Agenda

• Changes to Agenda
• Introductions

      OLD BUSINESS:

• Minutes from the December 7, 2020 meeting – vote
• Financial Report January 2021- vote
• Administrator Report – December 2020/January 2021

NEW BUSINESS:

• Keith Dean, WILD Accountant, present to answer questions
• Welcome Commissioner Chris Tuten

        Other Business

• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports

        Adjournment

Next Meeting will be Monday, April 12, 2021 at 1:30 p.m.

Enclosures:

• Agenda 2-8-2021
• Minutes-December 2020 Meeting
• Financial Report-December/January 2021
• Administrator Report-January 2021
• WILD Board Meeting Calendar 2021

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries

Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties

Governing Board Meeting Minutes

Monday, December 7, 2020 at 1:30 PM

Wakulla County Public Library Meeting Room

Board Members Present: Chuck Hess, Ellen Ashdown (via phone), Bert Boldt, Danielle Sprague

Others Present: Courtney Nicolou, Parker Morgan, Robyn Drummond, Whitney Roundtree, Natalie Binder (via Zoom)

Hess called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM. No changes to the agenda. Introductions were made. Hess said we should poll everyone for the next meeting to see who would like to meet via Zoom.

Old Business: Minutes from the September 9th meeting were approved without comment. Hess asked if everyone had looked at the financial report. He commented that we had only spent 10% so that was pretty good. Hess asked about outsourcing IT. Nicolou said IT was outsourced in Wakulla and Franklin and Binder was handling IT herself in Jefferson County. Ashdown wanted to know why the “net income” was listed if we do not have revenue. Nicolou answered that we do have revenue. Boldt says it looks reconciled. Hess said the salaries were very high and Nicolou replied that it is because we have Nicolou’s salary, Gilleland’s salary, Gilleland’s retirement, and we have begun paying Morgan. Hess requested a glossary for our expenses. The financial report was approved. 

Administrator Report: Nicolou read her report as well as Gilleland’s report. Nicolou read Gilleland’s parting letter to the Board.

New Business: Hess looked over the 19-20 combined annual statistical report and asked for a general explanation. Nicolou explained the layout and asked if there were any specific questions. Ashdown asked about reference transactions and wanted to know why Franklin’s statistics were so low. Roundtree said she needed to retrain her volunteers on proper reference statistic reporting. Hess pointed out that 16,000 electronic books is one collection for the cooperative. Binder said we put a lot of money into electronic resources to meet the needs of the community during the pandemic. Morgan said there is a mistake in line 7, and made a note to correct it. Hess inquired about the $200,000 Jefferson received, and Binder clarified that it was a private grant: The Literacy Alliance. Ashdown asked about line 46 for Franklin and Roundtree said she will have to follow up with an answer. Hess wanted to know why the libraries did not count individual Wi-Fi usage in their statistics. The directors said that is something they have not figured out yet. Wi-Fi must run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to meet grant requirements, so they must be very careful about passwords or any kind of possible interference in accessing the internet. Hess would like us to look into it.

Directors Reports:

Franklin: Roundtree lost an employee but has hired someone new that will work at both Franklin branches as needed. State Aid is done. The Seed Library is up and running. Music as a Second Language will remain on hiatus due to the pandemic. The library will be closed for the holidays. The Friends are doing their Bread, Book, and Soup sale, just outdoors this year. Booking summer reading is tentative. They are easing back into programming, keeping attendance below ten people. Boldt pointed out that people park in the lots to use the internet and said it should be recognized. 

Wakulla: 4H has been welcomed into the library. The children’s programs have resumed, with low attendance. They are going to wait until February to make decisions about summer reading. Drummond says her staff is doing their best and they are appropriately busy.

Jefferson: Binder hired two new library assistants. State Aid is finished. There was a successful blood drive. The partnership with the local health department has strengthened. Programming is slow, and they are encouraging take-away kits and activities. The Polar Express party will be adapted for the pandemic. 

Hess asked if this was the year we change chairmen. It is a two-year term. Boldt said Franklin county has a new budget officer and there is, for the first time, a dedicated grants manager and recommended that the directors look into grant deployment. Boldt suggested we implement a course called “How to Study” in the libraries. Nicolou pointed out that Sprague was IFAS Professional of the Year. 

With no further discussion, and with the agreement to poll Board members about whether they would prefer the next meeting to be conducted via Zoom on Monday, February 8th, Hess adjourned the meeting at 2:58 PM.

Income statement for the four months ending January 31, 2021

Administrator Report

December 8 2020 through February 8 2021

Meetings Attended:

• Division Update with State Librarian Amy Johnson
• January WILD Directors’ Meeting
• FAC: The Future of Public Meetings
• Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners Meeting
• Website Design Meeting
• ALA Midwinter
• Cooperative Directors’ Meeting
• Met with IFAS, HWB, and Natalie about starting a seed library at JCPL
• Library Advisory Board Meeting for WCPL
• Meeting with Sondra Taylor-Furbee to discuss Apalachicola Public Library joining WILD

Other Activities of Note:

• Assisted staff with questions and correcting problems in Koha
• Worked with auditors to comply with state financial regulations
• Planned and implemented new content and a more accessible design for the WILD website and social media platforms
• Worked with the IT companies to create Wi-Fi usage reports for statistics
• Created Staff Member of the Month to showcase the accomplishments of and bring awareness to the many programs and services facilitated by member library staff
• In conjunction with the library directors, concluded to postpone staff day until after summer
• Attended the BOCC for Jefferson County to request the appointment of a commissioner to the WILD Board (Commissioner Christ Tuten has volunteered until a citizen can be appointed)
• Began updating the interlocal agreement 
• Parker has created a directory of all member library staff

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
Monday, December 7, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda

OLD BUSINESS:

• Minutes from the September 2020 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report -Pat Gilleland/Courtney Nicolou

NEW BUSINESS:

• FY 19-20 Wilderness Coast Statistics

Other Business

• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports

Adjournment

Next Meeting will be Monday, February 8, 2020 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.

Enclosures:

• Agenda December-2020
• Financial Statement – December 2020
• Minutes- September 2020 Meeting
• Administrator Report – December 2020

Minutes 9/9/2020

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 9, 1:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

Board Members present: Chuck Hess, Marilyn Lewis, Ellen Ashdown, Bert Boldt. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Natalie Binder, Robyn Drummond, and Whitney Roundtree.

Chuck called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m.  He asked if there were any changes to the agenda. Pat asked for a change in the agenda to add a consideration for a funds transfer of $5500 from unused salary funds to equipment, since this amount exceeds the $5000 she is allowed to transfer between categories without approval. The change was approved as suggested.

Old Business:

The minutes were approved without comment. Pat said she had no comments about the financial report other than asking the Board to approve a budget change to shift $5500 from unused salary funds to equipment. There are 2 network switches at Wakulla County Public Library which have been failing and Inspired Technologies, now that they have taken over tech support for WCPL, has recommended that they be replaced immediately. The financial report along with the budget transfer was passed unanimously.  Pat said she had two additional comments regarding the administrator report. She has gone ahead and done background checks on the two finalists who are being interviewed today, and wanted to let the Board know that both applicants are who they say they are and have both graduated with their library degree. She also said that Eagletree Technologies has made site visits to the two Franklin County Libraries and is scheduled to report back to the Franklin County Administrator with an anticipated agreement between EagleTree and Franklin County for EagleTree to take over tech support for FCPL. WILD would then reimburse Franklin County for Eagletree’s monthly tech support maintenance fee. Chuck agreed that this is major progress. Bert asked Pat to keep him informed if she needs for him to work with the Franklin County Administrator to facilitate the process. Pat thanked him and said she would be in touch.

New Business:

The Board reviewed the interview procedures. Pat called the interviewees them to let them know when it was time to enter the Zoom meeting,  and then the Board conducted the interviews. After both interviews and discussion, the Board voted to offer the position to Courtney Nicolou at a salary of $53,000 per year, with an anticipated starting date of November 9, 2020. Pat will email the Board Members when Courtney has accepted the position.

Directors Reports:

Jefferson: Natalie said that they had officially reopened today for the first time since the end of March, and so far everything had gone well. They have moved all the furniture and totally restructured their technology program, and the patrons are very happy to be back.

Franklin: Two new staff members have been hired, and Whitney is doing cross-training so they can work at either location if needed. They are trying their first in-house programming opportunity by hosting Talk Like a Pirate Day. They have some new STEAM programs planned soon and are beginning to look forward to more programming opportunities.

Wakulla:  Robyn said they have been busy and are exploring opportunities to expand their digital programming.  The drive-in bingo program has been particularly popular, and they are now using an FM transmitter for the program. The Friends have ordered signage for them to put up a story walk in Azalea Park every week. They have signed up for an Escape Room In a Box subscription since they haven’t been able to have Escape Room programs in person at the Library. They have unfortunately had to cancel the annual Halloween Story Walk at Azalea Park this year, but are hoping that next year’s celebration will more than make up for it. They are keeping busy with curbside service and appointment service.

With no further discussion, and a reminder that that the next meeting will be on Monday, December 7, 2020, Chuck adjourned the meeting at 2:55 p.m.

December Financial Statement
Compared with Budget
For the Two Months Ending November 30, 2020

Administrator Report

December 2020

Meetings Attended:

• Onboarding Meeting with Inspired TEchnologies
• WILD Board Meeting
• WILD Directors Meeting
• PLAN Meeting
• Meeting with Franklin County Administrator/EagleTree Technologies
• Meeting with Okaloosa Cooperative staff

Other Activities of Note:

• Arranged interviews for Central Administrator position candidates
• Arranged interviews for Administrative Assistant position candidates
• Completed and submitted Wilderness Coast application for State Aid to Libraries grant
• Assisted County libraries with completing their applications for State Aid to Libraries grants
• Assisted with State Aid training for FCPL Director
• Supervised conversion of technical support operations to contracting firms in conjunction with staff of Inspired Technologies and EagleTree Technologies
• Conducted orientation of new Central Administrator
• Assisted with orientation of new Administrative Assistant
• Assisted Accountant with preparation of annual audit

Statistics for FY 19-20:

Will be distributed at Board Meeting

Reminder:

The next WILD Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 8, 2021.

