* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY. I MEETING TO ORDER. YOU READY? ALRIGHT. I'M CALLING THE MEETING ROSALIE. ROSALIE, I'M CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER. WE'RE CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER. IT IS, UH, 4 0 2. SHAUNA, WOULD YOU I'LL STAND AND WE CAN, SHAUNA WILL LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. FLAG IS RIGHT THERE. I PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. TO THE FLAG. TO THE FLAG OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY, JUSTICE. JUSTICE FOR ALL SO MANY TIMES TODAY. DIFFERENT MEETING. THANK YOU. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO NOW INTRODUCE OUR BOARD MEMBERS. UM, SHANA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BEGIN? SHANA KPA, DISTRICT SIX. I'M JANA PORTER. I'M DISTRICT EIGHT. LYNN MILLER, DISTRICT 10. I'M BERNIE COLE, DISTRICT THREE. ROSALIE RICHMOND, DISTRICT SEVEN. JEANINE MILLER, DISTRICT NINE. THANK YOU. AND DID YOU SAY SOMETHING? I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE OUR GUESTS. YES. UM, I AM HERE AS YOUR LIBRARY DIRECTOR, UM, JOSHUA GREER, AS OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR IS HERE, AND ALSO BEHIND THE SCENES OPERATING THE CAMERAS AND THE MICROPHONES. WE HAVE ALEC BISHOP AND CRAIG ESCO FROM BROADCAST SERVICES. THANK YOU. AND OUR COUNCIL MEMBER IS NOT ABLE TO BE WITH US TODAY. ANNA. UH, UM, TAB. TAB , ANNA MARIE TABER. UM, SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, WHEN WE SENT THE MINUTES OUT, OR WHEN WE SENT THE AGENDA OUT, WE WERE, WE DID NOT KNOW WE NEEDED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A MOTION TO AMEND THE MEETING AGENDA TO INCLUDE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO SOUTH CAROLINA CODE. COME ON IN. UH, CODE SECTION 30 DASH FOUR DASH 70, DISCUSSION OF NEGOTIATIONS INCIDENT TO PROPOSE CONTRACTUAL, UH, ARRANGEMENTS AND PROPOSED SALE OR PURCHASE OF REAL ESTATE PROPERTY. MAY I GET A MOTION? SO MOVED. SO MOVED. AND A SECOND. SECOND, SECOND. SECOND. THANK YOU. UM, SO THAT ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. THANK YOU. DOES THAT HA IS THAT GONNA HAPPEN AT THE END? AT THE END? WE'LL HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AT THE END. AND SO BRENDA HAS JOINED US. SHE IS BRENDA POWELL AT DISTRICT ONE. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, WE HAVE NO GUESTS TODAY. UM, WE HAVE, UH, I, WE SENT, WE MAILED THE MINUTES OUT AND THERE WERE, UH, THERE WERE NO, UM, CORRECTIONS. SO, CAN I HAVE A VOTE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS MAILED OUT? YOU NEED A MOTION? OH, A MOTION. SO MOVED. OKAY. SECOND. NO, WE ALL RIGHT. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OKAY. ANY CORRESPONDENCE? NONE. WE NOW HAVE THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR'S REPORT, PLEASE, AMANDA. OKAY. AS CUSTOMARY, I'LL START WITH AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE, UH, STAFFING WISE, PERSONNEL WISE. UM, IF YOU LOOK IN YOUR PACKET, THERE SHOULD BE AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART THAT IS PROVIDED TO YOU. YOU CAN SEE, UM, NOTED THERE THAT WE HAVE, UM, THREE VACANT POSITIONS, UH, THAT WE'RE ADVERTISING FOR. THOSE ARE SENIOR LIBRARIAN FOR THE PORT ROYAL LIBRARY, UH, LIBRARY SPECIALIST FOR THE BEAUFORT DISTRICT COLLECTION, AND A MARKETING SPECIALIST IN THE LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION COMMUNICATION OFFICE. AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ONBOARDING TWO NEW STAFF MEMBERS TO FILL, UM, VACANCIES THAT ARE NOTED IN ORANGE ON OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART. THAT IS A MANAGER OF MOBILE SERVICES AND OUTREACH, AND ALSO A PART-TIME LIBRARY ASSISTANT AT THE BEAUFORT BRANCH LIBRARY. SO, JUST, IS THERE ANY, UM, ANYTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE NUMBER OF OPENINGS AND, AND, AND THERE? I WOULD, IN MY OPINION, THERE'S NOTHING UNUSUAL EXCEPT THAT WE CONTINUE TO FILL THEM VERY QUICKLY. AND THE, UM, VACANCIES THAT WE ARE NOW LOOKING AT WITH THE PORT ROYAL LIBRARY, THOSE ARE EXTRA, THOSE ARE NEW TO US AND, AND, AND ALIGNED WITH OUR EXPANSION OF OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM. OKAY. BERNIE? I THINK THE UNUSUAL THING, AND YOU'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD MUCH LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN, UM, SO YOU WOULD KNOW, BUT I DON'T RECALL SEEING SO FEW VACANCIES EVER BEFORE'S. RIGHT? YEAH. I MEAN, THIS IS INCREDIBLE. AND I WILL [00:05:01] SAY FROM THE OTHER BOARDS I'M ON LOCALLY, LIKE THE HOSPITAL THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, THERE WAS SUCH A PERSONNEL SHORTAGE, YOU KNOW, DURING COVID AND THAT, THAT HAS BEEN, THAT'S BEEN ABATED AT THE HOSPITAL TOO. SO THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS I'M INVOLVED IN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING JOBS FILLED TOO. SO I THINK IT'S JUST THAT THE CLIMATE IS BETTER FOR EMPLOYERS THAN IT WAS BEFORE. IT WAS PEOPLE WERE JUST HAVING A VERY HARD TIME FILLING JOBS, TAKING A LONG TIME. THANK YOU. UM, I'LL NEXT TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT PROJECTS. I WANNA, UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST WHAT I KNOW IS ON YOUR MIND IS WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE PORT ROYAL LIBRARY? UM, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING A VOLUNTEER THIS PAST WEEKEND AT THE FRIENDS OF BEAUFORT LIBRARY WATERFRONT PARK ANNUAL BOOK SALE. AND I GOT ASKED THAT QUESTION. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES . UM, WE WOULD LOVE TO PROVIDE AN OPENING DATE, BUT WE'RE JUST NOT THERE YET. WHERE WE ARE IS AT THE VERY FINISH LINE OF ALL THAT CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS AND LEGAL DOCUMENT GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE NAMED, UM, CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. JUST TO REMIND YOU, THAT IS BUFORT CONSTRUCTION. UM, IN OUR LAST MEETING, I WAS TELLING YOU THAT YOU WOULD BE AWARDED THE CONTRACT, UM, THAT HAS HAPPENED. SO WE ARE, I WOULD SAY, DAYS, PERHAPS VERY SHORT TIME AWAY FROM CONSTRUCTION, RECEIVING A NOTICE TO PROCEED AT THAT POINT. CONSTRUCTION AS WE KNOW IT IN THE INTERIOR OF THE PORT ROYAL LIBRARY WILL BEGIN. JUST AS A REMINDER, UM, WE ARE ALSO WORKING, THE LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION IS WORKING WITH, UM, TRYING TO SELECT AND RECOMMEND TO THE PROCUREMENT OFFICE VENDORS FOR FURNITURE. SO, AS WELL AS OUR STAFF HAVE BEEN PRE-SELECTING TITLES SO THAT WE HAVE