How do we give us a hug Okay, it is my pleasure to call to order the uh Board of Library Trustees, Monterey Public Library meeting for this Thursday, January 22nd, two thousand and twenty-six.

Um we will begin with a uh roll call since I've just called the order.

So please, Julia.

Right.

Do we have the Vice Chair Petty here?

Present.

Trustee Joshi.

I'm not here at the moment.

Not at the moment.

Oh, do we have trusty moral?

Yes, we did.

Awesome.

Trustee Silveria.

All right.

And then um D.

Lormier is absent.

She has an excused absence today.

Um so the first thing on our agenda is for you two to uh make an update uh tell the board about the um friends and foundation activities.

Great.

We've been looking forward to this, and uh since we have no handouts, you're gonna have to do a really good job.

We'll do a thorough job.

And we also I did end up putting some of that together on the fundraising, so I can send it to you after the fact if you want to include anything like that.

We'll review it thoroughly.

Okay.

So I'm Shannon Connor and the current president of the Monterey uh Friends and Foundation, Monterey First, every friends and foundation.

Um I took over in July.

So um they can give a little update since then.

Um we at our July meeting actually um approved the retention of Allie as our uh fundraising consultant um as a contractor for us, and so she'll provide kind of an update and on the fund development um activities that we've been up to.

Um but we um we obviously have MC Gibbs was a big um large success.

Um large part to a lot of Ali's work in the fund development committee.

Um we have uh we've had book sales, we've had uh we also actually did a late summer appeal last um, I think it was August.

September, okay, went out September, um, which we hadn't done one of those in quite a few years, so that was good to get that out the door.

I think we'll probably have plans to do that in the spring early in the spring.

Um let's see what what other highlights obviously we have chocolate and wine coming up, that's a big another big highlight for us.

And um, I understand that in the past, uh the board of trustees has uh considered donating wine um for that event if that is an option.

We would love to have your support in that way.

Um the board members have each individually decided it's not a board activity, but you know, uh to uh donate that's something effervescent.

Well, that's the level of that's what I think as opposed to you know a uh carb um chardonnay, I'm right.

Well, as opposed to uh Zen or something.

Sure.

Um and um where should we you're gonna tell us where we should bring those bottles, correct?

I think they're uh the Wednesday crew that it accepts the books on there is also prepared to receive donations there.

They're like brand line in the museum.

They promise not to drink it.

They struggle with that but that'll be okay.

So the Wednesday of the same week as the uh events coming out is that what you're saying or any Wednesday from now until then when or it can be we have a lot of friends at the library can help get wine in the right place.

And I can bring it down to the things that take it up and you can yeah they my office used to be the room and it can still be that so I can move it me and Julie can look at down to the basement.

So yeah feel free.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And um questions after we can do it all right for what to say I would maybe do after because I think we find a lot we're gonna go through.

Yeah let them finish we won't zip on without your raising your so um and then in the last couple of months we've been working with Brian's kind of identify the specific funding needs that the friends can really help with and I think that we've identified and discussed at our last board meetings specifically were um electronic resources so uh zip books being kind of uh zip books and language learning kind of being highlighted there and as well as um potentially funding to help make this makerspace a little bit more um accessible by maybe helping to fund a part-time position for someone to staff the makerspace and then um the last piece kind of being a um uh funding for kind of some larger our author talks to be open to the community and kind of a community education but author talks with authors um that maybe would be in larger venues perhaps the conference center just to kind of make those kind of some maybe larger um community based events as well.

And there's not been uh presentations by authors from time to time already usually I think in the community room.

Yeah um and I think the bigger picture thing we're trying to discuss with Brian that is a good tea up for some of the fundraising stuff I'll go over go over yeah is if we are hoping to raise more money if that's sort of our goal here like let's elevate our fundraising what do we do then with more funds because what we were doing is these sort of reactive things or he was coming up with quarterly wish lists was which was ended up being a lot of to-dos and a lot of tasks that then went back to him and staff to figure out how to make these things happen that we just got funding for so we tried to you know strategize and back it up what is what's the on a bigger picture how could we make this more um proactive and thoughtful about where funds can be best utilized instead of 10k here 15k there kind of things and so um the categories that came up were sort of sort of the ones she was talking about are like these bigger priorities areas of continuing with collection support with zip books and e-resources author talks and in a way that's elevated so it's a way to bring new audiences to us so instead of you know right now we still we do have great author talks the library does and Fredson foundation has but um names that you might have to pay for and get a bigger venue for that bring new audiences and kind of new new friends is what you're thinking of.

And I think that's kind of what got Brian a little bit excited like how do we sort of just elevate our status in terms of what the monarch library brings to the community.

Well let me just say in that regard I don't know if anybody in this room was connected with the library back when I was on the board um years ago when um there's a um Chinese fellow who's a well-known cook is a Chan.

Something can cook or something like that.

Yeah yeah, yen, yen can cook.

Whatever uh the library sponsored him.

And you mentioned the conference center.

That's why it popped in my mind.

And he came.

And besides um mentioning a brand new cookbook that he had out uh which of course I think any well-known author would want to do if they came.

But um, and I have no idea what if he was compensated other than book sales.

Um, I guess is he was, but anyhow, he came and he actually did a cooking demonstration on the stage with a portable you know supply.

Yeah.

So he did that.

Yeah, it was probably something run by Hope Propane, and there was a grill on it.

I don't know, yeah.

Uh that's too far back from you for uh but anyhow, it was well attended is my point.

Yeah, yeah.

And uh that was something that attracted a lot of people.

I mean, it was like a new book presentation, but it was also uh skill right presentation and um yeah, yeah.

So that's so things, yeah, things like that, and then the other category was sort of um continuing to support um the furniture and thing improvements inside the library that help supplement the um you know hopeful city-based capital needs, but then you know, you always want the once you have a new room, you need the pretty fixed room to go inside.

So I do think that'll continue to be an area where we can support, and so we wanted to kind of create those key categories to stick with and try to straight get a little bit further away from the quick as needed small wish list items.

Um, because usually the wish list was something that the friends would make and present it uh to the board, the board would just basically rubber stamp it, right?