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
MONDAY, September 9, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda

OLD BUSINESS:

• Minutes from the August 2020 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report -Pat Gilleland
• Proposed FY 21 Budget-Vote
• FY 21 State Aid to Public Libraries Agreement-Vote
• FY 21 CARES Act Grant Application-Vote
• Interview procedures for Central Administrator applicants-Chuck and Pat

NEW BUSINESS:

• Proposed FY 21 Budget-Vote
• FY 21 State Aid to Public Libraries Agreement-Vote
• FY 21 CARES Act Grant Application-Vote
• Interview procedures for Central Administrator applicants-Chuck and Pat

Other Business

• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports

Adjournment

Next Meeting will be Dec 7, 2020 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.

Enclosures:

• Agenda September-2020
• Financial Statement – September 2020
• Minutes- August 2020 Meeting
• Administrator Report – September 2020

Minutes 8/10/2020

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, August 10, 1:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
Conference Room of the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville FL 32327

Board Members present: Chuck Hess, Marilyn Lewis, Ellen Ashdown, Bert Boldt. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Natalie Binder, Robyn Drummond, and Whitney Roundtree.

Old Business:

Marilyn asked that the second paragraph of the minutes be amended to eliminate a duplicate word in the first sentence, and the minutes were approved as corrected.  Chuck asked for any comments about the financial report. Pat said that there were no unusual expenses over the summer. Ellen asked why the maintenance expenses had been so low, and Pat said it was because the maintenance bill for our Overdrive ebook service had not yet arrived. Ellen also asked why there was a large amount remaining in equipment, and Pat replied that it is because WILD hasn’t needed any new equipment so far this year, although some possibilities have been discussed. Chuck asked if the large amount that had been transferred to ebooks earlier this year had been spent. Pat said all but $5,000 had been spent, and the rest would be spent shortly. Chuck inquired as to why there were still funds left in the salary budget, and Pat reminded the Board that the salary budget included funds for the unfilled Administrative Assistant position which she anticipated would be filled by the new Administrator. The financial report was approved.  Pat went over the highlights of the Administrator Report. WILD has received 13 applications for the upcoming Central Administrator vacancy, including the three additional applications that came in after she sent the applicant ranking chart to the Board members. Pat sent letters to all the applicants acknowledging receipt of their respective applications. Pat worked with Robyn to prepare a grant application for the CARES funds that the State Library is distributing through the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The WILD Systems Administrator has resigned, and Pat has been working with Chuck to investigate contracting out IT services instead of hiring another Systems Administrator. Systems-wide circulation of physical items is down 63% since this time last year, but circulation of electronic items has increased 79% over the same time period.

New Business:

Pat said she and Chuck had discussed the tentative budget for the upcoming year and are recommending using the same budget template as was used for FY 19-20, with categories being shifted as we receive verification of the costs of IT contracts. The new Administrator may want to make some adjustments at some point, and additional changes will almost certainly need to be made due to COVID effects, so it seems logical to make the budget similar to last year’s budget and make adjustments at a later date if necessary. The Administrative Office budget is part of the Cooperative budget that is comprised of the budgets approved by each member county, and the combined Cooperative budget needs to be approved by the Board as well. The motion to approve the FY 20-21 Administrative Office budget and the combined Cooperative budget was approved, pending the final approval the county libraries’ budgets by the individual county commissions.

The State Library has not yet released this year’s version of the State Aid To Public Libraries Grant Agreement, but they have said that it will be essentially the same this year. And have asked that we use last year’s Grant Agreement as a template for approval so the libraries can move forward with their applications for State funding. Chuck commented that it was unfortunate that the new forms are not ready but that there was nothing they Board could do about this, and he recommended approval of the Grant Agreement so that he can sign the current year agreement when it is released by the State. The motion was approved, and Pat will get his signature when the new document is released. The motion to approve the Annual Plan for FY 20-21 which is essentially the same as last year’s was approved as well.

Pat informed the Board that the State Library has ruled that any public library that is a member of a cooperative must apply for the CARES funds that are available from the State Library through that cooperative, and that only one application may be made per cooperative, so the Wakulla application for a CARES grant must be made through WILD and approved by the WILD Board. She said Robyn will discuss the details of the grant application in her report. Chuck asked if the other libraries will benefit from the grant if it is approved, and Pat said it will serve as a demonstration project for the other locations, and it should be easy to replicate in the other locations. The motion to approve the CARES grant application was approved.

Pat reminded the Board that in order to be considered eligible for funding by the State Library, the State regulations specifically say that the person in the administrator position for a public library cooperative is required to have both a Masters Degree in Library Science and two years of full-time experience in a public library that is open to the public (WILD is an example of a public library that is not open to the public). These requirements for cooperative administrators are more specific than the requirements for public library directors of individual county libraries that are members of the cooperative. All of the applicants who applied for the WILD administrator position have the required degree, but only a few of the applicants have the requisite public library experience. After reviewing the applicant rankings, the Board agreed to interview the two applicants who ranked the highest on the ranking chart.  Chuck said he would like the applicants to interview with the entire Board, but that the date of the next meeting would need to be moved up to September in case the Board hired an applicant from out of town. A motion was made and approved to move the date of the next meeting to Wednesday, September 9, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., so that the full Board can participate in the interviews .  Bert wondered if it would be possible to conduct in-person interviews that were socially distanced. The majority of Board members said they were not comfortable with the idea, so the interviews will be conducted via Zoom. Pat reminded the Board that each candidate would need to be asked the same set of questions. After a brief discussion, it was decided that Pat and Robyn will come up with a list of questions, Robyn and Ellen will alternate asking the questions, and the other Board members can then ask any follow-up questions that arise. Pat will be the time keeper and take notes but otherwise will not participate in the interview process. Ellen suggested that the interviews should be held at the beginning of the meeting before the Board takes up any other business, and the rest of the Board agreed. Approximately 30 minutes will be allotted to each candidate. Pat will contact the candidates to set up the interview times.

The resignation of the Systems Administrator has presented an opportunity to restructure the technical support services that have been supported by WILD. The current configuration of servers, software, and equipment is outdated and has needed to be restructured for some time. Pat has been having discussions with Inspired Technologies to take over tech support functions for Wakulla County Library, and would like the Board’s approval to work out an agreement with them if possible. Inspired currently handles information technology services for Wakulla County and many other government entities in the Panhandle and has a solid reputation. Pat anticipates that utilizing a contractor would not cost any more than WILD is presently paying for salary, benefits, and travel, as well as presenting an opportunity for modernization.  She has also been having discussions with EagleTree Technologies of Apalachicola to work out an arrangement for them to possibly take over tech support functions for Franklin County Library.  Chuck and Bert both said they supported the move, and the Board approved trying to work out an agreement with them.

Directors Reports:

Wakulla: Robyn reported that they have still been serving a good number of people, although of course the numbers are not nearly as high as they would be in a typical summer. The staff have been busy planning and implementing virtual programming and are beginning to schedule “Book a Storytime” programs that are in-person as well as socially distant. They have been trying to come up with a workable solution for keeping their annual Halloween event going in the age of COVID, and are mulling over possible options. She said the CARES grant application that Pat discussed involves converting the library collection to RFID format in order to reduce the amount of physical contact currently required to circulate and to manage the library collection. The entire collection would be barcoded with RFID tags, and then self-checkout stations, a mobile materials return, and a UV scanner would also be purchased as part of the grant. The Board enthusiastically approved the premise of the grant application. Chuck asked if the other libraries could be included in the application. Pat said the State is only allowing one application per cooperative, but that this project would serve as a demonstration project for the other locations and could easily be replicated.

Franklin: Whitney reported that they have been providing virtual Summer Reading programming since June. Attendance and participation has been mixed but the people that do attend have expressed gratitude for the Library providing services. She has recently hired two new staff members, and is planning to begin having joint staff meetings between employees of both locations.

Jefferson: Natalie was not in attendance due to illness.

With no further discussion, and a reminder that that the next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, Chuck adjourned the meeting at 2:40 p.m.

September Financial Statement
Compared with Budget
For the Ten Months Ending July 31,2020

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
MONDAY, August 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda

OLD BUSINESS:

• Minutes from the May 2020 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report -Pat Gilleland

NEW BUSINESS:

• Proposed FY 21 Budget-Vote
• FY 21 State Aid to Public Libraries Agreement-Vote
• FY 21 CARES Act Grant Application-Vote
• Interview procedures for Central Administrator applicants-Chuck and Pat

Other Business

• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports

Adjournment

Next Meeting will be September 9, 2020 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.

Enclosures:

• Agenda 8-10-2020
• Financial Statement – August 2020
• Minutes- May 2020 Meeting
• Administrator Report – May-July 2020
• Proposed Budget FY 21
• FY 21 State Aid Agreement
• FY 21 CARES Act Grant Application

Minutes 5/11/2020

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, May 11, 1:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
Conference Room of the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville FL 32327

Board Members present: Chuck Hess, Marilyn Lewis, Ellen Ashdown, Bert Boldt. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Natalie Binder, Robyn Drummond, Whitney Roundtree, Richard Powell, Keith Dean.

Chuck called called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Richard Powell of Powell & Jones audit firm was introduced. The agenda order was switched so that Richard could make his presentation of the annual audit at the beginning of the meeting. Pat mentioned that she had forgotten to add appointment of a Board Personnel Committee to the agenda, so the item was added to the agenda as New Business.

