The Public Library of the District of Columbia

Board of Library Trustees Meeting

Minutes
Watha T. Daniel (Shaw) Library
Wednesday, September 27, 2017

The regular meeting of the Board of Library Trustees was held at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 27,
2017 at the Watha T. Daniel (Shaw) Library, 1630 7th St NW, Gregory McCarthy, President, presiding.

Present: Gregory McCarthy, President; Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director and Secretary-
Treasurer; Kamili Anderson, Faith Gibson Hubbard, Vincent Morris, Karma Cottman and Victor Reinoso.

The meeting was called to order at 6:04 p.m.

Introduction of Attendees
Attendees stated their names and association.

Public Comments
Ms. Jane Zara addressed the Board regarding interim services in the Capitol View neighborhood. She
stated that children in Capitol View have limited to no access to computers. Furthermore, lack of an
interim library highlights disparities in the services provided to Capitol View versus other DC
neighborhoods. She noted the community's desire for bigger windows and their security concerns with
congregation area outside of the library. Finally, she noted that the collection budget is less than other
communities. Mr. Gregory McCarthy acknowledged Ms. Zaras concerns and shared the sentiment that
even one day without a computer is detrimental especially for those with great need. Mr. Richard Reyes-
Gavilan added that DCPL conducted a due diligence to consider storefronts and other spaces in the
community. However, none of those options worked out. Lastly, he acknowledged that establishing a
modular library is time-consuming; however, DCPL is working to get services up and running over the
next several months.

Roll Call
Mr. McCarthy requested roll call. Quorum was reached.

Adoption of the Agenda

The motion to adopt the agenda was accepted by Mr. Vincent Morris and Ms. Kamili Anderson.

Approval of Minutes
The motion to approve the minutes of the May 24 board meeting was adopted by Mr. Vince Morris and
Ms. Faith Gibson Hubbard.

The motion to approve the minutes of the July 26 board meeting was adopted by Mr. Morris and Ms.
Karma Cottman.

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Presidents Report
Mr. McCarthy delivered the President's report. He announced that due to his appointment to the DC
Housing Authority Board of Directors, Mr. Neil Albert resigned from the Board and left the role of Vice
President vacant. According to the by-laws, the Board can elect someone to fill the balance of the
unexpired term, in this case until January 2018. He put forth Ms. Karma Cottman for consideration and
opened the floor to additional nominations. With no additional nominations, he called a vote to
nominate Ms. Cottman for Vice President. All voted in favor.

Executive Directors Report

Mr. Reyes-Gavilan delivered the Executive Director's report. He announced that interviews with
candidates for the Director of Public Services would take place the following week. He discussed the Go
Digital campaign and acknowledged the hard work of Kandace Foreman from the Office of
Communications in launching the campaign. Mr. Morris suggested targeting the Go Digital campaign to
school-age kids and reiterated his desire for DCPL to do more outreach to school-age children in general.
Mr. Reyes-Gavilan discussed an upcoming partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health where
DCPL will hire staff to provide peer outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness. This initiative
connects to the Know Your Neighborhood initiative of the Strategic Plan. He proceeded to announce
several other events from his Executive Director's report. Finally, he announced that a group of board
members will attend the Urban Libraries Annual Forum in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Finance Committee
Ms. Anderson introduced Mr. Jonathan Butler to deliver the Finance Committee Report. Mr. Butler
stated that as of August 31, with 91% of the year elapsed, overall obligations were trending at 89.5%,
with overall spending tracking instep. Personnel services spending also tracked close to the elapsed rate
of the fiscal year at 89.4%. He stated that as year-end approaches on September 30, there are no budget
pressures and current vacancies are at 24, down from last year. Mr. McCarthy stated that at the
previous Finance Committee meeting, there was a reprogramming of personnel money into operating
funds. He stated that DCPL should not return unspent money or FTE's. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan added that the
FY18 book budget is allocated at $7 million, the highest collection budget in DCPL history.

