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FLF Meeting Notes 6-26-2024



Felton Library Friends Meeting Notes 

June 26, 3:30-5, Felton Library Community Room 

Facilitator: Marilyn Notetaker: Val

Timothy, Michele, Nancy, Moana, Marilyn, Val, Sabine, Donna

Welcome and introductions. 

Opening Question: What’s one thing you enjoyed about the Branch Out event?

 The Library World 

What’s happening in the system and at the Felton Branch?          Phil and/orJackie

Tails to Tale - likely to start in September (third Tuesday of the month; 3 or 4 p.m.)

  • 3 dogs; 1 hour with the three dogs at once (30-minute sessions)

  • Advance signup with staff

July 8th - new director Christopher Platt

New training coordinator started this week

  • Staff training, staff days, making sure people do training, custom curriculum once new staff are onboard

Libraries closed Thursday, July 4th

Links Plus – Soft launch started

  • Loaning system where a bunch of Calif. Libraries can share resources

  • Can view other libraries catalogs and request things

  • Not yet advertised

  • Not accessible from library yet

Losing two staff members

  • Laura becoming librarian at Boulder Creek

  • Tia is moving to Scotts Valley

  • They’ll stay with us until the transition happens

  • Will hire through transfers

AQI Device now in the building

  • Monitors air quality in the library

  • Felton library doesn’t have their own air filters (borrowed previously)


Fence around the generator

  • Taking over one of the charging stations for the cars

  • PSPS generator–only goes into action when there is a planned shutoff by PGE (doesn’t work when unplanned power outages happen!)

  • There is a plan for Felton to get their own generator. Right now, Boulder Creek Library is getting one first.

Jackie’s updates

Graphic novel workshop

  • Well attended with 14 people (teens!)

DJ Program

  • No one came!!

  • Dates were adjusted a couple of times, maybe that had something to do with it?

Taiko drumming

  • 111 people in attendance!!!

Happy Birds Program

  • 207 people!!!!!!

Lifestyle Medicine Book Club

  • 23 people attended

  • Good recurring program–gaining more popularity

Parent support group

  • 12-16 people per week

  • Great increase in attendance

Friday Tech Help

  • Jacki now taking over this temporarily

  • May not have two per week for a bit due to staff changes

*Programs may have some adjustments due to staff changes

Magdalena’s journal writing summer workshop coming up

Next month: Summer reading program 7/23 Zany Zoe

Jackie did Quail Hollow School outreach today–40+ programs


FLF Reports 

 Park report                                                                                       Nancy

Michele and Nancy met with Jesse, Parks Maintenance Supervisor

  • Map showing plantable areas (blue only)

  • Cannot use mitigation areas

  • County hired outside firm (Confluence) to maintain mitigation areas–they have a 5-year contract that is almost up

  • FLF has been weeding those areas and we are asked to continue to do so

  • Don’t plant anything in areas that are not blue

  • But, we can request plantings in mitigation areas

  • Nancy will bring newly laminated zone map to monthly garden work parties (No visible borders to distinguish the various areas unless we have the map)

  • Mitigation areas = 5-year process of monitoring/oversight.

  • Future Questions: What happens after the 5 years (coming up soon)? Who will monitor it? Will it be monitored?

  • Janice Cook (regular volunteer) = UCSC Master Gardener; Nancy also a master gardener–perhaps the requests for plantings can come through them when needed.

  • Will always need to be riparian/natives


CLL-Programs in 2023-24. Report on evaluation meeting. Ideas for fall Michele


  • Art, Natural Science, Local History = 3 primary subject areas for CLL 

  • Jessica Goodman (adult services librarian for whole system), Jackie and Phil met with Michele and Nancy to talk about programs

  • 19 CLL programs and 2 OCR programs proposed and led by FLF volunteers in 2023-24

  • Another meeting July 12 will take place to plan ahead and coordinate with overall library programs in conjunction with CLL

  • New policy in Fall - library and branch will meet with friends in the fall and plan ahead

  • Looking for volunteers to get involved in this FLF team–contact Michele if interested

  • Idea: Perhaps keep a master list of CLL volunteers and their contact info and reach out each year to see if they have new ideas/would like to host again

  • All CLL programs require FLF team attendee

  • Some CLL programs lead to recurring programs hosted by the library

  • Would help to continue advocating for another librarian in Felton to support Jackie

  • Idea: Invite people during the Wild Roots Community day to propose ideas/lead CLL programs

  • 3-5 next week = ping pong :-) 