Richard Powell presented the financial audit for FY 19. He outlined the annual financial position of Wilderness Coast, and stated that the only change in the net financial position is due to the State’s recent requirement to report net pension liabilities in this section. There were no findings, income and expenditures were basically equivalent to the previous year, and the organization has a fund balance of $152,628. Chuck asked Richard’s opinion as to whether WILD has sufficient fiscal controls in place. Richard replied that WILD had good fiscal controls because the organization contracted with a CPA to serve as bookkeeper and monitor finances. Pat and the Board Members thanked Richard for his firm’s work and Richard left the meeting.

Old Business:

Ellen asked that the first paragraph of the minutes be amended to reflect the correct percentages for two months expenses, and the minutes were approved as corrected.  Chuck asked for any comments about the financial report. Pat commented that the only unusual expense at this time is that a large percentage of the book budget has already been spent on ebooks because users have not been able to physically come to the library during the COVID-19 crisis. Ellen asked about the additional $28,545 that WILD had received from the State, and Pat said those funds could not be spent until the Board authorizes WILD to do so. Ellen moved to accept the financial report, Marilyn seconded, and the motion was approved.  Pat went over the highlights of the Administrator Report. Staff Development Day in February went very well, and the presenter had good rapport with the attendees. Her topic was very timely and concentrated on dealing with compassion fatigue. Due to problems related to the State Library shutdown, Pat ended up picking up the State Aid checks for member libraries and physically taking the payments to them. We have a new Board Member, Danielle Sprague, who is the Agriculture and Forestry specialist for Jefferson County IFAS Extension Service. She will begin serving on the Board in August. The ebook checkout statistics have quadrupled during the COVID-19 shutdown. The staff have spent a great deal of time during the past two months trying to figure out how to keep a unified system running when each county is operating under different constraints and timetables.

New Business:

WILD was appropriated an additional $28,545 by the State. This amount is in addition to our approved budget amount, so the Board needed to approve a Budget amendment in order for it to be spent. Pat requested approval to put those funds into the Books and Materials category and spend the entire amount on purchasing additional ebooks for the joint Cooperative collection. Ellen asked the Directors if they felt like the entire amount should go to ebooks, and they concurred. Bert moved to approve the budget amendment, Marilyn seconded the motion, and the motion was approved.  Chuck expressed concern that renewing the lease for the Administrative Office would tie the incoming new Administrator to keeping the office in Jefferson, and Pat reminded everyone that there was an option in the lease to vacate the premises with sixty days notice.  Chuck asked for volunteers to be on a Personnel Committee to help guide the search for Pat’s replacement since she is retiring in December. Pat will work with the Committee members to write up an ad and advertise the position before the next Board Meeting in August. Bert volunteered and he and Chuck will comprise the Committee.

Directors Reports:

Wakulla: Robyn reported that WCPL was closed completely for two weeks and since then they have been open for curbside service. They still managed to circulate 947 physical items and 1357 ebooks, so they have still been serving a good number of people. They have been working on behind-the-scenes projects. They have written a plan for staged reopening which has been approved by the County.  They have produced a series of videos on Facebook to reach their virtual audience, including virtual storytime and how-to instructional videos.

Jefferson: Natalie said they have also been doing a great deal of digital programming for their patrons. They have spearheaded the purchase of streaming videos through Overdrive. They are still waiting on the latest audit so have not been able to access their State funding, but will hopefully receive their audit soon. They are planning to use their State funding to purchase ebooks and to improve outside seating at the library. They have set up a books by mail program in the place of curbside service. Chuck and Bert asked questions about the postage rate and whether Jefferson is using the Postal Service’s book rate program.

Franklin: Whitney began her report from the point when she took over as Interim Director in February. FCPL’s new employee, Mary Whitesell, has started working at both locations and is fitting in well. At the beginning of March they installed five interior surveillance cameras at the Carrabelle location. Both libraries have been closed to the public, but staff have been continuing to report to work. They have been providing curbside service and have been working on collection and maintenance projects. They were forced to suspend the Music As A Second Language program for the rest of the year, but the students who lost their slots this year will be given priority slots for next year. They had the carpet cleaned at both locations in April, and have been providing virtual STEAM and Storytime programs using Facebook Live and Zoom. Whitney borrowed Robyn’s staged reopening plan and is adapting it for FCPL. They plan to reopen to the public at 25% capacity on Monday, May 18. Staff will be meeting tomorrow to review the plan. They will encourage utilizing curbside service as long as possible.  Allowable computer time will be reduced to 30 minutes per patron. They are trying to determine whether they will be doing virtual or in person summer reading activities, and are exploring both options.

Pat commented that Interlibrary Loan will not be offered at any of the locations until the State restarts the statewide courier service, and so far there has not been any communication from the State regarding a startup date. As soon as the courier service is restarted, all the libraries will begin transferring items between locations again.

Ellen complimented the Directors and said they had all been doing a great job. Bert discussed how his business had been functioning during the shutdown, and talked about the Commission reopening the beaches. Chuck expressed his appreciation for Franklin reopening the beaches and how that had affected Wakulla County.

With no further discussion, and a reminder that that the next meeting will be on August 10, 2020, Chuck adjourned the meeting at 2:15 p.m.

August Financial Statement
Compared with Budget
For the Ten Months Ending July 31,2020

Administrator Report

May-July 2020

Meetings Attended:

• WILD Directors Meeting (2)
• FLA Directors Meeting (2)
• State Library Directors Meeting
• WILD Board Meeting
• PLAN members Meeting
• PLAN Directors Meeting
• Panhandle Koha Libraries Meeting

Other Events Attended:

• Wakulla Virtual Storytime
• Franklin STEM program
• Jefferson STEM program
• Wakulla County benefits webinar
• Continuing education webinar through PLAN

Other Activities of Note:

• Delivered audit to Auditor General and Department of Financial Services
• Filed AFR with Department of Financial Services
• Posted advertisement for Central Administrator position
• Worked with Wakulla on CARES Act grant application
• Continued orientation of Franklin County Director

Statistics 5-1-20 – 7-31-20:

Physical Items Checked Out – 10,795 (down 63% over 2019)

Electronic Items Checked Out – 5,926 (up 79% over 2019)

Reminder:

The next WILD Board Meeting will be on Monday, September 9, 2020. See you there!

FY 20-21 Budget

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
MONDAY, December 9, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda

OLD BUSINESS:

• Minutes from the December 2019 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report -Pat Gilleland

NEW BUSINESS:

• Budget Amendment-vote
• Renewal of lease for Administrative Office-vote
• Presentation of Annual Audit-Richard Powell-vote

Other Business

• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports

Adjournment

Next Meeting will be August 10, 2020 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.

Enclosures:

• Agenda 5-11-2019
• Financial Report – April 2020
• Minutes- 12-19-20
• Administrator Report – January-April 2020
• Budget Amendment

Minutes 10/14/2019

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, December 9, 2019, 1:30 p.m.
Conference Room of the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville FL 32327

Board Members present: Chuck Hess, Marilyn Lewis, Julianne Dinkel, Ellen Ashdown, Bert Boldt. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Natalie Binder, Robyn Drummond, Cory Bard.

Chuck called called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Introductions were made since there were two new people in attendance. Pat gave a brief overview of the mission of the Wilderness Coast cooperative, emphasizing WILD’s role in coordinating joint services that the individual libraries are unable to provide on their own.

Old Business:

Marilyn moved to approve the minutes of the last meeting as distributed. Julianne seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Pat said we have spent 1/12 of our total budget. The only category that has been encumbered over 12% is postage, and that is because we prepay for the year. Marilyn moved to approve the financial statement, Ellen seconded the motion, and the motion passed.

Pat commented on the Administrator Report. Pat said she spent a good deal of time assisting the Library Directors with completing their respective applications for State Aid to Public Libraries. She attended the Legislative Delegation meeting at Jefferson County Library, which was Jason Shoaf’s first Delegation meeting, and took photos at the annual Wakulla Halloween Story Walk. She mentioned that circulation of print materials is up for the first time in over two years. Pat then distributed pie charts which gave a profile of each location and illustrates the differences between them. A discussion followed about the lack of high-speed broadband in the region and how that contributes to video circulation statistics as well as patron use of library WiFi.

New Business:

Pat asked the Board for permission to cancel the Feb. 10 Board Meeting because of a conflict with the planned WILD Staff Development Day program. Marilyn moved to approve canceling the meeting, Julianne seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Pat then asked the Board to review the Combined Statistics handout that we are required to turn in to the State. Questions were asked about various items on the Statistical Report and a lively discussion followed about such topics as staffing issues, volunteers, book budgets, the role of library programs, and the complimentary roles of academic, school, and public libraries.

Chuck asked the nonvoting members to leave so that the Board could discuss renewal of the Administrator contract. Chuck discussed the fact that this will be Pat’s last contract since she will be retiring at the end of 2020. In Spring 2020 the Board will need to begin discussing what they want to look for in a replacement. The Board then discussed the different COLA rates that were adopted this year by the individual counties. Ellen moved to renew the Administrator contract with a 3% COLA. Marilyn seconded the motion, and the motion was approved. The nonvoting members were asked to return to the meeting.

Directors Reports:

WCPL: Robyn said they hosted a supply drive for the local animal shelter. They were able to obtain donations of over 300 lbs. of food as well as blankets and other items. Everyone who came participated in a raffle for a copy of the books Dog Shaming and Cat Shaming. The Halloween Story Walk was phenomenally successful, and they are already beginning to plan next year’s festival. Vendors from as far away as Tallahassee have called to ask to be included as part of the festival. They have received their new people counter which is much more accurate than the old one. In October they had 4381 people come in to the building. Animal Tales Holiday Safari will be coming on Friday 13th, and Reindeer Romp with Sheriff Miller will take place the following week. Moving their Friday night movie to Throwback Thursday morning has been moderately successful. WCPL has been awarded two PLAN Innovation Grants. One grant is to expand their Kids Coding class to younger children and to replace the meeting room Smartboard. The other grant is for equipment to add a sensory playtime program. There are 53 Playaway Launchpads loaded with software on their way from PLAN as well as part of a rural library development grant. They are looking into RFID systems to modernize the checkout and inventory processes. Suzy and Robyn have both received PLAN grants to attend PLA in Nashville in February.