And then it went to the city council to the rubber stamp, yeah, but it was generated by you guys.

Right.

And right to us, Brian to them, yeah.

I suppose that I mean think about him and when uh uh Inga, it would go through her one way or the other.

So and it's not like we'll not do that anymore.

I just think we're trying to think a little bigger, and I always when I come in on a new fundraising consulting project, I always think, like, what's the magic wand?

If you guys do have double the money next year, would you even know what to do?

It's kind of fun to think beyond the current status and then think of what that could mean.

So if we're gonna be interactive, can I say if I were to say, no question?

Okay, we could do that version if you want to get that.

What I was just gonna add to that.

Yeah, it's um the this thing about the sound system in the community with a good example, right?

Where you can't you can't listen to anything there because there's this clicking and popping and everything there's no if you want to be able to bring people in or events.

There's a basic basic infrastructure.

Yeah, I mean it seems to me that that's where you really want to finish the community room was one of the things that you have like because if we want to be able to offer more to the community, that's one of the key spaces, and it's already looking so good, so we got to keep that and keep that going.

Um yeah, so those have been some fun conversations.

Um did you wanna finish on anything?

I was just gonna also talk uh you touched on it briefly, but I think the NCIP obviously Diana was instrumental in that.

Um, and we're hoping that once we all yeah, yeah, I was just saying, uh I saw her the most.

Well, but thank you for everything that you did.

And um, and I know once that has uh city council is approving that it is one more step through city council in April.

And so hopefully once that um goes through.

I think our goal again with fundraising uh or where funds will go, um, is to kind of support what comes out of that, and when there are additional expenses to kind of um enhance what what um updates will be done through that funding, we're hoping to be able to do that in the equipment, furniture and fixture space is what uh Brian refers to it as so fixtures, furniture and equipment, furniture and equipment.

So um that'll be uh we'll be able to better define that as that that uh project gets underway.

So I think that was mostly it's um I think one more thing just to oh also with Allie I was gonna say I think we're able to do kind of more benchmarking this year in terms of fundraising, which is gonna be really good for us to see have a better record.

I think over time of um how our fundraising effort, what what we get in return for our fundraising yeah, efforts and um that will help us uh a lot I think going forward and then lastly um we do have um obviously I I took over for Ali this year we're um uh experiencing a little bit of turnover at the board level that we're gonna hopefully try to stay on top of um unfortunately we have some uh board members who I joined with who had to step away from various like personal reasons and so we will have um a call for board members going out so certainly if you know anyone who would be uh who would enjoy being on the board we'd love to have you refer them over to us and and certainly if they have in particular an interest in fund development that that would be excellent so I think that's so you can have a sort of job description we do we can get that to everybody.

Yeah would that be helpful you can send to us and then we'll know because if you if we ask somebody they'll say when is it all right I don't want to make up something or if you put it on uh your website then we could you can give us the link over to something yeah we'll remind you guys when it's uh somewhere yes how many well because we do and we do this every year and this will be just more slots than usual because we had mid year turnover due to health and people moving um so we'll be looking for like three to four yeah this year.

All right.

Um the quality over quantity you know um yeah so that's it's a good place.

Yeah.

And I'll try with some more fundraising things.

Um have any questions specifically for Shannon before I kind of go into some fundraising things.

I have one.

Oh go ahead um you about the fall campaign oh yeah um how did it do what is so the fall yeah so it was um MC Gives or the letter probably the little letter so the letter yes so it was really great I mean we sent out um a hundred and thirty letters it was to anyone who had made a gift in the last few years but hadn't yet given in 2025 I think that was what we did and um we did get some gifts in from that but the reason I didn't even care to track it too closely is because it was such a lead up to MC Gives that I think what happens a lot in fundraising of course is people they get the letter they think about it and then before you know it was MC Gives and we're emailing and everything and so we don't know when or why people always give but I'm really glad we got the letter in people's inboxes because it has been a long time.

But do you have anything to add Julie about the checks that came in I we collected everything letters we got maybe 2530 return so far but um we're still raising in actually sweet actually that's awesome maybe the fall would be next year to do in summer.

Yeah I think the best cadence is like late spring and then early fall like August because then it's a little bit more of a separation to have like a spring one and yeah exactly so agreed.

Yeah thank you Julia totally didn't think we can just still collect those that's awesome.

So yeah so that was kind of one of our first efforts of the year and I'll just kind of go through some of the different um categories of fundraising that we've been doing but just to set the stage I was really excited because I haven't seen you all on this format since we did do that transition.

And it was sort of Brian's idea to finally we've been having all these swirling conversations right a lot of us too about what to do about fundraising.

There was that position that was open what do we do and I just am grateful to to Brian and everyone who sort of approved it to move forward with switching to this model.

And what I also like about it is it's the first time that MPLFNF has really sort of invested in a position of any sort for any meaningful amount of time, and it's something that could be something we do more of in the future.

You know, we are a fully established 501c3 that can pay contractors to do projects, and so we were just talking today about how that's sort of something, it's a model we're testing that we could try out in other areas as well.

Um, because in the fundraising world, you know, we say you gotta spend money to make money, and it's kind of nice to just invest in yourself like that.

So it's been fun to do that.

Um, and since we had a few years that were without someone in that more um that development coordinator role, I did see kind of what Shannon was saying, it's just nice to set a little bit of a established um like just set the stage and kind of get back to basics on optimizing fundraising because we just had a couple of years where we weren't doing the basic stuff even.

We weren't sending out the letters or so this year it's we just try to do the basics, do the campaigns, letters, MC gives, the events, and then we'll have some metrics to kind of base things on moving forward.

Um, so I'll just speak to MC Gives, and then I do have a update that I can send out after so you can get a better look at the numbers because I did a comparison to previous years, and this year was amazing.

And I want to thank everyone in the room for the donations that many of you gave.

Um we had a goal of $70,000, which would have been about a 10k higher than previous years, and at this point we're already at 85,000, and we haven't even received the um match that will come from the foundation because they always submit a little bit of a match last year.

It was about I think what did I say?

Like 10% of a match of what you get.

So that could easily be um a nice additional chunk.

So I'm just really grateful for that.

