in this area, starting by looking at that is one element, one chess piece on the board, makes sense to me as well.

[00:12:28.82] LINH SONG: Great. So executive committee, so that's the gist of our meeting. Moving on to budget and finance-- Colleen?
[00:12:39.81] COLLEEN SHERMAN: So we have 10 minutes now. But we have two items on new business that the budget and finance committee were heavily involved in. And one is recommending to the board and auditing firm to conduct our annual audit going forward. And also the budget, it is annual budget time. We are going to talk about the budget this month with an eye toward making a recommendation to vote next month to approve a budget. And we have 30 minutes on the schedule for that this evening.
[00:13:10.35] Our group met last Tuesday. We conducted three interviews with three auditing firms. We had an RFP that went out. And it went out to eight or nine firms, I think nine. Eight, Bill tells me. And we received three responses, three very good ones, and we interviewed each firm. I'm going to punt to the new business section beyond that. Do I have additions from Victoria or Dharma?
[00:13:39.03] LINH SONG: I think we actually have a representative from the firm that you ended up--
[00:13:42.79] COLLEEN SHERMAN: We do. I was going to wait to unload the whole thing at once.
[00:13:48.40] LINH SONG: OK, in that section.
[00:13:49.51] COLLEEN SHERMAN: But I can do it however we want to do it.
[00:13:52.06] LINH SONG: Sure. No, I think it was exciting.
[00:13:54.84] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I know. We love special guests.
[00:13:58.45] LINH SONG: All right. Great, thank you. Moving on, yes? Are we good?
[00:14:07.29] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yes, yes.

[00:14:07.88] LINH SONG: OK. Strategic planning committee, Jamie?
[00:14:12.75] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: So we met just-- two days ago, was it? It feels like longer and sooner. So we were joined by Kerry Sheldon. And Josie--
[00:14:21.82] JOSIE PARKER: Anica.
[00:14:22.17] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: --I don't think-- Anica's last name escapes me. I'm sorry. I'm putting you on the spot.
[00:14:27.32] JOSIE PARKER: I'm sorry it went right out the window.
[00:14:31.04] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: But the two of them worked together for Bridgeport Consulting of which Kerry is the founder.
[00:14:37.46] BILL COOPER: Madeo.
[00:14:38.67] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Oh.
[00:14:38.91] BILL COOPER: Madeo, M-A-D--
[00:14:40.23] JOSIE PARKER: Yes.
[00:14:40.83] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Anica Madeo, thank you. So we discussed the process by which we'll conduct our next strategic plan. We also discussed the duration of the plan, like whether it should be three years, five years, 10 years. And we talked a little bit about the plans that have been created in the past. Process-wise, the two of them are planning to interview the trustees. So you should be hearing from either them or Karen or some combination to schedule those interviews soon. And this is to sort of gather your individual, or perhaps in pairs, thoughts about the current state and potential future of the library and maybe the past a little bit too, just like your thoughts.
[00:15:25.92] And then they will also be spending a lot of time-- or I don't know if it's a lot, but a good amount of time with the staff, because that's something that's an important component of creating the strategic plan. And over the years, I think, it's been a bigger or smaller component of the plan. But all of us in the planning group felt like it would be a very useful and valuable way for them to spend their time.
[00:15:50.68] And then, of course, they will run our retreat which sort of feeds into the creation of the plan as well. We talked a little bit about what that content would look like. And one possibility is that we might hear something about-- if you were at the retreat last year, we heard about the sort of complete history of the downtown library, like everything that has moved around or changed about it. It was really interesting. So we might do something similar with meeting room use this time, which I think should be equally fascinating.
[00:16:19.49] But yeah, so it's sort of like a good kickoff meeting, I think. And as far as the duration of the plan, it seemed like people were pretty settled on three years. You know, things kind of vary when it comes to strategic plans. But I think the general trend is going towards shorter strategic plans with just recognition that the world changes quickly and you don't want to be locked into, or held back by, something that's not matching the direction you're going. So did I miss anything?
[00:16:49.47] VICTORIA GREEN: We had a little bit of conversation about tactical plans versus strategic plans and the level of detail at which it's useful to have a plan that can hold up. I think that's something that will work out as we work on the plan. But know that I think that is something we need to move forward with. The last plan was very detailed.
[00:17:07.13] LINH SONG: Yeah.
[00:17:07.37] VICTORIA GREEN: It had a lot of subpoints on it. And we'll have to decide as a group if we want to go that same direction or if we want to go sort of higher level strategy and less about the tactics. I was struck when I read the plan from 20 years ago, which Karen very kindly sent me after our last meeting, at how tactical it was, how it was like do this program and very specific.
[00:17:30.09] Does anyone have any initial thoughts about tactical versus strategic?
[00:17:34.03] COLLEEN SHERMAN: So you're saying that our most recent plan was more on the tactical side? Or building--
[00:17:40.47] VICTORIA GREEN: I would say so.
[00:17:40.89] COLLEEN SHERMAN: --to a strategy through tactics, but very specific.
[00:17:44.95] VICTORIA GREEN: I would say it had more, in my opinion-- others might disagree-- it had a level of detail which was easy to see, as you could only fulfill an individual item by doing exactly what it said as opposed to laying out a strategy that gave the staff room to meet the goals in a variety of ways.
[00:18:01.30] DHARMA AKMON: Build a website.
[00:18:02.28] COLLEEN SHERMAN: There's 20 ways to build a website, but you're going to build a website. That's tactical.
[00:18:08.28] JIM LEIJA: Even building a website is tactical. It might be just like improve accessibility.
[00:18:12.75] VICTORIA GREEN: Exactly.
[00:18:13.72] JIM LEIJA: And having a new website might be that tactic.
[00:18:17.30] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Right, exactly.
[00:18:18.14] JIM LEIJA: It's that to come up with, right.
[00:18:19.35] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I think having a tactical plan has served us very well. I'm glad to talk-- to kick that topic to the retreat. In your initial discussion, did you have a leaning? Or was there--
[00:18:30.51] VICTORIA GREEN: I think I had an interest in thinking about the ways we could be served by a broader ranging, shorter plan. That it would be more easy to say, OK, these are the five areas, as opposed to what felt like sort of all the operations of the library. But I should say that was an initial thought, as opposed to a "this is what we've got to do."
[00:18:51.40] LINH SONG: Yeah, I would like less of an operations manual. And we have a library director who runs operations. I would like to just think big picture, big visions. This is an opportunity for all of us to really come around here and get the feedback from staff, because they're the ones who are on the ground, on the daily, that knows the community better than we do. So I would like to see us talk about equity more-- so equity, accessibility, outstanding needs, right?
[00:19:28.71] Well, there's tons of big issues we can touch on. But I mean, I'm a social worker not a librarian. So I'd rather go less operations, less tactical and more future visioning.
[00:19:43.17] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Linh, you used the word aspirational two meetings ago, when we were introducing the topic of revisiting a strategic plan. And that to me is the shining word of the strategic planning. We want an aspirational strategic plan.
[00:19:57.59] LINH SONG: Thanks.
[00:19:58.93] JIM LEIJA: I think there's a really interesting opportunity for the board to have its own set of tactics for the things that are most important to us.
[00:20:11.11] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, that's a good point.
[00:20:12.46] JIM LEIJA: And I think we're in a really good position to do that right now. It was something I think we all were sort of gesturing towards in the last plan. But it really didn't quite come together in the way I think we thought it would.
[00:20:28.06] DHARMA AKMON: Can you say more about that, because I don't know really what you mean?
[00:20:30.61] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, like, what's most important to us as sort of a governing body? What are the things that we might want to accomplish on the highest level? And also, what are the things that we might want to change about the way that we operate that would make the library, you know, potentially more successful in certain areas? So really taking a close look, sort of a self-evaluation. And you know, we don't get a lot of opportunities necessarily to do that.
[00:21:00.04] LINH SONG: Because this board has changed considerably.
[00:21:02.04] JIM LEIJA: Yeah. We're a very different board than we were a few months ago.
[00:21:06.19] LINH SONG: Right. I mean, even having the board meetings live streamed. Hopefully, there's 20 people watching right now, at least. I don't know, fingers crossed.
[00:21:21.04] That was a big change for the board. We had gone in the committees, actually doing our deliberations at our meetings was a big deal. So I guess maybe we can start thinking more about the culture of the board.
[00:21:37.23] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, I think that's a great-- I'm glad you brought it up, because I think we often try to have that discussion in other contexts, when it's not really the point of another discussion. Like, I feel like it frequently kind of comes up when-- honestly, when we conduct Josie's annual evaluation, we end up kind of talking about how we're functioning as a group, which was not, of course, fair to Josie. But it's like, I think, just a symptom of the fact that we don't really have an opportunity or we don't make an opportunity to address our functioning as a group. That's a great idea.
[00:22:13.53] VICTORIA GREEN: Do we have an interest in discussing it at the retreat? It's a chance for us to publicly discuss-- I mean, the seven of us need to do our work in public--
[00:22:22.07] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, that's right.
[00:22:22.72] VICTORIA GREEN: --and just talk about boards.
[00:22:25.52] LINH SONG: Definitely. Can you tell us what are the next steps for the strategic layout?
[00:22:31.49] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: So my understanding is the next step is that you'll be contacted for these interviews. And then the agenda for the retreat will get finalized. I don't think we can really expect to see much further beyond. I mean, the retreat's really soon. It's like a month from now too. So those are the immediate next steps. And then after the retreat, I think there'll be some digesting of what comes out of that to figure out what direction to go next.
[00:23:00.26] VICTORIA GREEN: I should recall, but I frankly don't-- the timeline on when we want to have our strategic plan developed?
[00:23:05.87] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: It was a pretty long timeline that we initially set out.
[00:23:08.92] JOSIE PARKER: January 2020.
[00:23:10.29] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah.
[00:23:10.54] VICTORIA GREEN: OK. So we have a little time.
[00:23:13.15] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: And we have all those commitments to public meetings regarding the plan to come.
[00:23:19.07] JIM LEIJA: I think because Kerry has a chance to talk to everyone individually, that one of the things she should query us all on is how are things going? Like, what kind of questions do you have about governance and operations that could be addressed through these questions of culture and your changes to bylaws, if that's necessary? And that way, we maybe have a sort of starting place for our more public conversation. I mean, some of those things already have surfaced in how we do business here in a couple of the committees. So especially with new folks and all that, yeah.
[00:23:52.84] LINH SONG: Great. Thank you for getting that started. I'm excited. We have now until January 2020 to present it and then a couple opportunities to work to publicize it and communicate it with the community at large. Time will fly quickly. We might feel like January 2020 is far away. But it's going to sneak up on us.
[00:24:16.94] VICTORIA GREEN: Can I just give a shout out. I'm so happy to work with Jamie, who I've never actually been on a committee with at the library, and you too, Linh.
[00:24:23.91] LINH SONG: Oh, thanks.
[00:24:24.99] VICTORIA GREEN: It's going to come out great. I'm so glad to have worked on it with you both.
[00:24:27.87] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, I'm glad to work on it with you too. It's funny how we are all on this group, but we don't always get that much of an opportunity to do work together. It's good that we have our conversations here. But yeah, I'm glad to have the chance too.
[00:24:43.39] LINH SONG: So we should remind folks to come to the retreat.
[00:24:50.51] JOSIE PARKER: May 14.
[00:24:52.45] LINH SONG: Yes.
[00:24:53.61] JOSIE PARKER: In the afternoon at Westgate, I believe.
[00:24:58.38] JIM LEIJA: Downtown?
[00:24:59.79] VICTORIA GREEN: At Westgate?
[00:25:01.16] JOSIE PARKER: No. It's on the fourth floor. It is downtown, sorry, my mistake.
[00:25:05.10] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I would have shown up at Westgate.
[00:25:05.83] JOSIE PARKER: No, no, no, no. It's Downtown in the fourth-floor meeting room. You're right. So we tried to get it to be at Westgate. Westgate's busy.
[00:25:13.50] LINH SONG: We have an issue about meeting rooms. Great. I'm excited. It'll be a really good retreat. It'll be really productive.
[00:25:23.98] VICTORIA GREEN: And I'd just like to say, especially since we're going to talk about meeting rooms, it would be great to talk about the space that we're sitting in then.
[00:25:29.35] LINH SONG: Yes.
[00:25:29.83] VICTORIA GREEN: We feel as folks who have used Westgate most recently for a very similar.
[00:25:34.39] LINH SONG: Yes. For folks who aren't aware, the board had met on the fourth floor. And it was in a really structured, more formal meeting room style. And I'm so glad to be down here. Well, I'm glad to be down here because we have to be down here in order to broadcast our meetings. And it freed up that fourth room for other events, because that fourth-floor room can actually fit a number of people, right?
[00:26:05.97] JOSIE PARKER: Renovated, yes. We've changed it.
[00:26:09.43] LINH SONG: So we're actually pretty good with folding tables. So thank you to this board for being open to a more relaxed environment so we can be more accessible to folks.