JCPL: They are happy to have Courtney Nicolou, their Youth Service Librarian, back on staff. Courtney left JCPL for the school system a few weeks ago, but then decided to return. Courtney has taken the lead with planning next year’s programs and has many good events lined up. The Library has set up their annual Book Tree in the lobby. Their Polar Express holiday program with Chief Mosely will be on Dec. 19. Over 200 people have liked the program so far on Facebook, so it will be interesting to see how many attend. The Annual Statistical Report and the State Aid Application have taken up a great deal of time but they are complete and turned in to the State. The Library will be hosting Hungrytown, a Vermont-based folk band, at the Opera House in January. The Library will conduct a food drive to accompany the concert.

FCPL: Corey reported that during his first week he met with Pat and she went over the process for submitting the State Aid Application and Annual Statistical Report. He also met with Jonathan to go over Koha and the Library computer setup. He attended the New Public Library Directors Meeting in Tallahassee as well as the Annual Statewide Public Library Directors Meeting. He met with Jill Rourke at Apalachicola Library and has opened a dialog for sharing. Corey met with Charles Mayberry from PLAN and learned about all the available training opportunities PLAN provides to members. He attended the Friends of the Library meeting in November. The Friends’ Soup and Bread sale will held in Eastpoint in January and in Carrabelle in February. A dozen students have signed up for the Music as a Second Language program. Whitney is working on merging their two Facebook pages. Animal Tales is coming to present a program on Friday. He ran an ad for the vacant Library Assistant and received 9 applications. He plans to interview 5 of the applicants.
With no further discussion, and a reminder that that the next meeting will be on April 13, 2020, Chuck adjourned the meeting at 2:58 p.m.

April Financial Statement

Administrator Report

January-April 2020

Meetings Attended:

• Legislative Delegation Meeting
• WILD Directors Meeting
• Wakulla Chamber Meeting
• Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber Meeting

Other Events Attended:

• Wilderness Coast Staff Development Day
• Florida Library Legislative Day
• JCPL Senior Coffee Hour

Other Activities of Note:

• Coordinated Phase 1 library reopening plans
• Delivered State Aid to Libraries payments to libraries
• Coordinated changing all due dates and holds on materials system-wide due to COVID-19 complications.
• Set up remote orientation of new Board Member.
• Coordinated setup of Staff Development Day.
• Assisted libraries with COVID-19 closure procedures.
• Assisted JCPL with inventory procedures.
• Met with new Danielle Sprague, new Jefferson Board Member

Statistics 1-1-20 – 4-30-20:

Physical Items Circulated – 27,984

Electronic Items Circulated –3880

Reminder:

The next WILD Board Meeting will be on Monday, August 10, 2020. See you there!

WILD Lease for Administrative Office

LEASE

1180 WEST WASHINGTON ST.

This Agreement, made this ____day of APRIL, 2020, between PALMER PROPERTIES, INC., as Lessor, and the WILDERNESS COAST PUBLIC LIBRARIES OF JEFFERSON, WAKULLA AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES, STATE OF FLORIDA, as Lessee.

WITNESSETH, that the parties do hereby agree and stipulate as follows:

ARTICLE I

1.1 The description of the leased premises is three front rooms at 1180 West Washington Ave. in Monticello FL 32344 further identified as offices 1, 2 , 3, 5 and use of the common area as outlined in Exhibit “A”.

1.2 This lease shall commence at 12:01 AM on September 1, 2020 and terminate at 11:59 PM on August 31, 2021.

1.3 Lessee does hereby agree to pay monthly rental to Lessor in advance and on or before the tenth (10th) day of each consecutive month throughout the 12 month term of this lease agreement as follows:

a) For months 1 through 12, the Lessee shall pay to the Lessor the sum of $1,500.00 per month.

b.) This lease will automatically renew for a period of one year after expiration of the term of this lease unless Lessee notifies Lessor of their intent to vacate the property by August 1, 2021. All other terms, covenants and conditions of the renewal lease shall be the same as those herein.

c) The Lessor has deposited $500.00 as a security deposit for any damages sustained for which Lessee would be responsible under the terms of this lease agreement.

d) It is the intent of the parties that this lease shall be a net lease to Lessor. Lessee is tax exempt and has provided a letter to that effect.

e) If Lessee funding thru the State of Florida is terminated, Lessee may terminate the lease with 60 days notice to the Lessor. Additionally, the Lessor may terminate this lease by providing Lessee 60 days notice.

ARTICLE II

2.1 The premises shall be used as a library office and related purposes. Lessee 1

agrees to restrict its use to such purpose, and not to use, or permit the use of, the premises for any other purpose without first obtaining the consent in writing of Lessor.

ARTICLE III

3.1 Lessee agrees not to use the premises in any manner, even in its use for the purposes for which the premises are leased, that will increase risks covered by insurance on the building where the premises are located, so as to increase the rate of insurance on the premises, or to cause cancellation of any insurance policy covering the
building. Lessee further agrees not to keep on the premises, or permit to be kept, used, or sold on the premises, anything prohibited by the policy of fire insurance covering the premises. Lessee agrees to comply, at Lessee’s own expense, with all requirements of insurers necessary to keep in force the fire and public liability insurance covering the premises and interior building.

ARTICLE IV

4.1 Lessee shall not commit, or allow to be committed, any waste on the premises, create, or allow any nuisance to exist on the premises, or use or allow the premises to be used for an unlawful purpose.

ARTICLE V

5.1 Lessor shall pay for all utilities furnished the premises for the term of this lease, including electricity, sewer, water, and garbage pick-up. Lessor shall pay for ad valorem taxes, and pest control of the premises.

5.2 Lessor shall pay for cleaning of the premises.

ARTICLE VI

6.1 Lessor shall maintain and keep the premises in good repair. Lessor shall maintain in good condition the building roof, exterior, central heat and air conditioning, bathrooms, and plumbing.

ARTICLE VII

7.1 Lessor represents that the premises are in fit condition for use as a library administrative office. Lessee agrees to accept the premises on possession as being in a good state of repair and in sanitary condition. Lessee agrees to surrender the premises to the Lessor at the end of the lease term, if the lease is not renewed, allowing for reasonable use and wear, and damage by acts of God, including fire and storms.

2

ARTICLE VIII

8.1 Partial destruction of the leased premises shall not render this lease void or terminate it except as herein provided.

8.2 If the premises are partially destroyed during the term of this lease, Lessor shall repair them, when such repairs can be made in conformity with local, state, and federal laws and regulations, within 60 days of the partial destruction. Rent for the premises will be reduced proportionally to the extent to which the repair operations interfere with the normal conduct of Lessee1s business on the premises. If the repairs cannot be made so within the time limited, Lessor has the option to make them within a reasonable time and continue this lease in effect with proportional rent rebate to Lessee as provided for herein. If the repairs cannot be made so in 60 days, and if Lessor does not elect to make them within a reasonable time, either party to this lease has the option to terminate the lease.

ARTICLE IV

9.1 Lessor reserves the right to enter the premises at reasonable times to inspect them, to perform required maintenance and repair, or to make additions or alterations to any part of the building in which the premises leased are located, and Lessee agrees to permit Lessor to do so.

ARTICLE X

10.1 Lessee shall have no right to modify or alter the property without the written consent of the Lessor.

10.2 Upon written consent of Lessor, Lessee may install fixtures in the property leased herein.

10.3 Lessee will not make or suffer any unlawful, improper or offensive use of the premises. Lessee’s use shall be limited to that of a library administrative office and attendant functions and Lessor may inspect the leased property at any reasonable time to ensure compliance with the provisions of this lease.

10.4 Should Lessee default in any of the terms or conditions contained in this lease and fail to correct the same within ten (10) days of Lessor’s written notice, then Lessor, at its option, may declare the lease agreement immediately terminated and Lessee shall vacate the premises. In addition, Lessor may, at its option pursue any and all other remedies set forth herein or which may be available by law and reasonably necessary to restore the property to its present condition.

10.5 This lease shall not be assigned or the property sublet without the express written consent of the Lessor.

3

10.6 Upon termination of this lease, the Lessee, at its cost, shall be required to remove its personal property from the property and shall additionally be responsible for clean up or repair costs which may be necessary, normal wear and tear excepted.

10.7 If the premises are damaged or destroyed through no fault of Lessee, Lessee’s agents, employees, or invitees, so that the premises are rendered wholly untenable, the rent shall be proportionately paid up to the time of the casualty and any rent paid in advance after the period of the occurrence of such casualty shall be refunded to Lessee. Thenceforth, the lease shall cease until the date when the premises have been repaired or restored by the Lessor, provided, however, that in the event the premises have been rendered wholly untenable, Lessor or Lessee shall have the right to terminate the term of the lease by giving notice to the other of the exercise of such rights at any time within thirty days after the occurrence of such damage or destruction. If this notice is given, the term of the lease shall terminate as of the date of the occurrence of such casualty. If Lessee exercises the option to terminate the lease, Lessee must immediately vacate the premises. If neither party has given the notice of termination as herein provided, Lessor shall proceed to repair the premises, and the lease shall not terminate.

ARTICLE XI

11.1 Lessor shall insure the structure for full insurable value and it shall be Lessee’s responsibility to keep its personal property stored in the premises insured in the full amount of the replacement value. Lessee agrees to obtain and keep in force and maintain public liability insurance providing $300,000.00 coverage and furnish proof of insurance.

ARTICLE XII

12.1 This constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and any prior written or oral agreements are terminated, canceled, revoked, and merged herein.

