115 South Avenue | Rochester | New York | 14604

TO: RPL Board of Trustees FROM: Patricia Uttaro, Director DATE: October 28, 2020 SUBJECT: October 2020

Action Items

Election of Nominating Committee (Baynes) In accordance with the RPL Bylaws, a Nominating Committee shall be elected at the October meeting. It shall consist of three members, one of whom shall be appointed by the President and two of whom shall be elected by the Board. The Nominating Committee shall meet as needed and shall make recommendations to the Board for officers and new Board members. The Nominating Committee shall develop a slate of candidates for the positions of President, Vice–President, Secretary and Treasurer, which slate shall be presented to the Board at the November meeting and voted on by the Board at such meeting. Trustees Baynes and Benjamin have served two consecutive terms as President and Vice-President, respectively, and are not eligible to server additional terms at this time. Trustees Karin and Conklin are currently serving in their first terms as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, and in accordance with the Bylaws, are eligible to serve a second year in the same offices. Terms for trustees Lovenheim and Salluzzo are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2020; recommendations regarding reappointment to the Board or replacement by new Trustees should also be developed by the Nominating Committee for presentation and vote by the full Board at the November meeting. Board Action Requested: Election of a Nominating Committee as specified in the Bylaws.

Proposed RPL Board Meeting Dates for 2021 (Uttaro) The proposed dates are: • January 27 • February 24 (joint budget meeting with MCLS) • March 24 • April 28 • May 26 • June 23 • No Meeting in July • August 25 • September 22 • October 27 • November 17 • No meeting in December

Board Action Requested: Approval of proposed meeting dates for 2021.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Proposed Holiday Closings for 2021 (Uttaro) The following dates are in accordance with the recommended holidays for City of Rochester as agreed to by labor unions and the City.

• January 1 – New Year’s Day • January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day • Spring Floater to be taken between February 1 and April 30 (replaces President’s Day which is not a closed day for library staff) • May 31 – Memorial Day • July 5 – Independence Day (observed) • September 6 – Labor Day • October 11 – Indigenous People’s Day • October 22 – RPL Staff Day (libraries closed; staff report) • November 11 – Veteran’s Day • November 25 – Thanksgiving Day • December 23 – Christmas Eve (observed) • December 24 – Christmas Day (observed) • December 25 – Christmas Day (Saturday – all buildings closed) • Director’s Discretionary Day to be taken any time during the calendar year 2021 for FT employees.

Our agreement with CSEA specifies (5) holidays for PT employees working 650+ hours in the preceding year: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Thanksgiving Day, December 24th and December 25th. Three (3) additional holidays are provided to PT staff with 650+ hours in the preceding year and with 6+ years of service: Memorial Day, Independence Day & Labor Day.

Board Action Requested: Approval of the Proposed Holiday Closings for 2021.

Request to Extend the RPL Strategic Plan by One Year (Uttaro) In the “before time,” plans had been in place to examine the RPL Strategic Plan and offer a revision to the Board, Staff, and Community this month. Given the unusual nature and demands of 2020 and the impending departure of Dr. Reeves, I am requesting that the Board extend the current plan by a year. Administration and staff will work through a revision in 2021 that will better reflect changing priorities and community demands brought about by the transformational events of 2020.

Board Action Requested: Approval to extend the RPL Strategic Plan by one year.

City Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Request FY2022 to FY2026 (Harrison & Uttaro) The RPL’s capital improvement program requests fall into two categories; library operations requests and building repair and renovation requests, which we submit in collaboration with the City’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), Architectural Services Division. Library operations requests are as follows:

1. Branch Library Computer Replacements: The Library’s five-year cycle for server, large equipment, network/telephony, and computer replacements is as follows:

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 $50,000 $45,000 $10,000 $10,000 $50,000

2. Branch Facilities Annual Allocation: This is the fifth year we are requesting a capital allocation for general maintenance of our ten branch facilities; our requested allocation for FY22 and FY23 is $52,000 and we incorporate an inflationary increase of $2,000 for proceeding years.

3. Branch Furniture and Equipment: We request an annual allocation of $20,000 to replace chairs, tables, shelving, and equipment as needed in each branch, with an increase to $22,000 annually in FY23 to FY24 and $24,000 in FY25 and FY26.

4. Central Facilities Annual Allocation: Each year the City provides an allocation for the general upkeep of the Central Library. Our requested allocation for FY22 and FY23 is $90,000 and we incorporate an inflationary increase of $2,000 for the proceeding years.

Library facility repair and renovation requests are prioritized by Department of Environmental Services (DES) Architectural Services, in consultation with RPL staff. Estimated costs are developed by Architectural Services and include design, construction, and a contingency allocation. A summary of requests for Community and Central funding in FY21-22 through FY23-24 is as follows:

Community Library Requests

Arnett Roof Restoration: This roof, installed in 1997, has completed its 15-year warranty period. City Architectural Services is recommending replacement of insulation, restorative coatings, new flashings and roof drain reinforcements, which will enable the manufacturer to issue an extended 10-year warranty, protecting the City and RPL. A preliminary cost estimate is $205,000; as a NYSED construction grant will offset $93,000 of the construction cost, the CIP request for FY22 is $112,000.

Lincoln Renovations: Funding of $60,000 was allocated in FY20 for design services (to design development, not including Construction Documents or Construction Administration). Prior CIP requests included $150,000 in FY22 to leverage a NYSED library construction grant in FY22 for final design, bid and construction. As the amount of NYSED grant funding has been reduced substantially this year and assumed subsequent years, we propose two phases to the Lincoln project: exterior improvements, vestibule, and restrooms, followed by interior renovations to collection areas and the Toy Library. As a result, a second match of $150,000 is requested for FY23.

Maplewood Expansion: Discussion and requests surrounding the need for additional space at the Maplewood Community Library have been ongoing for more than two decades. In 2006, a facility expansion study was completed but not acted on or incorporated in the CIP. A CIP request for the 2018-22 cycle for land acquisition was not recommended for funding. Since that time, a Branch Facilities and Operations Plan completed in fall 2018 placed Maplewood as a Tier 1 building need, and the only branch facility where an increase in square footage was recommended given current demand and services. As Maplewood has been an annual candidate for expansion discussions, deferred capital maintenance such as carpet replacement have taken a toll, and the building suffers from visible deterioration in finishes. A boiler replacement was the most recent investment, nearing five years from completion.

As the Lincoln branch library is under design for safety/entry modifications and restroom renovations, it is imperative for the Library and City to determine the course of remaining Tier 1 Facility plan recommendations. We request a design funding allocation of $160,000 in FY22 for programming through schematic design and cost

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

estimating. The long-term CIP for Maplewood Branch Expansion requests two-years of design, with a FY23 cost of $200,000 for an assumed $5 million construction project. This construction estimate is very much a placeholder until the scope of the project is defined through a comprehensive design and community engagement process that began with the Branch Facilities and Operations Plan.

