Ottawa Public Library Board Meeting

Minutes 16

Tuesday, 23 June 2020

5:02 p.m.

Electronic Participation

Prior to the Agenda business, Chair Luloff welcomed Members and attendees to the fourth Ottawa Public Library Board virtual meeting; he also explained the legislative reasons for Members’ electronic participation and the provisions governing holding a Meeting in lieu of 14 July. Chair Luloff reminded trustees that the Agenda is limited to key meeting items that are time-sensitive or require approval. He said the CEO will present an update to the Library’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recovery efforts. He introduced Alexandra Yarrow, Program Manager, Board and Strategic Services as the meeting Moderator. Before turning it over to Ms. Yarrow for logistical instructions, the Chair proceeded with Roll Call by voice in alphabetic order.

Present:

Chair:  Matthew Luloff

Vice-Chair: Kathy Fisher

Trustees:  Steven Begg, Riley Brockington, Allan Higdon,
Carol Anne Meehan, Harvey A. Slack, Tim Tierney

Absent:

Mary-Rose Brown

Ms. Yarrow provided logistical details to the Members, specifically related to speaking order, technology, and voting. The Moderator then turned the meeting over to the Chair.

DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST

No Declarations were filed.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

Minutes 14 - Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Minutes 15 – Thursday, 28 May 2020 (Special)

CONFIRMED

CHAIR’S VERBAL UPDATE*

Summer Reading Club

Chair Luloff said OPL is taking the 2020 summer reading club online, titled Summerland and begins June 22 for children 2-12 years old. This virtual camp for kids will be offering daily programs from Monday to Friday, engaging participants in reading over the summer. The Chair also highlighted the Teen Staycation summer series, which encourages teens aged 13-18 to connect to the library for programs that are creative, informative, and interactive. Both series run all summer long.

Employee Recognition Month

June is Employee Recognition Month. Along with the CEO, Chair Luloff thanked all employees for their contributions and commitment to OPL and for their ability to deliver services in the challenging recent conditions. He said staff have surpassed expectations in finding new and creative ways to connect with customers and Ottawa residents online and at the six locations currently providing contactless service. Everyone is eager to welcome part-time employees back to be a complete OPL family again.

MOTION OPL 20200623/1

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

RECEIVED

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S REPORT

OPL Anti-Racism Initiatives

The recent killings of Black people in Canada and the U.S. has pushed the Black Lives Matter movement to the forefront of the news. OPL is challenging themselves to go beyond long-standing commitment to equity and inclusion to reflect and share the perspectives and experiences of Black people, and other people of colour, in services and collections. The CEO underlined how OPL and 160 other North American libraries have already signed the Urban Libraries Council’s (ULC) Statement on Race and Social Equity and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC) Statement on Race and Social Equity, and will continue to have broader conversations with community partners and customers across the City. She said that OPL is committed to applying its values, and the sentiments in the ULC and CULC Statements, in OPL’s work, including policies, procedures, programs, and new initiatives. She indicated that OPL is also committed to listening and welcomes opportunities to work with community members to support initiatives that stand up against racism and bigotry. She thanked Councillor King, the Council Liaison for Anti-Racism and Ethnocultural Relations Initiatives for the 2018-2022 Term of Council. Staff met with Councillor King recently to brainstorm ways in which OPL can contribute to and participate in upcoming initiatives. As a starting point, OPL has promoted many reading lists of #OwnVoices titles related to anti-racism and black history. Ms. McDonald noted that positive feedback was received recently regarding these lists. She said anti-racism reading lists are a great start, but Black authors and artists exist and should be represented everywhere, not just in a Black Lives Matter reading list. She concluded by re-iterating that OPL is committed to collaborative work to build a society that is more equitable and actively anti-racist.

June is National Indigenous History Month

The CEO acknowledged that June is National Indigenous History Month. During the month of June, OPL is offering the eBook format of Crow Winter for unlimited simultaneous downloads. The closing event in the month will be an online visit with author Karen McBride. The eBook access and author visit are possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association. The CEO also thanked Vice-Chair Fisher, who will be providing opening remarks for the author visit tomorrow.

Chair Luloff thanked all the Trustees who have provided opening remarks for past virtual and in-person events as it is a great opportunity for trustees to get involved during their term of office.

MOTION OPL 20200623/2

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

RECEIVED

REPORTS

1.