12.2 Notwithstanding any contrary term or condition in this lease, and prior to exercising other options or remedies, the parties agree that, at the instance of either party, all disputes as between them concerning this lease shall be first submitted to a mediator promptly for resolution. Both parties agree to be bound by the results of
the mediation. The parties shall bear their own attorney1s costs and shall equally pay the cost of the mediator. Should mediation be unsuccessful, then the parties may pursue litigation and each party shall bear their own costs, including attorneys’ fees; the prevailing party shall not recover attorney’s fees and costs from the non-prevailing party.

4

IN WITNESS THEREOF, the parties hereto set their hands this _____ day of April, 2020.

Signed:

_________________________
PALMER PROPERTIES, INC., LESSOR (by Riley Palmer)

_______________________

_______________________ (Printed name of witness)

WILDERNESS COAST PUBLIC LIBRARIES OF JEFFERSON, WAKULLA AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES, STATE OF FLORIDA

MARILYN LEWIS Its Chairperson

_______________________ (Printed name of witness)

PATRICIA W. GILLELAND_______ Its Central Administrator

______________________ (Printed name of witness)

__________________________________

___________________________________

_________________________________

________________________________

5

WILD Budget Amendment

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
MONDAY, December 9, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda
• Introductions
• Overview of mission

OLD BUSINESS:

• Minutes from the October 2019 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report -Pat Gilleland

NEW BUSINESS:

• Request to cancel Feb. 10 meeting – Pat Gilleland
• Overview of Combined Statistics from Libraries-Pat Gilleland
• Renewal of Administrator annual contract

        Other Business

• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports

        Adjournment

Next Meeting will be April 13, 2020 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.

Enclosures:

• Agenda 12-9-2019
• Financial Report – November 2019
• Minutes- October 2019
• Administrator Report – November 2019
• 2018-2019 Combined Statistics for County Libraries

Minutes 10/14/2019

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 14, 2019, 1:30 p.m.
Conference Room of the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville FL 32327

Board Members present: Marilyn Lewis, Juliane Shoup Dinkel, Ellen Ashdown (proxy), Chuck Hess. Board Members absent: Gene Hall. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Natalie Binder.

Marilyn called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m.

Old Business:

Julianne moved to approve the minutes of the last meeting as distributed. Chuck seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Marilyn asked Pat for comments on the Financial Report. Pat said this is the last financial report for the fiscal year. All categories except for equipment and travel will be spent out once the year-end expenses are calculated. Chuck moved to approve the financial statement, Julianne seconded, and the motion passed.

Pat then went through the Administrator Report, commenting on several areas. This is Pat’s last year on the Panhandle Library Access Board. In addition to budget meetings, Pat attended an excellent program on the topic of compassion fatigue at the Panhandle Public Library Cooperative’s Staff Development Day. She is working to secure a grant from the Panhandle Library Access Network to offer a similar program for the Wilderness Coast libraries in February.  Pat assisted the Library Directors with completing their respective applications for State Aid to Public Libraries. The first part of the application is due on October 1 and the second part is due on December 1. Pat has been doing most of the work in collaboration with the Franklin County Administrator to complete Franklin’s application since their new director has not begun work yet. Franklin’s new director will be Corey Bard from Riudoso, NM.

New Business:

Pat went through the combined budget, pointing out various areas where there is divergence between the amounts contributed by the different counties. Chuck reiterated that he felt like the Cooperative Office should move in to one of the libraries. After discussion it was suggested that this be put on the agenda for a future meeting. There was discussion of the fact that Jefferson is the only library in the Cooperative that meets the State standards for staffing, and it is also the only library in the Cooperative that meets the State standards for collections. There was a discussion of how the process of collection development works in public libraries.  Julianne moved to accept the combined budget, Chuck seconded the motion, and the motion was approved.  The Board moved on to consider the Annual Plan of Service for FY 19-20. This outlines the goals and objectives in the five-year plan and provides a framework for the activities the libraries in the Cooperative will be engaged in during the year. Julianne moved to approve, Chuck seconded the motion, and the motion was approved.

Ellen has volunteered to serve as incoming Vice -Chair, so Julianne moved to accept her nomination by acclamation. Chuck seconded the motion, and the motion was approved.

Directors Reports:

FCPL: Marilyn read the Franklin report that Ellen had submitted. Corey Bard from Ruidoso, NM has been hired as their new Director and will begin work on November 4. Both of their locations have had STEAM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), as well as programs on gardening, cooking, and yoga. Carrabelle had a LEGO club meeting for ages 5-12. Eastpoint had an Anime Club meeting, Storytime for ages 1-6, Teen Book Club meeting, a Book Chat program, and a Writer’s Forum. One of the Writer’s Forum participants has recently published a novel. Attendance for the STEAM programs has been strong. The Anime Club has a cosplay party (dressing up as your favorite character) this week. Whitney Nixon from the Eastpoint Branch reported that she has been impressed with the creativity of the kids who participated. Teen Book Club is currently in the middle of a reading challenge. When the teens reach 50 books, the Library will throw them a pizza party. They started in September and are already halfway to their goal.

WCPL: Chuck read the Wakulla report that Robyn had submitted. Robyn said they have been very busy getting ready for the Halloween Story Walk and Trick or Treat Trail. They will have 30 booths this year, which is the most they have ever had, and they are starting to attract large Tallahassee businesses like Harley Davidson. There have been a lot of candy donations coming in for this event. Jonathan recently got their new SenSource Patron Counter installed. It works through the Cloud and emails Robyn their weekly patron counts. They are averaging 1000 visitors per week. Heather and Rebecca have been invited to start attending a reading program in Panacea that 4H conducts. The program serves an average of 50 children every week. The chickens got a new coop upgrade. The original coop was having some issues so they invested in one that is not made of wood. The chickens are adjusting to it well.  They are squeezing in some additional shelving in order to accommodate the growing collection. They are adding to the DVDs, the audiobooks, the Large Print, Junior Fiction, Children’s, and are adding a section for Children’s DVDs.  Hopefully these additions will help the library get closer to the State standards for their population size. They have added a puzzle swap program and it has proved very popular. They are working to organize their holiday events. This year’s Christmas program will be themed on the classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer film. Thanks to Wilderness Coast, Robyn will be traveling to Columbus, OH and Dublin, OH this week to attend a workshop on library building projects. Her hope is that she will learn more about the design process but mostly will learn how to communicate with others to let them know what they need in a new library. She really appreciates the opportunity to attend the workshop, and asked the Board members to think of her when she has to be to the Tallahassee airport at 4:00 a.m. on Thursday.

JCPL: The library celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a Hispanic food tasting event. This was very popular with the community and attendance was high. As part of the library’s role as a community partner, Natalie went to Sarasota as part of the process to secure a Cultural Resources grant from the State to renovate the old Jefferson High School auditorium. The library held a “Ghostober” STEM program in preparation for Halloween. The children came in costume and used dry ice to create bubbles. Natalie discussed that thanks to Wilderness Coast she was going to be attending the Library Journal Directors Summit in November. This event is a smaller version of some of the larger national conferences and built around the theme of rebuilding the social fabric and the importance of libraries in this process.

With no further discussion, and a reminder that that the next meeting is on December 9, Marilyn adjourned the meeting at 2:34 p.m.

Financial Report 11/30/2019

Administrator Report

October/November 2019

Meetings Attended:

• Legislative Delegation Meeting
• PLAN Board Meeting
• Wilderness Coast Board Meeting
• PLAN Annual Membership Meeting
• Meeting with new FCPL Director
• Wilderness Coast Directors Meeting
• Statewide Public Library Directors Meeting
• Wakulla Chamber Meeting

Other Events Attended:

• Courtney Nicoulou going away event at Jefferson
• Wakulla County Public Library Halloween Story Walk

Other Activities of Note:

• Prepared and submitted application for State funding.
• Prepared and submitted Franklin County’s application for State Aid to Libraries.
• Assisted other County Library Directors with submission of their individual State Aid to Libraries grant applications.
• Assisted with orientation of Franklin County Public Library Director.
• Finished term as Chair of Panhandle Library Access Network Advisory Board, assisted PLAN staff with orientation of incoming officers.
• Made arrangements for upcoming Staff Development program for county library staff.

Statistics 10-1-19 to 11-30-2019:

Physical Items Circulated – 17,121 – Increase of .6% from same period in 2018.

Electronic Items Circulated – 1832 – Increase of 5% from same period in 2018

IT Assistance Requests – 25

Mango Languages Database – 13 sessions

Chilton’s Auto Repair Database – 10 sessions

Reminder:

The next WILD Board Meeting will be on Monday, April 13, 2020. See you there!

WILD Combined Statistics 2018-19

 Each Library enters data into a nationwide database.  This is a compilation of all entities in the Wilderness Coast Public Libraries for the fiscal year 2018-19.

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
MONDAY, October 14, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda
• Introductions
OLD BUSINESS:
• Minutes from the September 2019 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report – Pat Gilleland
NEW BUSINESS:
• FY 19-20 Combined Cooperative Budget-Vote
• FY 19-20 Annual Plan of Service – Vote
• Election of Officers-vote
Other Business
• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports
Adjournment
Next Meeting will be Monday, December 9, 2019 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.
Enclosures:
• Agenda 10-14-2019
• Financial Report – September 2019
• Minutes- September 2019
• Administrator Report – September 2019
• Annual Plan of Service – 2019-20
• Combined Cooperative Budget 2019-2020

Minutes 9/9/2019

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, September 9, 2019, 1:30 p.m.
Conference Room of the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville FL 32327

Board Members present: Marilyn Lewis, Juliane Shoup Dinkel, Ellen Ashdown, Sharon Rider, Chuck Hess. Board Members absent: Gene Hall. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Robyn Drummond, Natalie Binder.

Marilyn called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Pat introduced Juliane Dinkle, the new Board Member from Jefferson County, and the other Board Members and Directors introduced themselves. Juliane is the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent for Jefferson County.