Winton Renovations: A series of interior and exterior repairs and replacements are recommended by DES Architectural Services. A complete flooring replacement is recommended, including removal of some asbestos tile flooring and window caulk. The existing light fixtures are the least efficient of all branches and are recommended to be replaced with a new acoustical tile ceiling. Electrical upgrades will enable outlets and charge stations for patrons. Painting is recommended throughout. For the exterior of the building, masonry repairs, window replacements, and entry vestibule reconstruction for improved access is necessary. Given the scale of needed repairs, the interior floorplan should be reviewed during design, with modifications as recommended to collection and circulation areas. A preliminary cost estimate is $1,256,000; note the Library will be working with DES to determine eligibility of key components of the project as potential energy efficiency grant opportunities. We are recommending extending this request to FY24.

Central Library Requests

Elevator Assessment: The Central Library has public and staff elevators of various ages and condition. Last year emergency repairs to elevators exceeded $48,000, with one staff elevator temporarily (and currently) removed from service. The availability of components, particularly of Rundel’s sole public elevator that reaches the third floor, are difficult to source and led to a three-week closure this winter. In addition, building code changes since 1997 Bausch & Lomb building construction have updated ADA requirements for public elevators that do not exist currently. Consultant engineering services will provide a condition assessment, recommend phased repairs and replacement schedules, and estimate probable costs by phase. Any additional funds from consultant study will supplement the Central Library annual allocation to assist in priority repair actions from the resulting report. The study cost estimate is $80,000.

Bausch & Lomb Roof Replacement: This roof is original to the 1997 building construction and has consistent leakage over the last several years requiring ongoing temporary repair and maintenance. Replacement of the roof is required with a single-ply roofing system, as well as repairs to plumbing and improvements to insulation to meet current building and energy codes. A preliminary cost estimate is $425,000; given the priority of the current outside air intake unit replacement project (funded in current year), and limited resources of the City’s Architectural project team, we are deferring this request to FY23.

Bausch & Lomb HVAC Upgrades: Upgrades of the building’s original HVAC equipment began in 2012 and continued in phases over the past several years. Scheduled replacements of heat pumps under an annual allocation have not occurred at the desired schedule due to resource constraints from City Building Services. We are recommending the suspension of an annual allocation for heat pump replacements, with the proposal to replace approximately 30 of 118 heat pumps as part of the NYSED grant and debt-funded HVAC project ($973,000) focused on priority replacements and upgrades from a spring 2020 LaBella study and cost update. We recommend replacing the balance of heat pump replacements as a single public works construction project in FY24. Estimates are underway for cost, but we anticipate an approximate cost of $530,000 for FY24.

Rundel Masonry Restoration: The Rundel building is currently under design and investigation of the deterioration of the exterior building walls, retaining walls and windows within the interior/skylight section of the building. Bero Architecture is currently working on recommendations and costs associated with comprehensive masonry repairs and replacement of retaining wall coping stones, flashing, and joint covers to

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

improve water tightness of the structure. At minimum, this will require multiple phases to address the long-term needs of the structure. For FY22 we are requesting $2,000,000 and will require future phase funding. The Library is reviewing grant opportunities for state and federal applications for historic preservation.

Rundel Exhaust and Intake Air Upgrades: The Rundel building is currently under evaluation for indoor air quality in response to COVID and NYS guidance for schools and public buildings. The study is administered by LaBella and is intended to perform feasibility, energy, and economic analysis of potential indoor air quality measures given the limited air exchanges in portions of the Rundel stacks, second, and third floors. Based on initial findings, we know that the current two air handlers that service the building do not bring adequate conditioned air into the building per code. Portions of the units are original to the building, and some ductwork is insulated with asbestos. RPL and DES/EQ conducted asbestos in September 2020 in anticipation of future replacement. Several recommendations will likely result from this evaluation that should be implemented immediately, such as replacement of the air intake units. We have a placeholder request of $250,000 for FY22, in anticipation of a report to be released in November.

Board Action Requested: Approval of the FY22-FY26 CIP Request.

Report Items Patricia Uttaro, RPL Director reporting

RPL Strategic Plan Progress

Sustainability & Resources At its September meeting, the RPL Marketing Team reviewed the latest version of the 2021 RPL wall calendar which will be shared with trustees at the meeting. The calendar will be given as prizes for programs, possibly given to new patrons, and used in outreach. FFRPL is also interested in these calendars both for promotion and potential sales.

We continued sending onboarding emails to new patrons in September. Statistics for the emails were:

• June New Users o Welcome email #5: 31% opens and 6% clicks o Welcome email #6: 31% opens and 8% clicks • July New Users o Welcome email #3: 27% opens and 3% clicks o Welcome email #4: 31% opens and 14% clicks • August New Users o Welcome email #1: 42% opens and 31% clicks o Welcome email #2: 32% opens and 10% clicks

The average open rate for September was 32% and the average click rate was 12%.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Stewardship & Curation RPL added a new database called Udemy, which offers 6,000+ on demand video courses in multiple languages for patrons and staff to learn and improve their skills across business, technology, design and personal improvement areas. Announcement emails about the new resource were sent to supervisors and a webinar training on the resource was also shared with all librarians.

Social Media

September 2020 RPL MCLS Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Facebook Groups Calendar Instagram YouTube Profile/Page Visits 172 105 673 - - 66 - New Followers/ 9 - 32 35 - 26 18 Page Likes Engagements 82 4 1656 - 139 109 25 Check In/ 31 13 2 - - 3 - Mentions Post Reach 11000 2126 16872 - 1700 576 -

Video/Story Views - - 851 - - 103 1253 Saves/ - - 7 - - 7 - Actions on Page

Central Library Updates Associate Director Adam Traub reporting

Arts/Literature, Nanci Nugent reporting

Rochester Writes offered its first class focused on race and racism. Alex Sanchez led a four-part series titled Reading & Writing About Race & Racism in America. Specific short texts were selected by Alex for the class to read aloud together and discuss. Students then participated in a writing exercise focused on race/racism with time after for students to share their written work. The stories shared by this diverse group of people have been intimate and important, with an impressive level of respect for varying experiences and viewpoints. Due to the originality and meaningfulness of the four-part series, we have decided to extend this to a monthly writing group. A participant of Reading & Writing About Race & Racism in America wrote the following: I want to thank Alex Sanchez for facilitating a wonderful writing experience and an incredible discourse with some very courageous writers, I have been so impressed. These stories are obviously voices needed to be heard on the American landscape to help purge deep sentiments of divide by casting light through social discourse.