Um last year we had about 150 donors, this year we had 208 donors, so we did have a lot more people and with bigger gifts.

I'm also really excited about a um couple of donors that really elevated their gift size, and we had one in particular that made a generous um stock gift at the end of the campaign because they wanted to help us reach our goal and they made an 11,000 gift.

Um, which when I'm trying to work on our individual giving and cultivate meaningful gifts, um, that was just really really exciting to see because we we want more of that, and they um they came in and helped us cross the finish line.

So all that.

Yeah, exactly.

Okay, and that's one of the reasons MC Gives is helpful because it all goes through the community foundation so they can kind of handle some of those trickier sort of uh things, and then we just get the check at the end of the day.

Um, so thanks to everyone who helps with that, and the communications committee has been doing a great job making our designs and helping with things like the newsletter and social and things like that.

Um the next thing that our energy is on, of course.

Well, I won't skip the karaoke night.

We did funny new little we did a karaoke night at Savina Wine Bar.

I would sort of put that in our category of our dine around towns.

Like we have these events where you can go and have fun, and then we get a percentage of the proceeds, but Savina Wine Bar, it was sort of a different and fun one because it was karaoke, and you know, just that's how can you not go wrong with library people at a carrying bar.

It was, and I think we ended up with about just under $300 from that or something.

So it's not big dollars, but it's about the friend raising and the you know, the fun of it all.

Um Sam Buttery was there with Alinda, you know, just causing causing a ruckus, and it was great.

Um, so chocolate and why is the current focus, and my role in the fundraising part is basically to help with things like corporate outreach, trying to get some corporate um and business partners and donations, and also trying to just make sure that all of our wonderful local donors have a chance to hopefully come and attend and be part of the funds.

I'm gonna use it as an excuse to reach out to some of our supporters and get people to come and have fun.

Um at the end of the day, we we decided like ticketing is the other place where a lot of the funds come from, and the the more tickets we sell, the more revenue we get from that, and then the less we can spend on things like the vendors provide, the more we end up with that at the end of the day.

So we're trying to, um, I'm working with the the chairs of the event this year are Maya and Taylor.

Um Taylor Boya and Maya, thank you, Wolf.

And they're doing great, really organized, so we're just supporting them on that.

And I'm trying to see if we can get a little more than usual from the corporate the the corporate business partner piece.

Um, and what else is there to say about that?

I think one thing we're seeing and facing there's people are just a lot we have we work with a lot of local businesses to make the event happen.

We have the wineries and bakeries and breweries and everyone's super generous and we've been struggling with getting commitments more than usual because people are busy they're strapped on their budget there's just a little bit more tension in the world.

They're like we love you but we've been doing this for years.

I don't know if this is the year and so we're having a couple more dropouts than usual.

So I'm just floating that as one of the potential challenges I know all that means is that we're not going to let the crowd go hungry if we need to buy some beer or buy some snacks we'll we'll make sure it's a fun event at the end of the day that's what's most important and um just sharing that's some of the struggles I think that could be different this year.

And if anyone has ideas or connections or wants to help you know with that feel free to we're all yours.

So uh donations uh you're still doing the option to sign on we are we're still gonna do an option.

Donations for the silent options go where those will be the same things we'll start seeing them with all right yes.

Yeah because I think I have some already in my office.

And I think you have the four do you have the forms yes we have at the desk and we have forms already available the cold MLS says that by the time the event comes you're like a squinched into your desk baskets and art and that's totally historically most of the food was donated by people who they didn't brought it from home.

Yes yes I remember that you can feel that way recently that's right.

It's like it's more businesses local businesses coming in.

Yes um maybe we should go back to pot left vibes this year.

Maybe it's well I mean putting out the call to people to you know bring you know four dozen cookies or something.

No you know what I think one thing that isn't out of the realm of possibility at all is that we we do have a widening volunteer pool that we could share some of these needs and have like a sign up sort of big thing make something sale style.

So that is not that's definitely not um not a bad idea I think what was when we started having local well established and well esteemed bakers come bring their fancy chocolate and we started to be able to charge more for that and we ended up really that kind of helps elevate the whole thing and filling the room so um but I think we're always willing to call in the community for help and that might end up being being a great idea.

A big change this year that some of you might be aware of as well is that Chris Shake and they're not able to participate this year with the because he's has a totally I think he passed the business on someone else he's on to some other project and he doesn't have a restaurant in the same way so he was like um regretful because he knows how things that's been but we're gonna have to find food so savory he's in mostly savory I think yes savories.

So anyway we'll we'll stay in close touch we're figuring a lot of this out in the next you know week and a half because then we'll have to um but there will be an event and we've already sold a lot of tickets it will be food and wine and all the fun stuff that much is happening.

People like add extra they seem to be fine smaller they're just all sort of they're the ones that are kind of hedging I've had a couple no's and a quite a few maybe and not enough yeses for my liking um but yeah it'll we'll get there and there's also some new businesses that we're gonna kind of pose it like this is the opportunity to come join there's room this year for you know get yourself yeah yeah so I think we'll do it.

But yeah we're excited I mean usually the last few years we've had um 300 or more tickets sold and we didn't get the nearest number but I think we're already up to definitely over 50 maybe almost 100 which is pretty high I know I um an email just went out yeah yesterday to today yeah, we're getting off there.

Yeah, I know I saw something, and that always uh it gives us a bump, especially I think we were like a a month out approximately it's always the um the early break the line is always is February 1st and that's when we get a lot of a lot sold so that'll be exciting.

We'll keep you all in the loop on that.

Thank you in advance for your general support as always on all that.

Um the next thing I just wanted to talk about is how we're gonna make a little bit more time to work with our individual, um, I'll call them our major donors or our leadership donors.

We want to host at least one, but maybe two events this spring that are sort of small events that are meant to celebrate and connect with our supporters.

Um as all of you would kind of know the 18, what's it called?

49 society.

So that sort of level of donor or long time donors and we'll figure out the right people, but our um vice president Carla wants to host one at her home and Brian talked about maybe doing one with here at the library that has sort of a monitor history focus.

So um we will stay in close touch and would love for for you all to be there um for at least one of those.