Old Business:

Sharon moved to approve the minutes of the last meeting as distributed. Ellen seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Marilyn asked Pat for comments on the Financial Report. Pat said there had been no unanticipated expenses and that there was nothing unusual to report; the fiscal year is 91% completed and most expense categories are expended close to that percentage. We are waiting for a couple of more bills to finish out the fiscal year. Sharon moved to accept the financial statement, Ellen seconded, and the motion passed.

Pat then went through the Administrator Report, commenting on several areas. Pat, Robyn, and another staff member from Wakulla attended the American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, DC this summer. Pat attended several library-sponsored events over the summer. Jonathan McCaughan, our Systems Administrator, attended a Disaster Collaboration Workshop in Panama City as well as a workshop on transitioning agencies to Google Cloud at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Pat assisted the Directors with completing their respective applications for State Aid to Public Libraries. Franklin’s application has been submitted, WILD’s application will be submitted as soon as the Board approved the Grant Agreement, and the other two county applications will be submitted soon.  Pat conducted the orientation of new Board Member Juliane Shoup Dinkle, and worked with the Accountant to clarify and revise the WILD budget.  Circulation of electronic items continues to increase substantially, while circulation of physical items continues to decrease slightly.  Due to the fact that the upcoming Veterans Day holiday falls on the scheduled Board Meeting date of the second Monday alternate months, the next Board Meeting will need to be moved up to the second Monday of October in order to get the remaining required items for the State Aid to Libraries application approved before the State Library’s December 1 deadline.

New Business:

Pat went through the State Aid to Public Libraries Application which the Board needs to approve, pointing out the various sections, and briefly outlining the criteria the State has established for eligibility. The applying library has to have a full-time person in charge, provide free library service, provide access to materials, information, and services for all residents of the service area, have at least one location open at least 40 hours per week. There are additional sections describing what purposes you can use grant funds for and the resulting financial consequences for violating the agreement, accounting requirements, requirements for subcontractors, and information about the Florida Single Audit Act. Marilyn asked if Pat had noticed any charges in this application from previous years, and Pat replied that although there had been changes last year, there were none for this year.  Chuck asked about the phrase in the application which stated “Grant funds shall be used for the operation and maintenance of the library” on Page 2 and wondered how Wilderness Coast could be considered a library.  Pat explained that all the Library Cooperatives are considered libraries by the State and that the application and criteria are the same as for the County libraries. He then asked why WILD was paying rent for a separate building rather than being housed in one of the libraries, and asked Natalie and Robyn whether the WILD office staff could be housed in their respective buildings. He said when Wakulla builds a new building he could see them including room for the WILD staff. Marilyn pointed out that the work schedule of the Cooperative staff could be vastly different that that of the Wakulla Public Library, and that it might not be cost-effective to change the building plans to accommodate that. Robyn said that based on the plans she had seen for the proposed new building there would not be room for the WILD staff. Sharon moved to accept and approve the State Aid Agreement, Ellen seconded the motion, and the motion was approved.

Pat said that although the Board must approve the combined budget for the Cooperative before Dec. 1,  the county governments were still working their way through the budget process so the only part that is ready for the Board to consider is the Cooperative Office budget, so she went through the different categories in the proposed FY 19-20 budget. The unemployment category has been eliminated, because after confirming that WILD is now paying unemployment taxes through our payroll service. The Accountant recommended to stop budgeting WILD’s rollover funds under unemployment since we don’t intend to spend them. The budget now is based on our yearly appropriation from the State, and our rollover funds will continue to show up in our annual audit as our fund balance. From now on any unexpended funds from each fiscal year will be added to the fund balance. Ellen remarked that she was curious about the Chamber memberships-not about the cost, which is minimal, but about the benefit- and asked Pat if she attended many of the meetings. Pat answered that in her opinion the benefit is primarily goodwill, but that she had made some valuable contacts through the various Chambers and that last year WILD had been nominated as Nonprofit of the Year by a contact she had made at a Wakulla Chamber meeting.  Pat said that she does occasionally go to meetings, and that she felt the benefit of belonging to the Chamber is similar to the benefit we get from subscribing to the local newspapers-it helps to know what goes on in communities and to be familiar with local events. Juliane asked if the WILD Chamber memberships covered the County libraries as well, and Pat replied no. Robyn said their Friends of the Library have a Chamber membership, and Natalie said JCPL has a separate budget category for memberships so the Library can join the Arts Council and other community organizations in addition to library-related organizations. Marilyn asked if the Cooperative Office budget needed to be approved, and Pat said yes so that she could know for sure what numbers to put into the combined budget which needs to be approved at the next meeting. Sharon moved to approve the Cooperative Office budget, Juliane seconded the motion, and the motion was approved.

Directors Reports:

JCPL: Natalie reported that since the end of the fiscal year is coming up she had been spending, most of her time on financial issues. In addition to the budget preparation process and the State Aid application process, JCPL was randomly chosen by the State Library along with FCPL to be audited for compliance with last year’s State Aid Agreement. JCPL had great attendance at  the their Summer Reading programs and activities. Their air conditioning system failed at the beginning of July and had to be replaced. Due to the intense summer heat and the length of time required to replace the system, the Library managed to stay open in the mornings, although it became a safety risk to keep it open in the afternoons. Their youth services librarian continues to do a great job and brings lots of kids in with new programming. They have quite a few events planned for the fall: Indian drumming, animal tales and creepy critters, Ghostober, making bubbles with dry ice and other science demonstrations. They are also trying to build up their adult program offerings this fall, and have scheduled events including book clubs and financial literacy.  The Literacy Alliance has continued through the summer with sponsoring the monthly ABC-123 program, which involves a special dinner for families with accompanying literacy activities for all ages.  Natalie attended the Disaster Collaboration workshop along with Jonathan and learned a great deal about legal aid and helping people after a disaster.

WCPL: Robyn said Linda went to the same emergency conference that Natalie and Jonathan went to in Panama City. Linda is now functioning as the Library’s liason to emergency management agencies. WCPL had a busy summer but their numbers were slightly down from last year.  They think numbers were down because many more camps were offered where parents can drop their kids off for the day, so the Library staff are going to readjust their program schedule next year. Rebecca had two teams that participated in the Nasa Mars Rover Challenge. After learning to code the Rovers, the team had to remote into them and power them through a new terrain challenge. One of the Library’s teams came in 2nd place, and the other came in 4th. There should be an article appearing soon in the Wakulla News about this competition. Robyn and Roxanne spent a lot of time on the exhibit floor at ALA in Washington, DC looking at mobile shelving and other products specifically designed to help facilitate using the proposed new building as a joint hurricane shelter. Roxanne attended sessions on the upcoming census in which they gave out conflicting information. Pat indicated she would add more on the Census later.  WCPL has been looking for a new door counter because the one they use has been ineffective. They have found a heat-sensing counter they like and are trying to negotiate a lower price for it. Robyn also had a wonderful time going to the Library of Congress while she was at ALA. They also took a day to take staff to explore Chamblin’s Book Mine in Jacksonville. They are going to change their mobile library stops and schedules because they have not been attracting as many people as they would like to see.  They are going to try to go to places where larger crowds of people congregate such as Azalea Park.  The mobile library continues to come in handy for festivals and parades and other special events. The Escape Room continues to be very popular. They are changing their free Friday movie nights to a Throwback Thursday morning show of classic movies. The Evening at Hogwarts event was extremely well attended. Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming up later on this month. WCPL has purchased a large pirate ship from Wakulla High School and the Library staff are working on fitting it in the building. Halloween is coming up soon and the staff are already soliciting candy donations. The theme for this year will be Alice in Wonderland. Robyn is on the commission agenda for tomorrow night to get WCPL’s State Aid Agreement approved.

FCPL: Since Franklin does not currently have a Director, Ellen and Sharon gave the Director’s report. Ellen said that all she had were statistics, but that counting the attendance totals of both libraries 97 people had participated in the Summer Reading program. Whitney at Eastpoint told Ellen that they had also had 50 people submit raffle tickets into their Kindle Fire drawing. Performance events were well attended at both locations, with a total of 257 participants. Carrabelle also had a back to school party where they gave away 24 donated bookbags that the Library staff had filled with school supplies. Their upcoming events include Talk Like a Pirate Day, Lego Club, Steam and Steam II.  They are planning to do a monthly Surprise Tuesday program for teens. Chef Cheryl Rankin is coming to do a book signing, and author Dawn McKenna is coming to promote her new book.

Pat talked about the experiences the Directors have all had with conflicting information from Census personnel about the upcoming 2020 Census. Marilyn asked if there was any further business to discuss. With no further discussion, and a reminder that that we will need to meet again on October 14, Marilyn adjourned the meeting at 2:34 p.m.

Financial Report 9/30/2019

Administrator Report

September 2019

Meetings Attended:

• Panhandle Library Access Network Board Meeting
• Wilderness Coast Board Meeting
• Jefferson County Budget Hearing
• State Library Cooperative Directors Meeting
• State Library Division of Library Services Update

Other Events Attended:

• Panhandle Public Library Cooperative Staff Development Day program
• Hispanic Heritage Program at Jefferson County Public Library
• Talk Like a Pirate Day at Wakulla County Public Library

Other Activities of Note:

• Assisted County Library Directors with submission of State Aid to Libraries grant applications
• Applied for grant from Panhandle Library Access Network to fund Wilderness Coast Staff Development Day 2020

Statistics 9-1-2019 to 9-30-2019:

Physical Items Circulated –  112,099 – Decrease of 3% from same period in 2018.

Electronic Items Circulated – 11,744 – Increase of 31% from same period in 2018

IT Assistance Requests – 328

Mango Languages Database – 105 sessions

Chilton’s Auto Repair Database – 281 sessions

Reminder:

The next WILD Board Meeting will be on Monday, December 9, 2019. See you there!

