Ottawa Public Library Board

Minutes

Meeting #:
1
Date:
Time:
-
Location:
Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, and by electronic participation
Present:
  • Chair Matthew Luloff, 
  • Vice-Chair Kathy Fisher, 
  • Trustee Jessica Bradley, 
  • Trustee Mary-Rose Brown, 
  • Trustee Alison Crawford, 
  • Trustee Rawlson King, 
  • Trustee Catherine Kitts, 
  • Trustee Harvey A. Slack, 
  • and Trustee Adam Smith 

Notices and meeting information are attached to the agenda and minutes, including: availability of simultaneous interpretation and accessibility accommodations; in camera meeting procedures; information items not subject to discussion; personal information disclaimer for correspondents and public speakers; notices regarding minutes; and remote participation details.

Notes: 

  1. The meeting began at 5:04 pm.
  2. Trustees Brown and Fisher participated electronically.
  3. In accordance with the OPL Board’s Rules of Procedure By-Law, the Chief Librarian and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was the presiding officer until a Chair was appointed.

The Chief Librarian and Chief Executive Officer delivered the Indigenous land acknowledgement statement.

The Chief Librarian and CEO welcomed everyone to the inaugural meeting of the 2023-2026 Ottawa Public Library ("OPL") Board ("the Board"), addressed logistics regarding the hybrid meeting format, and proceeded with roll call by voice in random order.

There were no regrets.

Ms. Bebbington provided a briefing regarding the election process, including the use of secret ballots if required.

MOTION OPL 20230131/1

Moved by Trustee Rawlson King:

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9 of the OPL Board Rules of Procedure By-law, if a Secret Ballot is required;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Alexandra Yarrow be appointed scrutineer for the Election of Chair for the Ottawa Public Library Board.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT should an election of Vice-Chair be required by Secret Ballot, Ms. Yarrow will also be the scrutineer for this election.

Results: Carried

Ms. Bebbington proceeded with requests for nominations for the Chair.

MOTION OPL 20230131/2

Moved by Trustee Kathy Fisher and seconded by Trustee Catherine Kitts:

That Trustee Matthew Luloff be nominated to the position of Chair for the Ottawa Public Library Board.

Results: Carried

MOTION OPL 20230131/3

Moved by Trustee Rawlson King and seconded by Trustee Alison Crawford:

That the nominations for the position of Chair for the Ottawa Public Library Board be closed.

Results: Carried

Trustee Matthew Luloff accepted the nomination and was declared Chair by the Chief Librarian and CEO. Chair Luloff presided over the remainder of the meeting. The Chair thanked trustees for their support and commented that he was thrilled to be acclaimed as Chair of the Board. he noted that he looked forward working with the Chief Librarian and CEO, the Senior Leadership Team, and staff. He recognized former CEO Danielle McDonald for her leadership and dedication over the past decade. He also thanked former Trustees Steven Begg and Allan Higdon for serving two terms on the Board, and for their valuable input on many ad hoc Committees. He welcomed newly appointed and re-appointed trustees to the Board, noting the extensive and varied expertise that each will bring to the Board in this term. He spoke briefly regarding key areas of strategic focus for the term of Board, including implementing intellectual freedom, developing the service frameworks and strategies, and engaging in a number of facilities projects.

MOTION OPL 20230131/4

Moved by Trustee Jessica Bradley and seconded by Trustee Rawlson King:

That Trustee Kathy Fisher be nominated to the position of Vice-Chair for the Ottawa Public Library.

Results: Carried

MOTION OPL 20230131/5

Moved by Trustee Rawlson King and seconded by Trustee Alison Crawford:

That the nominations for Vice-Chair be closed.

Results: Carried

Trustee Kathy Fisher accepted the nomination and was declared Vice-Chair by the Chair. Vice-Chair Fisher thanked trustees for their support. She commented that she looks forward to meeting the new trustees in person at the February OPL Board meeting.

No Declarations of Interest were filed.

There were no communications.

Chair Luloff welcomed Myra Skaronski, Division Manager, Branch Services, as a new member of the OPL Senior Management Team.