[00:26:21.05] Great. So anything else in strategic planning committee? No? OK, great. Thank you. Moving on, Josie, the director's report.
[00:26:30.67] JOSIE PARKER: Thank you. This is the new entryway graphics that went up this weekend, Downtown lobby, going into the kid's department. Very different from what was in the past. So we were waiting on this final piece. So that was done over the weekend. So we're very happy with it.
[00:26:47.74] The National Library Week, for us, started out with a great lecture by Sarah Vowell. It was part of the Penny Stamps lecture series. It was their last lecture of the year. And it kicked of National Library Week.
[00:27:02.32] She was amazing. If you have not read anything she's written, I recommend it. If you don't think you're a history person, you will become a history person, an American history person, the way she writes. She writes the way she talks and the way she talks is the way she thinks. And I'm sure the same type of love people give her from This American Life, and the audience at Michigan Theater, it was packed. The old theater, the original theater, was packed-- balcony included. And it was clear that people were there who were readers. People were there who were listeners. So she had her full audience.
[00:27:36.31] She said a couple of things that I felt were so amazing to hear. She's in Ann Arbor. She's at where U of M is. And she talks about the power of an education in a land grant university. She went to Boise, right?
[00:27:57.47] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Montana State University.
[00:27:58.51] JOSIE PARKER: Montana State. And she talked about how most people her generation were educated in non-Ivy League or non-elitist top-tier universities. Most are educated in some other way. And she named a few people from her community and what they've achieved, and the world knows who they are. And it was pretty amazing. It was very powerful.
[00:28:25.09] And she talked about a radio show that she listened to that she loved from Montana State and from the public radio program there. And she said it was like listening to Hee Haw, but everyone had a PhD.
[00:28:41.08] [LAUGHTER]
[00:28:42.51] And it's all of the professors from the land grant university talking about the research and what they were doing and how it matters. And as someone who grew up front row on the floor watching Hee Haw, it was a great moment for me because I know exactly what she was talking about. She was extremely interesting.
[00:28:57.44] And so we were very happy to be included in this with Penny Stamps, U of M Library-- Jamie, thank you-- the Library of Art and Design, the grad library, NPR, and PBS. So it was a wonderful kickoff to this week, which is National Library Week. And so I wanted to say that.
[00:29:13.69] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Can I just add something, Josie?
[00:29:14.86] JOSIE PARKER: Yes.
[00:29:15.79] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: So I wrote down one thing she said. She was describing her childhood and how she would go to Werner Herzog movies in Missoula, Montana. And she said, we were the kind of snobs you can have anywhere, anywhere you have a public library.
[00:29:27.76] [LAUGHTER]
[00:29:28.79] And I thought that was like, ah.
[00:29:32.06] JOSIE PARKER: She was great.
[00:29:33.29] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: She was great. There she is. She does not like her picture made. So if you can't tell, there she is. She came here to the podcast studio, and she did a debut episode for us, for our new AADL Reads podcast that we're going to be putting out. So you'll be able to hear her from Ann Arbor, from AADL, on podcasts about reading and her book. So we're happy about that.
[00:29:57.22] JIM LEIJA: Who interviewed her?
[00:29:59.08] JOSIE PARKER: Ellie, a librarian.
[00:30:02.80] JIM LEIJA: I'm curious to know, just for the mechanics of it, how the collaboration comes together with Penny Stamps and the library. Like, how is it initiated?
[00:30:15.10] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, I mean I think it's something that can happen more, now that I think about it, because there are probably lots of times where the interests of the library might overlap with the interests of the Stamps series. And the two groups together, it's a very large venue. That's a really nice thing about it, because a free talk with someone like her--
[00:30:34.49] JIM LEIJA: It's off the hook.
[00:30:35.53] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Right, exactly, it was great. So, yeah, I mean, I've been thinking that it would be nice for that to happen more in the future.
[00:30:43.33] LINH SONG: What's the audience like? So was it a good mix of students and locals?
[00:30:48.37] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: So to be clearer, I guess, or more transparent, so I was involved in this for my work self, which is I'm the librarian for Art and Design. And so I work directly with the Stamp School in my work. And all of the Stamps students have to go to that lecture. It's like a required course. So there are always 600 undergraduates and a handful of master's students at that talk.
[00:31:12.01] So I was telling Christina, who runs it, afterwards, it's like the U of M football game. It's the only time where you see this really big group of students and a really big group of the community, basically older people, together in one place, attending the same thing. It's really cool.
[00:31:30.88] And they don't always just bring-- I think you might think they would just bring fine artists, but they bring really a wide variety of people.
[00:31:37.51] COLLEEN SHERMAN: There have been times I've been at the library here, and I'll see books from the series-- like, the artists who are coming in, designers who are speaking-- and I can grab their books. And I can never make it because it's 5 o'clock on Thursdays, because of work schedules. But a lot of my friends who are, say, retired teachers. They love it. So it's a real nice mix of townie, student. But also that quality of speakers that come in is just so dynamite. You know, even if you've never heard of them, they're incredible speakers.
[00:32:04.60] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Right, yeah.
[00:32:07.40] LINH SONG: Thank you.
[00:32:08.29] JOSIE PARKER: So we are an anchor for FoolMoon and FestiFools, if you don't know, another partnership that we've been involved in for over 10 years. We are a stable, consistent partner in this and have been for a long time. This is our booth.
[00:32:23.62] This was at Kerrytown this year. It moved from on the street down to Kerrytown. So this was our booth this year. And this is our staff contingent for FoolMoon and FestiFools. And they were really into it. It was amazing.
[00:32:40.03] And I want to say also, we had, in the last months-- we look at the top events for numbers. And FoolMoon and FestiFools had the most people involved in events here making costumes. And this year it was a bird theme. You can see Laura Raynor in the center back there with her bird of paradise, her amazing hat. And the young lady on the end is clearly a peacock. And then Ellie is a swan. And if you look, you can see what they are. And we had a huge crowd of people show up here to walk with the library in the parade. And that's happened for a long time. So we'll continue to be involved in FestiFools and Fool-- my accent gets in the way-- FoolMoon.
[00:33:32.61] This is what Mallets Creek looks like right now. It's a little bit different than what it looked like a week or so ago. So what you're seeing is the gentleman working, taking up the court flooring. All of the furniture is stacked up on one side. And the materials are all pretty much in the multipurpose room there, in the meeting room there in rows. And the recataloging is happening while this all is happening so that these two things come together at the same time.
[00:34:04.00] So that was Thursday. I think it was Thursday. We were down there Thursday. And so that's what it looked like. So it looked even more different today. So I thought it was an interesting picture.
[00:34:14.64] This is the fourth-floor staff area today, probably a couple hours ago. The painting is done. The flooring is-- the LBT is going in where the staff lounge is going to be. And then that's the old carpet still from 1989 that's on the floor. And that will be gone early next week-- I mean, late this week, it's coming up.
[00:34:36.00] And then we're hoping to have people back in place in this space-- I don't want to mess up here because Len is right there-- end of next week or early the week after.
[00:34:46.86] [LAUGHTER]
[00:34:48.68] LEN LEMORIE: [INAUDIBLE]
[00:34:49.28] Yes, we got it. OK.
[00:34:51.00] LINH SONG: So it's 30-year-old carpet?
[00:34:52.59] JOSIE PARKER: That is. That is the last of the carpet that was put in this building in 1989. That's the last of it.
[00:34:59.28] LEN LEMORIE: No.
[00:35:00.23] JOSIE PARKER: We got some on the third floor? Why? I thought that was dealt with a long time ago. Huh, OK.
[00:35:06.21] LINH SONG: It's vintage.
[00:35:06.96] JOSIE PARKER: Well, it looks so bad you can't tell that it is 1989 carpet. So I thought this was the last of it. Sorry. But we are going to redo that space this coming year. So it will be gone.
[00:35:22.02] These are our posters from the upcoming events that we call the festival season, with one exception. There's not a poster for Visions. Record Store Day was this past Saturday. The door count was 2,749 people. Last year was 2,391. So the 18th of May is Gardening and DIY Fest, which is another one that really brings a ton. We get a lot of interest in that. Followed by AACME, which is the Ann Arbor Creativity and Making Expo, and that is Sunday the next day. So that weekend is huge here, Sunday, May 19th.
[00:35:55.98] We avoided a Mother's Day event this year, which is May 12. And then Visions is the middle of the week, on Wednesday, May 15. And it's here again this year. Last year, it was so well attended that we decided that we could do it annually and keep it downtown. It had been at WCC in the martial arts building for many, many years. It started here in this room.
[00:36:20.64] LINH SONG: Can you explain what Visions is for us?
[00:36:22.89] JOSIE PARKER: Visions, it's an event we do for people with low vision or their caregivers or support community for people with low visions, to bring whatever's new in technology, primarily, to supporting people who have low vision or no sight. And it's a service we provide through our library for the blind, which we maintain here. And we bring speakers in to talk to consumers about what's available to them with technology to help them continue their careers, maintain independence within their families, and what's possible for them with devices.
[00:37:07.05] What's always so affirming is how much people already know. And the questions they ask are so astute and intriguing about what the technology does and how much that has changed just in 10 years in terms of the independence people have now. And they do not have to give up reading. They do not have to give up traveling alone anywhere now. That came across last time. There was a new application that's available. And the whole talk and discussion about being able to travel alone again.
[00:37:50.64] So it's a very powerful day. Different organizations in the community step up and ask to work with us that day as guides because we need people to help all of our consumers get around in the building in a seamless way. And we've had volunteers from Duo Security. We've had volunteers from ProQuest. We've had volunteers from the Campus Kiwanis, I believe?
[00:38:20.19] SPEAKER: Yeah.
[00:38:20.92] JOSIE PARKER: Yes. And so this year, will be volunteers from other groups too helping do that. And they love doing it. And the feedback from the consumers is how nice everyone is to them and how much they appreciate that and enjoy that.
[00:38:33.69] So it's a lot of work for us because of all the special steps we have to take to make sure the building is welcoming to hundreds of people on a day we're opening for them in a way that's comfortable and safe and for all their dogs. We have many dogs in the library that day. And so we have to make sure that that all works out as well.
[00:38:57.25] LINH SONG: Fantastic.
[00:38:58.14] JOSIE PARKER: It is. It is. It's great.
[00:39:00.81] This is the summary of public and staff comments. This is about Record Store Day. We had, as you saw, about 2,800 people coming through and a few walking away with some new treasures and, as you can see, people going through the boxes.
[00:39:22.58] [SIDE CONVERSATION]
[00:39:23.73]
[00:39:28.23] So the bestselling author, Tahereh Mafi, visited us April 5 for a standing room only event in partnership with Literati. And this was making one book lover's day, as you see in the comment.
[00:39:46.33] Our diVERSE Voices event kicked of National Poetry Month at AADL. Poets included Marlin M. Jenkins, Hasna Ghalib, Jasmine An, and current Youth Poet Laureate of Ann Arbor, Aldo Leopoldo Pando Girard, among others. And AADL visitors walked away with some amazing creations from cross-stitch and screen printing programs-- learned how to cross-stitch and finish my first project. That brings back some memories for me.
[00:40:20.75] A curious visitor checks out our Everbright. And if you notice, the comments are in Japanese. And they actually say, At Ann Arbor, at Michigan life, at overseas parenting, and I also like that library. And the next one says, in Portuguese, isn't that right? Oops. This is Portuguese. So I'm missing. I'm at the honeycomb.
[00:40:54.76] OK, thank you. There's the honeycomb-- honeycomb hangouts with my little bumble bee. And if you're wondering, up inside, if you get in and look up, you see the sky. You see stars.
[00:41:08.32] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I guess I've never looked up all the times I've been.
[00:41:10.44] [LAUGHTER]
[00:41:11.69] JOSIE PARKER: Only in that honeycomb.
[00:41:14.67] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Only in that one?
[00:41:15.12] JOSIE PARKER: That one-- only in that one, right. The caption to this photo translates to, from the series, things we do not have. And right below, also translated, I was studying in this library. So what happened is these other posts were made. And then someone else who was in the library was following and posted in the language as well, so all at the same time. And that language is Portuguese.
[00:41:43.63] Third graders from Mitchell visited AADL for a program with 826michigan and left with books and library cards. The person who took this photo writes, our new library books didn't even make it back to school before being cracked open. So they're on the bus reading their books.
[00:42:00.89] You may have seen our delivery truck outside. The new wrap for it is a collage of covers from material that's been published through Fifth Avenue Press. And Tavah Platt wrote, Snail, I love you, with her young daughter Willa, who was under 10 years old. And they worked with fabric artist illustrator Becky Grover. She's also a pretty big fan of the truck. And her third book releases on Sunday, May 5. So there will be five more books released through Fifth Avenue Press on Sunday, May 5.
[00:42:37.51] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Josie, do you mind if I--
[00:42:38.58] JOSIE PARKER: No.
[00:42:38.81] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: --say something about that. I noticed that the wrap has the tagline for the press, which I had never noticed before. And I love that it says publicly owned. I know that in the meeting we talked about that. What does it mean for the library to take on this risk of doing this thing and to give up the potential ownership of any one of these items like it's produced? And I think it's really cool that you're owning that and celebrating it in the tagline.
[00:43:05.51] JOSIE PARKER: And I know it's really hard now for the authors, as you heard Thomson-Shore has changed. And a number of the people here, their hard copies are being published by Thomson-Shore. So they're looking for other options. But the what the library does is not that. So the work continues and then they're concerned about how to do this in a physical world.
[00:43:29.13] But I was at the launch for all these titles. And it was great fun to see this truck traveling around town. It's about books. It's about reading. It's great.
[00:43:44.66] Compliments on the material AADL offers, as well as compliments on what Ann Arbor is reading from this one. We got kudos for our vinyl collection, featuring Kendrick Lamar. And one patron is impressed with the number of holds on some recent releases about race, culture, gender, and body image, complimenting the library on holding the titles and on the fact that the community wants to read them so much that there are hold lists for them. That album is called DAMN, by the way. I can just hear that, DAMN.
[00:44:18.14] So Linh, Louis Picasso is for the children. The Ypsi-based emcee and producer recently partnered with the AADL in our beat lab. And he shared his production workflow and technique with young people and all sorts people. But he brought a young person with him. And prior to the event, they were playing around.
[00:44:44.22] And then working with young adults from WISD and the Fourth Wall Theater Company-- we hosted this amazing song search finale right here in the multipurpose room. And we have been working in partnership with the WISD for all the years that I have been involved with the library in various ways. And the Fourth Wall Theater is one of the oldest. And the work that they do in helping special needs students work together on a production-- decide what it's going to be, do the lines, do the music, do everything-- is pretty astonishing. And it's great. If you've never been to one of their productions. I encourage you to come to a Fourth Wall event-- here or someplace else, because they do this elsewhere as well.
[00:45:31.77] That's my report. Any questions, comments?
[00:45:39.37] LINH SONG: I thought it would be worthwhile to bring up how there was an event that happened in the lot next to us last Monday. We were here for our executive committee meeting actually. We came shortly afterwards to news helicopters circling the area. So I wanted to bring it up, only because I received a lot of messages from the community asking what happened at the library lot, if we are aware of it.
[00:46:09.46] And when I came for executive committee meeting and checked in with security from the back lot, I was really relieved to hear that library staff were safe and security was on top of it. They were circling the building. And when I spoke with you, you had already spoken with the police.
[00:46:25.48] So if you're unaware of what happened. There was a stabbing in the library lot parking lot.
[00:46:32.87] JOSIE PARKER: In the garage.
[00:46:33.43] LINH SONG: In the garage. I think there is a young man who's still in the hospital recovering. And the police have the two suspects. I wanted to bring it up only because I was so happy to hear that-- when I was talking to security staff and obviously when I was talking to you-- you're so aware of what happens in the library and who the usual patrons are and what usually happens at the library. And I was really glad to hear that you had already worked with the detectives, and they were on their way. But there are procedures in place for when things like this happen in the library or outside the library. At least we can collaborate with authorities.
[00:47:19.45] So there was a concern that's out there. It doesn't involve us. But we're neighbors. And thank you for cooperating with the police.
[00:47:29.71] JOSIE PARKER: Thank you. That's an opportunity to actually pitch something. There's a movie playing at the Michigan Theater. It's called The Public. Emilio Estevez wrote it and produced it. I think he's part of the direction of it, and he stars in it with a number of other big name Hollywood stars. It's about an event that occurred-- fictitious event occurred-- at the Cincinnati Public Library during a polar vortex a few years ago.
[00:47:58.27] The actual event is fictitious. But all of all of the information that builds to that event and supports it is real. It's real there. It's real here. It's real in libraries that have urban type environments, small like ours, and to major big cities.
[00:48:15.16] And I saw it. I can wholeheartedly say that if people are not aware of all that there is in their public library, seeing The Public is a good opportunity to do that.
[00:48:31.32] LINH SONG: And this is at the--
[00:48:32.47] JOSIE PARKER: Michigan Theater.
[00:48:32.89] LINH SONG: --Michigan Theater.
[00:48:38.06] JIM LEIJA: Sorry. One thing that was included in the ephemera packet is the ALA State of the Library 2019 document, which, I would just say-- I was looking at it earlier today and scanning it again this evening and just thinking about people really giving that document a close read as we go into strategic planning. There were a couple of things that really jumped out at me, in particular, in thinking about trends and how certain things are being addressed. And I was also sort of delighted that Drag Queen Story Hours really rose to the level of the state of the library report for the whole country, as it should be, in my opinion.
[00:49:27.57] I don't ever recall having looked at this report before. But we get so much information, that sometimes things stick for me and they don't. But I really appreciate your sharing that, Josie, and I think it could be timely given our thinking about--
[00:49:39.93] JOSIE PARKER: I'm not sure it's been produced this way. I mean, different ALA presidents do things differently. And I'm honestly not sure it's been put out in this way.
[00:49:50.35] JIM LEIJA: Yeah. Thanks for sharing.
[00:49:54.70] LINH SONG: Any other questions for Josie?
[00:49:59.08] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Do we have Drag Queen Story Hour?
[00:50:00.73] JOSIE PARKER: We don't.
[00:50:01.58] COLLEEN SHERMAN: OK.
[00:50:02.44] S. KERENE MOORE: Someone reached out to me for referrals for Drag Queen Story Hour here, so I gave a few names.
[00:50:07.72] JOSIE PARKER: Good.
[00:50:08.90] S. KERENE MOORE: As well as lots of other LGBTQ programming. So I'm excited.
[00:50:14.77] JIM LEIJA: Which was one of the things that was really highlighted in this piece about just kind of the LGBT programming, really a programming and books being a real controversy in the country and sort of the source of a lot of protests. So I think it's worth thinking about here, for sure.
[00:50:31.15] LINH SONG: But have been successfully implemented, even the much smaller--
[00:50:34.28] JIM LEIJA: That's right.
[00:50:34.66] LINH SONG: --communities, much smaller communities that are arguably less progressive. But no, I'm excited too.
[00:50:43.87] JIM LEIJA: It's like, RuPaul, bring me my drag queens.
[00:50:46.62] [LAUGHTER]
[00:50:48.25] LINH SONG: Let's make it happen. All right. Josie, are we good then for director's report?
[00:50:53.14] JOSIE PARKER: Mm-hmm, thank you.

