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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - 2025-10-08AGENDA LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, October 8, 2025 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Library 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 The Library closes at 7pm, please arrive prior to 7pm Staff Contact: Donna Harlan, 503-697-6583, dharlan@lakeoswego.city 503-697-6583 706 4TH STREET PO BOX 369 L AKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY Virtual Access This meeting will be held in person. To participate remotely, please email the staff contact at least 24 hours before the meeting. ADA Accommodation Requests lakeoswego.city/accommodation 503-635-0282; Relay 711 Please allow four business days to process your request. Translation Services Traducción o interpretación 翻译或传译 통역혹은번역 503-534-5738 Patrick Walsh, Chair ∙ Lilisa Hall, Vice Chair ∙ Mark Pontarelli ∙ Patricia Walls ∙ Joy Fabos ∙ Seth Pauley ∙ Liberty Planck Melissa Kelly, Staff Liaison ∙ Anna Lee, Youth Liaison ∙ Jessie Pan, Youth Liaison ∙ Rachel Verdick, Council Liaison ∙ Jim Wolper, Alternate 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 10, 2025 3. PUBLIC COMMENT The purpose of Public Comment is to allow community members to present information or raise an issue regarding items not on the agenda or regarding agenda items that do not include a public hearing. A time limit of three minutes per individual shall apply. Public Comment will not exceed thirty minutes in total. If you are unable to attend the meeting and prefer to provide public comment in writing, please email the comment to the staff contact listed above at least 24 hours before the meeting. 4. CITY COUNCIL UPDATE Councilor Rachel Verdick 5. OLD BUSINESS Existing Library Workgroup plan 6. NEW BUSINESS Tentative LAB Work Plan for 2026 7. DIRECTOR’S REPORT 7.1 LO Reads 2026 7.2 Communications and Public Relations Coordinator Announcement Page 2 503-697-6583 706 4TH STREET PO BOX 369 L AKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY 7.3 Respond to Racism Art Project update 8. CHAIR REMARKS 9. YOUTH LIAISON REMARKS 10. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY REMARKS 11. ADJOURNMENT Next meeting November 12, 2025 CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO September 10, 2025 Library Advisory Board Library 1 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us Present: Patrick Walsh, Lilisa Hall, Mark Pontarelli, Pat Walls, Joy Fabos, Liberty Planck, Anna Lee, Jessie Pan, Jim Wolper, Councilor Rachel Verdick Staff Present: Melissa Kelly, Donna Harlan Absent: Seth Pauley 1. Call to Order The Library Advisory Board (LAB) meeting was called to order at the Lake Oswego Public Library (LOPL) on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 7:03 pm. 2. Minutes Motion to approve was made by Hall and seconded by Pontarelli. The August 13, 2025 minutes were unanimously approved with corrections by LAB. 3. Public Comment – None 4. City Council Update – Councilor Verdick • The city’s Emergency Preparedness Fair will be held September 18, 5:30 -7:30pm. This will be a good time to learn how to prepare for any disaster. • City Council received a presentation related to wildfires and disaster preparedness. • Councilor Verdick shared the fire department will come to homes and provide ideas on how to prepare your home if a fire comes this way. This is a free service. • The 20 is Plenty proposal passed, reducing the speed in residential neighborhoods to 20mph. The existing speed signs will be replaced neighborhood by neighborhood. • Funding was received for extra Farmer’s Markets to continue through October this year. • The Community Grant submission deadline is September 25. • The Mayor’s golf event will be held September 27. • The Cultural Xchange Festival will be held September 28, at Millennium Plaza Park. 5. Director’s Report Future Library Design Conference • Kelly attended an Executive Education program on the topic of Future Library Design: Enduring Principles, Contemporary Processes and Emerging Possibilities in August and shared a presentation she created highlighting big takeaways from the conference which included the following: o Space is service when it comes to library buildings. o Libraries should be designed to: ▪ Welcome all. ▪ Promote well-being . ▪ Include biophilic designs with nature in the buildings. ▪ Build community and a sense of belonging. ▪ Inspire creativity and collaboration. ▪ Serve intergenerational groups. ▪ Celebrate the local place and local community, including nature and history. o Strategy Recommendations: CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO September 10, 2025 Library Advisory Board Library 2 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us Highlighting the needs of youth. Highlighting health benefits of increasing social connection and access to nature, for example. Using maps & other visuals to create fun ways to use data. Co-designing the library with community. Library District Task Force Recommendations update • Kelly explained 4 recommendations were formed over 4 meetings and have been sent to stakeholders for feedback. o Recommendation A: Direct staff to propose an amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement to clarify the use of district funds for capital expenses and allocated costs. o Recommendation B: Direct staff to conduct analysis of the library district and make recommendations for core levels of service. o Recommendation C: Direct staff to conduct analysis of the funding formula and service boundaries, incorporated and unincorporated, and propose recommendations for changes to address funding disparities among the service areas. o Recommendation D: Direct staff to initial the creation of a strategic plan for the district that would prepare the district for its 20th year of service and beyond. • LAB members discussed the history of the Task Force. Respond to Racism Art Project RFP update • Kelly updated LAB as to the steps involved in selecting the artist and project for the Respond to Racism art installation that will be sited on the grounds of the library. • After several panel meetings and a viability review, which includes input from Kelly, the Respond to Racism board will make the final selection by September 23, with plans to go before City Council on October 7 for final approval as outlined in the City’s Public Art Guidelines. • This project has an expected installation date of June 2026. Library Communications Position update • Kelly shared there were 276 applications for the new position • After 3 rounds of interviews which included a design and writing exercise, the candidate has been selected and is now in the final steps where we hope to have a signed offer letter soon with a start date of mid-October. Overdue fines • Kelly informed LAB that the current LOPL policy is to waive all fines since 2021. • Recently, 2 LINCC libraries, soon to be 4, have gone “fine -free”, as in, fines are no longer accruing for items checked out at their libraries. • Kelly asked LAB if they had any concerns in LOPL adopting this policy too. Patro ns will still be billed for replacement costs if items are not returned and for overdue interlibrary loans. LAB had only positive responses of support. • Kelly will update LAB when an effective date has been determined. 6. Old Business Workgroup discussions/updates Future library workgroup, Meeting 3: CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO September 10, 2025 Library Advisory Board Library 3 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us • The group talked about the prioritized list of contacts they created during meeting 2 . • The workgroup had discussions related to how to connect with the groups including checking in with LAB members to determine who has connections with these groups that we would like to get in contact with when the time is right. • In looking ahead, it would be good to get in touch with our contacts so we could get on track to provide a presentation in the future, as agendas tend to be full. • Additional contacts to add to the list included Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce , Business District Meetings within Chamber, and events with the collective youth organizations, as well as ASB & Class officers in high schools, to increase youth participation. • This group also suggested a write up in the Lake Oswego Review. • This work group had a few more suggestions in an effort to have the library be more visible to the community and more top of mind for people. For example, have the Bookmobile or Rover attend more Farmer’s Markets to bring more attention to the library, and consider parking at the high school football fields when there are games. Existing library workgroup, Meeting 3: • Meeting 3 involved streamlining their ideas and how the process to implement their ideas would work. • This group determined that the most feasible category to start would be in the Creative Outlets and they plan to present a more concrete plan to be considered by Kelly and staff at the October meeting. • This work group thinks the ideas they are coming up with would work for quarterly events involving the three categories that they have developed. Kelly commented that it is the plan for LAB to communicate these ideas at the Council presentation by LAB later this year. 7. New Business Walsh, Hall and Kelly met with DEI Advisory Board Representatives. • The DEI board has 4 goals o Diverse workforce o Youth engagement – opportunities for civic participation for younger kids o Housing initiatives o Welcoming community and educational opportunities to make the community more welcoming. • The DEI Advisory Board has asked Kelly if LAB has any other ideas on how we can support the DEI Advisory Board and how they can help support our goals. • The DEI Advisory Board is interested in data and how it can be used to show the needs and achieve goals. • Both groups are very interested in keeping the conversation going and continue to support the commonality between boards. 8. Chair Remarks CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO September 10, 2025 Library Advisory Board Library 4 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us • Walsh attended the most recent Sustainability Board meeting to talk about the library’s needs, their board’s needs, and highlight cross over between the two groups. The group is currently working on a sustainable buildings policy. • While at the meeting, there were presentations by Alex Mihm, Senior Sustainability Analyst with Clackamas County, and by a representative from Oregon Electric. • Walsh thanked LAB for the work they have done through the workgroups. 