Programs • Czech Crystal Bracelet: Our library patrons love making jewelry and Let’s Bead! Is one of our most popular programmers. For this class Carli Fournier instructed students to make a pretty Czech Flower & Fire Polish Stretch Bracelet. As this was a class given through Zoom, the supplies were available for students to pick up. Some students fell behind, but Fournier is a very patient teacher and got them caught up. She also created a

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

video that she was able to email to students. This was a fun program and library patrons are thankful we are still providing classes. • Learning to Draw a Bird: Barbara Freiberg is a new programmer for the Art Division. She teaches a variety of creative classes, drawing being one of them. She did this first class for the library through Zoom. As we are doing our programs remotely, students come into the library to pick up supplies. For this first class, Freiberg taught students how to draw a red bird sitting on a branch. All the students were beginners and Freiberg was patient and answered questions about color, lines and shapes. All students did very well, and some remarks were, “I didn’t know I could draw so well,” and another said, “I am very much looking forward to the Matisse drawing class.”

Business Insight Center (BIC), Jennifer Byrnes reporting

Outreach • The division sponsored the ROC Tech 2020 conference (virtual only) and 70 participants “visited’ our virtual booth. One visitor commented “Never knew this service existed, good to know for the future.” Byrnes and Meddaugh presented to SCORE advisors on available services at Oak Hill. • Byrnes and Meddaugh will be teaching in the Entrepreneurial Studies program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges starting in November.

Training • Lily Anthony is participating in a collaboration with MCC’s Geospatial Program to Support MCC Students. This program has librarians throughout Monroe County assist Geospatial Information Science and Technology students in finding GIST data for their projects. • Anthony also virtually attended the USPTO’s Invention Con. In addition to recapping the IP filing process, she also learned about building business models, networking, and building a virtual business.

Programs First Wednesday: Entrepreneurial Strategies for Winning in a COVID-19 Economy - Developing new ideas, methods and plans for succeeding during times of economic challenges.

Consulting • The Carlson Center for Intellectual Property assisted: 7 in person, 16 by email, 1 by mail, 8 by phone. • Webpage views: 54 • 3D Printer: 3 prints, one user • Hours of in-depth market research: 19 hours

Database Usage • Frost & Sullivan: 28 downloads value: $98,250 (August and September) • InnovationQ: 2 users, 56 searches. • PitchBook: 27 searches.

Anecdotes • The Luminate finals took place this month. Two companies that Byrnes and/or Meddaugh worked with won $400K and $300K, respectively.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

• The Carlson Center for Intellectual Property was nominated for an Urban Libraries Council top innovator award. https://www.urbanlibraries.org/innovations/carlson-center-for-intellectual-property

Children’s Center, Tonia Burton reporting

Meetings and Trainings • Tonia Burton hosted the first MCLS Children’s Services meeting for the 2020 – 2021 year. Burton brought in Michael Galban (Paiute/Washoe), Curator for the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site, to discuss Indigenous culture and history in this area. Twenty staff attended this virtual meeting. • Burton joined University at Buffalo’s Library & Information Studies Resources and Services for Children class as a guest lecturer. Burton discussed current issues in children’s librarianship amidst the pandemic, how libraries are serving the underserved, and balancing collection development.

Outreach/Community Contacts • Burton met with students from Melissa Johnson’s Service-Learning class at Nazareth College. The students were offered the opportunity to set up a tween book club and create Activity Packets for the winter season. The students are working with Burton and Katie Powell on the book discussion group. They chose Winterhouse by Ben Guterson. Powell arranged for the author to do a virtual visit the last week of the group and to send us autographed bookplates that will be placed in books for the participants. Burton meets weekly with the Nazareth students to discuss progress. • Burton hosted Rochester City School District Early Education staff on a virtual meeting to share library services for the coming months. Burton will offer staff professional development and access to library materials as well as parent engagement early literacy videos. Both teams will work together to film a series of Community Reader Story times. Luis Perez from Greater Rochester Summer Learning will be the first reader. • ABC Head Start staff are looking for a space to meet with families for assessments. We will be working with staff to offer safe and socially distanced spaces. • Katie Powell met with Pediatric residents from the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Pediatric Links to the Community program to tell them about the library ‘s resource offerings for children and families. Several meetings with additional residents are scheduled for October and November.

Raising a Reader • Raising A Reader staff Alycia Roets and Sarah Ngo are putting together brief prerecorded videos that highlight different early literacy skills. Burton successfully gained funding through the Mueller Foundation to purchase early literacy kits for families. The kits will include a book, egg shaker, bells, scarf, and flannel pieces. Working with VOA Child Care and ABC Home Visiting program 200 families will receive the kits distributed in the coming months. • Since the childcare centers and schools are doing remote learning, the team decided that all of Rochester can participate in Raising A Reader this year. Instead of sending red bags with books home through the centers, anyone will be able to visit any RPL location and checkout a Raising A Reader bookbag. Each bag will have 4 books and for a specific age range (birth – 2, 3 – 4, or 5 – 8 yrs.) and include a bilingual book. The bags will have a tag indicating the ages and languages and a bookmark with an early literacy connection. The bookmarks will also promote our soon-to-be released Raising A Reader webpage that will include the early literacy skill videos, Community Readers Story times, and RPL story times.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Circulation/Information, Chad Cunningham reporting

New Borrowers – 31 Notarial Acts – 54

Anecdotes • Patrons continue to be happy that we are open. Patrons who usually come in nights or weekends have been contacting us to ask about later open hours. • Kathy Sochia worked with a trans patron to get her preferred name on her library account. The patron was very grateful for both that and fines that were previously cleared. She intends to donate money to the library in the amount of the cleared fines when she has money again. • Several patrons have expressed gratitude that we have seating available again.

Local History & Genealogy, Christine Ridarsky reporting

Programs • Barb Koehler arranged a presentation by Libby Copeland on her new book, The Lost Family: How DNA is Upending Who We Are (via Zoom). This program was recorded and is available for viewing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy9GKEque6c&list=PLzEBIzX1XFJLebwaUF-QZ__xJAtgdz_HN&index=2. • The Mourning in the Morning series, presented in partnership with the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery, resumed this month with Dennis Carr presenting “Mount Hope and the Rural Cemetery Movement: A History of …Everything in 19th Century America” via Zoom. The program was recorded and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyL1AQjKJRo&list=PLzEBIzX1XFJLebwaUF- QZ__xJAtgdz_HN&index=5. • The Rochester’s Rich History series also resumed this month with a Zoom presentation by the Rev. Stephen Cady on “Two Hundred Years of Asbury First United Methodist Church” in commemoration of its bicentennial the next day. The program was recorded and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgnn_uXa79s&list=PLzEBIzX1XFJLebwaUF-QZ__xJAtgdz_HN&index=6. • We kicked off our Woman Suffrage History Series this month with a Zoom presentation by Thomas Lappas of Nazareth College on “Native American Women in the Suffrage and Temperance Movements.” The program was recorded and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1RMIHiTPQY&list=PLzEBIzX1XFJIgXptAgzXT0lo2GtQ8kgSu&index=1&t =3s. • Barbara LeSavoy of SUNY Brockport presented a second suffrage history program, “Global Suffrage,” via Zoom. The program was recorded and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqJCkOVZJBg&list=PLzEBIzX1XFJLebwaUF-QZ__xJAtgdz_HN&index=3.