[00:50:53.66] LINH SONG: Thank you, Josie. Moving on to old business, Len, for an update on construction projects.
[00:51:02.79] LEN LEMORIE: Good evening. As Josie mentioned, we've been closed at Mallets for a week. The furniture has been moved. Flooring is going-- well, it's still coming up actually, prep work for that. We did the layout for the meeting rooms, the structural beams last Friday. The glass measurements were this morning. We're going to scan the floor tomorrow for the heat loops, for putting the penetrations in the floor.
[00:51:29.41] So it's going well. Staff have relabeled 12,700 items.
[00:51:33.85] LINH SONG: Oh my gosh.
[00:51:34.56] LEN LEMORIE: So that's about 23% of what needs to be relabeled, which is amazing. So that's going extremely well. And hopefully we'll start getting some flooring down this week and get some shelves moved back to where they'll live when this is over.
[00:51:52.43] And as Josie mentioned, the fourth floor will be complete the end of next week. Flooring will be this week. Some of the countertops will come in. And then the furniture arrives on the 22nd. It takes a couple days to assemble all of that. And we'll get staff back in the end of next week. So everything, as of right now, is on schedule and going well.
[00:52:11.68] LINH SONG: So when you talk about relabeling, you're talking about relabeling for the system that we had--
[00:52:16.72] JOSIE PARKER: Yes.
[00:52:17.35] LINH SONG: --our public commenter come and speak about? OK.
[00:52:19.78] JOSIE PARKER: Yes.
[00:52:20.10] LINH SONG: Good.
[00:52:21.23] COLLEEN SHERMAN: And you're putting cork back down?
[00:52:23.38] LEN LEMORIE: We are, yeah. The flooring matches what was there. The carpet's a little different. Obviously, it's been 15 years so that we can't match it to an identical match. But it's really close. I don't think anyone will notice. It's really close. That's probably the most difficult part is matching the beams, matching the flooring, and then getting the cork installed. And it's the first time I've been involved with a cork floor. It's really tough coming up.
[00:52:49.95] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yeah, I bet.
[00:52:51.12] LEN LEMORIE: It really is.
[00:52:51.88] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I'm glad you're putting it back down though. It's like the Malletts Creek hallmark, that cork.
[00:52:55.61] LEN LEMORIE: Yeah. Any questions about the projects?
[00:53:01.36] LINH SONG: I don't think so. No? Great. Thank you, Len.
[00:53:04.40] LEN LEMORIE: Excellent. Thank you.

[00:53:06.89] LINH SONG: OK. So we have an item of action. This is the resolution adopting revisions to the meeting room use policy.
[00:53:14.01] JIM LEIJA: I would move to approve the resolution to adopt revisions to meeting room policy. The board resolves as follows-- one, the meeting room policy 4.1 is revised as proposed on page 26 of you're board packet and, two, that all resolutions and parts of resolutions that conflict with the provisions of this resolution are rescinded.
[00:53:33.99] COLLEEN SHERMAN AND JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I second.
[00:53:35.16] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Go for it.
[00:53:37.23] LINH SONG: Thanks, Jim, for just jumping right in there.
[00:53:39.21] JIM LEIJA: You know how I like resolutions.
[00:53:41.04] LINH SONG: Perfect. All those in favor?
[00:53:43.88] JIM LEIJA: We need to discuss it.
[00:53:44.36] LINH SONG: Oh, wait-- discussion, yes. Any discussion on this? We had a first reading last month. Any thoughts? So just to kind of review. This is a revision for the meeting room policy so that we are in line with-- let's see.
[00:54:02.51] JOSIE PARKER: It's not there. It's just about case law, current case law at the federal level. And we're taking this sentence out that library meeting rooms are not available for religious services or social events and adding in language that is inclusive in terms of who can be in a meeting space in the library.
[00:54:18.89] LINH SONG: Yes.
[00:54:19.46] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I'm glad that came up last time, and that it's in the solution. It looks good.
[00:54:23.15] JOSIE PARKER: We took that from other policies that we have.
[00:54:25.34] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: That's great. Good.
[00:54:27.74] LINH SONG: Any questions? Any other thoughts?
[00:54:31.52] VICTORIA GREEN: I have just one question. First of all, I think this looks great. I'm so happy to see the inclusive language made broader. I have only one question I've sometimes wondered about. When a group books a meeting room, how does the group determine who is in the group and allowed in the room during the reservation? Does that make any sense? They're not open events.
[00:54:51.90] JOSIE PARKER: If it's not a rental, it's a public room. It's a public--
[00:54:55.58] VICTORIA GREEN: So anyone can use the space. If it's a rental, they've rented this space.
[00:54:59.63] JOSIE PARKER: Correct.
[00:55:00.41] VICTORIA GREEN: But if a study group has booked one of our open rooms, technically anyone is welcome to join.
[00:55:06.11] JOSIE PARKER: Technically. And the list of bookings is outside the room with the hours. And so anyone can see it if it's a study group someone's interested in or whatever.
[00:55:19.18] VICTORIA GREEN: Got it.
[00:55:19.61] JOSIE PARKER: I've walked in on those myself, where I've been curious about the topic. It's generally not a problem. If it's a board meeting of a local nonprofit or a neighborhood association meeting, most people are not going to be interested in that necessarily unless they're involved. But for our purposes, unless it's a rental--
[00:55:41.00] VICTORIA GREEN: It is available.
[00:55:41.87] JOSIE PARKER: Right.
[00:55:42.91] VICTORIA GREEN: It's an open meeting.
[00:55:43.56] JOSIE PARKER: And even a rental, no one's barring the door, so not even. It's still a public space, first and foremost.
[00:55:54.50] LINH SONG: But we're not imagining people inviting themselves to birthday parties or weddings.
[00:55:59.39] JOSIE PARKER: Actually, it's likely. Birthday parties happen now. And that's part of why I wanted the social events taken out, because you have a meeting room at a place like Westgate, and the family books the room, and they show up with a cake and the punch, and they're in meeting room B. And the kids are all in the library doing what kids do in the library, and they come back in for their punch and their cake in the library, where food's allowed. I didn't want us saying to them that 8-year-old birthday party's done. That's not the role for the library. We do not want to be ruining birthdays for little children. That's not what we were going to do.
[00:56:37.31] There is nothing to stop someone from walking out into the garden area with a minister or justice of the peace or someone who's allowed to conduct a marriage ceremony and stand quietly out there on the day of their choice, at the time of their choice, and have a marriage performed at the library in the garden.
[00:56:55.31] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Has that ever happened?
[00:56:56.18] JOSIE PARKER: I'm almost certain it has, yes. And so I think that those are things that we don't really feel it's important to discourage. We're not going to be a wedding venue where we're going to provide all the bells and whistles for a big wedding. But at the same time, I don't want us walking up to someone and saying, I'm so sorry, you can't get married here.
[00:57:15.99] LINH SONG: Right.
[00:57:16.74] JOSIE PARKER: And you either have the rules or you don't. We can be flexible about a lot of things, like the no shoes in the library. People are encouraged to wear shoes in the library. But that doesn't apply to toddlers. That make sense, right? So I'm trying to make it easier for people to use it in the unobtrusive ways they might choose to. But at the same time, we have a policy that prevents the library for being taken advantage of or uses occurring in the library that diminish the experience for all others. And that's what we want to avoid. How do we do that?
[00:57:55.70] LINH SONG: Right, right, how do we do that? Great. Thank you, Josie, for that reminder. Great. Any other discussion? Shall we vote? All those in favor?
[00:58:07.17] ALL: Aye.
[00:58:08.34] LINH SONG: Opposed? OK. That motion passes then. Thank you. Moving on.

[00:58:14.79] JIM LEIJA: I would move to approve the resolution to adopt provisions to the smoke-free policy. The board resolves as follows-- one, that smoke-free policy 6.5 is revised as proposed-- that's on page 28 of your board packet-- two, that all resolutions and parts of resolutions that conflict with the provisions of this resolution are rescinded.
[00:58:35.97] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I second, and I wonder how we got through last month without Jim.
[00:58:39.95] LINH SONG: I know. Someone's super eager tonight. Discussion?
[00:58:47.34] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Our discussion last month about this topic was helpful. And I feel fully confident that this is the right policy for us at this time. This is about e-cigarettes and vaping, and is it a problem? And yes, we heard from our staff that it is a problem. The more I've talked this month to people who are in closed spaces with people who have been vaping, it is a problem-- not necessarily for people with allergies but just people who have sensitive senses of smell.
[00:59:20.55] LINH SONG: Any other thoughts?
[00:59:22.77] VICTORIA GREEN: I agree with Colleen in terms of the large import of what this is trying to do. I have one minor point, which is I think there's just a typo in the third paragraph, the second sentence-- smoking has been proven dangerous to both users and persons exposed to secondhand smoke-- environmental tobacco smoke. That dash I'm not-- is there supposed to be an end to there perhaps?
[00:59:44.33] JOSIE PARKER: I can look at it. I think it's how it's been in the policy. We didn't retype the whole policy. So we can--
[00:59:52.67] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: That kind of change you could make, though, just to fix a typo.
[00:59:55.81] JOSIE PARKER: Yeah, we can it. It doesn't have to come back to you for us to do that.
[00:59:58.34] VICTORIA GREEN: Right. The import of this is clear. But it's just something funny about the typing of it here.
[01:00:03.88] LEN LEMORIE: Great. Any other thoughts? No smoking in the library. OK, great. All those in favor?
[01:00:12.60] ALL: Aye.
[01:00:13.66] COLLEEN SHERMAN: No JUULing either. No JUULing.