9. Youth Liaison Remarks • Lee supports using social media to reach youth in our city and suggests having youth help run them while going through proper channels. She encouraged doing polls on social media stories to get an idea of what youth would like to do. • Pan suggested making social media posts more visually appealing to youth. 10. Friends of the Library Report • Watson stepped down from his role on the Friends board and Pat Walls is the new Friends liaison for LAB. • The Friends are getting ready for LO Reads. • They have applied for the City’s Community Grant to assist with the Lake Oswego Reads expenses. • The Friends and Library Management will be co -hosting a booth at the Farmer’s Market on the 13th. 11. Adjournment Motion to adjourn was made by Planck, seconded by Fabos. The meeting was adjourned at 8:48 pm. The next LAB meeting will be held October 8, 2025. Respectfully submitted, Donna Harlan Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026 General Information Number of new borrowers/patrons added 263 876 Number of registered borrowers 26,659 26,659 Books and other print items Number of physical units owned 122,231 122,231 Number of physical units added 771 2,663 Audio Materials Number of physical units owned 16,144 16,144 Number of physical units added 110 210 Video Materials Number of physical units owned 18,080 18,080 Number of physical units added 84 227 Other library materials Number of physical units owned 1,000 1,000 Number of physical units added 1 2 Total physical items owned 157,455 157,455 Total physical items added 966 3,102 Magazine Issues Number of physical units owned 1,874 1,874 Number of physical units added 112 363 Holds Placed 13,806 41,934 Holds Filled 11,191 34,553 Holds Expired 18 78 Holds Expired on shelf 1,606 4,748 Circulation of library materials at all facilities for the fiscal year Library2Go & Advantage Circulation Combined 15,204 46,253 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of CHILD 2 6 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of YA 1 3 Number of Circulation of Electronic Materials 15,207 46,262 Adult Checkouts 17,207 54,503 Adult Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC) 10,285 32,303 No Longer Used - - Adult Renewals (via Shoutbomb) 416 1,241 Adult Renewals (via TeleCirc) 124 294 Adult Renewals (TOTAL) 10,825 33,838 September 2025 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026September 2025 YA Checkouts 1,018 3,538 YA Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC) 892 2,769 No Longer Used - - YA Renewals (via Shoutbomb) 25 67 YA Renewals (via TeleCirc) 0 0 YA Renewals (TOTAL) 917 2,836 Child 1st-time circ excluding E-book Reader uses 11,360 37,391 YA 1st-time circ excluding E-book Reader uses 1,017 3,535 Child Checkouts 11,362 37,397 Child Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC) 7,979 23,845 No Longer Used - - Child Renewals (via Shoutbomb) 595 1,719 Child Renewals (via TeleCirc) 5 22 Child Renewals (TOTAL) 8,579 25,586 Total 1st-time circulation 44,791 141,691 Total renewals 20,321 62,260 Total circ of Adult materials 28,032 88,341 Total circ of YA & Childrens materials 21,876 69,357 Total circ of YA materials 1,934 6,371 Total circ of Childrens materials 19,941 62,983 Total circ 65,114 203,957 Self-Check Circulation Self-check checkouts 24,951 80,994 % of physical item checkouts at self-checks 84.3% 84.9% Check Ins items CHECKED IN via book drop or circ desk return 32,542 100,915 items CHECKED IN from "in transit" status 22,578 71,144 TOTAL items checked in 55,120 172,059 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026September 2025 Items loaned to other libraries Items loaned to other libraries within resource-sharing network (LINCC)15,624 48,368 Interlibrary Loans - Items Loaned to All Other Libraries (OCLC)142 519 Total loans to other libraries 15,766 48,887 Items borrowed from other libraries Items borrowed from libraries within resource-sharing network (LINCC)14,644 45,849 Interlibrary Loans - Items Borrowed from All Other Libraries (OCLC)96 259 Total loans from other libraries 14,740 46,108 NET ILL using a shared catalog of automation system (LINCC) 980 2,519 Adult Services September 2025 Monthly Report September seemed to fly by! As the weather became chillier and our study tables filled up with students adjusting to the new school year, we helped with outreach efforts, planned and hosted events, and made the final preparations for Freedom to Read Month in October. Here is a closer look at our work in September: • The stairwell gallery featured beautiful watercolor paintings of Portland, Lake Oswego, and surrounding areas by artist Emma Ying. • Librarians curated fiction book displays on fun themes such as Happy Cat Month and Fall in Love with a Good Book, as well as colorful non-fiction displays on Back to School and Latine Heritage Month. • Librarian Josh Macias gave two presentations to LINCC Network staff and librarians from other LINCC libraries on the data visualization tools that he created to help us better understand and use the data we have on our collections. His presentations were well- received, and it’s wonderful that more of LINCC will be able to learn and benefit from his work. • Participated in an all-staff training on Bystander Intervention in Public Workspaces from the non-profit organization Right to Be. This was the second of a two-part series which we started one year ago. • We participated in the following outreach events: o Together with Circulation staff, brought Rover to Mary’s Woods o Delivered a presentation on library resources to Mary’s Woods’s Low Vision Support Group. • Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Library, we hosted the following events: o A First Tuesday Music concert featuring Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter who played Celtic harps and rare instruments. 