We'll be doing one in I'm guessing it'll be March and May, but we don't have the dates yet.

But those are always kind of fun just celebrating our donor community and trying to help um cultivate the goodwill there.

And um let's see what else would I share.

I am we're we're trying to focus, we haven't really had an updated um with this conversation about where does where the funds go.

We're trying to create what you would call in the fundraising world our case for support.

Like what do we say, what's our elevator pitch then for what do we say we do and who we are, and there's been plenty of those over the years swirling around, but um that's one of my other priorities is to try to help us come up with a sort of one pager about what we do, what is funding support, um, and then you know, share it around so we all know what we're saying and what what we're saying about that.

So just getting some good pen to paper on that will be fun.

Um and I think that's it for the key priorities, and then we'll look once they're sort of um end of the fiscal year has closed out, we'll be able to review, learn, decide what to do next, and then hopefully come up with more of a three to five year plan for a little bit of that longer term plan for fundraising goals and strategies and things like that.

But once we've got exactly the question I was gonna ask about a fundraising plan, yeah.

In some sense, you have a lot of the elements of that.

Right.

Yes, and I will share the the closest we have to that for this year is sort of what I just said the different strategies and activities, and then we have goals for the different projects and programs.

You know, we had an MC Gives goal, we'll have a goal for spring fundraising.

Um, so I'll share that, and then our goal at the end of this year would be to create a little bit of that longer plan.

You guys have any um questions about any of that?

You referred several times to the year, you mean how much, you know, so far this year compared to another.

Is that a uh fiscal year July 1 to June 30?

Yes, that's what I'm thinking of this year.

Like 90, I mean nine months into it, so right.

Yeah, as of um the end of March, we will be three quarters of the way through the fiscal year.

So it doesn't even include the income from the uh child of wine.

Right.

The numbers that come in at the end of the year are always you know pretty crazy because actually MC Gives hasn't even come in.

So we get that check, right?

Right when we get MC right when shop and wine is basically happening.

Um and then we'll be doing a spring fundraising push, and then we'll we're we're spending more, which is good on things like these little events, hopefully, and things like the mailing.

So it'll be a different year on the financials than last year with how much we're hopefully bringing in going out, but I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Um the other case is the one about the NCIP.

Um I don't want to say don't count the chicken school.

Right, right.

Because the city has this deficit, and we're getting a new city manager and yeah, um, we can all cross our fingers and say it looks really, really, really good.

But right, um, you know.

And you it's anybody's guess, right?

But I would think that uh we should all or many of us plan to show up at the April meeting.

Yes, that was mentioned at our meeting and uh say something nice about the library before they do their deliveries and it's going to be part about the April council meetings yes yeah I'm what's the dating then again it's April what if like a lot of people showed up does that even matter like what we just had hordes of people like hurrah hurrah for the helper be annoying I'm not even delivering girls right now I'm imagining like well I think there's a silent presence yeah where somebody can say here are wrong I mean I think we have to be disruptive about it.

My sense is if they go ahead and fund then we're fine because of where we are in priority but yeah this is an anomalous year.

Of course every year is an anomalous year this was more anomalous no it's it's been particularly challenging but you know fingers crossed and and luckily there's this other money to do some of these things like fix the sound system and keep the keep the library stuff together and we get those regulations.

April 7th okay so the day before our next board meeting that's good.

I think that's unless I have it wrong yeah second Wednesday right yeah that's the earliest in the month.

Yeah but it's still something hopefully to report on yeah it was it was mentioned at our most recent board meetings.

Yeah is there anything more than the January meeting to report to us um because Diane was the does it gives you the um I was gonna say we um I think we covered a lot because we had that we had the discussion about what Brian kind of identified where we can um proactively fund that was a large part of the discussion.

We did have a wish list uh for uh a smaller vehicle yeah um and so that was approved we moved some funds that had been approved for an electric bike an e-bike that was gonna serve somewhat of a similar function so I think um that came out to roughly a funding of about 42000 at this point um was for that so that was a bigger for us a larger wish list item than what I think I've approved during my so that's wonderful that's good um yeah I think it mentioned it to us oh good that might be a possibility so I'm glad to get that yes so that and then if there's I think if if there's a range based on the vehicles that have been identified um that also might be some of the MC Gives funding as well and the goal is also to to wrap the vehicle in uh be able to identify it as an MC gives and friends um uh yes thank you as the best uh way to put it um so that that was discussed um you know updates on the library side and we talked about the nominations mc gives um yeah and chocolate and wine so I think we've touched I think we have touched on everything um there are two but they're they're tend to they're tentative at this point um and probably will be post chocolate and wine um so yeah that's they're in the works um and then we do have the expanded um book seller hour or um what did they call it why am I they have their own time no i can't remember but anyway they um so it's now open uh Saturdays from 12 to 2 as well in addition to some of the back parking lot yes that door yes i mean you you must have read my mind i'm just going to ask if um any publicity was being made about being able to not just donate used books but buy on wednesdays.

And I guess that's true as well on saturday now.

Yes.

And so those new but from that location.

Yeah.

And those hours had uh gone out along with that it's both donation and and the purchase 12 to 2 Wednesdays and saturdays.

You may browse shop and donate in the library basement.

Yeah, that was through settings.

No, just want to say Saturday.

And uh yeah, so that's exciting.

And then we did get the the lockers.

Best seller, thank you.

That's what it was.

That's what I was trying to remember.

Best seller.

Yes.

L C E yes.

That's cute.

I knew there was extreme.

I was just like, I know that.

Okay, we're having a sign.

Yeah.

So yeah, and then I guess also just in terms of book sales, they they had the three day um or two-day book sale in um in December, the holiday one, and they marketed it as a crawl, which was kind of cool and partnered with all the other local other libraries.

So that was that was fun.

Did it do well?

It did.

I think um people enjoyed the collaboration.

I think that was helpful for everyone.

And so um I that was a great um great decision to or idea to make that happen.

So I think that's going through all the committees.

I think, yeah, we're gathering volunteers for chocolate and wine, big big Sur.

Um we'll be here before we know it in April.

Uh, so we always uh staff and information who's there.

So I know we'll be um reaching out to our volunteers about that as well.