Community Outreach/Meetings • Ridarsky and Morry arranged and attended an unveiling ceremony for a historic marker in Genesee Valley Park marking the former site of Baker Field, an airfield and campground for the World War I-era U.S. Army Aerial School of Photography. The marker was funded by a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. It is the third of four historic markers for which the Office of the City Historian has successfully applied. The fourth marker will be unveiled at the former site of Corinthian Hall in Spring 2021. • Morry wrote the text and provided visual content on behalf of the Office of the City Historian for a series of interpretive panels outlining the history of the El Camino neighborhood. The panels will be mounted at the new La Marketa at the International Plaza, a Latin-themed event space and marketplace on North Clinton Avenue that will be unveiled in October.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

• Ridarsky and Finn helped plan and participated in the virtual conference of the Association of Public Historians of New York State. Ridarsky is the organization’s president; Finn served on the conference program planning committee. The two-day conference and annual meeting were held via Zoom and was well attended by county, city, town, and village historians from throughout the state. Ridarsky participated as a presenter on a panel about documenting COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement and presided over the organization’s annual meeting.

Special Collections • The division accepted one major donation: the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester Collection on Holocaust Survivors in Rochester. It consists of approximately seven cubic feet of material mostly concerning the lives and legacies of Holocaust survivors in the greater Rochester area. There are also some materials related to Holocaust education, other refugee groups assisted by Jewish aid organizations, and Rochester’s Jewish population during World War II. • Fess finished processing and writing finding aids for 10 collections: o the Victory Book Campaign Collection (Rochester contributions to national book drives for WWII-era military personnel); o the Isaac Adler Papers (personal finances, charitable pursuits and municipal activities of a major Rochester attorney of the early 20th Century); o the Emma Pollard Greer Papers (notes, manuscripts and typescripts of her important book on the history of Charlotte); o the John Krist Fallen Flags Manuscript (book on Central and Western New York casualties at Gettysburg with original photographs, artwork and maps); o the Carlo E. DeSantis Slide Collection (images of Rochester architecture in the 1970s and early 1980s); o the Florian W. Derleth Slide Collection (images of the construction of the Genesee Crossroads project in the late 1960s); o the Citizens Committee on Public Welfare in Rochester and Monroe County (activities of a group formed to review and recommend changes to the local public welfare system in 1937 and 1938); o the Chester and Charles A. Dewey Papers (on the work and genealogy of this father and son pair— the former a noted botanist and founding faculty at the University of Rochester, the latter a physician); o the Helen (Langlow) Knox Scrapbooks (about her involvement with war relief efforts during both World Wars); and o the Mary (Manuel) Masterson Papers (correspondence, photographs, and ephemera related to a year-long professional exchange program (1948–49) that Ms. Masterson, of Leyton, England, spent at the Rochester Public Library.

Professional Development • Ridarsky, Finn, and Morry attended a webinar by Anne Phibbs, PhD., “Learning from this Moment: Understanding Privilege and Advancing Racial Equity,” presented by Strategic Diversity Initiatives as part of the Rochester Regional Library Council’s Libraries & Anti-Racism training series. • Ridarsky participated in the American Association for State and Local History’s virtual annual conference. This year’s theme was “What Kind of Ancestor Will You Be?” and sessions focused heavily on ways cultural institutions can become anti-racist and advance equity in all aspects of their work. Information and takeaways will be shared with LHGD staff and the various committees we expect to form in coming weeks and months as we explore the possibility of developing a community-directed archive of Black history and culture.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Anecdotes • Rebecca Fuss, from the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library, shared an email from a donor expressing appreciation for the online resources provided through the Local History & Genealogy Division’s web pages (please see below for full text). Rebecca wondered why a person in Austin TX repeatedly gave to the FFRPL Annual Campaign, so she asked. Here is the email response:

Thank you for your message. I'm originally from the Rochester area. Many years ago, one of my aunts shared her love of genealogy and family history with me, and I have been interested in it ever since. Several of my ancestors and extended family members lived in Rochester as far back as the early 1800's. Researching family history has inspired me to learn more about the history of Rochester, Monroe County, and New York State. I'm curious about what the lives of my ancestors were like in the past. Rochester has a very interesting history!

I am grateful to the library for all the resources that are available online to learn more about Rochester. I have used the Rochester History index, the Rochester Directories, the Suburban Directories, and the Rochester Newspaper Index, 1818 - 1897, in the "Local History and Genealogy" section of the RPL site often over many years. I've also enjoyed exploring the Digital Collections pages. I've had a subscription to the print version of Rochester History since the 1990's.

I enjoy supporting the library out of gratitude for everything I have learned from using the RPL Web site, and, I must admit, I hope to be able to learn of any new resources that might be included in the future.

Patron Services, Cynthia Dana reporting

• Dana, Sarah Bishopp Vélez, and Gabe Pellegrino met with Lisa Kuhlmann and Seth Vanden (Library Resource Outreach Center staff), to discuss logistics regarding their return to Central. This was a chance for them to meet Pellegrino, who will be taking over these duties as he joins the Science Department. They are anxious to be back in the library and we are happy that we can accommodate them and ensure they can maintain social distancing protocol. • Dana continues to monitor and track use of Reference Chat. She has added more staff, including some branch staff. Although questions have almost decreased by half since July, the service is still being used. Monday mornings and Tuesday and Friday afternoons appear to be busy times. Staff are logging in while at reference desks or while doing curbside service. • Dana worked with divisions on each floor to determine placement of chairs so that patrons can have a place to read, use their devices or just rest. Staff have reported that patrons are happy with this addition and there have not been any issues with patrons staying all day. She answered a letter from an elderly patron who was dismayed at the atmosphere in the library. He said it was sterile and unwelcoming. He also suggested we have music piped in throughout the building and went so far as to suggest what genres— smooth jazz, light classics and pop.

Reynolds Media Center, Joseph Born reporting

Reference During the month of September, RMC handled 718 reference questions and 231 non-reference transactions and for a total of 949.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Circulation In September, RMC rented nine pieces of equipment and circulated 4,020 items (including 206 Mi-Fi units) or 47% of the Central Library’s total circulation of 8,659 (before renewals from Catalog Plus, Classic Catalog and Telephone are added). When adding in the RMC items that circulated at other libraries, we circulated 7,785 items! That almost doubles the circulations from RMCs collection.

