August 19, 2021

MINUTES

Thursday, August 19, 2021
*The Board did not meet at a physical location. As part of the response to the threat of COVID-19, Governor David Ige issued an Emergency Proclamation dated August 5, 2021, suspending Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92, Public Agency Meetings and Records, to the extent necessary to enable boards as defined in Section 92-2, to conduct meetings without any board members or members of the public physically present in the same location, among other things.

ALSO PRESENT:
Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian, Hawaii State Public Library System
Alison Kunishige, Executive Director
Kenyon Tam, Board Analyst
Regina Pascua, Executive Secretary
Lady Garrett, Secretary

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called for public testimony on this agenda item. No one provided oral testimony at this time.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked Committee members to review the minutes of the Committee’s June 17, 2021 meeting.

Committee Vice Chairperson Dwight Takeno moved to approve the Committee’s meeting minutes of June 17, 2021. Committee Member Kili Namau‘u seconded.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked if there were any objections to the motion. No Committee member raised objections, and the motion carried through unanimous consent from all members present (Committee Vice Chairperson Takeno, Committee Members Bill Arakaki, Lynn Fallin, Namauʻu, Catherine Payne, Kenneth Uemura, and Bruce Voss).

ACTION: Motion to approve the Human Resources Committee meeting minutes of June 17, 2021 (Takeno/ Namau‘u). The motion carried through unanimous consent from all members present.

Mireille Ellsworth, Hawai‘i for a Safe Return to Schools, testified in support of the State Librarian, expressed appreciation for the modifications made in the libraries to accommodate borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and expressed disappointment that there were no agenda items relating to the hiring of new employees for the Department of Education’s (“Department”) distance learning program.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called on Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian, to present her recommendation on her State Librarian Priorities for the 2021-2022 state librarian evaluation.

Aldrich stated that there are many items that the Hawaii State Public Library System (“HSPLS”) is working on but the three main priorities that the organization will focus on updating HSPLS’ mission, vision and expanding the current strategic framework; evaluating the current Library Services and Technology Act, (“LSTA”) five year plan and creating the next LSTA five year plan; and (3) supporting digital equity across the state.

Aldrich noted that the last HSPLS strategic plan ended in 2018, and her first strategic focus area will be to update the mission, vision and expand the strategic framework to guide the thinking about how libraries serve our communities and how can libraries ensure capacity is being built for the future. She explained that HSPLS should have a flexible plan and continue using the current framework to expand upon and update the mission and vision. Aldrich also explained that HSPLS will include community input in the next reiteration of the mission and vision, to help identify areas of focus to understand the actual important needs of the community and provide support. She emphasized that understanding the needs of the community is important and allows for HSPLS to be flexible from a statewide perspective. Aldrich stated that HSPLS will hire an independent consultant to help engage stakeholders and collect input to develop a strong vision and mission that the community will support.

Aldrich stated that her second priority is to evaluate the current LSTA five year plan, which will end in 2022, and complete the next LSTA five year plan. She explained that every year HSPLS receives $1.3 million to support technology and innovation within libraries, which requires that HSPLS develop a plan, conduct an evaluation, and submit a new plan every five years. Aldrich also explained that the LSTA evaluation is due March 2022 and that the evaluation will be used to update the next LSTA plan.

Aldrich stated that her third priority is to support digital equity. She noted that HSPLS is working with Governor Ige’s broadband group on ways to support statewide digital equity through two specific projects, North Star and digital health projects. North Star is a free, online digital literacy assessment tool that is available with every library membership. Digital health projects, in partnership with the Department of Health and the Pacific Basin and Telehealth Resource Center at the University of Hawaii, are designed to support health access in rural communities by providing opportunities to connect with navigators in 15 libraries to telehealth opportunities, access to hotspots, and a venue to access connectivity for telehealth appointments with a healthcare provider. Aldrich emphasized that HSPLS will apply for funding for Chromebook devices with hotspots to implement different strategies to support connectivity for telehealth opportunities.

Committee Member Uemura moved to approve the State Librarian Priorities for the 2021-2022 state librarian evaluation, as described in the August 19, 2021 meeting submittal. Committee Vice Chairperson Takeno seconded.

Committee Member Payne expressed appreciation for Aldrich and her team for the incredible work in libraries to accommodate patrons and community members during this difficult time.

Committee Member Namauʻu expressed appreciation for Aldrich’s leadership and the priorities discussed. She asked how HSPLS will share information with the public on the two projects in Aldrich’s third priority. She noted that before serving on the Board, she was not aware of how much was happening in public libraries.

Aldrich replied that HSPLS will work with community partners to advertise what is going on at the libraries. She also stated that for the North Star assessment tool, HSPLS is planning on possible television advertisements, press releases, and is hopeful that schools can help to share the information with families about the tool when it becomes available. Aldrich agreed that a lot of people do not know what is available at the libraries, so she plans to incorporate communication into the strategic framework and improve marketing to the public. She also shared that she started a process for an HSPLS online newsletter in the upcoming months that will share what is going on in the libraries.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called for a roll call vote on the motion. The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye (Committee Vice Chairperson Takeno, Committee Members Arakaki, Fallin, Namauʻu, Payne, Uemura, and Voss).

ACTION: Motion to approve the State Librarian Priorities for the 2021-2022 state librarian evaluation, as described in the August 19, 2021 meeting submittal (Uemura/Takeno). The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called for public testimony from any individuals who did not have an opportunity to testify on earlier agenda items. No one provided oral testimony at this time.

Committee members received written testimony before the meeting. The following is a listing of the people who submitted written testimony before the meeting.

Name	Organization	Agenda Item
Kristen Laitila		III. A. Committee Action on State Librarian’s evaluation for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year: State Librarian Priorities