So oh, yeah, I think that going through all the committees.

I think we've touched on all of all of the activities.

Yeah, thank you.

That's it.

Thank you so much.

Thanks a lot.

Do we do public comment after the presentations?

Okay, is there uh are there any more questions or comments from the group here?

And if not, are there any members of the public who are no members hanging around and they have questions?

No, nope, okay.

Thank you guys.

Thank you guys.

Well, it's almost exhausting listening to all the stuff that you're doing.

Wow.

Thank you so much.

This is our present time.

So good to see you here in common.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you.

I'm sorry that it took us so long to it took me so long to get here.

Scheduling just didn't.

Well, feel free to come to any of our meetings and we will make time, you know, one way or the other for anything you have to appreciate you very much.

Share with us.

And we haven't had any by the end of the day.

She doesn't have to be used.

She's the bestly done.

So she's just a lot, yeah.

Um, all right.

Well, thank you.

Thank you again.

Thank you.

Then we shall move on to um item number two on our agenda, which is the uh presentation about the uh lockers.

Yeah, is that you?

That's gonna be me.

So thank you.

Yeah, so we um as you know, we have been working on getting these rolling out and in use for some time.

So they were initially installed back in August.

Um, and although the inst the physical installation happened during that time, we were having um a lot of technical kind of issues.

There's there's a lot that goes on with setting it up so that the system can work well with our own catalog and connecting and all those things.

So we were able to get them going, and we officially made them live on Tuesday of this week on the 20th.

Oh, really?

Yeah, so they are uh officially working and um in the as part of the rolling out kind of process.

I did work pretty closely with David, who is our tech service specialist.

Um, and with his help, we were able to kind of start navigating all the different logistical kind of side of things.

So did you get help from the manager?

I mean, yes, yes, they were.

They were very helpful.

We were communicating with them, um, they were in Texas, so that there was a time difference, so that kind of sometimes got in the way, but for no, they were they were helpful.

So we were in communication with them and doing a lot of different experimenting to make sure we were able to to get these going.

Um, but yeah, so David also was one of our was our kind of main tech liaison for all of that, and and then of course, Kim also helped a lot with getting um sort of an idea of what the schedule would look like because this is a new service that we're adding, which means that we also need to consider the um you know the operational kind of impact with staffing it and making sure that we're getting out there because it is um the service that is for folks to pick up their their items, but they can also return items there as well.

Um, and so we were wanted to make sure that we were able to to have a plan.

So Kim helped in creating a plan so that staff are ready to go out two to three times a week so that we can fill them up and also um make sure that we're you know collecting the items.

So what I wanted to share with you is um sort of the marketing kind of materials that we made.

Um we did want to make sure that we created bilingual marketing materials because the one of the sites that we do have is in the Montecito neighborhood where we do see more of our Spanish speaking community members there.

So that's a way for us to try to make sure that they know we're there for them.

And so here is um, for example, I'll show you these are the bookmarks that we made.

Okay, so these are uh bookmarks that we are distributing.

Um we did provide some of these to the sports center, so they have them there ready to give out to.

I'm gonna give you each in English and Spanish, yeah.

And so this kind of gives you a little overview of what the lockers are, how they function.

So these are accessible 24/7.

That's kind of the big push, right?

Like people's work schedules may not be compatible with the hours of you know the library's hours.

So with this, uh, we are offering the ability for folks that um want to be able to pick up their holds late at night or super early in the morning.

Um, they have the choice of picking them up at either site.

So you have Montecito or you have the sports center, and I noticed that it showed up on the app.

Yeah.

I put a book on there, pick it up, but they haven't put it in.

When did you put your hold in?

Yesterday.

It should be we have a stack, so yeah, we'll be going tomorrow morning.

Every couple days, it's yeah.

So we're aiming for through right now.

We're aiming for three days a week.

So Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays are the days that we're which means if somebody put in a request, yeah.

On Monday, yes, whichever one of those days came next is when they could find the book.

Yes, after approximately.

Hopefully, yeah.

Hopefully, I mean if it depends on the status of the item, is it something that's available now on the show?

I'll assume it's yeah, okay.

Then yeah, I think something specifically to find the ship.

Okay, is on the shelf, yeah.

So you can see how it works.

Yeah, no, I think it's it's great.

I would recommend all of you to do that just to kind of give it a shot.

Um, yeah, I mean, we are we want to stick to the three days.

We do understand that there is a staff sudden absence and we would might need to move things around a bit, but we our goal is to try to get them there three days a week, two to three days a week.

One of the things that I I do want you know to share is that we are offering this to be something convenient for access 24 7.

It does not do not necessarily mean that it's gonna be faster.

Um if you want something immediately immediate, go to the library.

But um, if you want if you're if it's something that you would rather do because of your schedule, then this is an option to do that.

Um, and so also we did work on the website, so that's something that I wanted to share with you all.

So let me go ahead and start sharing my screen.

Um let's do the screen here.

Okay, and will this show us how to go on?

Pick a book that's on the shelf, and instead of saying I'll pick it up at the library, you know, yeah, so where are you gonna pick it up?

One of those options, the locker somewhere.

Yeah, there's two of them.

Once this one is here.

Oh, okay.

It's in that same drop down.

Okay, so let me think that's how you do it.

I'm sorry, I had this figured out earlier, and then okay.

All right, so yeah.

So let me go ahead and so these are the flyers, the posters that we put around.

So these are flyers that you probably saw in the library.

So we do have um, and we did it in both English and Spanish.

All the marketing materials also have the QR code.

So the QR code is important because if you're on site and you scan the QR and you could actually test it right now if you would like on the bookmarks, it's gonna link you directly to the website, the page for the the whole pickup lockers, which you could find right here.

So there they are, and so now um this gives you a little overview.

Um, it gives you step by step how do you do it?

It links to the catalog where you can sign into your account.

Um, yeah, and also a really cool feature that we wanted to for people to know because you do need to have your actual card with you to use the locker, or you could use the app.

So you can use the app.

Yes.

So this is scan your cards.

So you yeah, so when you do the you can pick your card and then you could just do that, you'll be able to scan with your phone.

So you don't need your card at all.