BOOKS AND ITEMS ON THE SHELF ON DAY ONE. SO I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY AS A PROCESS. UM, WE ARE WAITING BRIEFLY FOR CONSTRUCTION INTERIOR RENOVATIONS TO BEGIN, BUT WHILE THAT'S GOING, WE ARE WORKING SIDELINED WITH THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE READY FOR DAY ONE. AND WE WILL GLADLY IN ENTHUSIASTICALLY ANNOUNCE THAT OPENING DAY AS SOON AS WE HAVE A CONFIDENT DAY THAT WE CAN PUT ON THE CALENDAR. THE NEXT THING I WANNA UPDATE YOU ON IS, FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF, I FEEL LIKE I'VE CONTINUED TO UPDATE YOU ON STORY WALKS, WHICH AS YOU REMEMBER, ARE, UM, OUTDOOR PATHS WHERE A PICTURE BOOK HAS BEEN PLACED ALONG THE WALKABLE PATH, USUALLY SHORTER THAN A MILE, UM, AT A PUBLIC PARK. UM, WE HAVE ONE IN FRONT OF THE BLUFFTON LIBRARY, SO IT'S CELEBRATING ITS YEAR OF EXISTENCE. AND THE FRIENDS OF BEAUFORT LIBRARY HAVE BEEN WORKING, UM, WITH ME AND OTHER PARTNERS IN NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY TO INSTALL A STORY WALK ON THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL, AS WELL AS THE NAVAL HERITAGE SKATE PARK IN PORT ROYAL. THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL IS AWAITING INSTALLATION OF THE POSTS AS WE SPEAK. SO BY THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR, I FEEL LIKE WE WILL HAVE THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL STORY WALK FULLY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE NAVAL HERITAGE SKATE PARK STORY WALK. SO HOPEFULLY FIRST OF 2024, WHEN WE MEET AGAIN, I'LL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WE HAVE GONE FROM ONE STORY WALK TO THREE THAT ARE AVAILABLE. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT I'LL HAVE A FOURTH IN MIND BY THEN, , BUT I'LL LEAVE ALL OPTIONS ON THE TABLE. I'M ALSO PLEASED TO TELL YOU, UM, THE UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THE SECOND SEASON OF OUR ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM. YOU MAY REMEMBER LAST YEAR, OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION OF BEAUFORT COUNTY PROVIDED A STIPEND SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A FIRST EVER ARTIST IN RESIDENCE. UM, A COMMITTEE WAS ASSEMBLED, THEY REVIEWED APPLICATIONS AND THEY SELECTED, UM, THE EDITOR OF PINK MAGAZINE TO BE THE FIRST ARTIST IN RESIDENCE. AND SHE TOOK HER RESIDENCY OVER LAST JANUARY, FEBRUARY IN THIS VERY ROOM AT THE HILTON HEAD BRANCH LIBRARY. I'M VERY PLEASED TO TELL YOU THAT, UH, LAST MONTH WE MADE THE APPLICATION PROCESS OPEN AGAIN AND I HAVE RECEIVED 26 APPLICATIONS. WOW. AND SO THE, SO THE REVIEW COMMITTEE WILL BE MEETING NEXT WEEK TO HAVE AN INITIAL, UM, REVIEW OF THE APPLICATIONS AND OUR, OUR INTENT, OUR DESIRE IS TO BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE IN DECEMBER WHO OUR NEXT ARTIST AND RESIDENCE WILL BE. SO REALLY WANNA THANK THE COMMUNITY, OUR FRIENDS GROUPS, THE FOUNDATION, YOU, UH, FOR FORWARDING THAT CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FAR AND WIDE SO THAT WE COULD GET A ROBUST, UH, APPLICATION PACKET TO REVIEW. SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND COULD YOU DEFINE, LIKE, THE TERM ARTIST IN RESIDENCE? PEOPLE THINK THAT MEANS SOMEBODY WHO'S PAINTING MM-HMM. COULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BREADTH OF I WOULD LOVE TO OCCUPATIONS PEOPLE HAVE TO QUALIFY FOR ARTIST IN RESIDENCE. I WOULD LOVE TO, WE PURPOSEFULLY MADE THE PHRASE ARTISAN RESIDENCE. WE DEFINED IT VERY LOOSELY. SO IT COULD BE WRITING, IT COULD BE PAINTING, IT COULD BE THEATER, IT COULD BE POETRY, SONGWRITING, YOU NAME [00:10:01] IT. IF IT IS CREATIVE IN ANY WAY, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE SELECTED AS AN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM. UM, IT MAY BE A LITTLE MISLEADING IN THAT MOST ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMS ARE TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO COME LIVE HERE FOR A TIME. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE TO BEAUFORT COUNTY LOCAL ARTISTS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY CAN INSPIRE CREATIVITY IN THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THEY LIVE. SO WE REALLY WANTED AN ARTIST, A RESIDENT ARTIST, MAYBE, UH, AS A WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE PROGRAM. DID I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? MM-HMM. . MM-HMM. . I THINK THAT'S GOOD. 'CAUSE I THINK PEOPLE PROBABLY LISTEN AND THINK THAT MEANS IT'S A PAINTER OR WHATEVER. AND I, I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT IT BROADLY. IT MIGHT BE SOMEBODY WHO DOES CERAMICS, YOU KNOW? RIGHT. EXACTLY. RIGHT. THE DREAM FOR ME, UH, IS I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO WALK INTO ONE OF OUR LIBRARIES DURING ONE OF THESE RESIDENCIES AND SEE AN ARTIST CREATING, WHETHER THAT'S PAINTING OR POTTERY MAKING. I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEM THROUGH ONE OF OUR MEETING ROOMS, SEE THEM BE CREATING THEIR WORK, UM, AND ALSO SEE A CHILD WATCH OR ANOTHER ADULT WATCH, AND THEN LATER GET CONNECTED TO A WORKSHOP OR ITEMS ON OUR SHELF FOR THEM TO EXPLORE THAT ART MORE, MORE FULLY. THAT'S, THAT'S THE DREAM, IS THAT THEY COULD WALK INTO A LIBRARY, SEE A, A, A NEIGHBOR CREATING AND THEN LEARN FROM THAT PERSON. YEAH. THAT'S THE DREAM. AND WE ALSO HOPE TO HAVE THIS AT, AT, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, AT DIFFERENT BRANCHES. WE DON'T WANNA KEEP IT AT ONE BRANCH, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH ROOM THERE IS, WE WANT EVERYTHING TO BE ABLE TO, EXCUSE ME, TO HAVE PART OF THIS. WILL, WILL THE ARTIST, UM, HAVE A SCHEDULE OF WHEN THEY'RE THERE OR AVAILABLE? THEY TYPICALLY DO. UM, AND SO IT REALLY, WE TRY TO LEAVE IT OPEN SO THAT DEPENDING ON WHAT THE ACTUAL CONTENT IS OR WHAT, WHAT THAT CREATIVE PIECE IS, IT MAY NOT BE CONDUCIVE TO, UM, BEING DONE IN THE LIBRARY, BUT IT MAY. AND, AND OUR HOPE IS THAT IT WOULD, BUT WE LET, WE, WE, WE CREATE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE SELECTED ARTISTS SO THAT WE CAN DRAFT A MEANINGFUL PROGRAM THAT WORKS FOR THE ARTIST AND THE COMMUNITY. I HAVE TWO MORE ITEMS AND THEN I WILL DO A STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE. LAST MEETING. I, UM, LET YOU KNOW THAT I HAD APPLIED FOR, UH, LSTA IMPACT GRANT, UH, THROUGH THE STATE LIBRARY. UH, THE FUNDS ARE ACTUAL FEDERAL FUNDS THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES. BEAUFORT COUNTY WAS AWARDED THE FULL GRANT AMOUNT FOR PICKUP LOCKERS. WE TALKED ABOUT IF, UH, IF YOU HAD THE CONCEPT