[01:00:15.91] JIM LEIJA: Vaping. I would move to approve the resolution for accounting firm Yeo & Yeo to complete the library's audit for fiscal year July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.
[01:00:28.85] LINH SONG: Can we get a second?
[01:00:30.82] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Second.
[01:00:35.06] LINH SONG: Discussion.
[01:00:36.47] COLLEEN SHERMAN: So this is our new business topic. I'm going to take it back as the treasurer and chairperson of the budget and finance committee. Last Tuesday, as I mentioned earlier, our committee interviewed three accounting firms to take on the business of conducting our audit and performing our 990. During those three interviews, at the end of those conversations, Victoria, Dharma, and I decided to recommend and request that we bring to you Yeo & Yeo is the firm that we have chosen.
[01:01:13.12] Dan Beard joins us tonight. He is from Ann Arbor and would be working with us. I'll just give a brief overview of that conversation. The proposal that we receive from Yeo & Yeo is in your packet. But I think the conversation we had with them really is what brought us to them in terms of the decision.
[01:01:33.91] So what I loved-- the principles that we met with, Dave and Jamie-- I'm sorry I'm blanking on their last names-- they both serve as elected officials who are on school boards in their districts. They were able to have the kind of conversation with us about doing public service work. It was very informed-- not to be comparative-- but in a way that made them stand out from the other firms.
[01:02:03.11] I think both Dave and Jamie brought to the conversation not only was it clear that they're experts in their field, it's also clear that they're really good with governmental organizations, and libraries in particular. When Dave talked about the Saginaw Library and his commitment to and partnership with it, he was able to talk about it like we think about the library. And when they talked about process in the work that they would do and the way they would take over our work and our audit, it was also more about, give us what you have right now, and we will work with you. We're not going to expect you to come our way and work within our constructs. That was very appealing.
[01:02:48.85] During those interviews, Bill, Eli, and Josie were present and were able to ask questions. And they all asked very, very good questions as well that helped us really give an apples to apples comparison across those three conversations. I'll let Dharma and Victoria weigh in on this.
[01:03:08.41] DHARMA AKMON: Yeah. I would just add I was really impressed with their transition plan. It seemed really well thought out. And it also seemed like there wasn't going to be an additional burden on the staff. I was also impressed by their organizational vision and commitment to what they do, experience with libraries, and also working with the city of Ann Arbor. Those are all big pluses to me.
[01:03:29.70] VICTORIA GREEN: And I agree with what both Colleen and Dharma have said. I would add that Yeo & Yeo impressed me particularly with their team approach-- less risk of there was one or two great people and more of a sense of whatever happens in the intervening years, they're going to be able to meet our needs in a way that respects the time of our staff, which often we don't think about when we think about the bottom line. But staff time is money. And we want them freed to do all sorts of things for the library.
[01:04:00.09] But I will also say there were other good candidates. I thought we were fortunate in that it wasn't a clear case of there's only one person who can do this for us. I think Yeo & Yeo offers us the best chance of the highest success, but it was reassuring to feel like people want to work for the library and put together some nice proposals for us.
[01:04:24.51] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yeah, we talked to three very strong capable firms during the course of those several hours. Other things from Josie? One thing that Josie said during the conversation that she had a really nice reaction when we talked about the people who would be on site with Yeo & Yeo, which is they are experienced, I believe was the way you put it?
[01:04:46.85] JOSIE PARKER: Mm-hmm.
[01:04:48.06] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Do you, Eli or Bill, have things you would like to add about this conversation? OK, Bill has one.
[01:04:56.54] BILL COOPER: I would just like to add that when I called and spoke with the references they had listed, I got very positive feedback from everyone that they are very easy to work with. They complete the audit and presentations to the governing bodies within the deadlines. The field work that they do does not interrupt the staff. They work around and with the staff for the least amount of interruption and that they're just wonderful people to work with.
[01:05:29.35] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Great. And how large is the firm again? It's 800?
[01:05:33.96] DANIEL BEARD: Roughly 244.
[01:05:35.49] COLLEEN SHERMAN: OK.
[01:05:36.17] DANIEL BEARD: [INAUDIBLE]
[01:05:39.27] LINH SONG: Great. Thank you.
[01:05:41.96] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Dan, do you have anything you want to say to the board before we vote. You're welcome to come up and introduce yourself, love to hear from myself.
[01:05:50.60] DANIEL BEARD: I'm Dan Beard. I'll be one of the staff, well, seniors on the engagement. And I'm just excited for the opportunity, being an Ann Arbor resident and a patron of the Ann Arbor District Library. So thank you for this, for putting us on the floor. Any questions?
[01:06:09.39] LINH SONG: I guess we're excited for the audit.
[01:06:10.83] [LAUGHTER]
[01:06:12.77] We're excited to vote and get the audit going. So thank you for coming tonight.
[01:06:17.42] DANIEL BEARD: Absolutely.
[01:06:18.21] LINH SONG: You're welcome to give public comments later on, do a twofer, you're welcome to. Thank you.
[01:06:23.55] DANIEL BEARD: Thank you.
[01:06:23.95] JIM LEIJA: I have only one more question for the committee and Josie, which is how does the fee compare to what we have been doing and sort of where do we fall with this particular fee in relationship to what others were bidding.
[01:06:36.76] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I see, Josie, a motioning Bill over. We did the math on it when we looked at the pricing. It is a mild bump up. What we actually liked about this proposal is the RFP we put out said this is a one-year contract with a right to extend or not. They front-loaded hire on the front end, because the work that--
[01:06:54.99] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, startup costs, yeah.
[01:06:56.16] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yeah, the startup cost is significant, which means they were mindful of their time, and they're not going to short shrift us if it gets into heavier labor. Bill?
[01:07:05.55] BILL COOPER: Right. Your call. That's what I was going to say, yes.
[01:07:09.07] JOSIE PARKER: Well, it was impressive because they answered it right off. They didn't back away from the fact that it was front-loaded, because they're going to do all this work, and it's one year. It's a ton of work. And if we negotiate for the second and third year, they have the prices there for that, which included having front-loaded everything. So it was impressive that that's how they go about their business there. It's a business. So they were able to talk about it that way.
[01:07:39.30] LINH SONG: Great. Thank you, Bill, again. Great. So are we able to vote? Everyone? OK, are we ready? OK, all those in favor?
[01:07:48.97] ALL: Aye.
[01:07:50.30] LINH SONG: Opposed? Great. The motion passes. Welcome, Yeo & Yeo.
[01:07:54.64] JIM LEIJA: Congratulations.
[01:07:55.68] LINH SONG: And thank you, yes.
[01:07:56.98] JIM LEIJA: And thanks to the committee for bringing this forward. That's a lot of work to interview all these firms. Glad I'm not the chair anymore.
[01:08:05.18] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Oh, we missed you, man.
[01:08:07.00] DHARMA AKMON: We had some hummus.
[01:08:07.75] [LAUGHTER]
[01:08:08.86] JIM LEIJA: We had some hummus.
[01:08:10.53] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yeah, Karen got us vegetables and hummus and baklava.
[01:08:13.00] JIM LEIJA: Thank you, Karen. Team work makes dream work.