WILD Combined Budget 2019-2020

WILDERNESS COAST PUBLIC LIBRARIES ALL COUNTIES, & OFFICE

COMBINED BUDGET OCTOBER 1, 2019 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2020-approved on 10/14/2019

Annual Plan of Service and Budget 2019-2020

  The Annual Plan of Service and Budget is an outline of the cooperative’s focus of activities during the year. The Plan supports the goals, objectives, and action plan from the Cooperative’s Long-Range Plan. The activities outlined in the Annual Plan of Service are supported by the cooperative’s budget as indicated.

Goals and Objectives

Goal # 1: Libraries in the Cooperative will provide access to networked resources, hardware, software, and technology training required to meet the needs of the public.

• Libraries will provide access to computers and essential software necessary to meet the informational and recreational needs of the public.
• Libraries will continue to provide technology education opportunities for library patrons on both a formal and informal basis.
• Libraries will maintain library workstations and peripheral equipment and replace equipment as needed.
• The Cooperative Office staff will continue to make recommendations to library directors regarding investing in new technologies and purchasing new equipment.
• In conjunction with the County libraries, The Cooperative Office will continue to coordinate and fund subscriptions to selected online databases.
• The Cooperative Office will continue to provide support in the areas of server maintenance, anti-virus protection, computer security and hardware repair, web site maintenance, and maintaining the Spiceworks IT ticketing system.

Goal # 2: Libraries in the Cooperative will continue to maintain and expand exemplary collections that meet the needs of their communities.

• Libraries will continue to utilize standard reviewing sources and other collection development tools recommended by professional associations to build materials collections.
• Libraries will continue to provide financial resources to develop and expand the Overdrive e-library collection.
• Libraries will continue to consider patron requests and length of holds queues in determining collection needs and trends.
• Libraries will continue to maintain collections in nontraditional formats as well as traditional print collections.
• Libraries will continue to encourage and facilitate sharing of resources among member libraries in order to facilitate equitable access to collections.

Goal # 3: Libraries in the Cooperative will work to increase the number of patrons in the three-county area who utilize public library resources and services.

• Libraries will coordinate planning and implementing library public awareness campaigns at local festivals and events.
• Libraries will work with partner agencies such as correctional facilities, senior centers, and day care facilities to provide outreach services to patrons who are physically unable to come to the libraries.
• Libraries will promote deposit collections and other outreach services to area schools, other educational organizations, and underserved communities.
• Libraries will coordinate with Friends of the Library organizations and other library support groups in order to promote individual library events and programs.
• Libraries will continue to advocate for public libraries with funding authorities and with other public officials at the local, regional, state and national level.
• The Cooperative Office will continue to maintain active memberships in area Chambers of Commerce.

Goal # 4:  Libraries in the Cooperative will employ qualified staff members who are committed to providing high quality customer service.

• Libraries will actively encourage staff to utilize technology training opportunities offered through PLAN, the State Library, and other related organizations.
• Libraries will continue to provide in-house continuing education and in-service training for staff.
• In conjunction with the Cooperative Office, libraries will provide opportunities for staff to attend state and national library-related conferences.
• Libraries will provide opportunities for staff in similar positions at member libraries to develop relationships and exchange ideas.

Goal # 5: Libraries in the Cooperative will actively pursue supplementary funding opportunities as appropriate.

• Libraries will continue to identify and apply for appropriate grant funding opportunities in order to improve services to citizens of their respective communities.
• Libraries will promote Friends of the Library fundraising activities.

Goal #6: Libraries in the Cooperative will participate in internal and external resource sharing activities.

• Libraries will work together to coordinate utilization of the shared Koha ILS system.
• Libraries will continue work together to coordinate utilization of the shared State Library-sponsored and Cooperative Office-funded materials delivery system.
• Libraries will provide patrons with continued access to online databases through locally purchased electronic resources as well as the Florida Electronic Library.

Goal # 7: Libraries in the Cooperative will provide reports to the Governing Board.

• Libraries will provide the governing board with timely narrative reports of significant cooperative activities, library statistics, and individual library activities and programs.
• In addition to the reports mentioned above, the Cooperative Office will provide the Governing Board with timely financial statements and annual updates.

Approved by the Wilderness Coast Governing Board on 10/14/2019

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
MONDAY, April 8, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda
OLD BUSINESS:
• Minutes from the February 2019 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report

NEW BUSINESS:
• 2017-18 Audit – Richard Powell, Powell & Jones – vote

Other Business
• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports
Adjournment
Next Meeting will be September 8, 2019 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.
Enclosures:
• Agenda 4-8-2019
• Financial Report – March 2019
• Minutes- February 2019
• Administrator Report – Feb/March 2019

Minutes 2/11/2019

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, February 11, 2019, 1:30 p.m.
Conference Room of the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville FL 32327

Board Members present: Marilyn Lewis, Nancy Wideman, Ellen Ashdown, Sharon Rider, Chuck Hess. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Robyn Drummond, Lisa Lance.

Old Business:

Marilyn called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. She asked if there were any additions or corrections to the agenda, and there were none. Sharon moved to approve the minutes of the December meeting, and motion was approved. Marilyn asked Pat if she had any comments on the Financial Report. Pat said that fiscal year is 1/3 completed, and that everything is on schedule except for travel, which is running below the estimated expenditure amount. Nancy moved to accept the financial report, and the motion was approved.

Marilyn asked Pat for any comments on the Administrative Report. Pat noted that due to the resignation of Halsey Beshears and the scheduling of the special election to replace him, Bill Montford is our area’s only legislative representative. At a recent meeting at the State Library the public library directors were given the surprising news that the Bureau of the Census is planning to administer the 2020 census online using computers at the public libraries. The State Library staff member who reported the news said she would report any more information she received to the public library directors as she received it. The Board discussed the various difficulties that could arise from them attempting to administer the census this way, and everyone agreed that more information and follow-through by the Bureau would be needed in order for this to work. Pat gave a brief history of the web filtering products that had previously been used by the WILD libraries, and said that we have now migrated to a cloud-based version of the iBoss filter product that we had been using. We are the first library in the area to go with a cloud-based product and we have had inquiries from other libraries asking about it. Marilyn asked why we needed web filtering, and Pat replied that it was a requirement for Children’s Internet Protection Act compliance. Pat also directed the Board’s attention to the statistics for our Mango Languages and Chilton’s Auto Repair database subscriptions, saying use of both products has dramatically increased during the past year.

New Business:

The Board had previously discussed shifting some reserve funds to equipment to assist the member libraries with purchases, and this needed to be approved with a budget amendment. We have received the confirmed dollar amount of this year’s State grant, and even though we have not yet received the funds we do know that we had an increase so we will not need to shift as much as previously thought. Sharon moved to approve the budget amendment proposal to shift $13,540 from reserve to equipment, Chuck seconded the motion, and the motion was approved.

Directors Reports:

Robyn said WCPL has added a new part-time staff member named Suzie, and they are appreciating her work ethic and enthusiasm. The mobile library has made its third rotation to Panacea. Since they have only had 3-5 people attend each time, they are considering shifting the schedule to see if that will make a difference. The mobile library was invited to Medart Elementary. The students enjoyed touring the mobile library. The new Library of Things premiered this month, and has been very popular. Rebecca Jones presented a Kids Coding program at Panhandle Library Access Network’s Tech Day program in January. Linda Oaks also attended PLAN’s cataloging training. The Library float won first place in the Valentine’s Day parade, and the castle will be used again in October for Halloween. This year’s Halloween theme will be Alice in Wonderland. Take Your Child to the Library Day was a great success, with 314 people attending. Many of the attendees were first time visitors to WCPL. Heather and Robyn will attend Library Day at the State Capitol. The celebration for Dr. Seuss’ birthday will be held on March 1, followed by the Friends’ Masquerade Ball on March 2. Other spring events are the Peeps diorama contest and Build Your Bucket Day in April, followed by Star Wars day on May 4.

Lisa reported that they had great response to the Hurricane Michael essay contest. There were 26 total essays, three adults and three children had been selected as winners, and the 1st place winners each were awarded $200. All of the essays will be published in the Apalachicola Times. Music as a Second Language kicked off with 24 students. They were a little late getting started because they had to locate an additional guitar teacher. The Arthritis Foundation’s Walk With Ease program had 12 adults participate. The Winter sessions of computer classes are doing well and will continue through March 21. There were 9 attendees last week in Carrabelle for the class on Facebook. Pam is also booking individual appointments, and these have been very popular. The Master Gardiner program was finally able to start up again after being interrupted by Hurricane Michael. They have planted potatoes in Eastpoint and are creating compost in Carrabelle. Attendance has been standing room only for the Winter Quilting Group. Tax help with Tax Aide is in full swing. The owner of the used book store in Apalachicola has been donating books to the Library that have local connections. The Friends Soup Bread and Book Sale in February made $1300. One staff member is out on maternity leave. Visiting author Doug Goodman will give a program on February 27.

Nancy read the JCPL report in Natalie’s absence. Jefferson has received an extra $10,000 in State funding, and is planning to use the funds to purchase a backup emergency generator to keep the Library open during hurricanes and other disasters. They are having a great month of programs for Black History Month. They had a soul food tasting and storyteller, and have an upcoming showing of Black Panther and music from the Detroit Players. They are seeking adult volunteers for the Literacy Alliance Seed Program who would be willing to read to children during the school day. She is working on revisions to the Library’s job descriptions. They were last updated in 2012 and the positions require considerably more technical skills than they did then.

With no further business, Marilyn adjourned the meeting at 2:15 pm.