OF AMAZON LOCKER, BUT FOR LIBRARY MATERIALS. UM, JUST TO LET YOU REMEMBER THAT WE, WE WERE AWARDED THAT AND WE HAVE RECEIVED APPROVAL TO PURSUE PURCHASE AND DESIGN OF THOSE LOCKERS. SO WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH, UM, CONFIGURING AND DESIGNING THE EXTERIOR LOOK OF THOSE LOCKERS, HOW MANY AND WHERE IT WILL BE. UH, THIS IS THIS GRANT FUNDED OPPORTUNITY. I SPECIFICALLY ASK FOR THEM TO BE STATIONED AT THE BURTON WELLS RECREATION CENTER. AND THERE WILL BE ANYWHERE FROM 26 TO 30 SLOTS LOCKER SLOTS WITH BOOKS IN THEM, OR MOVIES OR MOVIES, WHATEVER ANYBODY REQUESTED. MM-HMM. . WHAT WAS THE CRITERIA THAT, WHAT WAS THE ANALYSIS THAT YOU DID TO IDENTIFY BURTON WELLS AS THE LOCATION? VERY, UH, VERY QUICKLY. UM, THE FACT THAT A, A LIBRARY IS IN OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE BURTON AREA. UM, AND WE DON'T YET HAVE A SITE OR FUNDING ALLOCATED TOWARDS THAT. I WANTED TO EXPAND LIBRARY SERVICES TO A COMMUNITY WHO'S REQUESTING LIBRARY SERVICE. SO THIS, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH LIBRARY SERVICE IN THE AREA. ABSOLUTELY. THANK HOW WERE THAT? A FEW THINGS BEFORE I HEAD OVER TO STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, I DO WANT TO PUT A FEW EVENTS ON YOUR RADAR FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO LIVE OR WANT TO TRAVEL TO BLUFFTON. TOMORROW AT FIVE O'CLOCK BLUFFTON LIBRARY, CELEBRATING ITS 21ST ANNIVERSARY. THERE WILL BE LIGHT REFRESHMENTS AND A SPEAKER WILL BE THERE. UM, SHE WILL BE, UH, HER NAME IS LYDIA, LYDIA CAP, AND SHE IS A, A LOCAL RESIDENT. AND SHE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT HER LIFE IN STORYTELLING AND WRITING AND HOW THAT GOT STARTED IN THE LIBRARY. SO THAT'S THEIR GUEST SPEAKER FOR THEIR ANNUAL MEETING, AS WELL AS THE BLUFFTON BRANCH 21ST ANNIVERSARY PARTY. ON NEXT TUESDAY, OUR HILTON HEAD LIBRARY WHERE WE ARE TONIGHT, WILL BE CELEBRATING ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY. AND THEY WILL ALSO HAVE A GUEST SPEAKER, LYNN HUMMEL, UH, WHO'S KNOWN FOR HER JOURNALIST EFFORTS IN TOWN. UM, THAT IS AT 2:00 PM NEXT TUESDAY. AND THEN BACKED BY TRADITION AND POPULAR DEMAND, BEAUFORT BRANCH WILL BE HOSTING THE RAILROADERS TR MODEL TRAIN EXHIBIT THIS DECEMBER, DECEMBER 12TH THROUGH THE 16TH. I WAS GONNA ASK YOU ABOUT THAT. OKAY. [00:15:03] AND LAST, I WANT TO, UM, INVITE JOSH REER, OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR TO, TO GET PREPARED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT ONE OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS. USUALLY AS A PART OF MY REPORT, I GIVE AN UPDATE ON ALL FOUR OF OUR GOALS AND WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED TODAY. I REALLY WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO, TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME INFORMATION, HELPFUL INFORMATION THAT IS ABOUT LIBRARY COLLECTIONS. OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS IN THIS AREA SAYS THAT WE ARE TO QUOTE, OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF COLLECTIONS IN CONTEMPORARY FORMATS. AND SO JOSH IS GOING TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS THAT OUR STAFF USE TO MONITOR THE AVAILABILITY OF POPULAR MATERIALS AND ADDRESSING COMMUNITY INTEREST. OKAY. SO HOPEFULLY YOU ALL ARE WELL FAMILIAR WITH HOOPLA AND WHAT IT DOES AND HOW IT WORKS. I HOPE, UM, AND HOPEFULLY A LITTLE BOOK CALLED LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY IS SOMEWHAT VAGUELY FAMILIAR TO YOU. UM, IF NOT, IT'S BEEN WILDLY POPULAR, UM, ON NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST FOR A LONG TIME. APPLE TV HAS ITS OWN SERIES RELATED TO IT NOW. SO WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS VERY, VERY BRIEFLY IS FOR A BOOK LIKE LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, WHENEVER OUR DIGITAL RESOURCES LIBRARIAN, WHO'S THE ONE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING CUSTOMER REQUESTS THAT COME IN ON WHO LEFT FOR MANAGING ANYTHING MORE COMPLICATED TECH SUPPORT QUESTIONS FOR HOOPLA. SHE ALSO, UM, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR COORDINATING THE SE CODES WORKSHOPS THAT WE HAVE ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY, AND A LOT OF OTHER RESOURCE DIGITAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT THAT OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM OFFERS. SO ONE OF HER MAIN DUTIES, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, SHE HAS TO PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO AND SPEND A LOT OF FOCUS TIME ON, IS LOOKING AT POPULAR TITLES LIKE LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY OR LIKE THE NEW BARBARA STREIS IN BOOK, OR, UH, TERRY'S SPARE TITLES LIKE THAT, THAT WE ALL HAVE HEARD AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OR KNOW ARE COMING OUT AND TAKING THE TIME TO SAY, OKAY, WHENEVER I'M GOING TO REQUEST THIS BOOK, HOW MANY DO I NEED TO PUT? OR HOW MANY DOES SHE NEED TO ACTUALLY ADD TO HOOPLA? WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS THAT ARE MADE AVAILABLE FOR HOOPLA? AND HOW MANY COPIES, OR HOW MANY DO I THINK THEY'RE I'M GOING TO NEED TO PURCHASE TO ACTUALLY HOPEFULLY SATISFY SOME OF THE IMMEDIATE COMMAND? SO, FOR EXAMPLE, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY BY, UH, BONNIE GARMA WAS PUBLISHED IN APRIL OF 2022, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY BEEN OVER A YEAR AND A HALF. SO WHENEVER THE BOOK FIRST CAME OUT, SHE OR THERE WERE FOUR LICENSES PURCHASED. SO WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT LICENSING AND WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT THE EXPENSE OF HOOPLA, WE AS A LIBRARY SYSTEM AND HOOPLA AS A SERVICE DON'T ACTUALLY DETERMINE THE COST OF THOSE LICENSES. ALL OF THAT IS DETERMINED BY THE PUBLISHER, AND DEPENDING ON WHO THE AUTHOR IS AND WHAT THEIR MANAGER, WHAT DEALS THEIR MANAGER HAS MADE WITH THE VARIOUS PUBLISHERS DETERMINES WHAT IS OFFERED TO HOOPLA. AND THEN IN TURN, WHAT IS OFFERED TO US AS A LIBRARY TO PURCHASE THAT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER WE'RE ON HOOPLA. IF IF WE HAD ANY OTHER SERVICE, IT WOULD BE THE SAME, SAME SETUP, ESSENTIALLY. SO IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY. THE PUBLISHER OFFERED A 12 MONTH LICENSE, WHICH MEANS AS MANY CHECKOUTS AS POSSIBLE WITHIN THAT 12 MONTH PERIOD. YOU'RE GOLDEN. IT ALSO OFFERED A 24 MONTH PERIOD. SAME IDEA, AS LONG AS IT'S WITHIN THAT 24 MONTH PERIOD, AS MANY CHECKOUTS AS THE LICENSE COULD HANDLE, OR AS TIME COULD HANDLE, GOOD TO GO. ONE OF THOSE ARE THE