Versión en español a continuación. Library Commission Special Called Meeting THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020, 3-4:30 PM Library Commission meeting to be held December 17, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance no later than Wednesday, December 16 by Noon. All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the December 17, 2020 Library Commission Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-974-7420 or sharon.herfurth@austintexas.gov no later than noon, Wednesday, December 16. The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to sharon.herfurth@austintexas.gov by Noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Library Commission FECHA de la reunion Thursday, December 17, 2020, 3-4:30 PM La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación Wednesday, December 16 antes del mediodía. Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta en 512-974-7420 or sharon.herfurth@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe ser el número que se utilizará para llamar …
Director’s Report November 2020 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS HIghlights ____________________________________________________________________ 3 Facilities Services _____________________________________________________________ 6 FY2018 Bond Program Summary ____________________________________________________________ 6 FY2012 Bond Program Summary ____________________________________________________________ 8 Cepeda Branch / Hampton Branch (Site/Civil) Report ___________________________________________ 13 Faulk Building / Austin History Center Monthly Report ___________________________________________ 15 Interior Renovations Monthly Report _________________________________________________________ 17 Roof Replacements & Systems Upgrades Monthly Report________________________________________ 19 Austin History Center _________________________________________________________ 22 Library Priorities _____________________________________________________________ 23 Literacy Advancement ____________________________________________________________________ 23 Digital Inclusion & STEM __________________________________________________________________ 23 Equity, Diversity & Inclusion ________________________________________________________________ 24 Civic and Community Engagement __________________________________________________________ 24 Staff Development _______________________________________________________________________ 24 Workforce and Economic Development _______________________________________________________ 24 APL By the Numbers __________________________________________________________ 25 Virtual Collections Usage October ___________________________________________________________ 25 HIGHLIGHTS Digital Inclusion 3 One of the many things that has become apparent during the pandemic is the still large digital divide that exists in communities across the country – and Austin is no different. The digital divide is the gap between those who have reliable access to the internet, devices to access the internet, and the knowledge to use the devices and information on the internet – and those who don’t. The Austin Public Library has an important role to play in closing the digital divide and staff around the organization have been working diligently to affect change in Austin. Some of those projects include: • Hotspots and laptops/Chromebooks for Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) and Foundation Communities are being deployed to five different sites in early December so that residents can access the internet for school, job opportunities and more. • A CARES Act Grant is providing funding for hotspots for students. The Outreach team is working with Del Valle ISD and charter schools to distribute these hotspots in the coming weeks to students who • A team of staff are developing a digital inclusion strategy for the Library which includes a flexible curriculum for digital literacy training for customers, a bank of resources for instructors, and an need reliable internet access. evaluation plan. • And, hotspots are still available for checkout to APL card holders through our curbside service. COVID-19 Update – Library Book Drops Open & Curbside Service Enhancements Austin Public Library is providing a roadmap for future service changes as they relate to operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The multi-phase approach outlines several possible reopening scenarios, each dependent on factors such as recommendations from county, state and federal health …
Library Commission Meeting Minutes 28 October, 2020 SPECIAL CALLED MEETING 28 October, 2020 THE LIBRARY COMMISSION MINUTES The Library Commission convened in a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 via videoconferencing. Chair Hanna called the Board Meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board Members in Attendance: Chair, Catherine Hanna; Vice Chair, Steven Self; Commission Members Julia Aguilar, Patricia Dabbert, JC Dwyer, Deborah Pardo-Kaplan, Daniella Ramos, and Lily Trieu Board Members Absent: Commission Member Chad Williams Citizen Communication: None 1. Approval of Minutes from the September 30, 2020 Regular Meeting: The minutes of the regular meeting were approved on Commission Member Dabbert’s motion and Vice Chair Self’s second on an 8-0 vote. Commission Member Williams absent. 2. Staff Briefing: Austin Public Library Investigative Audit Report Roosevelt, Weeks, Director of Libraries, gave the briefing. 3. Old Business None 4. New Business: a. Discussion and possible action on meeting schedule for 2021 The 2021 schedule was approved on Commission Member Dabbert’s motion and Commission Member Dwyer’s second on an 8-0 vote. Commission Member Williams absent. b. Discussion and possible action on eliminating non-resident fees for student library cards. A geographic area to be included will be determined, and a draft recommendation from the existing working group will be presented at a future meeting. c. Discussion and possible action on canceling the November 16, 2020 meeting. No action taken. 5. Discussion of Director’s Monthly Report for October 2020 covering programming highlights, facilities, and APL priorities Library Commission Meeting Minutes 28 October, 2020 Director Weeks went over the Library’s phased re-opening plans and talked about APL locations that will be voting sites for the November 2020 election. 6. Future Agenda Items Continuation of discussion on eliminating non-resident fees for student cards Adjournment: Chair Hanna adjourned the meeting at 6:52 p.m. without objection.
