Operations Minutes - November 02, 2021

Capital Projects 
 

Belle Isle Renovation/Addition – Drywall work is 80% complete. Rooftop packaged HVAC units are installed and ONG is finishing gas installation. The units should be working soon. They are currently projecting construction completion by the end of January 2022. We will begin internal meetings November 3, 2021, to discuss the reopening schedule and logistics for reopening of the renovated library.

New Almonte Library – The preliminary report was approved by OKC City Council on October 26^th and notice to proceed with construction documents has been delivered. This phase of the project is expected to take at least 120 days (about 4 months). However, the city will not sell bonds (receive funds for construction) until May 2022.

Ralph Ellison- There are no immediate plans for any work to address intermittent drainage issues experienced during heavy rainfall at this time on library grounds. We will continue to monitor the situation and address any actual interior leaks if they develop. We have visited Public Works as recently as October 22^nd to get an update on any planned work and for now there are not any immediate plans to move forward. Recently, we had correspondence with Library management regarding the desire for beautification of the front entrance area with a monarch weigh station. We have given the go ahead to move forward with the project which will be community/volunteer driven.

Wright Library Renovation – The drawings for Wright Library interior improvements are scheduled to go to Oklahoma City Council for authorization to advertise. The advertisement will run for 4 weeks, followed by a bidding process. We should be looking for construction to begin in 10 weeks. This will require a library closure, but the exact timing is to be determined.

The City of Oklahoma City has recently completed an exterior lighting upgrade and installed a new electrical panel, which was necessary before any interior upgrades could begin.

Community Libraries ADA Restroom Assessment – We are working on a plan of execution to address these issues before the end of FY2022. We will have to engage the firm of an architect to now do site plans/drawings that will allow us to bid out the construction work, as applicable. We will work to obtain a proposal before the end of January 2022.

Downtown and CH signage project – The contract for construction was awarded and scaffolding that will be used for the project will begin to be installed November 8, 2021. The projects will not interfere with normal public access to the library as most of the work is either outside or in the far west stairwell downtown facing Hudson Street and on the vacant second floor of the Capitol Hill Library. The work should be complete on both signs by mid-January 2022.

Facilities Maintenance Related Projects

Midwest City – Maintenance is working to make sure the chiller is working correctly with the new compressor. We have reached out to Wesco Mechanical to provide support and help us continue to evaluate the situation.

Ralph Ellison – Maintenance is aware of a heating issue with the boiler which did not pass the most recent boiler inspection in October 2021. We are currently working on having this addressed so that all heating needs can be met for the upcoming winter season. Maintenance engaged a mechanical contractor firm on November 3, 2021 to further assess and determine how to get the boiler operational.

Choctaw Library sensory garden brick repair – Maintenance has received an estimate from a local vendor to repair damage to the masonry. We are moving forward with repairs.

Northwest Library – Recent roof leaks were reported on September 30, 2021, and in the past few weeks with intermittent rain. Maintenance has been in contact with the City of Oklahoma City regarding the recurrent leaks and we will provide further updates as soon as possible.

Village Library – Maintenance has been working with outside vendors to resolve issues with the automatic exterior doors. Novalco was on-site on November 2, 2021, to inspect the motor. They concluded that everything seemed to be working correctly at this time.

Harrah Library – As of November 2, 2021, Maintenance is aware of current issues with regards to heating in the building and further assessments are being done. Maintenance resolved the issue by turning on the gas valve and the building is heating as intended.

Luther Library - As of November 2, 2021, Maintenance is aware of current issues with regards to heating in the building and further assessments are being done.

Custodial flooring work – Our janitorial vendor, SourceOne, will be scheduling waxing of solid surface floors over the course of the next month. We will share with Library managers once the dates are finalized. The waxing will take place overnight, and there should be no issue with staff arriving in the morning as the wax will have set by then.

The waxing of solid surface floors began on September 13 at the Downtown Library. Due to staffing issues/staff shortages with our vendor, this work has not yet been completed. Once they have finished at the Downtown Library, the work will continue at all other locations, as applicable. This work is still ongoing.

Del City Library – We continue to monitor warranty items and communicate them to the General Contractor. There have not been any recent concerns/developments regarding any humidity issues at the library.

Edmond Library – The City is working to obtain quotes to determine the needed repairs for the masonry and other surfaces impacted by the collision with the vehicle during the high-speed police chase. The last update we were provided with was there were challenges getting vendors to respond to quotes and they continue to work through this process.

Automatic door issues – Maintenance has engaged an outside vendor to assist with ongoing problems with the exterior automatic doors at Edmond Library. Repairs to the sensor have been completed, and Maintenance met with Orion Security on Friday, October 29 to further discuss the issues. Due to the ongoing issues, we have recommended that we will disengage access control on the front sliding doors and the doors will have to be manually locked and unlocked every evening to secure the building.

Permanent curbside signs – Maintenance has started installation of permanent curbside signs at all MLS locations. The mobile stands have been sent to each library. The materials needed for anchoring the poles in the concrete have been received. Maintenance is working to schedule installation as soon as possible.