TWO MAIN OPTIONS FOR LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY THAT THAT PUBLISHER OFFERS. PUBLISHERS WILL ALSO SOMETIMES SAY, OKAY, WE WILL LET YOU PAY $35 FOR THIS LICENSE, BUT WE'RE ONLY GOING TO LET THERE BE 26 CHECKOUTS. SO IF IT'S JUST TO MAKE IT EASY MATH, IF IT'S A TWO WEEK CHECKOUT, THAT MEANS THEY'RE ONLY THEORETICALLY 26 PEOPLE THAT COULD HAVE IT. UM, THE FOR, FOR A YEAR, FOR 20, FOR A 52 WEEK YEAR. SO IN THAT CASE, AS SOON AS THAT 26TH CHECKOUT HAS HAPPENED, WE THEN HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER LICENSE. SO, TO PUT ALL OF THIS IN CONTEXT, AND THE REASON WHY IT'S RELEVANT IS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOOPLA. SEEMS LIKE WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON HOOPLA. AND THOUGH IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE, WHENEVER IT COMES DOWN TO IT TO MEET THE DEMAND, BECAUSE WE HAVE A VERY HEAVY READERSHIP IN THIS COUNTY, WHICH WE LOVE , WE LOVE THAT OUR COMMUNITY LOVES OUR LIBRARY AND USES OUR SERVICES. BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO SPEND MONEY BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING TO ACTUALLY PURCHASE MORE LICENSES TO MEET THAT DEMAND. SO FOR INSTANCE, DURING, SINCE THE TIME THAT LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY HAS BEEN PUBLISHED AND AVAILABLE TO US ON HOOPLA, WE HAVE MADE, PURCHASED, WE'VE PURCHASED 12 INDIVIDUAL LICENSES JUST FOR THE EBOOK COPY. MOST OF THOSE WERE 12 MONTH COPIES BECAUSE [00:20:02] THOUGH WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK INTO A CRYSTAL BALL AND SAY, OKAY, WE KNOW THIS BOOK IS GONNA BE POPULAR FOR THE NEXT 18 MONTHS, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO. SO ONE OF THE WAYS THAT OUR DIGITAL RESOURCES, LIKE WE'RE IN, TRIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MANAGING, SHE'S MANAGING THE MONEY THAT SHE'S GIVEN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IS NOT HEDGING HER BETTS, BUT TO SOME DEGREE HEDGING THE BETTS OF, OKAY, IF I PURCHASE THIS 2012 MONTH LICENSE, IF WE NEED TO PURCHASE ANOTHER ONE, WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PURCHASE. ANOTHER ONE SHOULD DEMAND REQUIREMENT. SO THAT'S JUST FOR THE EBOOK COPY. AND THEN FOR THE AUDIOBOOK COPY, WE HAVE ONE OPTION THAT'S CALLED A PERPETUAL LICENSE. SO THAT MEANS WHENEVER SHE'S PURCHASED IT, IT IS THE LIBRARIES PERPETUALLY. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PURCHASING THAT INDIVIDUAL LICENSE AGAIN. SO IT CAN CHECK OUT AS MANY TIMES AS IT WILL. AND THEN FOR THE MOST PART, ASIDE FROM PERPETUAL LICENSES, THIS PARTICULAR PUBLISHER ONLY OFFERED A 12 MONTH LICENSE TO OFFSET DEMAND FOR MORE READERS AND MORE HOLD LIST AND THAT SORT OF THING. SO THAT IS A VERY, VERY HIGH LEVEL. ALL OF IT TO SAY, REALLY, WHENEVER IT COMES DOWN TO IT, AS FAR AS THE LICENSING MODELS AND WHICH OPTIONS WE HAVE, IT REALLY IS SET BY THE PUBLISHER. AND THAT IS HOW WE HAVE TO TRY AND FIT THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE ALLOTTED AND THE MONEY THAT SHE HAS FOR THIS TITLE, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER REQUESTS THAT COME IN AND ALL OF THE OTHER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO MEET THE NEED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. BUT JUST UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT DOES ALSO MEAN THAT THERE WILL BE TIMES WHENEVER IT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN YOU WANT, BUT WE ARE DOING OUR BEST. SO ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THAT VERY HIGH LEVEL KIND OF HOW THAT WORKS? I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING THAT I LEARNED FROM HAVING A DISCUSSION WITH JOSH AND AMANDA ON MONDAY IS, UM, WE HAVE A FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE NOW. SHE'S BEEN IN PLACE A YEAR, AND AMANDA, BECAUSE THIS IS SO COMPLICATED AND SHE'S CONSTANTLY MONITORING THE WAITING LISTS, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR BOOKS AND WHEN IT, AND MAYBE SHE'S DONE A DEAL ON, MY NAME IS BARBARA, WHICH IS BARBARA STREISAND'S NEW BOOK, AND SHE'S ANTICIPATED, SHE'S ANTICIPATING THAT WE'LL HAVE ACCESS TO SIX COPIES FOR SIX MONTHS OR WHATEVER BASED ON WHAT THAT PUBLISHER DEMANDED. BUT THREE, BUT SHE DETERMINES THAT THREE WEEKS FROM NOW THE WAITING LIST HAS GROWN TO WHERE IT'S GONNA TAKE A YEAR TO GET THROUGH IT, THEN SHE PURCHASES MORE. AND SO IT'S, IT'S A COMP, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GUESSING GAME AND IT'S A LOT PLUS A LOT OF MONEY. SO IT TAKES A LOT OF SKILL TO FIGURE THIS OUT. BUT I THINK WHAT WE WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW IS THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO USE OUR LIMITED FISCAL RESOURCES TO GET THOSE WAITING LISTS DOWN. MM-HMM. AND TO GET THEM ACCESS TO THE BOOKS THAT THEY WANNA READ. AND JUST, JUST TO KIND OF HELP PUT IT IN CONTEXT, AS FAR AS WHENEVER SHE STARTED IN THE POSITION, THERE WERE OVER 3000 CUSTOMER REQUESTS WHENEVER SHE STARTED IN THE POSITION FOUR TITLES THAT THE OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM DID NOT YET HAVE ACCESS TO. SHE'S GOTTEN THAT DOWN TO JUST OVER, RIGHT AROUND THREE TO 400 REQUESTS. SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE REASONS FOR THAT. OBVIOUSLY. SHE'S ALSO HAVING TO WEIGH HOW MUCH DEMAND IS THERE ACTUALLY FOR A TITLE AND DOES THAT DEMAND MEET EQUIVALENT OF WHY THE TITLE COST AS MUCH AS IT DOES. SO THAT IS ONE IMPORTANT FACTOR. THE OTHER PART OF THAT TOO IS BECAUSE HOOP LED DOES MORE THAN JUST ONE COPY PER USER. SO LIKE IF YOU HAD THE PHYSICAL COPY OF LESSONS AND CHEMISTRY, YOU KNOW, YOUR NEIGHBOR CAN'T READ IT AT THE SAME TIME YOU ARE. THAT'S WHAT A ONE COPY, ONE USER LICENSE FORMAT IS. HOOPLA ALSO HAS THE INSTANT SIDE OF THINGS, WHICH IS WHERE WE PAY A MONTHLY FEE. AND ANYTIME IF ALL OF THIS CHECKED OUT LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, IF IT WAS AVAILABLE ON INCIDENT AT THE SAME TIME, WE COULD ALL CHECK IT OUT, DOWNLOAD IT, START READING IMMEDIATELY AT THE SAME TIME. SO A LOT OF THE REQUESTS THAT CAME IN ARE BECAUSE THERE WERE MANY REQUESTS FOR TITLES THAT WERE AVAILABLE INSTANTLY. SO INSTEAD OF A CUSTOMER HAVING TO WAIT AND WAIT, PERHAPS SHE WAS ABLE TO SAY, I'M DENYING THIS REQUEST, BUT HERE'S WHY. BECAUSE YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO OVER TO THE INSTANT AND DOWNLOAD IT AND START READING IMMEDIATELY. SO SHE'S ACTUALLY SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND REALLY HONED HOW TO SEARCH FOR THOSE TITLES AND SEARCH FOR