Operating Enhancement Request

Ms. Anderson presented several budget enhancement options for the Board's feedback. Ms. Cottman
asked how the requests enhance the FY18 budget, for instance, the request for children's interactive
and learning spaces. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan stated that there is no tangible relationship to the FY18 budget.
Although DCPL gets a furniture refresh budget each year for maintenance of old and worn furniture, the
request for children's interactive and learning spaces would fund specialized interactive furniture that
would update the children's rooms from traditional spaces to more experiential space. Ms. Gibson
Hubbard stated that $400,000 did not seem adequate for this enhancement. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan
explained that the intention is not a renovation of children's spaces but the addition of a few high-
quality pieces for each library.

Ms. Cottman asked how the request enhances the staff development budget. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan
explained that over the years the staff development budget has been whittled down and this request
would restore the budget to its allocation in FY15.
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Ms. Gibson Hubbard suggested adding language about satellite services and partnerships to the adult
literacy services enhancement.

Mr. Reinoso stated that DCPL's impact in the community can be leveraged by prioritizing the budget
enhancement requests according to the priorities laid out in the strategic plan. Ms. Cottman added that
to gain a long-term perspective, it would be helpful to have a set of tenets to consider when making
enhancement requests.

Mr. McCarthy asked if the adult literacy services request requires the establishment of physical spaces
and if adult literacy will return to the MLK Library when it reopens. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan replied that adult
literacy will return to the modernized MLK Library and there is a desire to expand to intentional
programming at satellite locations, which could involve some physical reconfiguration.

Mr. Morris suggested postponing the library summer camp request until aspects like staffing and
program development are more fleshed out. He stated that the idea seems worthwhile and time and
resource intensive. Other board members agreed with his sentiment and Mr. Reyes-Gavilan
acknowledged the challenges and rewards potentially associated with a library summer camp pilot
program. Mr. Morris requested for the pros and cons of having the Foundation take on revenue-
generating events. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan responded that the Foundations job is to raise money and identify
donors. A department or position for revenue generating events is related to library operations. The
board members suggested moving the events management request to a future enhancement in FY19 or
FY20 once staffing needs, salaries and FTE's are clearer.

Mr. McCarthy suggested numbering the Strategic Plan initiatives for easy reference. Finally, the board
came to a consensus that the enhancement request would be further discussed at the October Finance
Committee meeting before the request is submitted to the Mayor.

Resolution on the Elimination of Printer Fees

Ms. Anderson gave a brief overview of the resolution stating that the Board supports the elimination of
printing and photocopying fees for all DCPL users. The Board acknowledges that fees for printing and
photocopying are most burdensome on residents who can least afford to pay for such services. The
Board of Library Trustees also acknowledges that a financial impact is associated with the elimination of
printing and photocopying fees. Nonetheless, the onerous issues associated with the maintenance of
fragile coin collectors often result in a diminished patron experience and reduced staff productivity.
Mr. Morris expressed his support for the resolution and suggested DCPL raise awareness to the student
population by making a big announcement to DCPS students. Following the brief discussion, the Board
concluded that elimination of printing and photocopying fees would greatly increase the satisfaction
levels of residents and staff alike. Ms. Anderson moved to adopt the resolution. Mr. Morris accepted
and Ms. Cottman seconded.

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Facilities Committee Report
Mr. Reyes-Gavilan delivered the Facilities Committee Report. He stated that the first phase of the
renovation at Capitol View Library is on schedule. Both phases of the renovation are scheduled to be
completed by summer 2018. Cleveland Park Library is moving along and still on schedule to open in the
spring. Lamond-Riggs Library community meeting is scheduled for October 5, with design slated to begin
in FY18. At MLK Library all the asbestos abatement has been completed and interior demolition has
started and progressed as scheduled. Palisades Library modernization is on schedule and expected to
open by the end of 2017. Funding for Southeast Library is scheduled for FY19. Southwest Library is
currently in the concept design phase and the designs were shared at a community meeting on
September 26. Southwest Library is planned to close in fall 2018. West End Library is in the substantial
completion phase and awaiting a certificate of occupancy.