If as long as you have your card loaded on your own, you have a picture of the card on your phone.

Oh, so you're using the card, but it's a you're using the card, but you're using it through the app.

So you don't have to have the physical card with you.

Um yeah, I can show you after.

So it's the app should have the library card, and when you open it up, it should have the barcode of this.

Oh, yes, sure, yeah.

Yeah, and so then you scan it and then card, but it's uh yeah.

But it's this, it's an image of the code.

Yeah, no barcode, it's just that.

Oh yes.

There you go.

Oh, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay, because I was over there this morning and it says scan your library.

Is it shoot up for happening?

Well, you had it in you had your phone, yeah.

Okay, so um, and you also do need that for returning items as well.

So, because that's the only way you're able to open, and I'll show you a video that we made right now as well.

Okay, that shows you the step by step.

Brian told me that the the emphasis is gonna be on picking up books, more so than dropping off books that you're finished with.

Ideally, yeah.

I mean, I think, and one of the reasons why is also the return bin isn't too big, it's actually kind of easy.

Yeah, so I mean, we're we're trying to get out there as as often as we can, but it can get full pretty fast.

The size of it isn't it's not too big.

Um, and then we have also made some videos.

So this is Esme, who is one of our staff members, it's her and her daughter.

Um, she is one of our bookmobile staff um members that is gonna be doing the lockers.

So she's one of our main locker staff members.

So I wanted to show you all um video.

So just the item, items, yes, it pops right open.

Yeah, yeah, this is not a return item, the after the X.

You can return anywhere.

Yeah, there's a return.

Yeah, it opens up.

Can we label the return now?

Is it actually?

And just there you go.

Yay!

The the wrap, it's actually a vinyl wrap, and um Brian designed it, of course.

And um he did actually earn best wrap award by the cut the vendor.

The vendor, I guess every year does an award for the best wrap.

Well, that's the way the um leaves in the past, the book label got definitely.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I remember going with uh uh Inga over to an outfit in it's off the Del Marty as you hit towards Seaside.

And uh and it wasn't gonna be painted on the it they electronically create the image on something, which then they stretch and it adheres to the to the vehicle.

Well, so it's the same thing with this uh, it sounds like the same or similar process.

Yeah, so that's um, yeah.

So that's the website.

We also do have a list of frequently asked questions that you can see here.

And um, this is where you will see uh we this is something that I worked with staff, like we discussed in great length, like what are some obvious questions that people might ask.

Um if you as you start testing them, I would love to hear feedback from you all.

There's something that you think would be helpful for people.

Um, but some of them, you know, common questions are like what are these?

Like, why are we doing this?

Like where are they located?

I think important one there is how long will it be waiting?

Will it be there?

Yeah, how soon do I have to go and get it?

Yeah, so seven days.

Seven days it'll be it's the same as here, seven days.

Um, seven business days when the library is normally open.

It's uh no, it's seven days from the date that the load here is.

Yeah, I thought it was longer than that, yeah.

No, it's it's seven days, right?

It's seven days, yeah.

Okay.

It says it says you know, they're available and it gives you the date on your email.

Yeah, it's just safe.

Yeah, and then um also uh another oh yeah, so one thing that we definitely is important is that not not everything can be picked up at the hold locker.

So library of things items cannot be picked up at lockers, so that includes like the telescopes, um, you know, big oversized items.

Um, it's it's not the place for that.

So if let's say somebody were to put a hold for those items and they did select the locker, um, we would identify it during our, you know, the way that we when we start pulling those items based on our report, um, we would then contact the patron directly and be like, hey, just so you know this isn't gonna work, you have to come to the library to pick it up.

Uh and then another question that we wanted to make sure people knew was about ADA access because they are pretty tall.

So um for somebody who may not be able to to reach the top lockers, we needed to find a way to uh make sure that we could identify their account specifically.

So there is a way David is was great at helping me figure that out.

So now when you put a hold um on when a patron puts a hold online, it asks you do you need 88 accommodation?

You put no or yes.

And if you were to put yes, um, it would flag their items so that we know to fill in the lower locker.

Yeah.

So um, so since they've been live on Tuesday, we've had quite a few.

So we we went out uh yesterday morning, was our first morning filling them up, and there were items in the return bins as well, like a good amount, like eight to 10 items um per site.

So we collected those, brought them back.

So they immediately were being used on the first day.

So it's very cool.

Yeah.

Any questions at all about these lockers?

Feel free to ask away.

Wonderful, yeah.

That's great.

We could have used those during the pandemic without having to say that it's something to sit there and go get the post.

And and those some systems do uh place them directly outside of the library.

Um, so just so you know, um, I wasn't here when Brian worked on the sites, but I I believe the goal with these was more of spreading kind of our services throughout the city, um, and you know, having these partnerships like the partnership with the support center, I think is a really a strong one.

Cause there are when we were there labeling the lockers, uh I was there with the staff members that were gonna be working with them.

We had so many people stopping us to ask questions, and there was like two different moms that were like, Oh, this is so great because I bring the kids here for swimming, but I just it's just so much moving around.

So now I know that I could just do the do it here, so I could pick up my books here and take the kids to the swimming classes and just go home.

So that was exciting for us to be able to get that direct feedback.

Yeah, is the longer range plan to have lockers like this here so that on a day when the inside is closed, yeah, people will be able to come and do this sort of thing.

We haven't discussed that yet.

Um I don't know if that's the goal right now, but we'll see.

We'll see how this works with just these.

Um, but yeah, from my understanding that that we haven't discussed that yet.

Because the the painting, like we have.

That was something that it's been on the board agenda for a long time.

Um, and uh it was mostly discussed about well, where are we gonna put it vis-a-vis this building?

Yeah, we had it, we said, Well, we'll put it over there.

No, you can't put it over there because there's a loading dock in cars and coming back and forth.

You don't want traffic three inches from the rear end of a patron who's bending over to get a book out of a thing, right?

Oh my gosh.

And and you know, so there was that discussion.

Yeah.

We said, Oh, but in the back.

Well, it's such a small space that you're gonna drive it.