  • Add “Ideas for Community Led Learning” to our monthly FLF agenda

  • Marilyn’s idea: Sing-along

  • Future Consideration: Perhaps removing the three primary subject areas to broaden offerings for CLL


 FSCPL report Michele

Michele is the FLF representative FSCPL

New full time Executive Director: Sarah Beck (replacing Bruce, and Monica who was interim)

Hoping to hire for an administrative assistant

Friends asked to raise $2 million for downtown branch


 Discussion

         Wentzscope update.                                                                Nancy

  • Coming at end of July

  • Nancy and Bud met to discuss

  • We’re getting a 20x macroscope

  • 15x might be better because you wouldn’t have to focus it, but you wouldn’t get the detailed view of some of the smaller things (e.g., pollen, sand)

  • Specimen pucks

  • Nancy is in the process of gathering materials

  • Documenting where they come from, how to order them

  • Volunteers for assembly–Nancy gathering people

  • Hand-made Pucks (3 inches wide, ¼ inch thick) = two abrasion-resistant acrylic disks with a vinyl circle to make it opaque, specimen placed on top, ring, cover, sealed

  • Bud has some pointers on it–could have him on FaceTime to help the group when we put them together

  • Should start with 6-12 (at least 12!)

  • Getting materials for as many as 24–make half of them and keep a list of 

  • Mixing in cultural things with natural things is really interesting to people (e.g., stamps, coins, tiny painting)

  • Damian at Tunnel Tops offered to host us going up to check out their scope (even if it’s closed; open Wed. through Sun.)

  • Nancy to email all of the people interested and we’ll plan an assembly date. We can look for things to bring.

  • Nancy can send a Google Doc around to list ideas.

  • Ideas: 

  • Unique sand specimens

  • Nancy to talk with Jackie to “ok” this plan, as this will be a library device.

  • Signage needed?

  • Where does the library want to store them?

  • How many doe they want to put out at a time?

  • Do they want to categorize them?


        Branch Out! June 8 event

  • Budget report. 

  • $1825–mostly for musicians

  • Ice cream = $150; they sold 124 ice cream sandwiches

  • Based on ice cream estimate, we guess about 300 attendees at the event

  • Unexpected expense ($253)–bent tent from Mountain Community Theater

  • What went well?  What could have been improved?

  • Well: 

  • Music!

  • When we reached out in January, all of these groups invited said they would come.

  • Water map 

  • Lots of great things for kids to do/very engaging

  • Constant flow of people but not overcrowded

  • Challenges:

  • County parks showed up late (a little nerve-wracking)

  • Power needed to stage; difficulty with plug (staff needed to know in advance; more clarity in advance around assignments/crew)

  • Too many things for kids to do? Scattered? Not as many kids at the feature events (music; Jackie’s reading)

  • Perhaps have someone going around announcing what’s starting when it happens

  • Don’t have feature events start at the beginning of the overall event.

  • More people?

  • Perhaps increase volume on the music so it could be heard farther away

  • Perhaps have signage/balloons in downtown Felton letting people know the event is happening

  • Pull tents closer together?


         Invitation from Downtown Felton to have a booth at pie contest in Aug. Nancy

  • Second annual pie contest August 10th from 10-2

  • Booths for local organizations

  • FLF will decline


          Report on art in the library                                                   Timothy/Nancy

  • Timothy has joined Nancy and Janet in Art in the Library group

  • They call up artists and invite them to display.

  • 3-month show for wall art and the display case

  • July 1st will have new art

  • Focusing on SLV area artists


          Flume sign

  • Eric Howard (interim library director until 8th of July when new director, Christopher Platt comes on)uggested a sign out there to explain the historical connection.

  •  Landscape architect wanted to have a connection to the flumes that used to be in this area

  • Lisa Robinson = SLV museum historical connection–wrote some info and we will continue to pursue a sign/bronze sign


Land acknowledgment sign

  • Has been sent to superintendent of parks

  • After this meeting, Nancy got an email saying that Parks is developing a policy for land acknowlegments

“Human Nest” : Parks may have other plans for the nest area in the park in the future, but  Michele asked parks if we can put a “tree cookie” block building table there in the meantime for the kids



4:30 Purpose and structure of September meeting

Visioning

Have a facilitator? Nancy Sherrod could do this for us. Michele will ask her.

Increasing active membership

Invite a teen from the Advisory Council to join FLF LT?

Create a VP position?

Rotate officer positions (look at other chapters)


Next steps: Summer break from meeting in July. Next meeting: August 28. 

Attachments: May meeting notes



New volunteer coordinator will come to our next meeting in August (Lammi; she used to work at the old Felton library location with Phil).

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