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Home My WebLink AboutLB Minutes: 03-20-2025Wf 'ta •TEE Thursday,REGULAR MEETING MINUTES i 2026 CALL TO ORDER: Chair Pro-Tempore Chen called the meeting to order at 4:33 p.m. in the Library's Conference Room. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Trustee Barbara Delphey ROLL CALL: Chair Pro-Tempore Hsiuchen Chen, Trustees Miriam Carter, Barbara Delphey, Director Darlene Bradley, Library Services Managers Samantha Alba, and Petra Morris ABSENT: Chair Connie Liao and Trustee Pardha Akalamkam PUBLIC COMMENTS: None REPORTS FROM LIBRARY TRUSTEES / LIAISONS: Trustee Delphey provided a Friends of the Library update. A selection of donated books from the basement will be passed on to a Pasadena school. There will be a Volunteer Recognition Dinner on April 3. The Friends group will contribute $30,000 to the Library and the group is currently waiting for funds that were donated through the water bill. On April 26 the Friends will host a general meeting with a presentation by Elizabeth Renfrew as well as performances by Arcadia High School orchestra as well as a guzheng instrumental performance. Trustee Carter mentioned that her term on the Library Board will soon be up and expressed interest in joining the Friends of the Library Board is there is an opening. She also announced that she may participate in the Library's upcoming Arcadia Goes Green program taking place on April 19. Director Bradley added that she encouraged Library staff to look at other Library's policies and procedures for seed libraries. She also reached out to Public Works to see if they may be able to assist. There will be something done at the Arcadia Goes Green event to see how it goes. Librarian Melissa M. will oversee the event and bring in volunteers to assist. REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTOR Announcements / Statements / Future Agenda Items Director Bradley announced that Trustee Akalamkam has missed three consecutive Library Meetings and will no longer serve on the Board. City Council will appoint a new person from an existing list to fill Trustee Akalamkam's term. Trustee Carter announced that there will need to be two replacements as she will also term out. Director's Update: Director Bradley shared that the Library has experienced an uptick with problem patrons and that the issues take up a lot of staff time. She acknowledged that continued staff training is ongoing. Director Bradley explained that a person visiting the Library removed the contents of one of the Memory Bags and took the bag. The Library does have a case manager but some of the people are just passing through and not seeking out assistance. Monthly Statistical Report: February 2025: Director Bradley announced that the gate count was growing with more people coming into the Library. The circulation count is also growing. There is an uptick in teen program attendance. The juvenile statistics are down slightly, not unusual, with new staff who are learning the section. Collection ordering in Adult Services has been slower due to staff dealing with other matters. The digital collection is growing in usage as people are more comfortable with eBooks and eAudios and doing away with older technologies. Children's Services has done away with books on CD and Adult Servies is slowly doing away with this collection. DVDs are also on the way out and nice to see patrons adapting to electronic collections. The number of materials catalogued is lower due to issues with Baker and Taylor and lots of their materials being backordered. Reference questions are up and there is more participation in Adult and Teen programs. Library staff have been tasked to review webpages and discard older pages. The City will be getting a new website. The Library has done more noticing for overdue books to prompt patrons to return the materials. As a result, the fines and fees are decreasing. Trustee Delphey inquired about credit readers. Library Services Manager Alba explained that the readers offer a self-service option for patrons wanting to pay their fines and are an upgrade due to the new teller system. Monthly Report Narrative: February 2026: Chair Pro-Tempore Chen inquired about the Transitional Partnership Program (TPP) and Library Services Manager Alba explained that the program is in partnership with Arcadia High School. The program helps student transition into the workforce after high school. When taking part in the program, students rotate through different locations. Sites teach students how to be professional, about communications, and monthly evaluations. If a student is not grasping something, then a coach will follow up. Students must have a work permit and do an informal interview. Chair Pro-Tempore Chen commented on the Library's changed relationship with the local schools over the years. Director Bradley added that staff have been working for a number of years to build stronger relationships with the schools. Financial Report: February 2026: Director Bradley acknowledged that Vacation Sell Back in Children's Services is overspent and explained that when an employee leaves the person may opt to sell back their vacation time. The City's credit card payments are now reflected through December 2024 so there may be more spent than what is reflected in the financial report. Staff Update: There is a wait for the part-time Librarian I position due to a problem with the Department of Justice database which caused delay. Library Aide Shu Shu P. retired at the end of February. Director Bradley announced that the Library is almost fully staffed. Serving with a Purpose 2026: The Library has reserved a table for eight people for this year's Serving with a Purpose conference. There is one more open space in case anyone from the Library Board or Friends Board would like to attend. Glib Museum of Arcadia Heritage: Director Bradley announced that the Museum is currently running a Photography Contest. Director Bradley explained that the Museum Curator Acevedo is consolidating collections and de - accessioning non -Arcadia items to make much needed space. The Museum will also be hosting a "Preserving Memories" event in which participants will help to digitize old photographs. Museum staff provided a Preservation presentation at a recent conference and received a Getty intern grant. Calendar of Activities for Adult and Teen Services: April 2026 Director Bradley highlighted the Arcadia Goes Green event taking place on April 19. Seeds will be given out at the event. There will also be a Spring Garden Workshop with a master gardener on April 10. Calendar of Activities for Children's Services: April 2025 Summer teen volunteer applications will be due April 5. Children's Services will also participate in the Arcadia Goes Green event with a storytime corner. Flyers/Articles/Posters/Attachments: Director Bradley mentioned that there will be a Bookmarked book group to try to tap into a younger audience. There will be an International Film program. Trustee Delphey shared that she attended the current month's program. Featured Historical Photo: Director Bradley highlighted the photo featuring the Arcadia Police Chief and members of the Arcadia Chinese Association attending a Chinese New Year luncheon. CONSENT CALENDAR a. Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of February 20, 2025 The motion to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of February 20, 2025 was moved by Chair Pro-Tempore Chen, seconded by Trustee Delphey, and carried on a unanimous voice vote. AYES: Chair Pro-Tempore Chen, Trustees Carter and Delphey NOES: None ABSENT: Trustee Akalamkam ADJOURNMENT Chair Protempore Chen adjourned the meeting at 5:28 p.m. to April 17, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Library, 20 W. Duarte Road, Arcadia. Approved: I� onnie Liao, Chair Hsiuchen Chen, Chair Protempore Darlene Bradley, Secretary Minutes prepared by: Petra Morris