Capital Improvement Request

Mr. Reyes-Gavilan discussed the Capital Improvement request. He stated that while DCPL regularly
requests general improvements monies, there is none allocated for FY19 and FY20, so $5 million has
been requested. IT modernization is an annual request to increase wireless, computing capacity, and
general enhancements to the technological infrastructure. Finally, he discussed the Neighborhood
Library Customization initiative. The request is in line with the Know Your Neighborhood initiative in the
Strategic Plan and moves away from a cookie cutter design to a model based on use and needs. DCPL
would like to devote significant funding to the reconfiguration of a number of spaces starting with
Watha T. Daniel (Shaw), Tenley-Friendship, Benning, and Anacostia libraries. The community and staff of
these libraries would be engaged, opportunity costs would be shared and feedback solicited to develop
individualized plans for each location. Northwest One is another location that would be addressed in the
first wave of reconfigurations. Northwest One has been problematic from a service perspective and it is
exasperated by the closure of the MLK Library. Mr. Morris asked if the Friends of the library would still
be consulted. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan said that the Friends, community, and Council are all important to this
process.

Performance Oversight Committee

Mr. Victor Reinoso, Performance Oversight Committee Chair, delivered the Performance Oversight
Committee Report. The performance plan, required under the citys performance-based budget
guidelines, identifies key initiatives DCPL plans to accomplish in the coming fiscal year. Most of the
initiatives in the performance plan are also outlined in the Librarys five-year Strategic Plan. In addition,
there is an initiative for each of the Librarys capital projects. The proposed performance plan initiatives
were reviewed and discussed at the Performance Oversight Committee meeting on September 12th.
Based on input at that meeting, the wording was added that shows how certain initiatives are consistent
with the Mayors stated priorities. He called for a motion to approve the Performance Plan Initiatives.
Ms. Gibson Hubbard moved, and Ms. Cottman seconded.

Next, Mr. Reinoso stated that the Library developed a set of community-based measures tied to the
Strategic Plan. Over time, community or branch-based goals for each fiscal year will be developed for
each measure. These measures will allow DCPL to track and measure activities described in the Librarys
five-year strategic plan at a community level.

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Library Foundation Report
Ms. Linnea Hegarty, DCPL Foundation Director, delivered the report on Foundation activities. She
announced that the Foundation welcomed three new board members: Greg Meyer of Brookfield
Properties, local realtor Meagan Bracewell and former Deputy Assistant to the President Rachana
Ruchi Bhowmik. She thanked the Federation for their contributions toward Summer Reading. She
noted that DCPL is proud to partner with WAMU for the city-wide, banned book scavenger hunt inspired
by Banned Books Week for the month of September. Finally, she announced that UNCENSORED is sold
out. Mr. Morris stated that he purchased tickets to Uncensored and encouraged other Board members
to support the foundation by also buying tickets and attending.

Mr. Morris added that he attended the Foundation's last board meeting and conveyed to the
Foundation a second time that they should adopt priorities which can then be endorsed by the DCPL
Board. He stated that the Foundation has yet to put their ambitions and goals in writing to align them
with DCPL's Board in terms of policy.

Federation of Friends Report

Ms. Susan Haight, Federation of Friends President, delivered the report on Friends activities. She
announced that the Federations annual meeting will be held on October 18 and the annual issues
conference will be held on January 27, 2018 at the Wilson building.

New Business
Mr. McCarthy wrapped up the meeting by reiterating that the Board will discuss the enhancement
request at the next Finance Committee meeting. They will also discuss the Foundation's priorities
document.

There being no new business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:18 p.m.

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