[01:08:18.49] LINH SONG: Moving on, so discussion of proposed 2019-2020 budget. Bill, again. We should just have you stay up. I'm sorry, Bill.
[01:08:30.58] BILL COOPER: That's fine. Colleen, did you want to talk about anything before I go into it?
[01:08:35.84] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Let's let Bill go into it. But the committee did take on budget. Because it was a really long night, because of the audit firm interviews, we spent about 30 minutes talking about the budget. In past years, with Jim at the helm, we had, I would say maybe more substantive discussions but not necessarily. We had, in the previous meeting, talked about budget and process more so. So some of our conversation tonight in front of the full board will dive into that.
[01:09:02.33] JIM LEIJA: Great.
[01:09:02.76] LINH SONG: OK, great. All right, Bill.
[01:09:04.43] BILL COOPER: OK. On page 30 and 31, you'll find the narrative for the proposed budget. And on page 32, are the numbers. I'm not going to read over everything. But I am going to touch on some of the more important parts.
[01:09:20.32] We'll go over the tax revenue estimation. We are projecting revenue at a $1.8383 mills, of an additional $5.5k over what our current approved budget is. I don't know if all of you know or not, but we are under the Headlee Act. So as the tax base increases, our millage goes down. And so I was estimating a 5% increase in the tax base, which would lead us to a 1 and 1/2% decrease in the millage. But even with that, it's still a $5.5k increase in the overall budget.
[01:10:04.85] I would like to talk about the salaries and wages under expenses. We have a salary, analysis, wage analysis was completed by Ed Ura from Merce's Consulting Group. We do that about every three years. We gave them the stipulation that we wanted the minimum wage to be at $12 an hour for our lowest paid employee.
[01:10:32.24] So with that then, he conducted the rest of the analysis and came up with a salary structure schedule. And that is included in the amount in the budget, the new schedule, along with adding some additional employees. And I've listed those for you-- a full-time librarian in the collections department and a casual clerk 2 to in the collections department, a full-time library technician in archives, and three casual people in the marketing communications group.
[01:11:08.49] And all three of those departments are relatively new departments. Marketing and communications is a couple of years now and collections and archives, we just separated out those departments this year. So the managers of those departments are starting to staff up for the work that needs to be done in those departments. And then we have one full-time developer in the information technology group.
[01:11:33.33] JIM LEIJA: So if it's not indicated as a full-time position, it's not a full-time position?
[01:11:36.65] BILL COOPER: Right. If it says casual, that's the part-time.
[01:11:40.06] JIM LEIJA: Got it. OK. Thank you.
[01:11:41.58] LINH SONG: And currently we're at $10 an hour, right, for full-time?
[01:11:44.62] BILL COOPER: $9.86.
[01:11:47.52] COLLEEN SHERMAN: And the state law went up to $9.40 in March, right, for minimum?
[01:11:54.04] BILL COOPER: That I don't know.
[01:11:54.79] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I think I read that somewhere.
[01:11:56.49] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Can you talk to us a little bit about the process about how you came to this? Also, just as a refresher from last month, we did have in our ephemera the recommendations in that report, the analysis that was on that. And we did start to talk about pegging at $12 an hour. This is getting in line with where the state is going. By 2030, I think, the minimum is scheduled to be at $15 an hour. More so than anything is competition for people to be bookshelvers and to work these part-time jobs. We're competing with other employers. And the staff has talked to me and talked to the committee about number of resumes we see for each job we post and how that number has declined, especially for these casual positions.
[01:12:48.92] LINH SONG: It needs to be fair too. I mean, Ann Arbor is not getting any cheaper, and the area isn't getting any cheaper.
[01:12:59.48] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, I had noticed.
[01:13:00.36] LINH SONG: It's still being competitive. Ultimately, if we're going to move towards $15, this gets us closer to it without making that big jump when we have to.
[01:13:08.73] BILL COOPER: Last year we had talked about perhaps moving to $12 for this current year budget. But we had just finished union negotiations. And with that, there were some great changes. So we just felt that we needed to put that off.
[01:13:23.05] JOSIE PARKER: And the salary schedule's in grades. And that's what the reference is to. So we had a huge increase due to the grade changes.
[01:13:31.49] BILL COOPER: And then, like Colleen said, instead of waiting until we have to increase it all at once up to $15, to be able to do it in steps as the money is available was the approach that we decided to take.
[01:13:45.02] LINH SONG: Right. And when we negotiated the last round, that was for a multi-year commitment, right?
[01:13:51.03] BILL COOPER: Yes. The union contract was for five years.
[01:13:53.82] JOSIE PARKER: For five years.
[01:13:54.17] LINH SONG: Five years, so making this move in one year, it's just fair if we look at it that way.
[01:14:02.74] VICTORIA GREEN: Bill, I have a question, a clarification question.
[01:14:04.95] BILL COOPER: Yes?
[01:14:05.40] VICTORIA GREEN: So I understand about the $12 an hour for the casual employees.
[01:14:08.76] BILL COOPER: No, that's just for our lowest grade, whether it's full-time or casual.
[01:14:12.69] VICTORIA GREEN: So that was my question. Are there some full-time people whose hourly rate currently is less than $12 an hour?
[01:14:19.17] BILL COOPER: Yes, yes.
[01:14:19.47] JOSIE PARKER: Yes.
[01:14:21.03] VICTORIA GREEN: Thanks, Bill.
[01:14:21.72] BILL COOPER: Because it goes by grade, not whether you're full-time or casual.
[01:14:24.71] VICTORIA GREEN: Yeah.
[01:14:25.19] LINH SONG: OK. Great question. Thank you.
[01:14:27.91] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I want to get back to the process, which I found, you met with all of the managers and you talked about. So when we think about these positions, what I love about the budget discussion is how things like new positions show us where the library is going. So what we really see here-- what I see here, and what Eli, Josie, and Bill were able to clarify for me-- is when you come into this library-- oh, shoot, sorry. Dave did some analysis for us and brought it before us last month. And what he showed is number of checkouts is down, but the number of events and people coming through the doors is way up.
[01:15:08.92] LINH SONG: Thank you, Eli.
[01:15:10.27] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Thanks, Eli. So this staffing plan, this move to expanding up our numbers, really does support our events. And since we created a marketing department, this is a way to give that legs so we can go further and do well to actually bring in more people but then also to manage the flow of bringing in those more people.
[01:15:33.36] BILL COOPER: Yes.
[01:15:33.85] COLLEEN SHERMAN: That, to me, from the standpoint of what the mission of the library is and our vision in the work that we've been doing, it's in line.
[01:15:42.28] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: So last month when we talked about the salary, you had reviewed the salaries like you said you do every three years, there was a lot of range. There was like the very minimum, and there was the sort of mid-range and the maximum. Why did you decide for most positions?
[01:16:00.21] JOSIE PARKER: It varies, Jamie, by individual.
[01:16:03.19] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Oh, OK.
[01:16:04.18] JOSIE PARKER: When a person's hired in here in a grade, where they begin is determined by their experience, for the most part. And so it's an individual decision. So if you're working here, and you're in a grade, and the grade range changes, we don't have people lose. So if you're midpoint, you'll stay midpoint. So you'll get that increase.
[01:16:28.24] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: That's good.
[01:16:28.84] JOSIE PARKER: Right. And the other thing that I'll say is that if a person's max, then their max changes. We are merit-based here in terms of our salaries. So if you are maxed in a range, you did get your salary increase. But you got it in the form of a lump sum over time on your paychecks. So you don't lose that money, but it doesn't compound.
[01:16:58.90] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: It doesn't add to your base.
[01:16:59.26] JOSIE PARKER: Right.
[01:16:59.53] BILL COOPER: Yes, but it doesn't add to your base.
[01:17:01.12] JOSIE PARKER: Right. It doesn't add to your base. So the library is very, the library has always been very generous. And the development of this salary schedule was part of that years and years and years ago in the '90s. And so we've managed it to the best of our ability. It hasn't always gone up. It hasn't always been adopted. There have been times when it couldn't be. But we recommended this time that we did. So those changes within the grade, it's individual.
[01:17:29.42] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: OK.
[01:17:33.12] BILL COOPER: Another area that I would like to touch on is the capital outlay.
[01:17:37.67] JIM LEIJA: I want to pause for a second.
[01:17:38.97] BILL COOPER: Oh, OK.
[01:17:40.11] JIM LEIJA: Because I'm still just kind of trying-- I'm trying to absorb since I was on the committee, because I needed a lot of time and conversation to understand. But it's a pretty significant jump in personnel costs.
[01:17:56.01] COLLEEN SHERMAN: It's huge. It's huge.
[01:17:56.07] JIM LEIJA: I mean, it's like $2 million if we go back to what you're estimating you're going to end up with this year to what we're going to prove for next year. It's a little less if we go--
[01:18:04.47] LINH SONG: It's 1.8.
[01:18:05.13] JIM LEIJA: --from approved to-- yeah.
[01:18:08.55] VICTORIA GREEN: It's 15%.
[01:18:09.63] JIM LEIJA: Yeah. Which is a, that's a big jump. And I think that obviously-- I mean, I know you had quite a bit of conversation about this at the public meeting last time. So I don't want to delay. But I think we do obviously need to position ourselves to really anticipate the increase in minimum wage. And it's also just like the right thing to do. It's hard for me to pick out how much of the increase is related to addressing that issue versus adding positions.
[01:18:36.99] We cannot afford to grow that much year on year. So my question is, how does it stabilize? Like, two years from now, what does that look like?
[01:18:53.06] LINH SONG: I think that brings us to difficult discussions on Headlee.
[01:18:55.11] JIM LEIJA: Yes, exactly.
[01:18:56.45] LINH SONG: So this is where it'll come up during our retreat. It's going to come up over and over again as what our approach to Headlee would be. Along with other municipalities, Headlee is limiting us.
[01:19:12.19] COLLEEN SHERMAN: So a difficult discussion of Headlee, but also that's why we wanted to make sure we gave a full 30 minutes tonight. And we still have next month to talk about this before we approve this budget, which is this is a big bite.
[01:19:26.09] JIM LEIJA: Yes.
[01:19:26.88] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Is it the right thing? Yes. And there are some caveats to this too, which is we still don't know what the revenue scale will be for this year.
[01:19:36.03] BILL COOPER: Exactly. I should have the tax information within the next couple of weeks from Washtenaw County and the other townships.
[01:19:45.26] JOSIE PARKER: So it could be less than we think. And then there's a different decision to make.
[01:19:49.80] JIM LEIJA: Some decisions to make, right.
[01:19:51.57] JOSIE PARKER: Or it could be more. I think the amount, it's fair to question. It's a lot. I think the number you're talking about is the total number of salaries and benefits for all the people involved. It's not just what that salary schedule by itself was recommending. But it's everything. And it's fair to point out for anybody looking at this, watching, or listening here, the library has been very generous for a very long time in terms of benefits. It puts 10% in a 403(b) for its full-time employees. I mean, that is a tremendous benefit. The library pays a lot in medical and dental for the staff. That is something else it's done for a very long time. So I want to make sure that we all understand that we're not talking just about the increase--
[01:20:46.89] JIM LEIJA: Increased salaries-- we're talking about the fringe.
[01:20:48.67] JOSIE PARKER: --we're talking about all of it. Right, all of it.
[01:20:49.83] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, of course. What do you typically-- just like offhand, what do you calculate as the fringe on top of salary, like 40%?
[01:20:58.90] BILL COOPER: 40%, yes.
[01:20:59.37] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, OK.
[01:21:01.38] COLLEEN SHERMAN: And Bill and I talked about the numbers a little bit on the 403(b), those new employees, what does that look like? And I think you estimated at $14,000?
[01:21:10.32] BILL COOPER: $16,430.
[01:21:10.98] COLLEEN SHERMAN: $16,000-- so adding those positions add that kind of cash. One question we asked of Josie, Eli, Bill last week was, OK, let's say the numbers come back much lower. Is it the minimum wage that you look at? Or is it the new staff positions? And the answer, I'll let Josie sort of elaborate.
[01:21:30.32] JOSIE PARKER: It's the new staff positions.
[01:21:31.47] JIM LEIJA: Yeah. I mean, that's your decision.
[01:21:34.14] JOSIE PARKER: Well, I mean, we look at what we need to make these new departments be as capable and as able as they can be with the work that they have. We created them knowing they weren't fully staffed, and we knew they would bringing staff numbers forward. I will say that everyone didn't get what they wanted. There were clear decisions that had to be made. But we were comfortable with the list you have plus the increase in the minimums across the salary, in terms of bringing people up to $12 who were below it, which is a lot of people.
[01:22:17.77] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I think it's hugely important, though, you know, like when you advertise for a library tech because I always see that and it gives me a pang because I was a library tech and so was Sherlonya before me. And when I see the salary not that much more than when I had it over 10 years ago, I think about how much more expensive it is to live in Ann Arbor than 10 years ago. To be humane, we are just going to have to pay this money. There's no other way around it, I think. But it does lead us to questions of our capacity going forward and how can we grow. Like as the community's tax base grows and where our income is declining, we have to figure out how it's going to affect us.
[01:22:58.21] LINH SONG: That's when we talk about an override.
[01:23:01.42] COLLEEN SHERMAN: We had talked in committee about Headlee as a discussion topic during the retreat this May. So I give that back to executive committee and the planning committee.
[01:23:11.97] LINH SONG: That'll be exciting.
[01:23:12.73] JOSIE PARKER: One thing I'd like to point out, and this is a comparison-- this isn't a justification for this recommendation-- but the library has historically used a lower percentage of its operational budget for staffing than other governmental units. So I want to make sure you know that we operate lean and efficiently. And we won't not. So this would put us at-- what did we say?
[01:23:45.46] BILL COOPER: Just under 55% of the total budget.
[01:23:48.43] JOSIE PARKER: Which is an incredibly low number for personnel in a institution that's a service institution primarily.
[01:23:56.25] DHARMA AKMON: So I'm glad you brought that up. I think that's really important.
[01:23:58.47] LINH SONG: Yes. I think public schools is over 90%. Is that right.
[01:24:00.91] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Really?
[01:24:02.13] LINH SONG: I'm pretty sure.
[01:24:02.67] JOSIE PARKER: It's close.
[01:24:04.15] LINH SONG: Yes.
[01:24:04.75] COLLEEN SHERMAN: I bet that's right.
[01:24:05.60] JOSIE PARKER: Yes, it's close. Yes.
[01:24:08.11] JIM LEIJA: I think one of the questions too is also just to imagine when you do this, you just like, it's very hard to backtrack from it when we hit a point in the future where we might need to.
[01:24:23.03] JOSIE PARKER: And it's fair. We've had this happen. When there was a downturn in the economy, and the library's revenue dropped precipitously, the library froze salaries for three years across the board. We stopped doing programs that were marginal in terms of attendance and support. We did not go into any new initiatives. We did not launch any new initiatives.
[01:24:52.58] That would have been in 2008. So Malletts Creek was open. Pittsfield was open. Traverwood was opening. And so we were dealing with what that looked like. That put off maintenance. That deferred maintenance in some major areas that we see now we've had to catch up to over the years. So hard choices. No one was laid off. But we did have a freeze. We didn't hire a lot of new positions in that period of time.
[01:25:26.18] So yes, it's not easy. It's not easy to do. And that was when we were able-- I mean, before Headlee had the impact on us it has now. So I brought up before Headlee as an issue. And this is another opportunity to say Headlee is an issue. And it's not only an issue for the public district libraries. It's an issue for all governmental units, municipalities, because it affects all of them.
[01:25:49.03] And I think we're not alone in wanting to see a legislative change regarding Headlee. But there are other options for us as well. Headlee can be overridden by a vote. There are caveats to that. But it can happen.
[01:26:09.13] JIM LEIJA: It essentially resets it. And then you're subject to--
[01:26:12.76] JOSIE PARKER: Our millage-- our 2.0 was in perpetuity. A Headlee change is not in perpetuity. You have to go back at a certain point in time and do that again. So it's not like you get a pass and you can do what you would have done 20 years ago. But the money is there now. I'm going to say this publicly. I think this library enjoys an amazingly healthy fund balance.
[01:26:39.19] JIM LEIJA: That is true.
[01:26:39.88] JOSIE PARKER: And to not take this minimum wage question up in light of that, in my opinion, is a difficult position to take and hold and maintain a staff with the morale that we have and with what we get done.
[01:26:56.65] JIM LEIJA: I agree with you. Josie.
[01:26:58.21] JOSIE PARKER: I know you do, Jim. I'm just saying it publicly because I get to.
[01:27:00.61] JIM LEIJA: Yeah. I don't there's a lot of disagreement there. And then the one thing that's a little hard to tease out for me is just understanding exactly each piece. I'm missing maybe like what is actually the dollar impact of making the change related to minimum wage increases versus new staff positions and casual positions, which is not quite teased out for me unless I'm missing something.
[01:27:26.17] COLLEEN SHERMAN: So that staffing report that we received last month, those numbers are broken down in there. And they're pretty good numbers. And Bill did a sheet that analyzes what that really is. So when we look at staffing increases for this year, for full-time regular employees, the number of increase we're seeing is really, according to budget, I want to say it's like 4%. It was really small.
[01:27:52.15] JIM LEIJA: I guess I'm just trying to understand in the aggregate, like of the $2 million--
[01:27:55.63] BILL COOPER: The additional positions adds about $250k.
[01:27:58.48] JIM LEIJA: Thank you.
[01:28:00.13] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yeah, 250 is the additional positions.
[01:28:04.05] JIM LEIJA: And that's salary only?
[01:28:06.99] BILL COOPER: That's salary only.
[01:28:08.03] JIM LEIJA: So $250k plus 40%.
[01:28:11.74] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Raising our minimum to $12 was--
[01:28:14.50] BILL COOPER: Well, not all, because it depends whether it's a casual or full-time position.
[01:28:18.43] JIM LEIJA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. OK.
[01:28:24.12] LINH SONG: Victoria, did you want to jump in?
[01:28:25.54] VICTORIA GREEN: Thank you, Linh. So I do have a little bit of just sort of a knee jerk of it's a high percentage increase. But I want to point out, this is a balanced budget. This is not raiding the future in some way. I mean it is a balanced budget. With the funds that we have in hand, we have an obligation to have a balanced budget, and we meet that obligation with the plan that Josie and the staff have put together.
[01:28:49.41] COLLEEN SHERMAN: The three audit firms we met with. I will let Dharma and Victoria-- they addressed our budget and our numbers. And all three firms said, we don't uh-- this is amazing. Like when we said, OK, what what's different about us? Why would you want to work with us? It was your numbers are so incredibly solid. We never see anything like this.
[01:29:10.68] DHARMA AKMON: Yeah, the financial help was commented on multiple times.
[01:29:13.53] VICTORIA GREEN: Because the voters really value the Ann Arbor Library. We're very fortunate, the whole community is. I mean, not just us as a board, but because then the service that we're able to provide to people-- not we, you all.
[01:29:24.45] LINH SONG: Right. I think that really brings us back to-- I mean, when I look at these roles here, and I think about us bringing the staff up to $12 an hour, it really gets to the idea that the library is really the staff. So I'm sure these positions didn't come out of nowhere. And it's early to build capacity. Our events are dynamite. I mean, if we're getting almost 3,000 people at a single event on a single day but expecting the same number of staff to do additional work way beyond their normal activities-- I feel like it's a magician's workshop or something. You know, suddenly we have an auditorium, a lobbytorium, and then it's back to holding collections. For all those pieces to come together requires more capacity. And capacity is people.
[01:30:23.41] BILL COOPER: Right.
[01:30:24.09] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: It also speaks to the library's, I think, probably unlike any other library in the country, like their policy of encouraging anyone in any staff position to propose and to run events. I think that the flip side of that is that you want to make sure that all people are compensated in a way that makes that a fair situation for them. I think it's one of the coolest things you do. But I do think this change is an important element of that.
[01:30:55.82] LINH SONG: Yeah, we should. I mean, if we're going to expect innovative work or programs, like the Bob Ross painting, if we just stick with paying the minimum that we can, I don't think we're that kind of board. I don't think we're that kind of library. Great. Any additional questions for Bill? We actually--
[01:31:18.80] JIM LEIJA: He has more.
[01:31:19.74] LINH SONG: You have more?
[01:31:20.42] BILL COOPER: Yeah, I was just going to briefly talk about the capital outlay.
[01:31:23.94] LINH SONG: Yes. OK, thank you. So Len has provided the projects that he would like to work on. And we have incorporated those projects into the budget. It's the last item on page 31. So we are looking at replacing the second floor carpet, the dropbox relocation, youth restrooms renovation, a parking lot resurfacing, a third-floor staff remodel, and additional furniture. So those are the items that he was asking to have included, and we put those in the budget.
[01:31:58.29] JIM LEIJA: Where is the dropbox going?
[01:32:01.42] JOSIE PARKER: So the dropbox currently is on the corner of the library, at 5th and William. And with the new protected bike lanes--
[01:32:10.83] JIM LEIJA: Oh, yeah.
[01:32:11.42] JOSIE PARKER: --there will be no parking over here. So the dropbox is moving to the center of in between the two sets of doors, in the middle of the front door--
[01:32:20.94] LINH SONG: OK.
[01:32:21.39] JOSIE PARKER: --because when people come up to the library, and we're not open, that's where they can drop their book and not wonder where do I go drop my book. And so that's being fabricated. And it'll be glass and protected in that space.
[01:32:36.51] JIM LEIJA: At the front entrance?
[01:32:37.71] JOSIE PARKER: At the very front entrance because there's pull-in parking now from Library Lane that's safe. And there's also parking spaces out front people can pull into and walk up and drop off from the driver's side, as well as the Library Lane.
[01:32:51.74] It's safe. We used to have those dropboxes on the front porch, years and years and years ago. And people would stop in traffic to do it because there was nowhere to do that. So when Library Lane went in, that helped it a lot. Plus the city, the DDA, worked with us to get two short-term parking spaces over here to allow for that. So we're confident now with the way Library Lane's configured people have that. So they can come up on the porch, undercover, in weather and drop off books-- materials, excuse me, all materials.
[01:33:23.49] LINH SONG: What's the furniture. Is the furniture like for staff? Are they getting stand-up desks or something exciting?
[01:33:29.79] BILL COOPER: We just had furniture listed. I don't--
[01:33:33.27] JOSIE PARKER: It's probably a combination. So just a number where when something breaks, or we need something new, he's got that in there. He may have had something in mind. He had to leave. So he's not here to answer that question.
[01:33:44.56] JIM LEIJA: It looks like a good mix of both public facing and staff areas as well.
[01:33:51.84] JOSIE PARKER: It's all public except the third floor.
[01:33:54.03] JIM LEIJA: For the third floor, right?
[01:33:55.56] VICTORIA GREEN: And I don't know that anyone here will know the answer to this. But I was struck by $75,000 for a small parking lot here. Now Westgate, we'd never have to pay for it.
[01:34:04.14] JOSIE PARKER: Well, we don't own Westgate.
[01:34:05.24] VICTORIA GREEN: Right. But the other larger parking lots at our other branches, would they be much more expensive?
[01:34:10.62] JOSIE PARKER: They're much newer. This one has to come all the way up, all the way.
[01:34:14.96] BILL COOPER: It's in bad shape.
[01:34:15.90] JOSIE PARKER: It's in really bad shape.
[01:34:16.41] VICTORIA GREEN: It's equivalent of three layers a roof kind of on it.
[01:34:18.71] JOSIE PARKER: Or more, yeah, in really bad shape. So it all has to come up. And we need to do some grading, because of the way the water moves out there, and then put it-- it's like new. So that price is actually-- Len's happy. We're happy about that price.
[01:34:33.84] VICTORIA GREEN: Are we making any changes or merely returning it to--
[01:34:36.72] JOSIE PARKER: There will be a concrete apron for the dumpsters, which will make it a lot easier on that part of the parking lot. We may do some grade changes to keep the hill, if they bring that hill down, so there's not as much of a grade out there.
[01:34:52.16] LINH SONG: Yeah, that's good.
[01:34:53.25] JOSIE PARKER: Right now I think that's as far as we've gotten. It won't be bigger.
[01:34:56.13] [LAUGHTER]
[01:34:57.74] It won't be bigger. There will be a way for someone in a wheelchair or Amigo-type device to get from the parking lot up to the sidewalk to come in the back. But because we need that for staff, but we also need it for sometimes we have people who lead programming who need that, and Library Lane's an option, but the back parking lot is not.
[01:35:23.87] VICTORIA GREEN: That makes sense.
[01:35:25.70] JIM LEIJA: There's a little bit of an increase in library programming. I'm just curious to know what the thinking is there? Purely out of curiosity.
[01:35:39.21] JOSIE PARKER: We're involved in some very good partnerships, one we talked about earlier this evening, where the library's financial contribution to that is much more than what we would normally spend on other programming. So in order to continue to do that and to expand, we needed to consider what that programming budget looked like.
[01:35:58.10] JIM LEIJA: Great.
[01:35:58.31] JOSIE PARKER: And so that's a part of it, plus other programming in the system that we wanted to expand and do more programming. But a lot of it is the expense of some of the partnership programming.
[01:36:11.65] JIM LEIJA: Cool. Is there anything that needs to be built in, in the way of addressing any kind of early action items in the strategic plan which will come in January, and there'll be four or five months left?
[01:36:29.40] JOSIE PARKER: The consulting budget's part of the administration budget. And so I thought about that when I worked on the number with Bill. And I think that I'm comfortable that it's adequate to get us started, depending upon which way we go.
[01:36:44.13] JIM LEIJA: I guess I was thinking a little bit more like startup funds for some kind of new initiatives that might result. You don't know?
[01:36:51.66] JOSIE PARKER: We don't know. And I think what I'd say to you then is to do a budget amendment and bring it out of the fund balance.
[01:36:56.99] JIM LEIJA: The balance sheet, yeah. OK, great. Thank you.
[01:37:01.68] LINH SONG: Great. Do we have any additional questions?
[01:37:07.02] VICTORIA GREEN: Just a clarification-- so we're looking at the budget now, and more voting on it next month, correct?
[01:37:11.16] JOSIE PARKER: We'll vote on it in May at a budget hearing. And so we'll know the actual numbers by that meeting.
[01:37:21.28] JIM LEIJA: Yes, great.