98 people crowded between our stacks to see this event! o Two well-attended Ancestry Answers sessions, in which volunteers and staff assisted patrons with their genealogy research. o A Special Author Presentation featuring writer and journalist Melissa Slager, who presented on her historical novel Contests of Strength. o Pints from the Past returned from summer hiatus with a presentation from PSU historian Dr. Tracy Prince and her daughter Zadie Schaffer (Stanford University) on Notable Women of Portland. 40 people attended the event. o A Genealogy Interest Group meeting at the ACC and online. o A Bookish Affair met virtually to discuss Split by Karmen Lee. o A virtual presentation on Thriving Through Middle School: Tools and Tips for Parents by educator and author Sara Sebastian. o The fourth session in the Digital Dive series, presented by Librarian April Younglove. This month’s topic was “Tired of the Algorithm? How Librarians Find Reliable News Sources.” 49 people attended this event! o Our monthly Poetry Group meeting. o A presentation on Next Level Estate Planning: Adulting 101 for Parents with Minor Children by local attorney Michelle-Shari Kruss. o An author presentation by Mark Pomeroy, who presented on his award- winning second novel, The Tigers of Lents, at the Lake Theater and Cafe. o A Senior Scholars presentation on Witches & Witch-Hunters: Fear and Power in History by PSU history professor Dr. John Ott at the ACC. 63 people attended this session! o Building Bridges Book Group met in-person and online to discuss We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People by Nemonte Nenquimo. o Our first Ukulele Classes of the fall season at the ACC. Once again, sign-ups for this season’s class is full. o A World Cinema showing of the Swedish film A Man Called Ove, based on the bestselling novel by Fredrik Backman. Many people stayed for an engaging discussion after the movie. Stats Reference & Readers’ Advisory Interactions: 1,385 Programs for Adults: 18 Adult Program Attendance: 412* Programs for All Ages: 2 All-Ages Program Attendance: 155 *Does not include attendance for recorded events “Downtown 4th Sreet” by Emma Ying featured in the Stairwell Gallery “George Rogers Park 1” by Emma Ying featured in the Stairwell Gallery Youth Services September 2025 Monthly Report With kids back in school the rhythm in the Children’s library changes. Morning storytimes are well attended with families returning to their routines and new parents discovering the magic. After school hours are lively, and tutors once again join the mix. We are responding to a plethora of requests for school tours, requests from community members with ideas for programming, and the challenge of replacing materials that bore the brunt of high summer use. Summer Library Challenge grand prize winners were so excited to choose a large stuffy, receive gift certificates from local businesses, and try out a yo-yo for the first time. The mini disco ball is also a big hit. With many thanks to our sponsors, including the Friends of the Library, we are calling this Summer’s challenge a success. We registered over 2000 kids aged 0-18 and distributed 1652 free books. We added photos of the winners to the Bulletin Board alongside their school’s mascot, and listened to their classmates recognize and be happy for them throughout the month. Spanish Storytime has moved to Saturdays and had a nice crowd this month. Music and Movement in Mandarin is steady in its appeal, and LEGO club was well attended despite beautiful weather. We embraced Fall at the ArtBar with coffee filter leaves and enjoyed watching the bulletin board “bloom.” Teens/Tweens We are engaging this age group with passive programming in the teen area, changing up what we are doing each week to hopefully keep them coming back for more. We have more than 30 applicants for the Teen Advisory Board which held its first meeting of the school year in September. Attendance was a great mix of returning members and new teens. Launching a Junior TAB, that will function as more of a social club and a way to capture the enthusiasm of middle schoolers who really want to give back to their “favorite place,” is going to take some time. We had one very committed young person show up for the inaugural meeting in September, and continue to talk to enthusiastic potential members. Outreach Youth Librarians provided storytime for Maryam’s Preschool, and are assessing future visits to other childcares in the city. The September StoryWalk, All Around Us, is a beautiful book written and illustrated by Xelena Gonzalez. Xelena