THOSE, THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE WE CAN GET A TITLE TO A CUSTOMER MUCH MORE QUICKLY SO THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO WAIT. JOSH, YOU KNOW, THE ISLAND IS FULL OF BOOK GROUPS. MM-HMM. , RIGHT. SO IF SOMEBODY LISTENING TODAY IS A BOOK GROUP, YOU KNOW, COORDINATOR MM-HMM. , IS THERE ANY WAY FOR THEM TO EASILY FIGURE OUT WHAT WE HAVE A LICENSE FOR AND UM, CAN, THERE'S SOME WAY THEY CAN GO ON THE WEB OR FIND OUT SURE. THAT, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE, MY NAME IS BARBARA. SO WE DON'T WANNA PUT THAT ON THE, ON THE LIST OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA READ IN, YOU KNOW, JULY. RIGHT? SO WITH, FOR INSTANCE, MY NAME WAS BARBARA, IT CAME OUT WHAT, YESTERDAY? OR IT'S VERY SOON. SO LET'S, LET'S JUST SAY THAT IT CAME OUT YESTERDAY BECAUSE HOOPLA VERY MUCH ACTS LIKE A REGULAR BOOKSTORE IN SOME WAYS IN OUR PHYSICAL LIBRARY. EVEN IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD PURCHASED OR HAD PLANNED TO PURCHASE, IT WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL THE STREET DATE. [00:25:01] SO IF THEY'RE LOOKING, IF A GROUP IS LOOKING THAT FAR IN ADVANCE FOR NEW TITLES, THEY WOULD HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS PROBABLY A PLAN TO PURCHASE SOMETHING ESPECIALLY LIKE THAT. THAT WAS PROBABLY GONNA BE VERY POPULAR, BUT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PLAN TO PUT IT ON HOLD UNTIL THE ACTUAL PUBLICATION DATE. SO THAT IS ONE THING TO NOTE AS FAR AS LIKE IMMEDIATE, UH, NEW RELEASES. UM, AS FAR AS OTHER TITLES, WHENEVER THEY JUST GO TO HOOPLA, THEY JUST SEARCH FOR THE TITLE. UM, THE MAIN THING TO NOTE IS IF THERE'S A, WHAT LOOKS LIKE A RECYCLING SYMBOL, THAT'S JUST A CIRCLE WITH ARROWS CHASING EACH OTHER, THAT MEANS IT'S A FLEX TITLE. SO THAT'S THE ONE WHERE IT'S ONE COPY, ONE USER. SO YOU CAN HAVE IT AT ONE TIME AND THEN YOUR NEIGHBOR CAN HAVE IT NEXT. IF IT'S A LITTLE LIGHTNING BOLT, THAT MEANS WE CAN ALL CHECK IT OUT AT THE SAME TIME. DOES THAT HELP? I THINK SO. VERY GOOD. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? MY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, JOHN. SURE. THANK YOU AMANDA, TOO. THAT'S GREAT. REPORT. UH, COMMITTEE REPORTS. UM, DR. PORTER WOULD LIKE TO GET THE FINANCE REPORT AS JOE BOGAS IS, I CANNOT, I CANNOT BE REPLACING JOE BOGGAN BECAUSE HE'S, YOU KNOW, HE, 'CAUSE HE'S EXCELLENT. SO I'M A POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HIS, UH, GRADE FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORTS. SO IF YOU GO IN YOUR PACKET TO THE FIRST PAGE CALLED BUDGET, UM, THE, THE, THE, I'LL GIVE YOU, I'LL CUT TO THE CLIFF NOTES 'CAUSE WE HAVE IMPORTANT STUFF TO DO IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, YOU CAN SEE AT THE TOP IT SAYS EXPENDITURES AS OF 10 31 30 4%. SO THAT, THAT'S, THIS IS A THIRD OF THE YEAR. 'CAUSE WE HAVE, UM, OR A FIFTH OF THE YEAR. NO, 4, 4, 4. YEAH. IT'S A THIRD OF THE YEAR. 'CAUSE WE HAVE JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER. AND SO FOR A THIRD OF THE YEAR WE'RE AT 34% EXPENDITURES. AND UH, AND YOU CAN SEE 33% AT THE BOTTOM 0.7% OF THE FISCAL YEAR. SO WHY MIGHT WE EVEN BE A SMIDGE OVER, WELL, FOR PERSONNEL AND EVERYTHING, WE'RE IN GREAT SHAPE. BUT IF YOU LOOK DOWN THE PAGE, THE TWO EXPENDITURES THAT ARE EXTRAORDINARY ARE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THAT'S, THAT'S ABOUT THE FIFTH DOWN UNDER PRINTING, POSTAGE, ET CETERA. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE SPENT 76% OF OUR MONEY IN JUST FOUR MONTHS. WELL, THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT'S A ONE TIME, THE BULK OF THAT IS A ONE-TIME ME MEMBERSHIP FEE. WE PAY FOR OUR, UH, CATALOG SERVICES. SO WE PAY IT ONCE. IT'S NOT SPREAD OUT OVER THE YEAR. OKAY. THERE'S NO SEASONALITY TO THAT. AND THE OTHER ONE THAT STANDS OUT IS UNIFORMS. AND AMANDA, WOULD YOU JUST REMIND PEOPLE OF YOUR GREAT IDEA TO GET POLO SHIRTS? SO, UM, FOR, FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AT LEAST AS LONG AS I HAVE WORKED HERE, WHICH IS GOING ON 16 YEARS, UM, LIBRARY STAFF IN MASS HAVE NOT HAD A STAFF SHIRT OR A LIBRARY SHIRT, A BRANDED POLO, A PROFESSIONAL LOOKING SHIRT TO WEAR AT FESTIVALS, OUTREACH EVENTS, SCHOOL VISITS, ANYTIME THE LIBRARY'S OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO, UM, IN PLANNING FOR THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A UNIFORM LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET. AND OUR STAFF ARE VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR THEIR BRIGHT BLUE LIBRARY LOGO POLO THAT THEY'VE BEEN WEARING ALL SUMMER. AND WE, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, PUTTING THAT IN FUTURE BUDGETS. SO FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO HIT THEIR FIVE YEAR MARK WITH US, THEY SHOULD HAVE A WHOLE WORK WEEK ATTIRE, OF LIBRARY SHIRTS, SHOULD THEY CHOOSE TO WEAR THAT EVERY DAY. BUT IT'S BEEN A GREAT, UM, TEAM BUILDING A GREAT COHESIVE WAY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER BY HAVING A SHARED PIECE OF, UM, A WEARABLE THAT NOT ONLY JUST SAYS THAT WE ARE LIBRARY, BUT ALSO COMMUNICATES TO THE PUBLIC THAT WE ARE LIBRARY AND WE ARE HERE. SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A BALANCE THERE. YOU'LL SEE $167 AND THAT WILL COVER THE PORT ROYAL STAFF AND ANY OTHER NEW STAFF WHO COME. SO ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR EXPENDITURES THIS SO FAR THIS YEAR? ANYTHING THAT JUMPS OUT AT YOU? I THINK THAT'S GOOD. OKAY. THE NEXT ONE SAYS, AT THE TOP, BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY SPECIAL FUND. AND THIS, THIS REPORT GIVES US INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATE AID WE GET AND OUR IMPACT FEES. OUR IMPACT FEES ARE DRIVEN BY CONSTRUCTION, AS YOU KNOW, AND OUR ONE-TIME FEES. AND THE THING TO POINT OUT HERE IS THAT WE, UM, ALTHOUGH WE'RE IN OUR SECOND QUARTER, WE ACTUALLY ARE PAID IN ADVANCE FOR THAT SECOND QUARTER. SO UP ON THE UPPER LEFT HAND SYSTEM WHERE IT SAYS FIRST QUARTER, SECOND QUARTER, WE'VE ALSO RE WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED OUR OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER MONEY FROM STATE AID. AND THAT GOES TO SUPPORT MATERIALS, ALL THE STATE AID, [00:30:01] AND THEN UNDER THE IMPACT FEE BALANCES, WHICH ARE IN THE MIDDLE. AND REMEMBER THAT WE USED TO HAVE IMPACT FEES DIVIDED BY INTO SIX DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. HILTON HAD BLUFF AND BUFORD, ST. HELENA, LECO, AND THE, AND THE SUN CITY. AND WE'VE, AND THE COUNTY HAS MOVED TO MOVING IMPACT FEES JUST TO NORTH