[01:37:23.76] LINH SONG: OK. Well, thank you, everyone. Thank you, Bill. That was rigorous. That was nice. Thank you. Moving on-- space use agreement.
[01:37:36.10] JOSIE PARKER: Want me to introduce that?
[01:37:38.11] LINH SONG: Yes, would you like to?
[01:37:39.19] JOSIE PARKER: So every year, the library reviews and enters into a space use agreement with the Friends of the Library for the two spaces they use in the building, the bookshop on the first floor and the space in the downstairs where they currently sort materials. So this space use agreement and languages is unchanged. What did change is the space in the basement that they have available to them from the library. It's flipped from where they are now.
[01:38:14.68] They're currently next to this space, into the secret lab. And since the Library for the Blind has been moved to the State Library by actions the State Library has made, that space opened. So the Friends are moving to the east. And the space next to the secret lab will be used by the staff for storing equipment and things we need for the secret lab. Right now, a lot of it's down a hallway. So we're trying to pull that out of the staff hallway and use that.
[01:38:46.18] The space available to the Friends is a little smaller downstairs than what they're currently utilizing. But I've talked with him about that. And they've known this for a while. So they've started to adjust in how they're doing that. We will help them move that. We will help them. We've offered shelving to them, as well, that we have available.
[01:39:10.43] And so Rachel [INAUDIBLE], who's the bookshop manager, will work directly with Len on making sure all that happens. She was here earlier. I don't see her now.
[01:39:20.26] But I went to the Friends board meeting on Wednesday. I gave them the same document you have with the drawings of space and asked for questions. For the first time in my time here, the public library has had to rent storage space. So we have two storage lockers that we need for storage because we don't have enough for what we do now. And I let them know that if they felt it was necessary for them to do the same, if they used a storage locker in the same place, that we would help them with transmutation of materials back and forth, that we could do that for them. And so that was something I could help them with this decision.
[01:40:06.88] So they know that you're talking about it this evening. And they know that you vote on it in May and then the president signs it, and it's an annual agreement. This was drawn up a number of years ago to define the space use and their responsibilities and ours. Since this was done, there has been quite a lot of activity about the use of public libraries and their spaces by groups.
[01:40:36.79] And this is another reason why I wanted the room use the room use agreement dealt with. If a public library has a unit using its space without an agreement, then anybody can use its space without an agreement. So that is why we have an agreement with the group, the only group, that uses our space in this way. And so that's why it exists.
[01:41:04.63] JIM LEIJA: Josie, how are they doing with their financials?
[01:41:08.41] JOSIE PARKER: They're doing very well. We received recently $50,000 of what they intend to give of the $100,000 for the library. I see their financials. They have hired an outside bookkeeper now to do all of their financial work. They still have a treasurer on their board who brings that back and forth to the board. But there is a bookkeeper now working with them outside who's doing their documentation and their tax support, all their filings.
[01:41:37.09] JIM LEIJA: Great.
[01:41:37.51] JOSIE PARKER: So that's happening, which is very healthy for them. And so they're making money. Sales are fine. The Westgate library sales and the Downtown sales are very high in their bookshop sales-- I mean, higher than they've ever been in my time here. So they talked about that and what that means.
[01:41:58.51] LINH SONG: We updated-- or we painted the bookshop, right?
[01:42:03.16] JOSIE PARKER: It was painted and new carpet.
[01:42:04.87] LINH SONG: New carpet, OK.
[01:42:06.01] JOSIE PARKER: And we helped them with all the moving out and the back and everything. The facilities upkeep, including clean, cleaning, is our responsibility in this contract. It's not theirs. It's ours.