Ādisōke Update

Chair Luloff indicated the Ādisōke construction site has been a busy place in the last month. An image of an overhead drone that was taken a few weeks earlier was shared with trustees and showed that much of the work was associated with underground parking was now near completion. The Chair added that the contractor will soon start to pour the concrete floor slab for the main level of the facility. He also mentioned that, as part of OPL’s partnership with the Anishinabe Algonquin Host Nation, OPL began featuring an Anishinābemowin Algonquin language series on the website and social media in December 2022. The vocabulary words are based on constructions terms. He encouraged clients and Ottawa residents check for a new construction-related word and pronunciation video every few weeks, and to get excited for Ādisōke and Anishinābemowin language learning. The Chair asked the Board to help promote this series by sharing the posts on their own social media channels.

Program Development Update

Chair Luloff indicated that the annual Awesome Authors youth writing contest launched earlier this month for youth between the ages of nine (9) and eighteen (18). Participants have until February 24 to submit a piece of writing in English and/or French in the following categories: poetry, short story, and comic-graphic novel.

In partnership with l'Association des auteures et auteurs de l'Ontario français (AAOF), as well as three other public libraries in Hearst, Sudbury, and Toronto, OPL offered Francophones and Francophiles the opportunity to meet their favourite authors and discuss their books. January's author was Andrée Lacelle - the City of Ottawa's first Francophone poet laureate. Andrée read from and talked about Dire - her new book of poetry.

Chair Luloff said OPL also partnered with the United States Embassy and the Canadian War Museum to host a fireside chat with Buzz Bissinger, acclaimed journalist and Pulitzer Prize winning author of Friday Night Lights. Buzz talked to an audience of 80 about his latest book The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II, which profiles a group of marines who squared off for a game of football on Christmas Eve in 1944 - ahead of the war's deadliest battle in Okinawa.

MOTION OPL 20230131/6

That the Ottawa Public Library Board receive the Chair’s verbal update for information.

Results: Received

OPL Celebrates Black History Month

The Chief Librarian and CEO mentioned that throughout February, OPL will be celebrating Black History Month by hosting programs and highlighting resources that honour Black heritage and the contemporary contributions of Black activists and artists from around the world. Clients can look for a conversation with local author and poet Leslie Roach at Sunnyside branch on February 9, and a presentation by author Catherine Hernandez in partnership with the National Arts Centre on February 22. Virtual programs will include French and English programs for families with historian and lecturer Doctor Amadou Ba, and workshops exploring Black poets with Ariel Clarke, Drama and Education Alumni from the University of Windsor. She also noted that many branches will have local programming, resources such as "Take Home Storytime" kits, and/or displays related to Black History Month. For more information, visit the website, as well as the blog posts and curated booklists for all ages and content by and about Black Canadians.

Ukrainian Books at OPL

Ms. Bebbington noted that OPL added a Ukrainian Language collection last November. The collection is available at the Main and Beaverbrook branches and consists of books for children and adults, including both fiction and non-fiction. For more information about OPL's World Languages collections,visit biblioottawalibrary.ca. 

Book Donation - Australian High Commissioner

The Chief Librarian and CEO had a lovely visit with the High Commissioner, the Honourable Scott Ryan who donated books to OPL earlier in January. The curated selection included titles from the Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards and are a window into the rich literature of Australia. She commented that she looked forward to potential future collaboration with the High Commission.

MOTION OPL 20230131/7 

That the Ottawa Public Library Board receive the Chief Librarian and CEO’s report for information.

Results: Received

11.

 

MOTION OPL 20230131/8

That the Ottawa Public Library Board approve removing Tuesday, February 14, 2023 held meeting and rescheduling Tuesday, February 28, 2023 meeting date to Thursday, February 23, 2023 to allow staff to prepare documentation to meet City Council budget timelines.