Hoopla Hoopla circulations for September totaled 1,597: (386 movies/TV, 711 audiobooks, 91 music, 288 eBooks, 121 comics). 463 patrons used the service during September with 52 new users registering and 99 patrons using all seven circs (21%). Average cost was $2.03/item.

Science and History, Darlene Richards reporting

• This month we learned that Sarah Bishopp Vélez has accepted a position at the Fairport Library. We wish her well on her new adventure as the Media Specialist and Adult Services Librarian. • Staff met with Dr. Larry Guttmacher and photographer Jon Crispin to discuss the possibility of doing an exhibit on the Willard Suitcases. The suitcases were found when the Willard Psychiatric Center in the Finger Lakes closed in 1995. The suitcases held belongings from previous inmates and were extensively documented and placed in the New York State Museum. Crispin has been able to photograph these suitcases and their contents and has done small exhibits with his photographs in the past. Mr. Crispin and the exhibits team are looking into the potential for a much more extensive exhibit that would include some of the suitcases, if the State Museum will permit them to travel. Dr. Guttmacher is involved for the programming tie-in. He has many excellent connections with the mental health community and would like to coordinate with the Central Library in hosting some mental health programs during the exhibit.

Programs • Michele Conner, Master Food Preserver at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, presented an excellent class on food preservation techniques. This program was part of the “Refresh Your Home Inside & Out!” series, done in collaboration with Melissa Manczak of the Arts & Literature Division. • Dr. Yilmaz Yildirim, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, presented on the University of Rochester’s Mobile Crisis Center services for people experiencing a mental health crisis. This presentation was in response to questions from library staff on the availability of these services and whether librarians were able to call for help for patrons in need. The presentation was hosted by Sarah Bishopp Vélez in coordination with Assistant Director Adam Traub and was made available to all MCLS library staff.

Training Sarah Bishopp Vélez and Darlene Richards attended the live webinar presented by Ryan Dowd, “Getting Hit on by Customers.” Mr. Dowd provided an overview of the three main types of people who will hit on you (those with brain injuries, socially unaware, etc.) and the three main types of harassment. He then went over practical ways to handle each one. Overall, this was a very helpful webinar, especially since it provided tips on sexual harassment from patrons, whereas most trainings only deal with workplace harassment from coworkers.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Technology Center, Jay Osborne reporting

• In the second month of the Technology Center’s operation, we are seeing a steady increase in the usage of our space. In September there were 1062 total uses of our computers, for a total of 702 hours, with an average session length of just under 40 minutes; 605 questions were asked of Technology Center staff. We are seeing a surprising number of patrons visiting us several times a week if not daily. Some are using the space weekly. While we have no hard data on this, the consensus of staff is that 65-70% are daily users and another 25-30% are here at least weekly. A very small percentage of users (4-5%) are here for the first time or only infrequent users of our space. • As we adjust to our new daily routines, staff members in the Tech Center are evaluating how we can best serve our patrons. Bi-lingual Library Assistant Maria Delgado is developing some ideas about how we might better engage Rochester’s rapidly growing Spanish language community. Her roots here and deep connections throughout the Latinx community ideally position her to address this population. We look forward to learning more of what her vision for this outreach might look like in the coming weeks. Ron Freitag is reviewing the vast array of free online tech tutorials. His goal is to identify a number of these that address some of the consistent needs our patrons present to us. At this point he feels confident that we could save a significant amount of staff time by referring patrons to some of these tutorials. Brian DiNitto is reviewing some of the material he developed for the Zoom classes he was offering during our recent shutdown. We may find it worthwhile to reboot that project and modify it for our current situation. Jeanne Slocomb is doing a great job in the Tech Center. She joins us from a branch library, where technology was not the focus of her job. She has committed to excel in her new role and it shows. It’s great to have someone so focused on professional development and delivering quality public service. We are lucky to have her on the team.

Teen Central, Dennis Williams reporting

Programs and Services • Since opening to the public again, we have seen and heard some seriously disturbing information from teen patrons. The online school module doesn’t appear to be conducive to learning for some teens. One failed 10th grade last school year, because he had no privacy at home and could not focus. Another was given a computer which required updates which were never done, and still has the same computer from the previous school year. The bandwidth and cut off for usage which was provided for students is not nearly enough for them to do a full month of classes all day. • We have been encouraging students who don’t have any bandwidth left, or have simply lost internet connection to reach out to us so that we can provide for them a space to not only do their homework uninterrupted, but have a space that will promote focus. To date five teens have taken us up on the offer.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

• To be COVID compliant we have removed all board games, magazines, and porous contact items like the VR headsets from the public space. We have implemented cleaning procedures for video games, computers, chess, and headphones which mirror the procedures being used in the other divisions—specifically the media lab downstairs. • Jahlay, an 11th grade student at School of the Arts who has been coming in regularly to complete her online daily coursework, got up from her chair towards the end of her long day at the computer, and on-the-spot, Jennifer Cherlin suggested that they do a Stretching Exercise break. The two took turns leading the stretches. It was a very positive spur-of-the-moment program and has opened a nice relationship between them. Two weeks later, the two had a nice moment where they decided to do the exercises again because, in that moment the student was feeling stressed out by an assignment she was attempting to complete that she was having trouble understanding. They took a step away from the computer, and again took turns suggesting different exercises back and forth to one another. • Williams & Dakota played a mini chess tournament (3 games to break a tie): while a student and tutor were also playing chess:

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Political Display Cherlin created an ongoing BLM-themed display on our giant whiteboard, having come up with the idea: “When Will It Stop?” - following the latest police violence, which occurred in Kenosha. It was followed up with an homage to Rochester victim Daniel Prude. She wanted it to become a group effort, so enlisted the help of both Antoine Mc Donald and Derrick Coley. It needed their perspective, and we welcome the input from teens who frequent here. The Security Guards have passed the word around about its existence so they can come to contribute their thoughts on an ongoing basis to add to the display. We included a comments section at the bottom

imagineYOU Media Lab, Jeffery Bostic reporting

ImagineYOU has reopened after shutting down due the Corona virus pandemic.