Yeah, and then the their cars while they're going to the locker, gonna botch everything up so um it's it's not a new yeah thing but uh I mean they're you know the day we're only open what six and a half no five and a half days now yeah and uh I would think that uh we could accommodate a lot more patrons if there were a way for them to do this right outside the facility yeah but the school center is not very far away it's not very far away conference center because this place is not so easy to park yeah um I guess at night we could park in the back well yeah the big parking lot right indoor here right yeah yeah the sports center's not too far I think it's I mean we'll learn we'll learn a lot from this experiment so we'll see how it's working but so far I mean people have we weren't sure we really had no idea what to expect the first week but they they're definitely getting used C C and B's had them for a while.

Yeah oh goodness yes I can imagine students scheduled yeah are all over the place so yeah great well thank you thank you and you know just like it it's fun when you come in and you see a mother usually it's a mother during the day with uh little kids yeah um they're big enough to like return books and there was one little girl you know they often come uh check out a stack of yeah kid sized books or you know and she she would say goodbye uh big bear and put the book in and goodbye Mary Poppins and put the book in and each one she would you know say goodbye to it so you know this could um yeah I can imagine kids getting being excited to use it for sure yeah yeah yeah uh is there anybody from the public who's hanging around that have questions about the uh book lockers no no one okay are there any more questions or comments from the board or staff over here then we will uh go to our uh last item actually which is to um uh approve the consent agenda which consists of four items uh the approval of the minutes from our December meeting plus the three informational reports and those as it says here are to be adopted by one motion unless one of the three of us or a member of the public if there were somebody uh wants to pull any of these four items and consider the separate agenda item for discussion and question and so forth so does anybody want to do that if not then I would love to have somebody make a motion to um approve the four item consent agenda so moved second okay we have a motion and a second is there any discussion of the motion from either public listeners or people present here no one online okay if not then um all the board members in favor of the motion aye any opposed any abstaining okay well that's the end of the consent agenda agenda and the end of the um listed items on our meeting agenda are there any comments from the public this is time for general public comments nope nope are there any additional comments from the trustees um is is this this is the trustee time yes trustee comment time okay yes ma'am uh yeah we decided that instead of it being an agenda item that I would just briefly report to you what what uh Diane and I have been doing to work on the little one pager or folder or whatever and um what's the title that quotable something oh facts yeah well anyway it's and Allie mentioned that she is working on the elevator speech kind of thing so i'm not sure what diane and alley have talked about but diane and i i did some research came up with a a sort of a plan and we have a oh one pager now front and back and we're gonna condense it down into smaller versions or maybe a bookmark or something like that but it still needs to go by Brian needs to come to you and um she uh Diane mentioned that she was talking to somebody on the friends board named Carrie about possibly you know interacting with us to to come up with this so if there's if there's two things going one from Ellie and one from board uh I don't know we'll we'll we'll figure it out I didn't want to say anything but but there's all kinds of stuff out there you know from ALA and other libraries in the country they have all this advocacy information and so what I want to do not just this little blurb I want to come up with the non-inventing the wheel thing of a resource kit about what's out there and links to what you can do so you don't have to write your own specifically all the time um what I what I have for a little little theme is um making the case for Monterey Public Library where case is an acronym uh community access uh support and education and then little blurbs under those and um so anyway we'll we'll show it to you next time in and ultimately in the form of a little well yeah it can be like this we'd have to condense it you know okay just and can you repeat the acronym again please okay I think the case for Monterey Public Library and it's case is uh community access uh support okay and um education yeah so anyway um so we we've gotten that far and then we did get a chance to bring it to either the board or to Brian and so next month.

Yes I think it makes sense to get the foundation the friends and foundation people and us together yeah if they're doing something.

Right to put it yeah I wasn't sure if Ali was doing it or yeah yeah because I mean it doesn't have to be the way I this was just effort either.

Yeah right yeah but if they're already working on something and you know there's so much stuff out there like um one public library on the east coast has this little um let's see if I got it oh value of your library use so you you put in you know how many books you checked out or how many magazines you read in the library how many ebooks how many programs did you go to and it comes up with a numerical value for you so you could do it for your whole uh statistical thing for your library that hey you got this much out of your library use or individual like how how much they got in terms of value dollar value of yeah that's okay and I don't know how they came up with the algorithm for that but anyway it's just kind of interesting and there's all these checklist for library advocates of this and this and this.

So anyway, I was out of the advocacy business for a while but yeah, I'm enthusiastic about the one thing I think is this is really neat, except the font is too small for a lot of people.

So we need to have it be bigger or provide, and I can give you an example.

I mean, they're at home yeah but um when I was um managing the Medicare advising program, we often handed out these little magnifying glasses that are the size of a credit card, the size of a credit card.

So you can put it in your wallet right next to your research, yeah, and you would take that out.

And it, you know, I always told the seniors I was doing workshops with that well, this is for you to take and you're still using a roadmap in the car.

You know, you can read and um but I think something bigger than that, especially for the uh older population would uh would be would be good.

But we talked in terms of tripod or a book bar, things please that could be yeah, and if you if it if it's linked to some type of a web page, you could always do the QR code too.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So there's a lot of things to be uh but I think that before before you figure out the form.

Yeah, no, so anyway.

So that's really important.

Any other board member comments, Marcia?

Nothing except everybody seems to be doing a wonderful show.

And the library seems to be, you know, always moving ahead.

And if you offer, thank you.

Thank you for and I I think that um somehow once uh he or she starts working, uh the new whoever the new city managers are gonna be that uh one or two people from the board and one or two staff people ought to try to schedule a meeting with that individual.

Yeah, for sure.

Because, you know, who knows what their background is or where they're coming from.

If they're coming from say another town, um, you know, smaller city and coming to Monterey, which is small, but maybe this operation citywide is a step up in their professional career, that kind of thing.

Um, you know, we it'd be good to make them as um informed as possible and invite them to some things like the board meetings and um chocolate and wine if they're well, I don't know if they'll be here by mid-February or not, but yeah.

Because they're just going to announce it barely by beginning of February, I think, aren't they?

I think so.

I don't know.

They're gonna ratify hammering out the the contract stuff right now, I think.

I think they're in negotiations.

They said the February.