Results: Carried

File Number: OPLB-2023-0131-11.2

Sonia Bebbington, Chief Librarian and CEO and Anna Basile, Division Manager, Corporate Services provided a presentation on the 2023 Draft Operating and Capital Budget Estimates and Four-Year Capital Forecast (held on file with the Chief Librarian and CEO). Ms. Bebbington was pleased to present the 2023 budget, based on the OPL Board-approved financial framework. The budget allocates funding to advance the Board's priorities by providing resources for community development, promoting the value of OPL, committing to public engagement on services, and investing in new technologies to increase community access. In addition to these important service initiatives, the budget provides for the improvement for the improvement or replacement of key assets that will be used to deliver library services and includes funding for the Riverside-South and Barrhaven branches. Ms. Bebbington provided an overall view of the Library's 2023 Draft budget, representing a net increase of $850K to the operating side, and a contribution of $1.56M to capital projects. She spoke to the Library's revenue expectation and investments by City partners in the maintenance or replacement of core building systems at a number of branch, of which, if approved will bring the total investment in operating funds, and $1.56M for capital projects. She aslo noted expected revenues and investments by City partners in branch infrastructure which, if approved, will bring the total investment in the library to $61.28M. Ms. Bebbington also highlighted the 2023 Operating Pressures and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) requests. She provided a high-level overview of the five permanent FTE requests: one new Manager, Public Services under Branch Services and four employees for Community Development and Client Experience, as well as the four temporary FTE requests for the Service Delivery Framework, staff scheduling, and facilities. Ms. Basile outlined the 2023 Draft Budget details and estimates. She provided details regarding the 2023 Operating Pressures which includes mandatory pressures and strategic items. She provided the Capital Overview by category and four-year capital plan for information. Ms. Basile concluded her presentation with information regarding the Reserve Funds, anticipated to be approximately $11M, and User Fees. Ms. Bebbington summarized the next steps in the 2023 Draft Budget timeline. In closing, the Chief Librarian and CEO highlighted that the budget as tabled was within the Council directed range, fulfills OPL's mandatory requirements and maintains current operations, provides funding for new initiatives, builds on the Board's desire to see increased focus on community development, responds to immediate human resources needs and positions the organization for future, fulfills maintenance obligations for Library assets, and provides funding for approved facilities growth initiatives.

Ms. Bebbington then opened the presentation to questions from trustees. Matthew Pritz, Program Manager, Finance and Business Services was also in attendance to respond to questions.

Chair Luloff reminded the Board that only questions of clarification could be posed to staff at this time. He commented that he was very impressed with the financial prudence of this organization as it demonstrates to the City of Ottawa that OPL acts with fiscal responsibility and is willing to be an active partners in addressing financial uncertainties on a global scale.

Trustee Smith thanked staff for a great presentation. He asked what assumptions went into the Draft 2023 budget based on the OPL Board-approved Financial Framework. Ms. Basile indicated that thorough Long-Range Financial Forecasting and Planning is critical to maximize the use of funds. She said real-time assessment is important in understanding the potential impacts, based on an identified set of assumptions, of large-scale financial choices.

There being no further discussion, the report was RECEIVED and TABLED as presented.

Note: The report was tabled at the meeting. Documentation was posted publicly upon commencement of item.

MOTION OPL 20230131/8

That the Ottawa Public Library Board:

  1. Receive and table the 2023 Draft Budget for the Ottawa Public Library and, the four-year capital forecast; and,
  2. Direct staff to forward the 2023 Draft Budget for the Ottawa Public Library to Ottawa City Council on February 1, 2023 as part of City Council's tabling of the City of Ottawa 2023 Draft Operating and Capital budget.

Results: Received and tabled

There were no in camera items.

Item 10.3 - OPLB-2022-1108-10.3 - OPLB Rules of Procedure By-law, Policy Framework, and Policies - November 8, 2022 OPL Board meeting

The accompanying Board report outlined edits to the policy that, while approved by the Board at the November meeting, were not captured in the supporting document uploaded (Document 25, OPLB-022 - Sponsorship Policy).

Direction to staff:

That staff be directed to upload the correct version of Document 25 as part of the November meeting package, with the word "REVISED".

Be It Resolved that the Ottawa Public Library Board meeting be adjourned at 6:10 p.m.

Thursday, 23 February 2023