Music Reopening began with a beat making contest on the Hillside Monroe Campus between students. Angie won, with R$ and Dark Side Mig coming in second and third place. You can check out the beats here: https://mclsny- my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/jeffery_bostic_libraryweb_org/Eqzv1Ij6-0RImHxKar09b-wB- v4r63mwmZCgJD8k8h5LzQ?e=af8Ewg

Movie Carnell began filming his short film when the imagineYOU reopened. Here is a snippet of the fight scene filmed recently: https://mclsny- my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/jeffery_bostic_libraryweb_org/EQUMJyZpbXJEonbO8sQUP0wBcyqAloTcKJTP 2nFY9vY5_Q?e=jaHBCt

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Posters Several students wanted to make posters. Some at hillside were able to create their own posters. Carnell, the recipient of the Art in the Loop funding, created a poster for his film.

Branch Library Updates Assistant Director Tolley Reeves, EdD, reporting

Branch Administration worked with Vince McIntyre to create a quarterly panic alarm testing schedule for all branch locations. Our first testing procedures will take place in January 2021. The testing is a recommendation from the Security Assessment Report submitted in 2018.

Safe to Be Smart Program-Derrick Coley, Youth Services Coordinator reporting

The Arnett Site • Shetora Banks said youth numbers are very low since re-opening. Banks has spoken with two female teens about the online school day because they are already struggling to keep up. Banks will assist them with homework as needed. • Banks contacted a current senior student that wanted a DMV application and wanted to take the practice test online. Banks guided him to the right information to be successful. • Banks participated in a webinar for Maker’s Fair and U of R Mobile Crisis Unit.

The Maplewood Site • Yaliza Frank returned to duty at the Maplewood Community Library on September 14. The teen numbers are very low; however, Frank has been talking with a few about the school year starting off virtually. • Frank has assisted a few students with homework and eased their frustration with virtual school assignments. • Frank has to brief students about Covid-19 protocols as they feel more comfortable being in the library again (mask on, 6-ft distancing, and washing hands).

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

The Lincoln Site • Vera Haygood has been assisting with the reorganizing of spaces at the Lincoln Branch. • Haygood has been researching authors, various books, genres for the growth of the YA book collection. • Haygood has been training with Sarah Lydon on B & T company for book orders. • Haygood has been using a youth resource application called Mizzen to plan programming when more teens start visiting the branch. • Haygood facilitated a dental care program for few teens with dental kits for participants.

Teen Central Site • Teen Central has been open since August 3, with very low numbers of teens. Teens that visit the space have used computers for online schoolwork (2 students), and gaming (5 students) when school is not in session. • Derrick Coley visited Adams St. R-center Learning Lab site. All areas are open to students after school is out at 3 p.m. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to youth. Coley visited in the late afternoon and only saw 2 youths participating.

Arnett Branch, Bruce Tehan reporting

Programs • Nancy Cholewa and Bruce Tehan attended the West Side Farmers Market each Tuesday in September and used the Books By Bike to promote reading and build awareness. • They also stocked a few local Little Free Libraries and attended two events at the newest Little Free Library in the neighborhood. • The Arnett Branch Library conducted six online story-times kindly provided by volunteer Christin Babcock. They have also begun doing low-key story times inside the library. • Prudence Anderson-Leusch and Cholewa have created numerous craft kits to be enjoyed at home that are extremely popular with their young visitors.

Teen Programs • Cholwa and Ms. P (Prudence Anderson-Leusch) have been working together to develop ideas for the ongoing craft “Take it, Make it” program. • Staff are also working on making the library as back-to-school friendly for students (and parents) dealing with the new online model for back to school. They are, of course, limited in what they can do by the COVID- 19 safety restrictions on library usage, etc. They are finding that many of their families have a poor internet connection and are having difficulty with multiple students attempting to connect with school at the same time. They have reinstated the “2-hour rule” for any young people wanting to use the library or library computers for non-school related work during the school day. This has allowed them to ensure that the maximum space is available to students attempting to connect with school and/or work on schoolwork during the traditional school hours. It seems to be effective, so far, but it is clear that the need for the library resources and library support is very real.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Anecdotes/Other The biggest news is that the branch has expanded its books spine mural. They wanted to do something to brighten the community’s spirits in these troubling times and bring attention to the fact that the library was in operation. To accomplish this their patrons contributed to a mural fund expertly and kindly set up by the Friends and Foundation of The Rochester Public Library. The muralists, Ebony Singleton, Chloe Smith, and the leader of the team Richmond Futch Jr. donated two book spines as well! In the coming weeks we will be developing a COVID-19 policy compatible way of celebrating the murals and the donors.

Charlotte Branch, Patricia Connor reporting

As Charlotte’s neighbors walk their dogs past the library, staff is sometimes fortunate enough to have a brief conversation. They tell us they miss us and the opportunity to be in the library! It’s nice to have a chance to catch up with them and hear how they’re making out. Charlotte continues to serve patrons via curbside service, filling up the daily schedule each week. Staff has also been distributing literature encouraging participation in our book discussion group, the census and advertising online resources being offered. Craft kits for children were provided by Tonia Burton for us to share as well, they have been well received! Patrons enjoy using curbside service

Programs • The 24th annual Food for Thought Book Discussion group held its first meeting virtually. Participants eagerly joined the Zoom meeting. While the library could not offer coffee, treats or the fresh flower bouquet normally gracing the gatherings, nonetheless, participants happily greeted one another, congratulating new Zoom users on successfully navigating technology challenges! While some of the nine participants were distracted with exploring the new platform, many jumped right into the discussion of Educated by Tara Westover led by Maureen Whalen. Participants expressed their gratitude at being able to gather once again and anticipation for the next meeting. Verdict? Success! • Kim Whittemore reports that story times have finally resumed at Charlotte, though only in small ways. On Thursday September 24, Whittemore provided a virtual story time for 7 pre-school kids and their teacher on their Zoom ID. As the children were muted (so they could hear the story and not the distractions from each other’s’ homes), engagement was challenging, but the kids enjoyed dancing and responded well when asked to “give a thumbs up if the monkey looks happy or a thumbs down if the monkey looks sad.” Whittemore

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

was also thrilled to do in-person story times for the preschool classes at Holy Cross. Beautiful weather allowed them to be outside, and many kids remembered her from visits the previous school year.

Anecdotes/Other • In addition to her regular position in Branch Administration, Patricia Connor was made Acting Branch Supervisor at the Charlotte Branch on September 8, 2020, following the retirement of Paul Tantillo. • The Charlotte Branch celebrated the retirement of Pat Casey, a long time Rochester Public Library employee. Casey served over 25 years as a Library Assistant. The staff at Charlotte wishes him well as he begins his next chapter.

Frederick Douglass Community Library, Erin Clarke reporting

Programs • Sarah Ngo and Lewis (Literacy Aide) have hosted outside play events using PlayROCs materials and disinfecting the toys and games in between uses. Kids have been coming up to take a break from Zoom school and enjoy being outdoors and socializing. • Ngo is continuing her Facebook story times; set up more Zoom story times with RCN beginning in October; started the 100-Book Challenge for children and teens and a 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge. As of the end of September, she has seen 6 participants for 100 Books and 1 participant for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten.