AND SOUTH, WHICH IS, WHICH IT SAYS ON THE LEFT UNDER LIBRARY SYSTEM. UM, SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE FEES GENERATED THIS YEAR. BUT THE POINT OF THE, OF IT IS THAT WE HAVE A TOTAL, UH, AVAILABLE, WHICH WOULD COVER CONSTRUCTION OF NEW FACILITIES OF ABOUT 6.5 MILLION, WHICH YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM IN TOTAL WITH THE BULK OF THAT IN BLUFFTON AT 4.2 MILLION. SO THAT WOULD BE USED. WE'VE, WE KEEP TALKING, UM, AND AT A LOT OF OUR RECENT MEETINGS ABOUT ADDING A SECOND BRANCH IN THE BLUFFTON AREA. SO WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE FOR AN INITIATIVE LIKE THAT BECAUSE THE BULK OF THE MONEY IS WHERE WE THINK WE NEED TO HAVE IT BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH. AND THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THE IMPACT FEES COME FROM GROWTH. SO, YOU KNOW, THE IMPACT FEES SHOULD DRIVE WHAT WE'RE PLANNING, UH, AND WHERE WE'RE SPENDING IT. SO ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? THAT'S FOR ONE TIME CONSTRUCTION DESIGN, LAND PURCHASE, ET CETERA. AND THEN THE FINAL IS, UM, UNDER EXPENDITURES IS THIS PAGE, IT HAS A GREEN AT THE BOTTOM. BRENDA'S GOT IT. YEAH, THAT'S THAT ONE. UM, IT SAYS, UM, EXPENDITURES FY 24. AND THIS DIVIDES THE SOURCES OF OUR FUNDS, WHICH YOU CAN SEE ARE STATE AID, UM, THE BAG FUND, LOTTERY AND COUNTY FUNDS. AND WE HAD A TOTAL OF 188,000 AVAILABLE THIS YEAR. AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE BULK OF IT IS SPENT ON HOOPLA. AND THAT'S BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE USING MORE AND MORE GOING TO DIGITAL PURCHASING OF BOOKS AS OPPOSED TO HARD COPY. UM, AND SO WE'RE ON TRACK THERE. UM, SO ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? WE, BECAUSE OF THE LEADERSHIP, NOT JUST THIS YEAR, BUT THAT WE'VE ENJOYED IN THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS OF THE, AT THE, AT THE DIRECTOR'S ROLE, WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE BECAUSE WE HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COUNTY AND GOOD PLANNING. AND I AM PROUD OF THE JOB THAT STAFF HAVE DONE. SO THAT ENDS MY REMARKS UNLESS THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS AND YOU'LL GET JOE BACK NEXT MONTH, NEXT MEETING. , IT WAS A VERY NICE REPORT. THANK YOU. DID NICE JOB. LET THE MINUTES SHOW THAT. . UM, THE NEXT COMMITTEE IS, UH, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND, UH, THE COMMITTEE'S REVIEWING. WE HAVE REVIEWED THE, UM, THE TRUSTEE BYLAWS AND, UH, WE'VE MADE, AMANDA AND I HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES AND, UH, NOW IT'S GOING TO THE COMMITTEE NEXT AND WE'LL BE MEETING IN DECEMBER AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IT AS A COMMITTEE. AND AFTER THAT, UH, WE HOPE THAT, UM, THAT THEY'LL GET THE, THEY WILL, THE COMMITTEE WILL SEND IT ON TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL IN JANUARY. BUT YOU, YOU'LL GET A COPY OF THOSE, UH, AFTER THE COMMITTEE. OUR MEETING, I THINK IS DECEMBER 9TH OR SOMETHING. IT'S, IT'S SECOND WEEK IN DECEMBER, I THINK. BUT FIRST WEEK, DECEMBER 5TH. AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL SEND IT ON TO YOU SO THAT EVERYBODY WILL HAVE LESS OF TIME TO LOOK AT THE, UH, AND MAKE ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU WANT. AND THEN WE'LL BRING IT UP AT THE JANUARY MEETING, UH, STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE. IS THERE ANY UPDATES? UM, NO. AMANDA'S DOING A GREAT JOB REPORTING TO US ON THE FOUR GOALS THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN. AND FOR EXAMPLE, TODAY SHE FOCUSED ON COLLECTIONS. 'CAUSE THAT'S ONE OF OUR FOUR GOALS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN. AND WE'VE, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY, WE DON'T BECOME SO OPERATIONAL AND TACTICAL THAT WE LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT THOSE STRATEGIC GOALS ARE. SO SHE'LL CONTINUE TO REPORT AROUND THE FOUR STRATEGIC GOALS. THANK YOU. UH, MR. COLE, DO YOU HAVE ANY REPORT FOR THE LIBRARY FACILITIES? I THINK WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT WHILE, AS AMANDA SAID, WHEN SHE WAS DOING HER PRESENTATION. UH, WE'RE MOVING ALONG. WE'RE VERY CLOSE. IN FACT, IT'S KIND OF LIKE ACCELERATED RECENTLY. SO WHAT WE'RE WAITING FOR NOW IS THE APPROVAL OF THE FUNDS TO GO WITH BUFORT CONSTRUCTION, WHICH HAS THE, THE KNOT FOR THE CONTRACT. MM-HMM. . SO I THINK THAT THAT'S GONNA BE A DONE DEAL VERY QUICKLY. NOW, ONE OF MY BIG WORRIES ABOUT THE FORT ROYAL LIBRARY FACILITY, THAT PIECE OF LAND, IS THAT IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THAT BIG VETERINARY CLINIC UHHUH. AND PEOPLE ARE PARKING ON THIS PROPERTY CONSTANTLY, WHICH IS SQUEEZING OUT ANY OTHER AVAILABLE PARKING. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA HANDLE THAT, EXCEPT MAYBE GET A WHOLE FLEET OF TRUCKS TO TOW 'EM. . OH, I DIDN'T MEAN TO SAY THAT. I [00:35:01] APOLOGIZE, . NO, WE DON'T. ANYWAY, PARKING IS, WE HAVE LIVED WITH THE PROBLEM OF LACK OF PARKING AT THE BUFORT MAINE LIBRARY. MM-HMM. . IN FACT, I WAS IN PHYSICAL THERAPY TODAY, AND THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST SAID, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU DO? AND YOU KNOW, SO FORTH. AND I SAID, WELL, I'M ON THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES. AND SHE SAID, OH, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE PARKING PROBLEM? TIME WENT ON AND ON AND SHE JUST TICK, TICK, TICK, TICK. I FINALLY SAID YES. BUT DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES HAVING TO DO WITH WHO OWNS SOME OF THE LAND, WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO ANYWAY. AND NOW I GUESS LATER WE'LL TALK ABOUT OTHER THINGS WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE HAVE OTHER ISSUES TO TALK ABOUT. AMANDA, IS THERE A, IS ARE YOU AWARE OF THE, OF THAT PARKING ISSUE? PARKING IN DOWN IN THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL IS, UH, A DEFINITE, UM, INTEREST TOPIC, A TOPIC OF INTEREST FOR RESIDENTS. AND THERE'S, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IN, UH, THE NEWS TALK OF REIMAGINED REBOUGHT ROAD. UM, THERE'S ALSO A REIMAGINED PARIS AVENUE, WHICH IS WHERE THIS, UM, LIBRARY IS, IS ON THE MAIN THOROUGHFARE THERE. UM, SO IN ALL THOSE PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO REVIEW OR HEAR, UM, PARKING REMAINS SOMETHING FIRST AND FOREMOST ON MOST PEOPLE'S MINDS. UM, A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL KNOW THAT THEY ARE GOLF CART USERS, WALKERS, BIKERS, THAT SORT OF