is a former librarian and enrolled member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan tribe. We chose Freepons Park as our location knowing that students walking to and from Hallinan elementary school would have an opportunity to engage with this celebration of circles all around us and latinx culture. Amusingly, the comments that we recorded this month were all from non-school aged people. Comments: • I read every sign and beautiful drawings (Jorge, age 49) • Loved it. (Evie, age 69) • Wonderful experience (Justin & Bridget, age 1) Stats Reader’s Advisory/reference – 511 (includes 1000BBK and New Parent Gift bags) Program attendance – 23/532 (includes storytime, special programs, outreach and LEGO club) HIGHLIGHTS • “It may be small, but a library card packs a mighty punch!” starts the ALA’s publicity intro for Library Card Sign-Up Month, themed “One Card with Endless Possibilities!” Celebrated in September each year since 1987, Library Card Sign-Up Month highlights the importance of a library card as a for tool learners of all ages. “Take part in engaging programs like book clubs, movie nights, crafting classes, and lectures. Access technology, Wi-Fi, and career resources to support your goals, whether you're a student, job seeker, entrepreneur, or lifelong learner. It’s one card with endless possibilities!” In celebration, the Circulation department collected over 150 notes from patrons about their love for the Lake Oswego Public Library. We also created a special I LOVE MY LIBRARY tote bag (pictured above) to be given out to new library card holders, and successfully registered 263 new library members by the end of the month! • During September, the Outreach committee cont inued their busy planning for the arrival of the Rover Bookmobile, LOPL’s new mobile outreach vehicle that should make a debut in a few months. The team also conducted a pop-up library at Mary's Woods, where they helped 30 visitors discover library services, created 6 library cards and signed up one patron for home delivery, while the managers made a splash at the Farmer's Market representing the library, promoting our popular mobile seed library, and educating members of the community about the wonderful contributions to library programming made by our Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library. CIRCULATION SERVICES NOTABLE STATISTICS *The Library was closed for Labor Day Monday, September 1, 2025, and opened one hour late for a staff training on September 17, 2025. Items checked in Items sorted by AMH Items renewed Items borrowed from outside the County Items loaned outside the County Items borrowed from LINCC libraries Items loaned to LINCC libraries Holds filled Held items not checked out Library cards issued to new members eCards issued Home Deliveries Carts shelved Average daily carts shelved Cultural Pass reservations Seed Library Checkouts Indoor Visitors Curbside Visitors Self-checkout 55,120 42,446 20,321 96 142 14,644 15,624 11,191 1,606 263 37 51 966 32 142 157 13,110* 8 84.3% Technical Services Department September 2025 Monthly Report Plastic Film Recycling Each month, the Technical Services Department receives dozens of boxes containing all of the new books and other materials that the Library orders. Most of these boxes include some amount of plastic film—either some form of ‘bubble wrap’, shipping pillows, or wrapping used to protect books from damage in shipment. While most of these polyethylene “stretchy” plastics are recyclable, if they’re mixed in with other recycling materials, they can cause processing problems, so they need to be collected separately. For a time, Tech Services was collecting bags of recyclable plastics, and the City’s Sustainability Program Manager Amanda Watson would periodically collect these bags and personally deposit them in the plastics receptacle at a local grocer. Due to the volume of material, however, this was not a solution that could be sustained. This summer, Amanda reached out to Lake Oswego’s waste & recycling vendor, Republic Services, and a better solution is now in place: we’ve designated a ‘Bagged Plastic Film’ container at the Library (pictured above), and when the container is full, we contact Republic Services and they come to collect it—a win for responsible waste management! Volunteer and Events September 2025 Report Total Volunteers Serving 128 Total Volunteer Hours 723 Met weekly with Social Media Committee to plan daily posts/weekly focus to promote library events. Communicated updates as needed. Represented LOPL with Strategic Communications Team at City level. Lake Oswego Reads committee has selected Tilt for its 20th Anniversary. Distributed copies of Tilt to artists, school board members, etc… Began contacting presenters for LO Reads events. Planned the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon for Monday, October 6th. Onboarded volunteers for opportunities at the Library. Coordinated Home Delivery volunteers for all assisted living communities and other patrons who can’t come to the Library on a regular basis. Provided Setup for September 2025 Library events. Worked to combine Seed Library and Backyard Habitat programs and recruited new volunteers to ensure long term success. Began planning for MLK Day Celebration for January 18, 2026.