OPL COVID-19 RECOVERY PRIORITY 2-5 PLAN

OPLB-2020-0601

Danielle, McDonald, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provided a verbal presentation to accompany the report regarding the Library’s COVID-19 Recovery Priority 2-5 plan. This plan builds on the Priority 1 Recovery Plan presented on May 28 OPL Board meeting. Donna Clark, Division Manager, Branch Operations discussed the Branch Re-Opening Waves, and the upcoming Priorities. Anna Basile, Division Manager, Corporate Services, reviewed the fees recommendations and in-branch computer access. (Presentation held on file with the Chief Executive Officer).

Ms. McDonald reiterated that staff will continue to prioritize the safety interests of employees and customers in the recovery plans, collaborate with the City, and follow the advice and direction of the Medical Officer of Health. She acknowledged the efforts of Vice-Chair Fisher and Trustee Brockington, who sit on the Ad hoc Committee on COVID-19. The key highlights of the presentation are as follows:

·         Context

o   Continued collaboration with the City, for instance in the fact that OPL employees currently working from home will continue to so until September;

o   Plans adapted to align with announcements from the Province; and,

o   Plans guided by lessons learned from research and customer feedback. Key points: consistency, ease of understanding for the public regarding services offered.

·         Contactless service observations:

o   Over 39K items were returned;

o   Staff processed holds for approximately 100 unique library cardholders every day per location;

o   Customers suspended or cancelled over 6K holds;

o   Over 10K holds were picked up by more than 3K customers; and,

o   Over 5K appointments slots available each week and about 68% of those are currently booked/used.

·         Planning summary - Recovery Phase:

o   Planning language (“Waves,” “Priorities”) used not to cause confusion with City Phases and Provincial Stages;

o   Chart showing the Priorities and Waves;

o   Priority 1 plans were slightly altered with provincial announcement regarding contactless service;

o   Customers will be able to access holds shelves in the branches starting July 6; and,

o   Staff constantly bouncing back to the prepare phase, every time a new provincial announcement is made;

·         Branch Re-Opening Waves: The groupings and order of locations were outlined, with target re-opening dates.

·         Assumptions regarding the waves: Locations are prioritized based on safety, geography, equity, and accessibility; responding to customer feedback received in Priority 1; recommending a minimum of two weeks in between each wave in order to ensure adequate preparations can be undertaken and learn from each; locations may be adjusted based on City dependencies, changes to health guidelines or legislation, or other reasons pending approval of OPL Board Ad hoc Committee).

·         Re-Opening Priorities 2 to 5:

·         Priority 2: “New holds” and related services;

·         Priority 3: Expanding Priority 1 to additional locations in Priority 3, according to the waves; related services;

·         Priorities 4 and 5: Additional provincial announcements will provide clarity about which can be offered at which point. Virtual programming will continue, recognizing that resuming in-branch programing will depend on many factors; computer usage will be introduced at a date to be determined;

·         Fees during the Recovery Phase: Recommendation to suspend late fees and sending customer accounts to a collections agency; recommendation to double the limit a customer can owe before their account is suspended; and recommendation to continue to charge for items that are lost, fees for holds not picked up;

·         Computer access: OPL acknowledges that computer access is most urgent for vulnerable residents to access services online; given the requirements for physical distancing and changes to the layout of many branches, further work is required before this service can resume; and,

·         Next steps:

o   Staff will discuss any further changes required to the Recovery Plan with the Ad hoc Committee and advise the Board accordingly;

o   Staff will commence process to return part-time employees to work aligned with the waves; and,

o   Staff will bring forward a plan for the “New Normal” recovery phase at the latest in Q1 2021.

The Board heard from the following delegation:

Christine Johnson, Chair, Library Services Matter Committee, Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Association (HCRPCA)*, thanked staff for their fine work in navigating through unfamiliar times and conditions with which this strain of the COVID-19 has presented everyone. She said the Library Services Matter Committee of the HCRPCA has been advocating for consistent and equitable library services for all communities, while knowing ‘flexibility’ is key to OPL ‘plans’. Ms. Johnson requested staff to consider the following:

·         In Priority 1, page 3, paragraph 3, last sentence: “As of July 6, customers will be able to access holds shelves in the branches…Add:'and at hold lockers at the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre', picking up and checking out their holds in the same manner that they would have done pre-COVID." (understanding that this is contingent upon the City opening up the Community Centre.