LIBRARY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20201217-3a: Support for Equitable Access to Austin Public Library Resources for Students Seconded By: Date: December 17, 2020 Subject: Support for Equitable Access to Austin Public Library Resources for Students Motioned By: Recommendation Give student library cards to every student in districts with Austin addresses. Description of Recommendation to Council Requesting that the Austin City Council do away with non-resident library card fees for students who do not reside in the City of Austin, but who are enrolled in school districts that have some part of their district in the City of Austin. This would include students who live in Lago Vista Independent School District, Lake Travis Independent School District, Manor Independent School District, Pflugerville Independent School District, and Round Rock Independent School District, as well as Harmony Charter Schools. The number of students affected is approximately 52,883. Rationale: The Austin Public Library has a commitment to equity, to assure that all members of the Austin community have equal access to Library services and programs. However, the American Library Association and numerous public library systems around the country have recognized the challenge that economic barriers to access of library materials and services pose. This barrier is especially true for students. In a Resolution passed on January 27, 2019, the American Library Association urged libraries to scrutinize their practices of imposing fines on library patrons and actively move towards eliminating them. On June 22, 2020, this Commission unanimously passed a recommendation that City Council eliminate these late fees. Since October 1, 2018, the Austin Public Library has not charged fees for late returns of children’s materials. While the elimination of late fees on children’s materials is a good step in the right direction, many students in Austin and surrounding areas face another economic barrier to access in the form of the non- resident card fee of $120 annually. Currently, only Austinites living in Austin’s “full purpose” jurisdiction are entitled to receive a library card free of charge. This non-resident fee affects students of families who live in Austin’s extra-territorial jurisdiction as well as those who work in Austin but live in the surrounding areas. The revenue the non-resident cards provides is relatively insignificant. In FY ‘17, the revenue was $101,002 and in FY ’18, it was $135,681. As of September 30, 2020, the Library has 7,099 Non-Resident Youth Cardholders. 1 of 2 Currently, the Austin Public Library provides …
School Partnerships Student Cards December 2020 Library Commission SCHOOL YEAR 2018 2019 2020 CARDS 80,000 10,000 2,000 2021 Efforts Travis County 4 school districts within Travis County are outside of COA’s legal service area Staffed Public Library 1. Pflugerville ISD (26,000) 2. Lake Travis ISD (11,000) 3. Lago Vista ISD (1,500) Council Action ≈ 48,000 students (x $120 NR fee) Manor ISD $1.14M revenue ≈ $5.76M revenue Volunteer-run Library 4. Manor ISD (9,500) Amend fee schedule to allow students enrolled in a school district within Travis County to be exempt from the Non-Resident User Fee.
LIBRARY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20201217-3a: Support for Equitable Access to Austin Public Library Resources for Students Seconded By: Commissioner Trieu Date: December 17, 2020 Subject: Support for Equitable Access to Austin Public Library Resources for Students Motioned By: Commissioner Dabbert Recommendation Give student library cards at no cost to every student in Travis County enrolled in a K-12 educational institution or home school. Description of Recommendation to Council Requesting that the Austin City Council do away with non-resident library card fees for students who do not reside in the City of Austin, but who do reside in Travis County and are enrolled in a K-12 educational institution including home schools. Rationale: The Austin Public Library has a commitment to equity, to assure that all members of the Austin community have equal access to Library services and programs. However, the American Library Association and numerous public library systems around the country have recognized the challenge that economic barriers to access of library materials and services pose. This barrier is especially true for students. In a Resolution passed on January 27, 2019, the American Library Association urged libraries to scrutinize their practices of imposing fines on library patrons and actively move towards eliminating them. On June 22, 2020, this Commission unanimously passed a recommendation that City Council eliminate these late fees. Since October 1, 2018, the Austin Public Library has not charged fees for late returns of children’s materials. While the elimination of late fees on children’s materials is a good step in the right direction, many students in Austin and surrounding areas face another economic barrier to access in the form of the non- resident card fee of $120 annually. Currently, only Austinites living in Austin’s “full purpose” jurisdiction are entitled to receive a library card free of charge. This non-resident fee affects students of families who live in Austin’s extra-territorial jurisdiction as well as those who work in Austin but live in the surrounding areas. Benefits that will be achieved by offering greater access to students far outweigh the potential loss of revenue. The revenue from non-resident youth cards, inclusive of these students was $101,002 in FY ‘17 and $135,681 in FY ’18. Currently, the Austin Public Library provides full-access library cards to all students enrolled in the Austin Independent School District and the Del Valle Independent School District regardless of their home address. As Director of Libraries Roosevelt Weeks said …