THING. UM, I SUSPECT MR. COLE, THAT ONCE BE BEFORE CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES ARRIVE, THAT WILL BE A VERY VISIBLE SIGNAL. YEAH. THAT SOMETHING'S HAPPENING HERE. THAT BUILDING HAS BEEN VACANT FOR OVER A YEAR. AND SO I CAN SEE HOW WITH PARKING BEING A PREMIUM IN THE AREA, EMPLOYEES AND, AND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE, HAVE GRAPPLED ONTO THAT, THAT OPPORTUNITY TO PARK THERE. BUT I THINK ONCE THEY START SEEING US MOVE INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, , THEY'LL, THEY'LL UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE COMMUNITY NOW. SO YEAH, JUST SOME MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS FOR CALL FOR. THANK YOU. UM, LIAISONS, FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY FOR VIEW FIRST, DO YOU, DO YOU GO TO THAT MEETING OR? I WENT TO THE LAST MEETING, BUT ALSO THE SMILE ON AMANDA'S FACE MIGHT TELL YOU ALL, UH, THEIR MOST RECENT PROJECT, THE BOOK SALE, WHICH I WAS NOT IN ATTENDANCE, I WAS AT A FUNERAL. HOWEVER, UH, YOU CAN TELL THE EXCITEMENT FROM THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY AND THEIR EMAILS AND ALL REPORTS BECAUSE THEY EXCEEDED EVEN THEIR EXPECTED BUDGETED, UM, TO GRAPH THAT. SO THEY DID VERY WELL AT THE, THE SALE. AND AMANDA MIGHT EXPAND ON THAT, BUT ALSO UPCOMING WILL BE BOOKED SANDWICHED IN JANUARY THROUGH MARCH. SO VERY MUCH KEEP THAT ON YOUR CALENDARS, YOU KNOW, EXPECTING WHEN THEY ANNOUNCE EXACT DATES AND AS MANY OF US AS POSSIBLE SHOULD TRY TO ATTEND AS I WILL TRY TO ATTEND THOSE MONDAY ALSO. WOW. THAT, THAT'S TERRIFIC. THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB AS, AND AS I EXPRESSED TO THEM AT THE LAST MEETING, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY SEE THEM SITTING THERE DOING THEIR PLANNING AND THEY DO HANDS-ON WORK, YOU KNOW, FROM THE BOOKSTORE AND THE LIBRARY TO, YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING TOGETHER FOR THE BOOK SALE. THEY REALLY WORK HARD. THEY HAVE SO MUCH TALENT FROM INDIVIDUALS IN THE FORM OF THEIR MARKETING AND EVERYTHING ELSE. THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB. THAT'S GREAT. WELL CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BUFORD FRIENDS. YES, DEFINITELY. WONDERFUL. UM, DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING TO THAT, AMANDA? ARE YOU, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WENT RIGHT. SHE DID A FANTASTIC JOB. UM, THEY ARE, THEY HAD AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO THE BOOK SALE. THEY HAD GREAT WEATHER, WHICH ALWAYS HELPS. IT ALWAYS HELPS. UM, SO THEY HAD GREAT ITEMS FOR SALE AND THEY HAD GREAT WEATHER AND GREAT VOLUNTEERS AND GREAT SUPPORT. AND THAT TRANSLATED INTO A GREAT SALE AND A GREAT RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT, WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE THEY WILL BE, UM, ADDING THE PORT ROYAL LIBRARY UNDER THEIR UMBRELLA FOR SUPPORT. SO THEY NEED, UM, ALL OF THOSE FUNDS TO, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE RESOURCES TOWARDS THE, THE NEW PORT ROYAL LIBRARY AS WELL. SO, CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THEM. THEY'RE A FANTASTIC GROUP AND THEY'RE A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH. THEY, THEY ARE GREAT SUPPORT FOR THE LIBRARY AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS. UM, THEY ALSO SUPPORT ST. HELENA, IS THAT CORRECT? THEY SUPPORT ALL FOUR, UH, FOUR. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND NAME PORT ROYAL AS A, AS A NORTHERN BEAUFORT LIBRARY. THEY SUPPORT ALL FOUR OF THE NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARIES. WOW, THAT'S TERRIFIC. AND LET ME JUST MENTION, WHEN I SEARCHED ON, 'CAUSE YOU ALL KNOW, I TEND TO SAVE MY EMAILS AND SEARCH AT THE END. UH, 'CAUSE THERE WAS DISCUSSION AT THAT MEETING ABOUT THEIR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE, YOU KNOW, SENDING OUT EMAILS RATHER THAN THE HARD COPY MAILINGS. AND DEFINITELY MINE ARRIVED. SO BETTER GET ON IT. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, BRENDA. I'M, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT NEWS. THAT'S REALLY GREAT. YES. ONE MORE THING ABOUT THEM, WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT THEY DO, THEY DO SUPPORT THE LIBRARY, BUT I, I WOULD LIKE TO, TO MENTION, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THEY WILL PUBLICLY [00:40:01] SPREAD THIS FAR AND WIDE, BUT THEY RECENTLY DONATED FUNDS, UM, TO PORT ROYAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SO THAT EVERY CHILD COULD, UH, HAVE A BOOK IN THE BOOK FAIR. UM, THEY DID THAT IN ADVANCE OF THE OPENING OF PORT ROYAL LIBRARY AS A WAY TO KIND OF NOT ONLY MAKE SURE THAT A CHILD, EVERY STUDENT WHO WILL BE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF OUR NEW LIBRARY, UM, HEARS ABOUT THE LIBRARY, GETS THEIR FIRST BOOK TO TAKE HOME. UM, BUT ALSO TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE, UM, OF PICKING OUT A BOOK TO TAKE HOME WITH YOU. SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO SHOWCASE THEIR GENEROSITY THERE TO THE PORT ROYAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THEY DO A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. THEY WILL BE MEETING TOMORROW AND THEY WILL BE MEETING TOMORROW AFTERNOON AT 4:00 PM AT THE DOWNTOWN BEAUFORT LIBRARY. GREAT. OKAY. I MAY BE RUNNING LATE LEAVING WORK, BUT I WILL TRY TO BE THERE. THANK YOU. UM, FRIENDS OF THE BLUFFTON LIBRARY, DO YOU HAVE A REPORT? YEAH. FIRST, FIRST OF ALL, UM, I NOTICED SOMETHING, THE LAST MEETING THAT WE HAD. I'M, I WAS THERE, BUT MY NAME ISN'T DOWN AS BEING THERE, UM, IN THE FRIENDS MEETING MINUTES, SO YOU CAN CORRECT THAT. OH, THE FRIEND? MM-HMM. . OKAY. OH YEAH. OH. UM, WE ALSO LEFT AND ALSO HAD A BOOK FAIR UHHUH . AND IT WENT FOR SEVERAL DAYS. AND I WORKED AT THE BOOK FAIR AND IT SEEMED TO HAVE A VERY GOOD RESPONSE. I WAS THERE ON FRIDAY, BUT SATURDAY WAS SUPPOSEDLY A BLOWOUT DAY. WOW. A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT THERE ON SATURDAY, WENT THERE, LOOKED FOR BOOKS, AND YEAH, THEY DID VERY WELL. THAT'S TERRIFIC. I'LL ADD THE, UM, ON TUESDAY, UM, UM, YES, I BELIEVE IT WAS TUESDAY NIGHT LAST NIGHT. MM-HMM. NO, I'M SORRY. MONDAY NIGHT, I'M SORRY. THE DAYS ARE RUNNING TOGETHER ON MONDAY NIGHT, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ATTENDING A DEDICATION OF THE TABLE THAT YOU ACCEPTED IN ONE OF YOUR RECENT MEETINGS. UH, THAT TABLE IS IN THE BOOK SALE CORNER AT THE BLUFFTON LIBRARY, UM, IN MEMORY OF LORETTA WELLS. YES. A VERY PROMINENT FIGURE IN THE BLUFFTON