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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_LAB_02.20.2017Minutes of the Meeting of the Library Advisory Board City of Georgetown February 20, 2017 The Library Advisory Board met on Tuesday, February 20, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. in the Small Conference Room of the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. 8"' Street MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Baldwin, Michael Barnes, Lindsay Cooper, Tom Hagen, Tom Milburn, Teresa Robinson, and Pete Rose. MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Eric Lashley- Library Director Chair Rose called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M. A. Citizens wishing to address the Board. — None were present. B. Review of minutes from the January 17, 2017 Library Advisory Board meeting. —Pete Rose, Board Chair. Motion by Hagen; second by Milburn to approve the January 17, 2017 minutes. Approved 7-0. C. Consideration of Library Director's Report. —Eric Lashley, Library Director. Lashley announced that board members Baldwin and Rose have been re -appointed to the board and new member Linda Schaffer will begin her term next month. Rose has been re -appointed as Chair by Mayor Ross. Lashley reviewed January's statistics and read comments left by patrons in the library's suggestion box. He also announced that Community Outreach Librarian Michele Harber will retire on Friday, April 28. The library is partnering with the Assistance League of Georgetown to host a fundraiser on Saturday, April 8 from 6-8 pm. Tickets for "An Evening in Paris" are $50 each. The Library Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon will be held on Thursday, May 4. Lashley reported that he and Community Resources Coordinator Patrick Lloyd are members of the City's internal homeless task force. The following library staff members were recognized at the City's Years of Service Award Breakfast on February 15: Eric Lashley -20 years, Rita Kirkpatrick -15 years, and Michele Harber-5 years. No action required. D. Report from the library's Community Resources Coordinator. —Eric Lashley, Library Director. Lashley reviewed a copy of Patrick Lloyd's monthly report (attached to these minutes), noting that there is a large need for legal aid services in Georgetown. Lloyd has been able to refer only about 44% of patrons interviewed to necessary resources. No action required. E. Report on Courageous Conversations events. —Eric Lashley, Library Director. Lashley and the Board discussed the success of the Courageous Conversations events. Lashley noted that the last corresponding event will be a screening of Good Hair on Tuesday, February 28 at 6:30 pm. No action required. F. Farewell comments and appreciation of Tom Hagen's years of service. —Eric Lashley, Library Director. Lashley and Board thanked Hagen for his years of service on the Library Advisory Board. No action required. G. Consideration of future meeting dates. — Eric Lashley, Library Director. The next Library Advisory Board meeting will be Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 6 pm. Chair Rose adjourned the meeting at 7:20 PM. espectfully submitted, � t LIDUl) Pete Rose Secretary Chair GPL Community Resources Monthly Report: January 2017 This month library staff conducted 16 interviews with high -need patrons; in December 2016 we conducted 7 interviews. Presenting needs shifted dramatically in January with significant increases in emergency housing, physical health, and legal aid. We also saw a large jump in patrons with questions regarding a variety of education topics including ESL and low-cost art classes. Library staff other than CRC completed the survey tool on three occasions versus once in December 2016. Patron Needs 5 4 3 2 I 1 0 Emergency Housing Fin. Assistance Benefit Assistance Mental Health ® Jan -17 o Dec -16 Physical Health Legal Other We continue to see a majority of female HNPs. We continue to observe that about two-thirds are female. Patrons with children in the home seem to fluctuate: in January just 19% had children in the household; in December that number was 57%. This may be attributable to the holidays as parents searched for financial help to buy gifts for their children. We continue to see that about 12-15% of HNPs have either a veteran in the household or are/have been victims of domestic violence. We were able to refer patrons to resources within Georgetown in just 44% percent of interviews conducted. This month, unmet needs are primarily emergency housing and legal aid. Twice we have now interviewed patrons of means who are coping with complicated real estate/legal problems following the death of a spouse. These individuals may own several pieces of property in other states and cities. They are older adults. Properties may be in the name of the deceased spouse leaving the surviving spouse to try to navigate a complicated probate/real estate system across state lines, often with little available funds as their money is tied up in the properties they are attempting to sell. In one person's case these challenges were further complicated by serious illness. With an aging population, it's anticipated that these kinds of problems will continue to appear.