Anecdotes/Other • Ngo has been working with Tonia Burton at Central twice a week to prepare Raising a Reader (RAR) bags and materials. • Ngo has also been assisting Burton in training the new RAR Library Assistant Alycia Roets. • After discussing Dewey classification issues with Clarke, Ngo started re-arranging the entire children’s non- fiction section to group materials in a more user-friendly manner and to eliminate the use of outdated materials and terminology. • Ngo and Lewis evaluated the manga collection and shifted to make room for new titles. • Homework help was provided over Facebook messenger, text message, and in-person (outside the library with masks, six feet apart). • Several patrons have said they’re very excited we’re offering curbside service on Fridays so they can have materials for the weekend. • Clarke assisted a patron who had a blocked card due to a book likely still in quarantine by providing a courtesy override so the patron could borrow a new book. The patron said “God bless libraries! I’m so thankful for your help.” • Seneca Park Zoo confirmed that our green roof is now part of the Butterfly Beltway!

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Lincoln Branch, Sarah Lehman reporting

Programs • Jasmine Santiago and Lauren Seaver had a great time recording their first Bilingual Spanish-English Storytime! They will begin posting weekly storytimes--for the foreseeable future—every Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. Santiago and Seaver chose Mr. Tiger Goes Wild/El Senor Tigre se Vuelve Salvaje by/por Peter Brown for their story. Santiago is excited to continue this new collaboration!

Anecdotes/Other • Now that classes have started there has been a decrease in children attendance and therefore a decrease in the usage of table-top activities. Coloring pages are still a hit for Santiago. The children are usually excited to see their favorite TV characters in coloring sheet form. • Regular patrons are slowly starting to come back in the building which has been fantastic. The numbers are still lower than they were compared to this time last year, but it is slowly continuing to increase back to normal amounts. • The Toy Library remains closed to the public due to safety concerns and staffing, however, the new Library Assistant for the Toy Library will be starting the first Monday in October. • The branch has opened curbside service for patrons to pick up toys from the Toy Library and hope to expand services soon! • Staff continued to partner with the League of Women Voters to help register patrons to vote. They were at the branch three times throughout the month of September. They reported helping several patrons to register to vote at each visit.

Lyell Branch, Shamika Fusco reporting • This month we promoted voter registration to our patrons. Patrons were informed via Facebook and in person. Patrons could stop by and receive voter registration applications. While we promoted voter registration for our adult patrons, we also had a mock voter registration for our younger patrons. They filled out a kid-version voter registration and put it in the drop-box and then were given a sticker. • Hygiene kits were made to help a parent explain to her daughter, the transition she was making into womanhood. The kit included feminine hygiene products and literature. • Homeschool books and STEAM Kits: We have expanded our homeschool area to include a selection of fiction and non-fiction to enhance curriculum. We also are now offering STEAM kits that include books, toys, and games geared toward science and art concepts. The kits range in age from Pre-kindergarten through 4th grade. The homeschool or at-home learning kits have received special attention due to families deciding to homeschool. We are increasing our inventory. Kits include books, crafts, toys, or games. They can be borrowed like traditional books for a 3-week period. • We March Free Book Giveaway Trivia: This month Netflix was Celebrating black voices by reading black picture books, so we took part by giving away a

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

book from the series. We asked participants to post a picture of themselves or a loved one protesting. • This month we continued to pop up outside to become visible to our neighbors. Many of our neighbors still don’t know that we are open! We have also featured different community vendors. This week we had Catyra join us from Job Corps. She is assisting young adults with career/job training.

Quote from Library patron: “Amazing Librarian and an awesome time at the Lyell Library today before the rain!!! I learned to harvest sunflower seeds, picked up a FREE activity, received hot cider & donuts, checked out a book for the Grandbaby AND I won a book!!! Love your local library, I know I do!!! Thank you!!!” - Miya .

Maplewood Branch, Johanna Buran reporting • Maplewood’s children’s staff have started to develop a bit of a routine now that school has started. Since school has begun, they have been primarily focused on helping students with schoolwork. Since there is no longer seating or programming that would allow for large groups, the staff have been working one-on-one with patrons to make sure that they are all caught up with their work. This new style of working with children is much more intensive for all our staff and literacy aides. While this new method does not allow us to help as many patrons throughout the day, it does allow staff to do meaningful work with patrons. Having these one-on-one (sometimes one-on-two with a sibling) has helped the staff develop much deeper relationships with community members. • Branch staff still do science experiments, brain teasers and riddles on a regular basis. The activity kits continue to be a widely used item. Most recently they adopted a fire hydrant through the city and had an election process to decide on the fire hydrant’s name. Much like the garden and flower beds that they take care of through the warmer months, their young patrons will now have a responsibility during colder months as they take care of the newly adopted fire hydrant. • Evanna DiSalvo has met with two adults over Zoom to improve their English. One was doing a book club while the other student was seeking help with his Rochester Police Department exam at the end of September. • TASC classes taught through Zoom will start in October. The times will depend on the student’s and teacher’s schedules. There has been interest in TASC classes, and we are thankful that Maplewood can provide these classes. Digital Literacy volunteers will return to assist patrons twice a week beginning the first full week in October.

Meetings DiSalvo met with staff from the Refugee Resettlement Center and met five asylum seekers that are being sponsored by the organization. Two asylum seekers came to the library to get library cards and sign up for meetings on Zoom to improve their English. Buran met over Zoom with Rochester Digital Literacy to set up for literacy volunteers to return to Maplewood on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting the first week in October.

Monroe Branch, Mary Clare Scheg reporting

Curbside service is steady. More people are learning that they are open for this service. In addition to the pick- up of materials, they also provide a printing service for patrons. Starting the week of October 5, they will be able to start issuing library cards as well. In consultation with Central, they have worked out a system to do this and remain socially distant.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Branch staff still have a relationship with Cobb’s Hill Manor. Scheg is working with the Wellness Manager to supply their residents with books and books on CD. These materials are very much appreciated by the residents.

Programs Literary Word Scramble: Afa Benjamin-Diop created this month’s Literary Word Scramble. She went with something lighthearted and humorous. Can you unscramble it and tell us the author?