I wrote it somewhere, yeah.

Okay.

Well then, um if nobody has any further comments and nobody is opposed, the um chair of the meeting will declare it adjourned.

All right, do we want to do library director comments?

I know Brian's not here, but oh I don't know.

That was some updates.

Yes, I'm sorry.

Didn't need to.

Okay.

No, I mean, I I mean, the I think the main thing we've kind of been celebrating this week is our locker lounge.

Um, but also we do have a new book mobile coordinator full time that started this week.

Yes, yeah.

So Micah Whitaker, um, I can't Micah, yeah, they came to us from the county.

They were the bookmobile coordinator over there.

They're learning very quickly today.

Um I was up with them doing some routes and they were already bossing me around.

So they're very capable.

Yes, they are.

Yeah.

I tell them that they're not allowed at quick.

We talked about how the it seems to have been like a year pen trend for a lot of the previous people in that position.

So the pressure is on for them to stay, that's for sure.

Yeah, and since we've been we the board has been so active in uh discussing and everything, the uh bookmobile itself.

Yeah.

Uh we could we invite the the new bookmobile staff members to a meeting here.

Just yeah, we can find on that.

Absolutely.

We could do a future meeting where they talk um because now we have we have a full staff right now with the bookmobile team now.

Because we have Micah and then we also have Esme, who's our part-timer, and they're also the ones doing the lockers.

Um, so I think that would be something we could plan.

It's but it could present on outreach and yeah, and bookmobile.

At our February meeting, you know, yeah, we'll five weeks from now.

Well, we'll talk, because I do think that would be good for them to meet you all.

Um started when they just started this week, so maybe February.

I was gonna say maybe March or April.

Although I think Brian usually likes people get settled first.

Yeah, makes sense.

Yeah, it's not to over not too you know, because if they because if they have their own ideas, they they might need some time to like that's true.

That's how kind of implement their own ideas.

Yeah, I think that's true.

You want to give them a couple of months to take it all in, but sooner or later, I think.

Yeah, absolutely.

No, absolutely, and I think they I know they would be willing to do that.

Not just let them work months and months and months and months without we're gonna hide them from you.

Any attention, yeah.

I know we're protecting them as much as numbers.

I think March or April's a little bit more.

Yeah, that's true.

Um so the other big thing that we're working on well, it's not big, I mean it's something that I need to move a little faster on because it's coming up, but the statewide there's a so talking about advocacy, there's a lot of efforts in the state level for advocacy, and so one of the the ways the state library is trying to do that is by doing a statewide survey.

So they're calling it um, oh my gosh, I've been tell us your stories, Kim.

What is it?

Oh man, I've been reading and they've been sending emails like every day.

All I've been literally reading my brain.

So um this is beyond data collection.

This it's actually a very simple, it's a I mean you're all gonna take it.

I'm gonna make you all take it.

Every story counts.

It's like five questions.

It's designed to be a very quick fast survey, and it's the same questions.

Yeah, it's very brief.

All this and all the libraries throughout the state are doing it, and so they are compiling um kind of as a way to get direct feedback from patrons.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, not just staff.

No, no, it's it's patrons.

Yeah, so um, I'm gonna be working on pushing out social media uh for that starting tomorrow, and it starts next week and it's from the 25th through Friday, which is the 30th or the Saturday or 31st.

Is it possible something you can because you send out emails to a lot of people, yeah.

It's possible to make it that I see this and then I can fill it out online and say, No, we're gonna link it so it'll be a it'll be a virtual, it'll be a digital, like you could sign, you can do it online, but you could also do paper if you'd like.

We're gonna have staff kind of roving around the library, um, encouraging people, have a QR code where they can scan it to do it on their phone.

It's a very it's very quick survey, you'll be done with it within you know five to ten minutes, even less than that, probably.

Um, but yeah, so that's something that we're preparing for for next week.

And and yeah, just staff has just been it's been nice getting more staff here.

Um I I could feel sort of the the team starting it kind of like you know, we're all coming together, we're all sharing ideas.

Um, it's been a really exciting I think time for for MPL.

So yeah, it's great.

That's all I got.

Is anything uh being planned for uh the library to do uh 4th of July?

Oh, I'm sure in the past, they've had a book sale at the outside of the Friends and Foundation, they haven't done the book sale for a couple years.

I know, I but yeah, yeah.

Well, we always do the bookmobile in the parade.

We'll definitely do that, yeah.

That's kind of been tradition.

But it'd be nice to have the, even if it's the bookmobile, sitting around uh the the park across the street.

Well, we'll be we'll be in the parade, yeah.

And then park at the end for that.

Oh yeah, we can I mean I could definitely look into that.

Yeah, that's not a bad idea, actually.

No, yeah.

Yeah.

Right next to the food.

Yeah, right next to him.

And the two hundred and fifty year whatever is.

Oh, yes, that's coming up too.

So that'll be yeah, so I'll be talking to Brian about that because I'm sure there'll be a lot of events for the museum side of things, which would also be um connected with the library.

So yeah.

What is the century?

We ought to do something with that phrase.

Yeah.

I don't remember um the two hundred and fifty birthday of Mon Ray.

They had all those things planned in the pandemic.

Oh, because Monterey is older than the country.

Um, it's 2020.

Oh wow.

They were gonna do a bunch of stuff.

Yeah, we're parties and all things.

They were like there were fundraising for it.

We had merchandise, yeah, that's a lot of things so wow.

Maybe this could be we can read two, I don't know.

Yeah.

We were here first.

All right.

So I apologize for trying to adjourn before we that's okay.

Okay.

Any other questions or comments?

Okay.

Go ahead.

No, I was just wondering if Kim and Julie said anything.

Yeah, from anybody.

Yeah.

I know most of the stuff's been covered.

Yeah.

Everybody's been pretty busy with stuff.

So Julia's working hard.

Julie does a lot of things.

So Kim does too.

Everybody does.

Everybody has all these little things and it's what makes you know everything just the library tick.

Yeah.

They go by fast.

No, every day I'm just like how is it time to go home?

No, never bored.

All right, I think we're good.

We shall adjourn.

Thank you everyone.

Five thirteen.

Five thirteen,