[01:42:25.06] LINH SONG: Great. Thank you, Josie. So that will be up for a vote next month. Moving on-- proposed revised five point rules of behavior policy.
[01:42:37.06] JIM LEIJA: I would move to adopt the resolution to adopt revisions to the rules of the behavior policy.
[01:42:44.05] LINH SONG: Was it an item of action or are we just--
[01:42:45.82] JIM LEIJA: I thought it was a-- oh, we're just discussing it.
[01:42:50.26] LINH SONG: Right.
[01:42:50.63] JIM LEIJA: We're not actually voting. Great. Well then, I revoke that.
[01:42:55.82] [CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT ON PA]
[01:42:57.95]
[01:43:08.06] JOSIE PARKER: I just have to say that in the movie, The Public, the one time in the whole movie where I almost lost it and my husband was elbowing me, telling me I was going to leave if I couldn't shut up, was when the library in Cincinnati did that at closing. And it just hit my funny bone. It's exactly the same everywhere. And he was like-- shh, like this. It was very hard not to laugh out loud.
[01:43:30.56] [LAUGHTER]
[01:43:32.01] JIM LEIJA: So my mistake. I got trigger happy with reading motions tonight.
[01:43:34.99] LINH SONG: That's OK. You can be ready next month then.
[01:43:37.15] JIM LEIJA: We are only discussing.
[01:43:38.40] LINH SONG: Yes.
[01:43:40.21] JIM LEIJA: This policy was also a topic of discussion in the executive committee meeting as well. And I wonder if-- Josie, do you want to talk about the changes?
[01:43:50.90] JOSIE PARKER: Sure. You can see what we have added and what we've struck. There's one strike, and that is six, second offense-- number six on page 35 prohibits foods in the library except in designated areas. We're bringing this to you for very different reasons. But I took the opportunity to look at the whole policy. We need to take that out because Westgate is a library and we are allowing food everywhere in Westgate.
[01:44:23.26] The fact of the matter is we don't have a lot of abuse of this. And when people do bring in food, for the most part, they are very respectful about space. We've learned in all those branches where we've had vending areas, people do bus their tables. They take care of things. When there is a situation, it's rare and we can clean up rather than police about food. We're not going to do that.
[01:44:50.11] We added non-alcoholic beverages in covered containers are permissible throughout the system. So that's in there. The priority on this was to make it clear that persons who are trespassed or who lose their privileges for any duration, according to the rules stated in the list above may appeal to the library director and will be given the director's contact information immediately upon notification of revocation of library privileges.
[01:45:21.40] Currently what happens is most people will ask, who do I talk to? And they're told the library director, and they're given my card. But it's not a policy that they're given my card. It's not a policy that they're told, you have the right to appeal, and this is who you appeal to. Further in the policy, you see that people who are trespassed, or whose privileges are revoked for 30 days or longer, have an appeal with you. And that has happened in the past.
[01:45:49.96] What we are doing is for those persons who are-- and we added the word trespassed. We, the library itself, cannot trespass. The Ann Arbor Police Department can trespass. And that is why that word was not in the policy. But we do have trespass issued. We do request trespass.
[01:46:13.34] And the Ann Arbor Police Department comes. They meet with the individual, or they intervene. And they actually determine if a trespass is warranted or not. And then the person is given a copy in that moment, and we're given a copy. That's how trespass is.
[01:46:28.94] For the other individuals who lose privileges, I am able to say, if it's someone who's drunk and disorderly in the day, and they're cooperating, we can say to them, you need to move along for the day-- you're out for the day. Honestly, that happens most days. So that person needs to be given the information, you may appeal.
[01:46:54.43] In the week, and the warning out for the day, the one week loss of privileges, I generally decide that because of circumstances. Those individuals also will be told, this is how you may appeal. And one month, if we revoke the privileges, they can still appeal to me. But they can also appeal to you anything above.
[01:47:19.60] I think it's important to say here that many people appeal to me for all sorts of, for all the reasons that you could be asked the library. People call me, or they ask to come and see me. And I always talk to them. Sometimes, I'll shorten things up so that it's not as long depending upon circumstances. If they have an advocate from Dawn Farm or someone else who's working with them, and they come with them and we talk through their situation, we might shorten a 12-month trespass to six. But it's a discretionary thing, and it's based on the circumstances.
[01:48:04.69] LINH SONG: And this is posted on the website?
[01:48:06.38] JOSIE PARKER: It is. All the policies are posted on the website. They're also available in all the locations in print, the rules of behavior. So this is pretty much what you see marked up in yellow.
[01:48:23.75] LINH SONG: Good. I just wanted to thank trustee Kerene on her input on this and just kind of walking us through the kind of language that would really help folks understand what is happening. When things happen at the library, it's not evaluated in an arbitrary manner, that these policies exist, and that there are ways to come back. Good. Any thoughts on this?
[01:48:59.51] VICTORIA GREEN: I have a couple questions. Loitering-- it says, loitering is prohibited in areas posted as no loitering. Where do we have that posted?
[01:49:09.10] JOSIE PARKER: At the time, there are no signs now that say no loitering. We did have signs up on porches that said it for a long time. And we took them down because people stood on the steps of the library and wait for the bus, or they wait for their friends, or they wait for the bus to the airport. So loitering now is disorderly conduct on the premises, whatever that might be, if it's outside the library.
[01:49:35.65] VICTORIA GREEN: Right. I mean, all the other things that are prohibitions include our outdoor spaces and our indoor species.
[01:49:40.12] JOSIE PARKER: Correct. Yes, correct.
[01:49:44.40] VICTORIA GREEN: I have one slightly nitpicky kind of comment about the smoking. Number two says it prohibits smoking. But we just revised our smoke-free policy to include things that are sort of tobacco use that aren't smoking, per se. I wonder if we can word that to be prohibits-- basically you have to conform with the non-smoking policy wherever it says.
[01:50:05.98] JOSIE PARKER: Well, we could do that. But I looked at this with the attorneys about this, and the no smoking policy was the overarching policy. The rules support the no smoking policy. So you can be more specific here if you want to.
[01:50:21.92] JIM LEIJA: But the lawyers say there's not a reason to do that?
[01:50:24.48] JOSIE PARKER: Mm-mm.
[01:50:25.10] VICTORIA GREEN: I think my point about this is that I think you could argue that e-cigarettes aren't smoking or vaping isn't smoking, but it's prohibited in a policy that isn't then mentioned in the behavioral rules.
[01:50:39.28] JOSIE PARKER: Then we can add a reference to it.
[01:50:41.26] VICTORIA GREEN: Yeah, so they're just very clear that it's the same thing, whether you're smoking or chewing tobacco inside the library.
[01:50:46.61] JOSIE PARKER: Or rolling tobacco.
[01:50:49.27] JIM LEIJA: I don't know if you discussed this before. But when we started discussing this policy in executive committee, I think we also looked at a current list of people who are trespassed essentially. So if that's something that you want more information on, I would encourage you to talk to Josie about it.
[01:51:10.01] LINH SONG: Well, it's not the list of people-- a sense of what, why?
[01:51:14.54] JIM LEIJA: What the scope of the policy is really.
[01:51:16.48] JOSIE PARKER: I think what I would say to that is I can't violate people's--
[01:51:20.32] JIM LEIJA: Privacy.
[01:51:20.65] JOSIE PARKER: --privacy. So I'm not going to be doing a list.
[01:51:24.31] JIM LEIJA: Share, yeah. But I think was a question about the scope of it.
[01:51:28.21] JOSIE PARKER: But what I can do-- It was about over a period of time the number of trespasses and for the offenses. And I shared that.
[01:51:36.46] I think that I can say to you that it can be seasonal sometimes. It's about the numbers of people in the building sometimes. Alcohol intoxication is huge when it's cold outside. And we're very, very careful not to put people who are not able to walk around out in the cold. So we work with the local police and the social services in the county and in the city about helping people get care they need.
[01:52:13.17] There are places you can be in the winter in Ann Arbor during the day in shelter if your inebriated. This is not one of them. But there are places. So we work with them to help them get people there. Public drunk and disorderly, fighting, openly possession of alcohol in the library, smoking in the library, possessing rolling tobacco in the bathrooms, fighting, being aggressive with staff.
[01:52:51.03] I think it's important to say--
[01:52:52.29] [CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT ON PA]
[01:52:57.50] --we deal daily with aggression at the public desks, which is another reason why I think this salary increase is earned and timely. The kinds of things that people deal with across desks, it's very difficult-- the training that we put into that so that people feel comfortable enough to manage it and can help manage it.
[01:53:21.81] You know, when somebody walks up to you, and you're on the desk at Westgate, and they pull out a knife with a blade that long and say to you that they really like the tattoo on your arm, you know, I might want to just take it. That's not a person you fool around with, right? And that happened in the last couple months. And the individual who committed that became irate and angry with us for taking it out of context and making a big deal about it.
[01:53:56.23] And I'm using this as an example because I think it's important that you hear this. That person was someone who's been with us for a while. And he knew what to do. He knew how to deal with it and did a great job. That aggression that we see on a daily basis is something that that person is trespassed for a year. That's done.
[01:54:22.15] Those are the types of things. I mean, we try to be as welcoming and inclusive and keep as many people in here for as long as they want to be in here all the time. But these are those boundaries.
[01:54:32.80] So it's hard to get kicked out of the library, from the sense that you've got to do something really egregious. But sadly, it happens. And it happens more than we want to admit that it happens because it's our library, and we love libraries, and it's just hard to talk about. But it's important to talk about. It happens.
[01:54:52.84] LINH SONG: We have to keep--
[01:54:54.04] JOSIE PARKER: People safe.
[01:54:55.11] LINH SONG: Yes.
[01:54:55.24] JOSIE PARKER: All the other people who come in and out of here, all ages, using the library in whatever way they want to, they need us to make sure they can do that safely.
[01:55:03.31] LINH SONG: And our staff.
[01:55:04.42] JOSIE PARKER: And we do it. That's what we try to do.
[01:55:06.75] COLLEEN SHERMAN: A couple of questions I have that you might not have answers to right away. So when Jim said, you were able to look at maybe numbers. That's interesting to me because you said, I think, almost every day somebody might lose their privileges?
[01:55:21.64] JOSIE PARKER: For the day.
[01:55:22.51] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Oh, for the day.
[01:55:23.37] JIM LEIJA: It's a daily
[01:55:24.30] JOSIE PARKER: Not trespassed for a year, no, for the day.
[01:55:27.49] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Understanding what the scope is would be interesting, just from the standpoint of this is new information for me.
[01:55:35.87] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, and I think the point that I was sort of interested in making is just that I think the policy is used very carefully. Because even when we were sort of talking about the scope, the most extreme kinds of trespass are relatively rare.
[01:55:55.97] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yeah.
[01:55:57.26] JIM LEIJA: And the policy is used very, very carefully. And the conversation has to do with just thinking about the policy being applied equitably. You know, I have a lot of confidence that that is the case after having gone through talking about the policy and sort of thinking about the scope and that it is, as Josie was saying, incredibly important to be able to enforce the policy, given the concerns about safety, especially on the front lines.
[01:56:27.01] LINH SONG: But then also that the people who are trespassed understand our rationales and what's happening to them.
[01:56:33.95] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, kind of have due process in the relationship.
[01:56:36.96] JOSIE PARKER: And I'll give you an example of something that we do. When a person is trespassed from the library, and they're clearly intoxicated or under the influence of something, they get the trespass notice. The police give it to them. They're not necessarily going to jail. It's a trespass notice.
[01:56:51.50] So it's in their pocket. And they don't remember all that happened. And they come back. And the library does not lower the boom on them for that. And the law would let it. But it doesn't. The staff recognize them. They remind them, you're trespassed. It's for this amount of time. It's all locations. Because that happens too-- people get confused and think because they were trespassed from Westgate they're not trespassed from Downtown and that sort of thing.
[01:57:20.94] So we talk through that. And then I will say 99% of the people who hear that go, beg your pardon, really sorry, I didn't remember. And we don't get trouble. Now, there is that person who becomes confrontational and difficult, and the police have to come back. But that's not the common, just to help you out.
[01:57:42.68] [CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT ON PA]
[01:57:47.92] LINH SONG: We're trapped.
[01:57:48.52] JOSIE PARKER: So in terms of numbers, we document, and we have documentation of how many trespasses and for what over a long period of time. So we provided those numbers at request to the executive committee where we were discussing these policies, which is where this is going to be discussed, to show that there's no trend toward any sort of targeting or unfairness. And also to show exactly what people did to be trespassed so that we can see it has to be really egregious behavior.
[01:58:27.94] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Is it difficult for you to figure out how to enforce, apply, police the policy? So if you're trespassed at Malletts, how does Westgate know that you're not allowed to come in?
[01:58:38.98] JOSIE PARKER: We send a security alert to everyone. It does not have a physical. We do not do photographs. We are not able to do that. But we have physical description. Also, across the system, if somebody swipes their card to get on a computer, there's an alert. If they're trespassed we get an alert. So then we know immediately. Also, we have security working shifts in all the locations. And they know what people look like.
[01:59:04.91] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Good.
[01:59:05.37] LINH SONG: Victoria, you wanted to add something.
[01:59:06.19] VICTORIA GREEN: Yeah, I have one question about library privileges. So when people's privileges are revoked, they're prohibited from entering the building or using the library. Does that extend to digital use? Do we do anything with their card.
[01:59:16.87] JOSIE PARKER: No.
[01:59:17.53] VICTORIA GREEN: So anyone can continue to check out e-books. They can't come and pick up a hold presumably.
[01:59:22.03] JOSIE PARKER: That's right.
[01:59:22.42] VICTORIA GREEN: But they can use any kind of electronic resources we have available.
[01:59:25.97] JOSIE PARKER: Right.
[01:59:26.41] VICTORIA GREEN: Which seems appropriate because there's no--
[01:59:28.72] JOSIE PARKER: It's about behavior in the library. If someone were doing something illegal within the context of their cards or on our website, that would be totally different.
[01:59:39.16] VICTORIA GREEN: That's not this policy.
[01:59:40.03] JOSIE PARKER: That's not. This is different.
[01:59:42.43] S. KERENE MOORE: I just wanted to clarify. We went over the incidents where people are actually trespassed from the library. That means they engaged in some severe type of behavior that was really inappropriate. And in all of those cases, police had to be called to actually help issue the trespass. We didn't review any of the early offenses where a trespass wouldn't actually be necessary, where they may have been asked to leave for a day or a week or something along those lines. I just want to clarify, we don't, didn't review that?
[02:00:19.16] JOSIE PARKER: Right. Right.
[02:00:21.48] S. KERENE MOORE: And that was actually why I wanted to amend the policy was because I wasn't sure those people were aware or were always given notice of their ability to appeal so that they could actually do that, maybe have a conversation about their behavior and understand why they were asked to leave.
[02:00:38.78] LINH SONG: They actually have it printed out and handed it to them. Because what we had, I think--
[02:00:42.85] [INTERPOSING VOICES]
[02:00:43.85] JOSIE PARKER: They're given my information. What they do with it-- or sometimes they wave it away-- no interest, thank you very much. I don't want anything to do with that. And then others take it. But who knows? Now, if this policy's adopted, we'll have something that states it very clearly in the event that someone's asked to leave for whatever amount of time with how to contact me right away. They may decline it. But they'll have it.
[02:01:11.26] S. KERENE MOORE: All right. And so in their conversations with you, do you advise them of their right to appeal to the board subsequently?
[02:01:19.19] JOSIE PARKER: Yeah. If they're not satisfied with what my decision is, they always have the right to appeal to you. The policy absolutely states if a person, for a certain period of time, can appeal to you without appealing to me. But, absolutely.
[02:01:32.84] DHARMA AKMON: How would that happen with a day? If they're banned for the day, how would we come into play in that?
[02:01:39.20] JOSIE PARKER: They could, if they felt like we were targeting them, or they were being treated unfairly, or if there's somebody who comes in and over a month is asked to leave for the day four or five times because they're drunk, but they're not disorderly and they move along when we ask him to, we're not going to trespass them. They may feel that it's inappropriate for us to ask them to leave at all. And if they don't accept me saying to them yes, it is appropriate for us to ask you to leave, they might come to you and say, I'm being bothered by the library staff.
[02:02:14.57] VICTORIA GREEN: I have two more small points, sorry. I feel like all my points are small, but they're still important.
[02:02:18.38] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: No.
[02:02:19.64] VICTORIA GREEN: On the new paragraph 11, the bit about service animals. I wonder if our language can be cleaned up a little bit. I think we're more likely to say person with a disability these days. And handicapped is a term that we are no longer using in general.
[02:02:36.11] JOSIE PARKER: Actually, this language is about ADA, because if you broaden this up, everybody with a dog will be in the library because everybody has a reason to have a dog in the library, and that's a dangerous thing.
[02:02:50.15] VICTORIA GREEN: So I totally get that. My only point is that the general term I see referred to, instead of the handicapped, would be person with a disability. I would defer to you, if you feel strongly that this is in line with current terminology. I mean, I agree with you in that, I love my dog, but she shouldn't be in the library.
[02:03:14.40] JOSIE PARKER: Or your bird or your cat.
[02:03:16.56] VICTORIA GREEN: Or your snake or your peacock.
[02:03:19.20] JOSIE PARKER: Or your donkey. But I will say to you, I will circle it, and I will go back and--
[02:03:25.21] VICTORIA GREEN: Think about whether there's a different language we could use there that would still get out your intent, because I think we agree in the approach here.
[02:03:32.76] JOSIE PARKER: Yes.
[02:03:33.03] VICTORIA GREEN: My only other thing. And I don't this has to be addressed in the language in any way, but when I think about people appealing to this board, which has not happened in my time on the board, the process here seems right. You come to one of our regular meetings. But if it ever happened that someone said, you know, I can't make it to that meeting, as a board, I think we would want to make it possible for the person to appeal to us, even if it meant we had to do something like have an extra meeting.
[02:04:01.08] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Well they do have our contact information. So when I was serving in the president role, people would sometimes call because our phone number is in--
[02:04:11.48] LINH SONG: Oh, I haven't gotten any
[02:04:11.58] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Maybe that will happen to you.
[02:04:14.54] Or occasionally send an email directly because they can look that up, or having letters to my house.
[02:04:21.74] JOSIE PARKER: And they have 60 days.
[02:04:23.85] VICTORIA GREEN: I was literally thinking, someone's like, I work the night shift. I can't make it to it. We have a requirement that they appear in person. And if we heard that that was a burden for anyone, I think our recourse is we can have a special meeting. And I would certainly not want--
[02:04:36.99] LINH SONG: We can be open to that, yeah.
[02:04:38.28] VICTORIA GREEN: --prevent someone from appealing.
[02:04:41.76] LINH SONG: It would make for a very exciting meeting.
[02:04:45.57] JIM LEIJA: I just want a second. I need to understand this question about using the word handicapped because I don't know if that's something that the lawyer is recommending because it should really-- I mean, it is the Americans with Disabilities Act. And I think that using people first language is very important. And if it's not a legal issue, Josie, we do need to make that change.
[02:05:12.72] JOSIE PARKER: OK.
[02:05:13.63] LINH SONG: Great.
[02:05:16.36] S. KERENE MOORE: So the other thing I proposed that didn't necessarily make it in here was that the board be able to review statistical information on an annual basis at minimum regarding removals from the library. You didn't need to include the confidential information, but that was something that I thought would be helpful for us so that we have an idea of access.
[02:05:39.24] DHARMA AKMON: So it didn't need to be part of the policy for you to get that information.
[02:05:43.37] S. KERENE MOORE: It doesn't necessarily need to be part of the actual policy. But I don't know if anyone else was interested in that and being able to review that data. It would be something that they'd have to prepare for us.
[02:05:57.91] VICTORIA GREEN: Do you see that in the public meeting or more at the executive committee level?
[02:06:01.84] S. KERENE MOORE: Well, it could be either, or. But it's more of a question whether you guys want that as well. That was something I was interested in, but I don't know whether that's something other board numbers see as valuable, as being able to review that on an annual basis so that we see the numbers, the trends the types of behavior that resulted in removals-- you know, Malletts versus Westgate versus Downtown.
[02:06:25.99] LINH SONG: Or event-related, seasonal.
[02:06:28.84] VICTORIA GREEN: It seems like a good idea to me.
[02:06:30.25] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, I think you bring a new perspective for us because of the work that you do that the rest of us don't have. So even if we wouldn't see the need before you mentioned it, I think that's like your presence on the board. I think that even if none of the rest of us want it, you should ask for it, and we should do it, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
[02:06:55.24] VICTORIA GREEN: I'm grateful that you're bringing cohesion to it.
[02:06:56.91] S. KERENE MOORE: Right. But we should talk about things we talked about. Talking about things and not doing them is--
[02:07:01.98] [INTERPOSING VOICES]
[02:07:03.85] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I'm glad you raised it like this.
[02:07:05.20] JIM LEIJA: Whether or not you would want to write it into the policy, which would actually be totally appropriate, or whether or not we want to take that on as a matter of just tradition and practice, like an annual or biannual basis or something.
[02:07:17.11] LINH SONG: We'll just have Josie have that on hand on an annual basis. And we can just individually contact her for that information too. I just want to be really careful about people's profiles and identities. So that's my major concern.
[02:07:33.53] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, it does seem like an executive committee level discussion. I would hate for it to feel like something even-- it's probably a really humiliating thing or embarrassing thing--
[02:07:45.56] S. KERENE MOORE: Yeah, exactly.
[02:07:45.84] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: --to be trespassed. I read your intent as being protective of the community.
[02:07:54.04] S. KERENE MOORE: Right, that would be my intent.
[02:07:55.63] JOSIE PARKER: Well, I wouldn't present a list to you with names.
[02:07:59.27] LINH SONG: Right, right.
[02:07:59.61] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Right.
[02:07:59.82] JIM LEIJA: No.
[02:08:00.61] S. KERENE MOORE: I wouldn't want to see it, necessarily the confidential information. I would want to see statistical information. And I mean if we're not collecting it in a spreadsheet somewhere, I would like for us to start collecting it in a spreadsheet somewhere because on some level, I don't know unless someone's provided a more detailed report to me, which is really hard to get, by the way, you know, from the police department.
[02:08:31.38] COLLEEN SHERMAN: As we started this conversation, it came to me very quickly how little I knew on this topic in terms of what the issue really is. So when we get our packets every month, we get stats on door counts, for instance, or number of checkouts. The amount of data we can look at every month is really critical. And it can inform policy decision. So the type of data you're talking about, I'm always hesitant to give an organization one more thing to do.
[02:09:00.37] S. KERENE MOORE: Right.
[02:09:00.82] COLLEEN SHERMAN: And if we say, OK, we're going to look at this once a year, and we don't put it in the policy, how do we prepare that for success? I don't know. Since we're not voting on the policy tonight, I don't think we need to have an answer tonight. I want the data because I think it will help us as we shift policy and think about things like, OK, oh, what kind of incidents are Downtown versus what happens out at Malletts Creek. That might help us think about when we go to the budget-- OK, we're increasing security at Downtown for XYZ reasons.
[02:09:39.12] LINH SONG: Or do our rules really work? Are we communicating well enough for people to feel free to come and approach us if they'd like their access back? So I think that's what we also have to think about is not that there are these dangers that we're unaware of. It's more what I felt like this was going towards was, do people really understand what's happening to them. And do they feel like they have access, true access, either beyond just Josie's card and beyond even if it's just listing our email address. There's got to be a way for them to even-- do you understand what's happening to you? Can you repeat back what's happening to you? I think it's a--
[02:10:26.57] JOSIE PARKER: Oh, you're not going to get that.
[02:10:27.70] LINH SONG: Well, but you know, we can try. I feel like it's worth trying, right? Because otherwise when you're in the moment, it might feel really arbitrary, even when we do have rules and expectations of behavior in the library.
[02:10:45.12] All right. Any other thoughts on this? We'll discuss again before voting next month. Good. Thank you.