·         In Priority 2, page 11, priority 2 table, first row in left hand column: ‘New'…Add: ‘As of July 6, returns and holds pick up service at the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre holds lockers.’

·         In Priority 3, page 11, priority 3 table, first row in left hand column 'New': "Additional locations…Add 'including holds lockers and return box at the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre' open for service, ..."

·         In Priority 4 and 5, page 12, priorities 4 and 5 table, left column 'New', fourth item: "In-branch…Add 'and at the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre holds lockers' programs may resume.

·         Page 13, ‘Bbranch Re-Opening Waves', 3rd column to the right of July 27…Add: 'Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre library services'

Trustee Brockington said the delegation raised some issues that staff can address during Board members’ questions.

Trustee Begg asked if there are any services that are not resuming and gave the example of Sir Richard Scott building and Tallwood facility. Ms. McDonald said many staff who work in the Sir Richard Scott building and Tallwood facility are working from home until September. Catherine Seaman, Division Manager, Customer Experience mentioned that some Content Services staff are working at Tallwood, unpacking items. She said staff have prioritized unpacking and preparing holds and bestsellers for loan, starting June 29 as part of Priority 2.

In response to a question from Trustee Begg asking staff to clarify on the timelines for notifying customers for late items and fees. Ms Seaman explained the notification practise to customers:

·         A notification is sent via email or phone call, depending on the preference chosen, 4 days before an item is due;

·         A notification is sent seven days after the due date;

·         A notification is sent 20 days after the due date; and,

·         A notification is sent 35 days after the due date to advise that item is lost.

She indicated that customer accounts are normally suspended after $50 in fees are accrued, and staff are recommending for this to be raised to $100 to give customers some leeway during these times.

Trustee Begg said a recent data review from staff show that fees are not necessarily effective and it would be worthwhile for the Board to see some data on what is being returned within the current 28-day borrowing period, considering there are no late fees at the present time, as this may inform staff future conversations about fees. Ms. McDonald said a report is forthcoming. During the Strategic Planning process, customers indicated that fees are a barrier. Ms. McDonald indicated that staff have data to support that notion.

Trustee Brockington asked staff to comment on the request from the delegation regarding the addition of the kiosk lockers to the ‘plan’ and about the restrictions accessing Community Centres. Ms. McDonald said staff appreciate Ms. Johnson’s advocacy for consistent and equitable services. Staff considered all possible recommendations in the waves ‘plan’, however many decisions were directly related to the restrictions faced in terms of re-opening. Ms. Clark spoke about the restrictions staff are faced with regarding re-opening, including that it is unclear where a service like the kiosk lockers would fall within the current provincial guidelines with respect to libraries. She also said staff had to weigh the considerable staff effort it would take to bring smaller services back on board, particularly considering that part-time employees have to be brought back from leave. Lastly, since the kiosk is located in a City facility, OPL relies on partners in Recreation, Culture, and Facilities Services (RCFS) for access and there are a lot of agreements required regarding access, distancing, cleaning, and other details to ensure the space is safe before staff can welcome back library customers. Ms. Basile noted that Greenboro, St. Laurent and other OPL facilities (including the kiosk location) are also co-located with RCFS summer day camps. There are different and strict provincial regulations regarding the day camps operating on these sites. She said staff are working with RCFS to determine how OPL and RCFS can work together to ensure both sets of legislative guidelines are met in each unique location.

Trustee Brockington asked whether a direction to staff was necessary to add the kiosk lockers when the Province gives the green light for Community Centres to operate. Ms. McDonald said there is flexibility in the proposed ‘plan’ to allow staff to move things up. Once staff have updated information, the COVID-19 Ad hoc Committee will be provided with a recommendation, the Board will be informed, and staff will follow-up to implement this recommendation once approved.

In response to a question from Trustee Brockington regarding how many items have been returned so far, Ms. Basile said approximately 30K items have been returned since returns service began on June 8, and between 15-20K items were processed in the last five days.