COMMUNITY AND A LONG TIME VOLUNTEER AND BOOK SALE CHAIR FOR THE FRIENDS OF BLUFFTON LIBRARY. UM, HER FAMILY WAS THERE. IT WAS, THERE WAS ABOUT 75 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE, WHICH GOES TO SHOW YOU THE POWER OF WHAT ONE PERSON CAN DO WHEN THEY LOVE A LIBRARY AND LOVE A COMMUNITY. UM, AND SO THE TABLE WAS DEDICATED, UM, MEMORIES WERE SHARED, AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY EVERYONE RECOGNIZING, LIKE I SAID, THE POWER OF ONE VOLUNTEER. TOMORROW, ON THIS THURSDAY AT, UM, AT FIVE O'CLOCK, THE FRIENDS WILL HOST THEIR ANNUAL MEETING, AS I SAID EARLIER TONIGHT. UM, AND THEY WILL HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER TO TALK. AND IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BEING OF FRIENDS OF THE BLUFFTON LIBRARY MEMBER OR JUST, UM, CONNECTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN THE AREA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, IT'S WONDERFUL THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH SUPPORT FROM THE FRIENDS AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO BECOME A FRIEND. SO IT'S A, THOSE, IT'S JUST GREAT ORGANIZATIONS. UM, THE FRIENDS OF THE, UH, HILTON HEAD LIBRARY, UH, UH, THEY'RE CELEBRATING THEIR BIRTHDAY ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH, WHICH WAS MENTIONED BEFORE. THERE'LL BE TOURS OF THE LIBRARY'S PERMANENT ART COLLECTION AT 1230 AND THREE 15. AND THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS WILL BE DELIVERED AT TWO O'CLOCK BY LONGTIME JOURNALIST, WRITER LYNN HUMMEL. AND THE FRIENDS WILL HAVE THEIR NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING NOVEMBER 15TH. NOW THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, UH, FOUNDATION WILL BE MEETING, UH, ON TO DO THEIR ANNUAL APPEAL LETTER, AND THAT'LL BE NOVEMBER 15TH. SO I'LL HAVE SOMETHING TO REPORT IN JANUARY FOR THAT. IS THERE ANY OLD BUSINESS, UH, NEW BUSINESS? WE HAVE, UM, PROPOSED HOLIDAY CLOSURES THAT WE, UH, NEED TO VOTE ON. DO WE ALL, WE HAVE THOSE IN YOUR PACKET. UHHUH , IF ANY. EVERYBODY LOOKED OVER THOSE AND ARE HAPPY WITH THOSE DATES? NO, NO. UH, QUESTIONS. UH, COULD I HAVE A, A MOTION TO APPROVE THE HOLIDAY CLOSING DATES AS PRESENTED? OKAY. BERNIE, THERE'S A CAVEAT, CAVEAT, UH, OF AMENDING THE DATES. IF THE COUNTY COUNCIL CHANGES SOMETHING, THEN WE, WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT AGAIN, WHICH HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST. IT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST. WE DON'T ANTICIPATE IT'LL HAPPEN THIS YEAR, BUT WE DON'T, WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. UM, SO BERNIE, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR MOTION. AND, UH, SECOND. SECOND, UH, BRENDA. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. UH, AND NEXT ARE THE, UH, THE PROPOSED LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEETING DATES, WHICH I THINK YOU HAVE A COPY OF AS WELL. UM, COULD I HEAR A MOTION TO, [00:45:01] UH, UM, COULD I HEAR A MOTION TO ACCEPT TO, UH, ACCEPT THE TRUSTEE BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEETING DATES FOR SO MOVED 2024. BERNIE. THANK YOU. SECOND. SECOND, SHAUNA. THANK YOU. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? THANK YOU. UM, I ALSO NEED A MOTION, UM, TO RECOMMEND AMANDA DICKMAN BE REAPPOINTED TO SERVE ON THE FIRST STEPS BOARD. UH, AND IT'S, WE, SHE'S, SHE'S BEEN ASKED TO SERVE ON THE BOARD, BUT IT, IT, WE NEED TO, UH, WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION AND PASS THAT SHE'S, THAT IT'S OKAY FOR HER TO BE ON THE BOARD. THAT NO MOVE. THANK YOU. SECOND. SECOND, BRENDA. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? IS EVERYONE OKAY WITH THIS? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO I'VE REQUESTED A MOTION TO, UM, GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED. SO WE WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND IT IS 4 47. UM, SO THE FIX IT TICKET IS ACTUALLY REALLY GREAT 'CAUSE IT GIVES SOME ANIMAL OWNER A CHANCE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GIVE THEM A TICKET. UM, AND IT RANGES FROM ANYWHERE FROM LICENSING AN ANIMAL, UM, VACCINATIONS, UH, FOR RABIES, WHETHER AN ANIMAL IS RUNNING AT LARGE, UM, UM, AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE PIT BULLS BECAUSE IT'S MANDATORY FOR THEM TO GET NEUTERED. SO IT GIVES THE OWNERS A CHANCE TO GET THEM NEUTERED, GET THEM FIXED BEFORE WE ISSUE THEM A TICKET ALSO. YES, WE HAVE NOTICED THAT, UH, POPULOUS NUMBERS HAVE GONE DOWN. UM, YOU KNOW, GREATLY, UM, JUST THE ANIMAL, THE, THE, THE AMOUNT OF ANIMAL THAT WE INTAKE HAS GONE DOWN. NOW, IF ANYONE NEEDS ASSISTANCE WITH FIXING, YOU KNOW, GETTING THEIR ANIMALS SPAYED OR NEUTERED, UH, PLEASE REACH OUT TO, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY AND WE CAN ASSIST THEM, YOU KNOW, THE BEST THAT WE CAN IN MAKING SURE THAT THEIR ANIMAL IS FIXED AND UP TO DATE, UM, PER OUR CLINIC. OKAY, EVERYBODY, A LOT OF PEOPLE RETIRED HERE AND NOW THEY HAVE AN ATMOSPHERE THAT THEY'RE GONNA, ARE WE GOOD WALKING ON? MM-HMM. . OKAY. WELL, UM, I, I NEED A, I WOULD LIKE A MOTION TO END THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND BEGIN THE RECONVENE, THE REGULAR MEETING. SO MOVED. SECOND MOTION. AND BRENDA, THANK YOU. THIS IS MY JOB ON THE BOARD. . YES, IT'S VERY GOOD. MOVED. IT'S 5 0 6. ANYWAY, SORRY. AND IT'S, UH, 5 0 6. UM, SO MATTERS ARISING FROM THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, UH, WE RECEIVED THE LIBRARY BOARD RECEIVED INFORMATION REGARDING A POTENTIAL SITE FOR A LIBRARY IN THE CHARVILLE NEW RIVERSIDE AREA. I WOULD LIKE A MOTION TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASE OF THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS THE POTENTIAL SITE FOR THE NEW RIVERSIDE LIBRARY PURSUANT TO PROPERTY INFORMATION DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. BERNIE. SECOND. SECOND, SHAUNA, THANK YOU. UM, ALL IN FAVOR? A OPPOSED? THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, UH, ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? THE NEXT PUBLIC, UM, MEETING OF THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES IS JANUARY 10TH AT 4:00 PM AT THE BLUFFTON BRANCH LIBRARY. UM, I THINK THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS TO DISCUSS AND SO I WILL A MO A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 5 0 7. SO MOVE THE FINAL BERNIE. AND SECONDED. I KIDDING. SECONDED. MOTION. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? NONE. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.