Monthly Meeting
February 4, 2019
Attendees:
- Brian Wade, President
- Sue McCarthy, Vice President
- Peter Foulger, Treasurer
- Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
- Christine Johnson, Past President
- Lynette Joseph
- Kristy Nystrom
- John Sankey
- Riley Brockington, Councillor
- Monique Brulé, Ottawa Public Library
- Jennifer Calhoun, Ottawa Public Library
- Monique Desormeaux, Ottawa Public Library
- Alexandra Yarrow, Ottawa Public Library
- Travis Croken, Riverside Park Community Association
- Mark Staz, Riverside Park Community Association
- Millie Beechey
- Sharon Fotheringham
- Susan Fraser
- Kat Gracie
- Al Gullon
- Dale Johnson
- Dan Kaplansky
- Sean Kelly
- Savitri Khanna
- Bob Lamoureux
- Svetlana Najmi
- John D Reid
- Rosalind Ross
- Sara Smith
- Stephanie Smith
- Eli Tannis
Brian Wade: Presented the agenda and asked for approval.
Motion: To accept the agenda as presented. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Sue McCarthy, carried.
Motion: To accept the January, 2019 minutes. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Lynette Joseph, carried.
Peter Brimacombe: He did not get the names of everybody at the meeting. If you want your name recorded in the minutes, please see him afterwards.
Riley Brockington: The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) has put hold lockers and the Kiosk in the Community Centre to provide service to our community. Four staff members of the Ottawa Public Library are here tonight to discuss the hold lockers and the Kiosk.
Monique Brulé: In 2010, the Kiosk was put in the Community Centre. Compared to other library services, it receives low use; it has high costs and provides limited services. In 2012, hold lockers were added. For context, there is no library branch in Hunt Club but it is served by the bookmobile which makes eight stops in the community. Service is measured by a number of criteria including total population in an area, groups at risk of exclusion, engagement with the OPL and usage of materials (checkouts/circulation). Staff recommends that Kiosk services not be expanded but the OPL is sincerely interested in providing better services to Hunt Club.
Christine Johnson: On behalf of the community, we very much appreciate the OPL. The Community Association did its own survey on the Kiosk: http://www.hunt-club.ca/OPL/
The survey was conducted on line. In addition there were survey forms available at the Community Centre. In three weeks there were 80 respondents. 74 used the Kiosk. 60% said they used the hold lockers. Some people didn’t know the Kiosk existed. Others said they didn’t know how to use it. She believes that library services promotes reading. If the Kiosk were removed, people would have less access to reading. The bookmobile is available only for very narrow periods. It is often not convenient and the regular stops are often cancelled. She feels the survey shows there is a cry for access. The Kiosk is a new technology and it needs to be promoted and people need to be shown how to use it. The Community Association will work with the OPL to promote it and help people to use it.
Al Gullon: What’s the mini bookmobile?
Monique Brulé: It’s a small version of the bookmobile. It’s used for special events or in case the real bookmobile breaks down.
Dan Kaplansky: His family goes to the regular library branch and uses the bookmobile. The bookmobile is a great service.
Monique Desormeaux: There’s no money for a new library branch in this area.
Alexandre Yarrow: The bookmobile stops at schools but there is no agreement with them to use the washrooms. For this reason, bookmobile stops at schools are more often cancelled.
John D Reid: OPL acknowledges that Hunt Club is underserved. We need a proper branch. The Ontario Government has done a survey of libraries. Ottawa is below the rest.
Monique Brulé: The branches were built before amalgamation. We deal with what we have.
Monique Desormeaux: If we could redraw the map, we would.
Susan Fraser: Ottawa’s library services are better than Burlington’s. The Library is incredibly well stocked. The hold lockers at the Community Centre have been wonderful – they’re better than bookmobiles.
John Sankey: We have a superb library system and the expansion to newer areas in the City has been superb. Bringing up his own children, he loved to take them to the library branch to read. He would love to take his grand children but there’s no branch in the area. If OPL could set up a branch in a retail space, it would be great.
Sean Kelly: There is no branch in River Ward. It’s a disadvantaged community.
Riley Brockington: He is on the OPL Board. It’s true River Ward doesn’t have a library branch. His goal is to improve bookmobile services in River Ward.
Alexandre Yarrow: The branches were built before amalgamation. The hand we’re dealt. We often go to community events. We are happy to go where we are needed.
Christine Johnson: Can development fees be directed to the library?
Riley Brockington: Development charges go to many places. Some go to libraries.
Al Gullon: He used to go the library but he goes on the internet. He wonders if the number of visitors to the branches is increasing or decreasing?
Monique Brulé: The use of digital collection is increasing. The number of books taken out is decreasing ever so slightly. People come for the collection. The branches are a quiet place to read, a place to gather.
Alexandre Yarrow: Lots of material on the internet is not available because it’s behind a pay wall. OPL has subscriptions to some sites and makes this available to members.
Brian Wade: He grew up in Halifax and used the library there. He wishes there was a branch nearby where he could take his two nephews. The bookmobile is not the same. There should be more services; the waiting list is too long. He couldn’t figure out how to use the hold lockers or the Kiosk. OPL needs to promote what it does.
John Sankey: Google has the best search engine in the world. OPL should partner with Google to let people find things in OPL.
Svetlana Najmi: Her family uses the Kiosk. It’s a place where they meet people and make new friends. We need to keep the Kiosk alive.
Travis Croken: How can we keep the Kiosk alive?
Monique Brulé: The OPL Board has said the Kiosk won’t be expanded but there is no decision to remove it.
Millie Beechey: She loves the Kiosk. She can get movies and books. The books she reads to her kids.
Riley Brockington: OPL can look at renting out retail space.
Motion: That HCCA have a committee to establish strategies with smart measurable outcomes with the objective of providing equitable library services: Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Al Gullon, carried.
Treasurer’s Report
Peter Foulger presented the Treasurer’s Report. It’s presented as an appendix.
Councillor’s Report
Riley Brockington: He would like to postpone his presentation on traffic calming to the March meeting. Taggart Developments has proposed a big development, at the corner of Hunt Club and Riverside. It was scheduled to make a presentation before Planning Committee on February 14 but this presentation is postponed because Taggart has made changes.
Community Safety
Brian Wade: He would like to see a partnership with Riverside Park Community Association and is looking for people who are interested.
Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act
Peter Brimacombe: He has looked into registering Hunt Club Community Association as a not-for-profit corporation. There are companies that advertise on-line. Their fees are in the range of $600 to $700. He would like to postpone this discussion until the March meeting.
Appendix HCCA Treasurers Report by Peter Foulger January 2019 summary for the 4 February 2019 Meeting Desjardins charged the $2.95 monthly fee. Sub-accounts: Activity: No activity Balances: Garden Fund $ 1,500.00 Fall Festival Fund $ 132.00 Art Club Fund $ 160.89 The Parks People $ 412.42 Balance Sub-accounts $ 2,205.31 Member's Surplus Balance as of 1 August 2018 $ 5,827.74 Year to date receipts, HCCO $ 2,038.35 Year to date expenses, HCCO $ 1,194.48 Increase/(decrease) for year, HCCO $ 843.87 Member's surplus, HCCO $ 6,733.18 Total funds (Members surplus + funds) $ 8,935.54 Reconciliation: Desjardins account $ 8,925.54 Desjardins share $ 10.00 Other $ 0.00 Total all funds $ 8,935.54 Receivables & Liabilities: We are owed one $110 sponsorship for December.