Trustee Brockington urged staff to elaborate on service opportunities in the next few months for computer access in libraries, specifically for people without access. Ms. McDonald indicated that computer access in-branch is challenging as staff must provide service while ensuring the best safety measures and engineering controls are in place. She said staff will provide details to the Ad hoc Committee shortly. Ms. Basile said staff must take a thorough approach to planning for computer access, recognizing that each of OPL’s facilities has a unique layout. There are several major concerns to be addressed in order to provide customers with the service (computer access and staff support), while maintaining distancing requirements and respecting each customer’s privacy while using a computer. Firstly, this would require a public network workaround to ensure safety for both the customer and employees. It may also mean moving the computers, and in some cases, rewiring spaces. Ms. Basile provided an example of computer access at the Main branch. Staff are requesting more time to look at each facility, as it is likely that some facilities will be able to accommodate computer access quicker than others, but each must be assessed on an individual basis.

Vice-Chair Fisher said she is encouraged to see staff and customer efforts during these times. She congratulated staff on a clear report.

Trustee Meehan said the report is logical and sensible. She passed along feedback from her constituents who advised that the drop-off service was fast and efficient.

Trustee Slack said staff’s report lays out a roadmap, and he thanked the public for their continued understanding. He asked staff to reverse the order of speakers for future question periods for virtual meetings.

Direction to staff:

Staff will adjust the meeting notes in order for the Chair to call “roll call” during the question period in reverse alphabetical order.

Trustee Tierney echoed sentiments that the staff report was excellent.

Chair Luloff thanked staff, as well as Vice-Chair Fisher, and Trustee Brockington for their work on the Ad hoc Committee.

[ *Individuals / groups marked with an asterisk above either provided comments in writing or by email; all submissions are held on file with the CEO.]

In addition to that provided by the individual marked with an asterisk above, written correspondence was also submitted by the following, as noted:

·         Ms. Alayne McGregor* (email to Trustee Riley Brockington, Ward 16, River and OPL Board dated 23 June 2020, concerned that the proposed schedule for re-opening, as outlined in Document B of the “Recovery – Priority 2-5 Plan, does not include Rosemount branch.)

·         Mr. John D. Reid* (email and letter to OPL Board dated 22 June 2020 expressing concerns regarding the chronically underserved Hunt Club-Riverside Park area and the proposed plan for the kiosk at the Community Centre.)

·         Councillor Jeff Leiper* (email to OPL staff dated 23 June 2020 in response to staff correspondence regarding Rosemount Depot Library comment from a constituents’ tweet.

There being no further discussion, the report was CARRIED as presented.

MOTION OPL 20200623/3

That the Ottawa Public Library Board:

1.         Receive the OPL COVID-19 Recovery Priority 2-5 Plan report;

2.         Approve Re-Opening Priorities 2-5, as described in the report;

3.         Approve the Branch Re-Opening Waves (locations);

4.         Delegate authority to the CEO during Priorities 2-5 to amend opening hours and adjust services as needed, and advise the Board accordingly;

5.         Approve the suspension of fees as described in the report, until the “New Normal” Recovery Phase;

6.         Direct staff to bring forward a report regarding the “New Normal” recovery phase at the latest in Q1 2021.

RECEIVED and CARRIED

2.

2019 ANNUAL REPORT ON OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY RELATED FRAUD CLAIMS

OPLB-2020-0602

MOTION OPL 20200623/4

That the Ottawa Public Library Board receive this report for information.

RECEIVED

3.

OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY 2020 CAPITAL CLOSING OF PROJECTS - WIP

OPLB-2020-0603

Vice-Chair Fisher asked if the Accessibility Technology Capital Account has had a surplus of unspent money in the past. Ms. Basile said OPL is not typically underspent with respect to technology funds. In 2016, $85K budgeted over three years for accessibility technology; however, the solution and licenses were less expensive than expected, and this contributed to the surplus.

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

MOTION OPL 20200623/5

That the Ottawa Public Library Board receive the 2020 capital budget adjustments and closing of projects as outlined in this report.

RECEIVED

OTHER BUSINESS

Finding online library resources for families with children in French immersion. (Trustee Brockington)

Ms. Clark said Branch Operations and Customer Experience are working to ensure customers with specific questions can be connected directly to their local branch staff for assistance based on the customer’s needs. Ms. Seaman thanked Trustee Brockington for his query and said staff are developing a list of resources specifically to meet the needs of these customers, among others.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION OPL 20200623/6

Be It Resolved that the Ottawa Public Library Board meeting be adjourned at 6:27 p.m.