Removing exterior electrical outlets – Maintenance has started the process of removing and disconnecting exterior electrical outlets at MLS locations. We will not disconnect outlets on enclosed porches or other areas that are not readily accessible to the public after Library operating hours. Maintenance will be in contact with managers about this and to discuss any requests regarding which outlets they may or may not want to disconnect.

Southern Oaks Fire Suppression System – Repairs to the fire suppression system have been completed.

Landscaping/Maintenance – We received proposals from Northwest Lawn Maintenance to address Lanscaping needs at many of our library facilities in the amount close to $36,000. Over the next month Northwest Lawn will be doing things such as pruning trees/shrubs, planting, and enhancing our grounds to get them ready for the winter and preparing for a more beautiful spring.

FY2022 Facilities Related Projects – Several improvement initiatives are in the FY2022 budget to include installation of bottle filler water fountains, flood sensors for mechanical areas, LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting upgrade for the Midwest City Library, carpet replacement at Warr Acres and the Choctaw Library. We are in the process of putting together plans/timelines to address these items and some may require separate workgroups to work through the details of purchasing and/or the improvement project details.

Security Related Projects

Capitol Hill - Access Control Installation is ongoing.

Bethany - Access Control still has three doors to be troubleshot (equipment availability issues) prior to full completion.

Midwest City - Added 3 new cameras to the building exterior and replaced one faulty camera inside the bldg.

Southern Oaks - Pulled/replaced two exterior cameras. Exchanged domes on an exterior camera. We have one outdoor unit that needs to be replaced.

Edmond - One new camera to be installed to view the curbside area. Mounting supplies are on order and the expected delivery is the week of 11/1/21.

Northwest – Working with Maintenance on a high–angle procedure to access the Adult Patio to replace the cameras there. The other cameras that are out can be reached by ladder but the dirt surface under one may need to be disturbed as it is at an angle, and we need to have a level footing for the ladder.

Ralph Ellison - Added 2 new cameras to the exterior.

Service Center – Walked location with Maintenance, IT and the Security Integrator for camera locations and sensor types for coming upgrade.

Belle Isle – Walked location with Capital Projects, IT, and the Security Integrator to verify camera location and sensor types for new installation during construction.

Security Review - Consultant will present to the Security Advisory Group on 11/8/21 and the Leadership Team meeting on 11/10/21.

PITS Snapshot – The table that follows shows the high-level view of incidents and informational categories for MLS to date. Note that counts are compared to last year, last month and gives the count for month to date.

Marketing/Communications/Public Relations Updates

In October, we had a huge amount of press. We had 58 earned media mentions about the library with more than 30 mentions about the vaccination clinics at four of our libraries. Even without the vaccination spots mentioned, we had a great month. We had some good coverage about the NASA grant that we received for Ralph Ellison and several articles about our Outdoor Storytimes.

This month we are running the eMedia spot.

Marketing contact
 

• Morgan Day and Victoria Stephens will leave Metro Library on November 5 and Nov. 10, respectively, and Anthony Herron will serve as the primary marketing contact during this time of transition and will be supported by Kim Terry, Public Relations Manager, and outside professional service providers to continue our most essential marketing functions to include the publication of Info Magazine, Library by Mail Newsletter, and the Check it Out Customer Digital Newsletter/email. Public Relations and advertising activities will continue, and social media posts are still being performed. During this time, we will not have an in-house graphic designer or coordinator. As such, we will put a pause on the Shelf-Life Staff publication until further notice after the November 2021 issue goes out. Also, library specific/department requests for graphic design/printing will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Our primary focus will be core library marketing deliverables that are the most public facing and impact a larger population of our customer base.

Info Magazine
 

• Currently designing the third issue (December 2021)
• Moving forward with Southwestern Stationers as printer for December 2021 onward
• Lining up content for January, February, and March issues
• Anthony Herron will serve as Info Magazine contact

Ralph Ellison Library Centennial Commemoration
 

• Marketing tapped Chris Cockrum from Special Collections & Research to assist with design of 4-5 banners that tell the story of Ralph Ellison Library over the past 100 years
  
  • First draft due: Oct. 29, 2021
  • Banners finalized (after Kimberly Francisco’s edits): Nov. 5, 2021
  • Banners ordered from Sublime Signs: Nov. 5, 2021
  • Banners arrive by Nov. 19, 2021
  • Banners delivered and installed at RE: Nov. 24 (final deadline is Dec. 1)
  • RE Centennial Commemoration: 6:30pm Dec. 16, 2021
• Also working on endcaps for Black History Collection

Wayfinding Project
 

• This project that would introduce wayfinding signage in five library locations has been put on hold until Marketing is staffed
   

Brand Refresh
 

• We worked with a consultant on a brand refresh for the Library System. The first iteration of the brand refresh is reflected in the October 2021 Info Magazine. This will be incorporated into more marketing deliverables as we move forward and once, we get an in-house designer/visual communications manager.
   

Oklahoma Contemporary Art Reference Library (DN)

• Ran Facebook/Instagram ads Oct. 1-31, 2021, targeting two audiences within Oklahoma County: art students/teachers and families
  
  • Shut off family ad to shift budget to well-performing student ad
  • As of Oct. 28: 10,136 reaches; 21,487 impressions; 390 clicks to landing page on student ad

Next meeting: Tuesday, December 7 at 2:00pm