Financial Report 3/31/2019

Administrator Report

February – March 2019

Meetings Attended:

• WILD Board Meeting
• Panhandle Library Access Network Board Meeting in Panama City Beach
• WILD Directors Meeting
• Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber Meeting
• Wakulla Chamber Meeting
• Meeting with New River Library Cooperative Director in Lake Butler

Other Events:

• Attended Library Day at Florida Capitol
• Met with staff of legislators on Senate Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Committee
• Met with staff of House Transportation and Tourism Committee
• Attended Senior Coffee Hour program at Jefferson County Public Library

Other Activities of Note:

• Worked with Accountant and Auditor to complete Annual Audit
• Began ordering new staff computers for libraries
• WILD and the County Libraries received State Aid to Libraries grant payments

Cooperative Statistics :2/1/19 through 3/31/19):
Physical Items Circulated – 19,058 (down 4% from previous year)
Electronic Items Circulated- 1,910 (up 25% % over previous year)
Mango Languages – 17 sessions, 5 different languages (up 6 % over previous year)
Chilton Auto Repair Database –29 sessions (up 81% over previous year)

Reminder: The next WILD Board Meeting will be on Monday, September 9, 2019. See you there!

Agenda

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
WILD Governing Board Meeting
MONDAY, February 11, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Highway, Crawfordville, FL 32327

• Changes to Agenda
OLD BUSINESS:
• Minutes from the December 2018 meeting-vote
• Financial Report-vote
• Administrator Report

NEW BUSINESS:
• Proposed Budget Amendment

Other Business
• Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Director Reports
Adjournment
Next Meeting will be Monday, April 8, 2019 at WCPL at 1:30 p.m.
Enclosures:
• Agenda 02-11-2019
• Financial Report – March 2019
• Minutes- December 2018
• Administrator Report – Dec 2018/Jan 2019
• Proposed Revised Budget

Minutes 12/10/2018

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries
Serving Franklin, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, December 10, 2018, 1:30 p.m.
Conference Room of the Wakulla County Public Library
4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville FL 32327

Board Members present: Marilyn Lewis, Nancy Wideman, Ellen Ashdown, Sharon Rider. Others Present: Pat Gilleland, Robyn Drummond, Lisa Lance.

Old Business:

Marilyn called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. She asked if there were any additions or corrections to the agenda, and there were none. Nancy moved to accept the minutes of the October meeting, Sharon seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved. Marilyn asked Pat for any comments on the Financial Report. Pat said that fiscal year is 17% completed, and that except for two categories, amounts spent in every category were on track. Postage and subscriptions are paid in advance, so the amounts in those categories are much higher than 17%. Ellen asked for clarification of the term variance, and Pat clarified that meant the difference between what was budgeted for the year and what has been actually spent. Nancy moved to accept the financial report, Sharon seconded the motion, and financial report was approved.

Marilyn asked Pat for comments on the Administrative Report. Pat said she had contacted the Jefferson County Coordinator about securing a replacement for Dick Bailar, and had asked if he needed further information or suggestions, but she had not heard back from him other than him saying he would put the appointment on the County Commission agenda along with other appointments that had to be made. Appointments were scheduled to be made at the Commission meeting on December 4, but since one of the Commissioners could not attend the meeting, the Commission had voted to postpone making all appointments until either the second meeting in December or the first meeting in January. Pat said she will monitor the agendas for the upcoming Commission meetings and will keep the Board informed. Pat also said she will be taking the Annual Statistical Report along with other documents around to the County Commissioners this week as she does at this time every year. She detailed the process of how the statistics are entered by each Library Director and then compiled by Pat into totals for the Commissioners. Pat also mentioned that the only change in this year’s update to the Employee Handbook was the change in health insurance policy that the Board approved at the last meeting. She reviewed the comparison of October/November statistics with those from October/November 2017. As expected, physical circulation numbers are flat, but digital circulation keeps increasing. She mentioned that the Administrative Office periodically fields inquiries from other libraries asking for guidance in managing their digital collections. Chilton Library use has decreased since this period last year, but numbers fluctuate wildly depending on the time of the year, so use is actually up over the long term. Mango Languages circulation has decreased since last year but does not appear to be fluctuating, so the Administrative staff will keep an eye on it to determine whether or not WILD should renew the subscription for the next fiscal year. Marilyn suggested creating charts that show the long term utilization trends of both these products.

New Business:

Pat reminded the Board that they had already discussed the renewal of the lease for the Administrative Office, and that even though the lease was up in August the landlord had not actually provided the renewal lease until the end of November, so the Administrative office has been functioning under an implied lease. There are no changes in the renewal lease, which runs through August 2019. The Board voted to accept the renewal lease.

Marilyn asked Pat, Lisa, and Robyn to leave so the Board could review the renewal of Pat’s contract in executive session. After a few minutes the Board asked them all to return, and informed Pat that her contract was renewed.

Directors Reports:

Robyn said they have been gearing up for several holiday-related events. Animal Tales Holiday Safari will be this Friday at the Library, the Grinchmas Christmas Party with the Sheriff will be next Wednesday, and then Storytime with Santa will be next Friday. Both programs will be held at the Community Center. The Wakulla County Committee is revising its application for Gulf Coast Triumph funds because the initial proposal to use part of those funds for a new Library building was not accepted. The Committee is now revising the proposal to have the new Library be built as a Category 4 hurricane shelter, because there are none in Wakulla County and this would definitely meet a community need.

Lisa reported that during the first ten days after Carrabelle was made the regional Disaster Recovery Center after Hurricane Michael they had 3700 customers come through the Library. Between October 17 and December 8 they served 10,358 customers and have processed over 1100 registrations, and that was just at Carrabelle. Carrabelle had only minor hurricane damage from gutter and downspout issues and a few loose tiles. Internet and power were out, and their Envisionware software had to be rebuilt because it had been corrupted by the the power outage. Eastpoint had roof damage and they are going to have to have a new roof put on the building. The Friends of the Library are raising funds to help pay the insurance deductible for the new roof. Lisa reported that FCPL is beginning to start up Library-related programs again at their location rather than offsite, and they are anticipating a good response. Music as a Second Language registration is open until the end of the month, and the Hurricane Essay Contest runs through January 7. The Friends Annual Meeting was in November, and they had three new people join. Lisa served as a judge for the 4-H Tropicana Speech Contest. She and Sharon both said they were amazed by the variety of subjects talked about in the speeches. Newly initiated STEAM and STEAM II programs had been doing well before the storm, and everything is gearing up to restart again. The new Anime Club had only been able to meet a couple of times before the storm, so they are hoping it will pick back up again as well. There are demonstration gardens being staged at both locations. The Arthritis Foundation will be offering a Walk With Ease program. The Apalachicola Times published a great article about the library and the Disaster Relief Center. The Master Gardner program will be reconvened in January. Author Dawn McKenna had been scheduled to come to the Library in October, but the program had to be canceled due to the storm. FCPL is now fully staffed with two new part-time employees in Carrabelle and one new full-time employee in Eastpoint. Their budget was approved, and they are excited about the increase in stats for both locations. Their electronic resources stats have been amazing, especially at Eastpoint. Carrabelle had a 20.6% increase in attendance during the past fiscal year. Even in October and November their circulation was up in spite of the hurricane. Ellen said it seemed like they should have a category in the stats for public service days to account for all the extra time they had been open as the Disaster Relief Center. Sharon pointed out that many of the DRC visitors came from other counties as well, particularly Bay County. Lisa mentioned that it would have been helpful for the Library to have a generator. Robyn said that the State was coming out with a grant that might help with acquiring one. Marilyn asked if there was a way to enter information in the State statistical report under Other about special instances such as the Carrabelle Library serving as the Disaster Relief Center. Pat replied that the categories are prescribed by the State but that there was a place to enter explanations as to why some numbers vary from year to year. Lisa said she is planning to enter the large amount of patrons served in the Outreach category on next year’s report.

Natalie was unable to attend the meeting due to an emergency, so Pat read her report. Natalie reported that there has been a 60% increase in attendance at children’s programs over last fiscal year, likely due to the hiring of a Youth Services Librarian. Their Polar Express Christmas Program with Police Chief Mosely was a great success. They have been booking performers for the upcoming Summer Reading Program. They will be bringing a mobile planetarium to Jefferson County. The Literacy Alliance now has a new Coordinator, Dr. Keisha Norton, who will provide coaching and parent training. JCPL is now having ABC 123 Family Reading Night programs once a month, and have changed the format to make sure that parents and children can complete activities together. They are currently searching for volunteers to read to children for a different program during the school day.

With no further business, Marilyn adjourned the meeting at 2:06 pm.

Financial Report 1/31/2019

Compared with Budget For the Four Months Ending January 31, 2019

Administrator Report

December 2018 – January 2019

Meetings Attended:

• WILD Board Meeting
• Tallahassee Area Directors Meeting at State Library
• Wakulla Legislative Delegation Meeting
• Jefferson Legislative Delegation Meeting
• WILD Directors Meeting

Events Attended:

• PLAN Tech Day
• Memorial service for Dick and Friedel Bailar
• FCPL Friends’ Soup and Bread Sale
• Launch of Wakulla County Public Library Mobile Library in Panacea
• State Library Division Update webinar
• Institute of Museum and Library Services grant webinar
• WCPL Volunteer Holiday Party

Other Activities of Note:

• Arranged audit schedule with Accountant and Auditor
• Worked with Jonathan McCaughan to locate and install cloud-based web filter solution on WILD servers and computers
• Updated Koha patron records for library system
• Assisted with orientation of new Jefferson County Board Member

Cooperative Statistics :12/1/18 through 1/31/19):

Physical Items Circulated – 18,979 (up 8.7 % over previous year)

Electronic Items Circulated- 1,918 (up 34 % over previous year)

IT assistance requests – 48 (up 9% over previous year)

Mango Languages – 57 sessions, 5 different languages (up 128 % over previous year)

Chilton Auto Repair Database –47 sessions (up 74% over previous year)

Reminder:

The next WILD Board Meeting will be on Monday, April 8, 2019. See you there!

Revised WILD Budget 18-19