[02:10:52.06] All right, moving on. So we didn't have a closed session tonight. But we'd like to have that for next month
[02:11:05.92] JIM LEIJA: I would move for a closed session at the May 20, 2019 regular board meeting for the director's evaluation.
[02:11:14.87] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Second.
[02:11:17.80] LINH SONG: Discussion.
[02:11:23.14] JIM LEIJA: We usually do an hour for this. And I'd like to ask if we can have a little bit more time this year, just to give us some breathing room to incorporate our new--
[02:11:35.95] LINH SONG: Our new process.
[02:11:36.94] JIM LEIJA: --new board members into the process.
[02:11:40.62] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I do remember it felt rushed last year, and I had to run back down here.
[02:11:43.64] JIM LEIJA: I'm sort of thinking of Josie. And I don't want to give you the short end of the stick. And we don't have to use an hour and a half. But if we need an hour and a half, we have it.
[02:11:51.07] JOSIE PARKER: There's no reason why you can't do 5:30.
[02:11:53.24] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah. And then there's a break if we end early. It seems fine.
[02:11:56.48] LINH SONG: Great.
[02:11:56.89] JOSIE PARKER: We will feed you.
[02:11:58.96] JIM LEIJA: Thank you.
[02:12:00.87] JOSIE PARKER: Closed sessions, we generally do.
[02:12:02.41] DHARMA AKMON: So we're saying that we're going to start at 5:30?
[02:12:04.89] JIM LEIJA: 5:30 on the 20th.
[02:12:07.42] COLLEEN SHERMAN: And we will have snacks and food.
[02:12:10.09] JIM LEIJA: And between then and now, what happens is you will receive the evaluation. You will provide your own feedback. And Linh will create the--
[02:12:16.78] LINH SONG: I'll collect everything.
[02:12:17.32] JIM LEIJA: --collected document, which we will all review together.
[02:12:21.49] LINH SONG: Right, and the draft of my letter. Good. So any other discussion on this. This is the closed session to review Josie's evaluation together.
[02:12:38.02] S. KERENE MOORE: What's the deadline on getting you the feedback?
[02:12:43.58] LINH SONG: Well, I'm getting the evaluations out to you tonight because I already have that from Josie. I don't know what was our timeline last time. I think it was like two--
[02:12:53.32] JOSIE PARKER: I don't know if you have the tabulation document.
[02:12:56.66] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Oh, I sent that to you tonight.
[02:12:58.88] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, Jamie sent it to us. So we have it now. And I'm going back to look at the timeline again. I think it's really a question--
[02:13:08.29] LINH SONG: Of my timing, I think.
[02:13:09.22] JIM LEIJA: --for you, yeah, to be able to do the--
[02:13:11.89] LINH SONG: I don't think it'll take that long. I mean, I think a week, week to 10 days is probably what we did last time, I think. I mean, Josie's evaluation is maybe like five pages.
[02:13:29.63] JOSIE PARKER: Eight.
[02:13:31.45] JIM LEIJA: You'd have about 10 business days basically.
[02:13:33.94] LINH SONG: Yeah.
[02:13:35.41] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I mentioned this to Linh earlier today. But this process, I think, comes right after we change presidents. And then it's kind of like, oh, no, it's time to do the evaluation. It needs to be conducted in line with our budgeting process.
[02:13:50.35] LINH SONG: Right.
[02:13:50.53] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: So the timeline can't really change. So I do think it's worth considering involving someone external to help just to manage the process.
[02:13:58.75] JIM LEIJA: Move the process along.
[02:13:59.59] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, like in the future.
[02:14:01.43] JIM LEIJA: Which is something that's actually in the recommendations.
[02:14:04.48] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: It is in the recommendation. And I think we kind of felt like we didn't need it. But that might ensure that-- because this is the exact same thing that happened to me.
[02:14:12.64] LINH SONG: It happens more quickly than we think it will. I think we can-- let's just try to see if we can. I'm pretty confident we can get through this--
[02:14:20.44] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: I agree.
[02:14:21.16] LINH SONG: --turnaround. But maybe we can add it to the strategic planning of the retreat and just kind of talk about it a little bit more now that we're a year or two of using this process. This is the second year. So maybe we can add that as a little--
[02:14:32.41] JIM LEIJA: You should send that whole document to everyone. That's what you just sent us basically.
[02:14:36.29] LINH SONG: Yeah.
[02:14:36.93] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yeah, to clarify, that document is just the final summary that we got from the consultant last time.
[02:14:42.85] LINH SONG: Right.
[02:14:43.15] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: So if you were on the board previously, you've seen it.
[02:14:47.06] JIM LEIJA: But the new members will not have.
[02:14:48.19] [INTERPOSING VOICES]
[02:14:49.76] VICTORIA GREEN: And can I just ask, Linh, when you send it to us, can you just put in bold at the top what the deadline is because I'll actually do it then.
[02:14:56.86] LINH SONG: Yes, yes. I will. I will. I will put in bold at the top, and then I'll also call in and check them.
[02:15:01.72] VICTORIA GREEN: This means you, Victoria.
[02:15:04.55] LINH SONG: I'll do it like a mid check too to make sure folks are taking a look and putting their comments in.
[02:15:11.11] VICTORIA GREEN: Thank you.
[02:15:11.37] LINH SONG: Good. So any other discussion on closed session for next meeting? All right. All those in favor?
[02:15:16.96] KAREN WILSON: Roll call.
[02:15:17.91] LINH SONG: Oh, that's right, roll call. Sorry. Thank you, Karen.
[02:15:21.76] KAREN WILSON: Dharma Akmon?
[02:15:22.63] DHARMA AKMON: Yes.
[02:15:23.43] KAREN WILSON: Victoria Green
[02:15:24.11] VICTORIA GREEN: Yes.
[02:15:24.53] KAREN WILSON: Jim Leija?
[02:15:25.42] JIM LEIJA: Yes.
[02:15:26.36] KAREN WILSON: Kerene Moore?
[02:15:26.84] S. KERENE MOORE: Yes.
[02:15:27.29] KAREN WILSON: Colleen Sherman?
[02:15:28.13] COLLEEN SHERMAN: Yes.
[02:15:28.89] KAREN WILSON: Linh Song?
[02:15:29.20] LINH SONG: Yes.
[02:15:30.05] KAREN WILSON: Jamie Vander Broek?
[02:15:30.82] JAMIE VANDER BROEK: Yes.

[02:15:32.69] LINH SONG: Motion passes, thank you. Moving on to citizens comments. Anyone else? No? We almost made it to 9:30. I feel like--
[02:15:47.70] JIM LEIJA: Yeah, adjourn us, please.

[02:15:50.75] LINH SONG: Well, thank you, everyone. We will see you next month.
[02:15:55.09] SPEAKER 1: This program was recorded on April 15, 2019 at the Ann Arbor District Library.

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April 15, 2019

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AADL Board Meeting