Outreach & Community Involvement • This month, staff brought 15 Summer Activity Kits to Monroe Avenue businesses: Neno’s Mexican Eatery, Aaron’s Alley, and Archimage. All were eager to be a part of this effort to distribute activities for children in the neighborhood and they welcomed us to bring more in the future. • On September 16, 2020, they had a grand time with the Books by Bike event throughout area neighborhoods. They made four stops, two in the Monroe-Park neighborhood, and two in Upper Monroe/Swillburg. They gave away books and Summer Activity Kits, this time with STEM and imaginative play for Talk Like a Pirate Day. This event was posted on the library’s Facebook page, the #23 school group, and the Upper Monroe Neighborhood Association also shared it on their page. Below is a screenshot from Facebook, a map of the stops, and a promotional event post. Around forty people visited between the four stops, we gave away all the activity kits, as well as many books. • We also made a stellar two-way hopscotch (with a socially distant dance party in the middle) in front of the library on September 24! Please control + click to open the link on the screenshot below or go to the Facebook page to see the video.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Anecdotes/Other Themed book bundles were created and promoted at the beginning of September. The bundles are a combination of fiction and non-fiction books with an emphasis on emotional intelligence, self-care, and individual expression: Courage & Perseverance, Imagination & Creativity, Friendship & Kindness, and Feelings & Self-Regulation. Several teachers and parents showed interest and picked up a few bundles within the first week. Others followed up later and asked about other kits in the collection.

Sully Branch, Marie Heeks-Heinlien reporting

Programs Joseph Becker has come up with a plan to provide training sessions on technology for people working with children. We are making plans to begin training people on applications such as Zoom and Google. We also hope to offer training on how to use Chrome Books.

Anecdotes/Other • A woman called Sully to see if we assist in setting up chrome books. Her mother is a caregiver of a child who needs the computer for school. Since we are only offering curb side services, our Computer Aide, Joseph Becker, was asked to reach out to the woman to see if she could meet him at the Lincoln Branch. The patron was able to go to the Lincoln Branch and was grateful for the assistance she was given. It is great to be part of the RPL team where staff from ALL branches come together to provide a needed service to our patrons. • Jacob Bigelow has reconnected with one of his regular teens who has been calling into the library daily to discuss Pokémon and Anime with him. The teen, Jaydon, has special needs and really enjoys talking with our Young Adult Librarian about his interests. Several times Mr. Jacob has been told by the young man that he is a great person to talk to and that he is glad to have someone to talk with about his interests. • Staff enjoyed having the Books by Bike out in the school parking lot on September 10 for the school supply pick up event. Families stopped by to pick up free books and it was nice to see some of the kids that we know. Offering our support and services to school #33 will be an important role for the librarians this school year. We are making sure to have copies of the Principal's Book of the Month available for people to check out at Sully, and we are making some library space available for one-on-one tutoring as requested by Renaissance Academy.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

• The League of Women Voters had a table in front of the library every Thursday in the month of September. One day we moved their table from one end of the sidewalk to the other. During that time, a woman saw what we were moving and asked me for a voter registration form from the table. She said her son told her that he wanted to register to vote, and she was happy she saw the Voter Registration table as it walked by her.

Phillis Wheatley Community Library, Lori Frankunas reporting Phillis Wheatley Community Library is currently participating in curb side service four days a week. We recently changed the hours for Wednesdays to 12-6pm to accommodate people who work. This has worked out well and we have lots of people coming to pick up items and/or copies, fax or print between 4-6 pm. We continue to weed the collection and should be set for a very big book sale when we can have one. I'm wondering if we can start having an online book sale on one of the selling platforms. I have copied blank library layouts with the hope of rearranging the library to give the children's area more space. Space planning ideas include: • To create a makerspace between the children’s and teen areas so both age groups could utilize the area • Move the teen area to share space with the adult area • Move the teen space to the extra meeting area to create more room for the children's area

The Children's librarian continues to create virtual story time that is posted to Facebook. One of our pages, Jace Harr, has a degree in web graphics. He is helping us to regenerate our Instagram account with good results. Next, we will start posting the story times and other virtual content to our YouTube page. I continue to virtually attend the Southwest Education Committee and the Southwest Common Council when my schedule permits.

Winton Branch - Kathy Wolfe reporting

Anecdotes/Other • Pat Finnerty has been helping people file for NYS unemployment and job hunting. She helped one patron fill out his application for Dollar General and Panera Bread. She gave another patron a job lead from Rochester Works to a drive-through job fair. He seemed grateful for the assistance and will follow up with us if he gets the job. • During the last week of August, Finnerty and I spent the day interviewing prospective part time librarians. We made an easy decision to hire Patrick Pittman, a recent Library School Graduate. We think he will be a wonderful fit for our branch.

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

• I’ve discovered a new facet of my personality: artistic creativity. I created a literary search for titles in the display window that Winton enjoys. It is another all-ages interactive display. It may be hard to see in the photo, but all the leaves in the area are cut outs of popular or classic book covers. The sign in the lower corner asks how many of the titles people can identify.

Selected Meetings & Outputs MCLS Director, Patricia Uttaro reporting September 14 – October 18

Standing Meetings City Senior Management Team (weekly) RPL-MCLS Management Team (weekly) A. Traub, T. Reeves, B. Harrison, A. Suro, T. Burton, C. Ridarsky – one-on-one meetings (monthly) MCLS System Services and Operations Committee (monthly) New York State Library – Division of Library Development conference call (monthly) Public Library System Directors’ Organization (PULISDO) conference call (monthly) Deputy Mayor James Smith (monthly) County Chief of Staff Amy Grower (monthly) RPL All-Staff Zoom Call (weekly)

Other Meetings RRLC Webinar: Learning From This Moment: Understanding Privilege and Advancing Racial Equity City Council Meeting via YouTube Todd Butler, Causewave regarding MCLS and RPL strategic planning (2 meetings) RPL Branch Supervisor Johanna Buran New York Alliance of Library Systems Advocacy Launch (Zoom) RPL Branch Supervisor Sarah Lehman Mitch Gruber & Brie Harrison regarding Foodlink Café NYS Early Childhood Advisory Council Quarterly Meeting (Zoom) RPL Branch Supervisor Mary Clare Scheg RPL Branch Supervisor Erin Clarke RPL Branch Supervisor Shamika Fusco RPL Brand Administration Librarian, Pat Connor MCLS Mobile Mental Health Presentation (Zoom) MCLS REJI Team Harper Collins Book Buzz Presentation (CrowdCast) Ryan Dowd Training Setup RPL Branch Supervisor Bruce Tehan Roc the Future Convener Meeting (Zoom) Rochester City Councilmember Miguel Melendez “Meet & Greet” Rochester City Council Meeting (YouTube) Dr. Rose Nichols, Deputy Director, City of Rochester Human Resources, regarding staff development plans RPL Health & Safety Team

RPL Board Director’s Report– October 2020 (Continued)

Email Activity

September 2020 Name Send Actions Receive Actions Read Actions Uttaro, Patricia 582 7826 5361 Traub, Adam 481 1697 3458 Reeves, Tolley 526 3586 1383 Harrison, Brie 327 3604 2166 Ana Suro 499 3358 1138