HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-23-1996 Library Commission Minutes Please forward to Irene Jacobs, City of Saratoga.
SARATOGA LIBRARY COMMISSION MEETING NOTES -- 10/23/96
I. Call to Order - 7:32 pm.
II. Roll Call - M. Manzo {chair), J. Grantham, S. Towse, D.
McLaughlin, E. Sessler present. K. Ceppos and C. Foscato
notified in advance of their absence.
Also S. Fuller, D. Barnes present. I. Jacobs absent.
III. Report on Posting of Commission Agenda. Properly posted
pursuant to Government Code 54954.2 on 10/18/96.
IV. Approval of Minutes of Commission meeting of 9/25/96. Item IX,
page 4, change "am" to "pm". Also, in Item V, we need to mention
the young people who came with "oral communications" to invite us to
the golf tournament to raise funds. Item V, page 1, second to last
paragraph, first sentence, appears that a word is missing. Item V,
page 1, second to last paragraph, change word "solely" to
"initially".
D. Mclaughlin moved we approve as amended, E. Sessler seconded, all
approved.
V. Old Business.
A. Needs assessment. Chairperson M. Manzo handed out FINAL
copies of the FINAL Needs Assessment (also handed out trick or treat
candy!). It will be used in the future and may be the source for
other documents. There was no further discussion of this completed
item.
VI. New Business
A. Joint Co~r~nission / Council Meeting.
Unless otherwise noted, M. Manzo led this discussion. We will be
the first Commission to meet with the Council in 1997. Do we want
to ask that the meeting be moved to a later date? Do we need the
extra time? If Measure L or proposition 218 fails in the public
voting of early November, we might thereby get a bad signal as to
the ability to raise funds, compared to how we would view things if
they should pass. Also, there is some potential for the city
council composition to change. If we do not meet in December (see
discussion below), we cannot be ready for a January join% meeting
with the Council. S. Towse recommended that we move this meeting
to February. The Commission's November meeting is the 20th. Our
December meeting, if held as defined, would fall on Christmas day.
We might want to skip December and make the January 22 scheduled
meeting long or short based on what we know by the November 20
meeting. D. Mclaughlin moved that we cancel the scheduled December
meeting. E. Sessler seconded, all agreed. Based on the November
public voting, we may decide in the November meeting to reinstate
the December meeting at some time other than December 25th.
M. Manzo will send Commission members invitations to a Holiday party
at her home.
The question is how can we best prepare for the joint Commission /
Council meeting, whenever it's held? We could poll the public. We
might wish to ask the Council for the city to pay for such a survey.
Picking who to poll needs to be carefully done, and it must be
statistically valid, and we must be clear as to what exactly we will
be asking.
S. Fuller reported that the county did a poll before Measure A
passed, which surveyed 1,000 people, which cost $15,000. There were
100 of these in Saratoga. We'd pay less for a city poll, but formal
polling is still costly.
We need to think carefully about how to frame the questions. Soon
after this goes to ballot, three city Council members may be up for
election or choose whether to run, and this may have a bearing on
how we approach these issues. We think the library issue would be
up for voter consideration in the June, 1998 voting. We might want
to ask about the community's view of library needs. But we still
need to find out if the vote would go in favor or not in favor of
library expansion, even if the polled people do not actually use the
library.
M. Manzo will ask I. Jacobs to put the issue of the 'poll' on the
November agenda, and with other Commission members present, we can
address it.
M. Manzo also wants the Commission to go out and start visiting
other libraries (see attached list). The best bet is Redwood City
and Menlo Park. Riptey Associates did the Redwood City library
eight years ago -- it was a fire station renovation (historical
building). Menlo Park's library was a 7,000 square foot addition to
an existing building. We haven't heard rave reviews, but we are
just looking for sources of good ideas. We want to see what's good
and bad in library expansions.
It would be possible to visit on a Saturday. Other libraries on the
attached list might need more time for a visit, maybe 3/4 to a full
day, depending on the agenda. Danville~s community library is
completely new, the Clayton library was new in 1995. We can discuss
other ideas. M. Manzo asked that we bring our calendars to the
November 20th meeting so that we can plan actual visits. Also, we
could bring our cameras to record what we see. We should note the
unique features, layout, setting, use of computers, special
'places', etc. about these libraries.
Effect of the election -- We'll know more at the November meeting.
Expansion - Proposal to the Council: do we want ourselves to be
more active on the expansion committee? We'd need to be prepared to
meet more frequently, perhaps. We need to pick an architect, to
specify needs, to put these in front of the Council, etc. Ann Marie
Burger had said that the more people who buy into the project the
better off we'd be (such as other city Commissioners, etc.>. Service
on an expansion committee might ensure buy in.
Might it be possible for us to ask for a leadership role in the
expansion committee? We have done the needs assessment already, so
the expansion committee would not need to do that. The expansion
group would do the RFP. S. Fuller suggests that what we need is a
'select the architect" committee, not an expansion committee. The
term 'Expansion committee" means that they might work with the
architect throughout the project, including the construction, and we
do not want that -- city staff would do that. Such a committee
would give input to the architect, and much of its work occurs after
the Council decides to do this.
If we imply to people whom we are recruiting that their role is one
thing, when it it really something else, we make matters worse, not
better. We need a specific and clear list of tasks for this
committee. We need to visit other libraries, to figure out
concepts, etc. then we can prepare a list of tasks for the city
Council to review? and let them decide whether we or some other
group carries out these tasks. Other participants who've been
considered are members of the Heritage/Orchard commission, the
Historical commission, the Planning commission, the Parks and
Recreation commissionj and we'd probably want to add the Youth
commission. We might wish to have 'hearings' and get the input from
these groups.
M. Manzo wants to develop a concrete statement to give to the
Council. K. Ceppos (absent tonight) can help a lot in this area.
Another question for us to consider is: What do we want from the
City Council? We might consider asking them for their backing (buy
in), for money for the preliminary drawings (total of $70~000 or
so?) or perhaps to share responsibility for it with the Friends of
the Library and/or the Library Foundation. We also might request of
the Council that they expand the parking facilities in the near term
(a new aisle?), but we need to be careful since, if we expand the
building, we might create problems for ourselves by paving the wrong
spot first. E. Sessler said that it continues to be hard to get
monetary commitments from the Council, and so far we've had
primarily verbal support. Might it be possible to tie our funding
needs in with other projects? Our sense is that we'll do better if
we go alone on this particular issue.
M. Manzo said we need to brain-storm more about our wants / wishes
/ needs list, and to include D. Barnes and staff, S. Fuller and
the County, and other commissioners in the discussion. We need to
develop a list of (1) major drawbacks and shortcomings, and (2) best
ideas for the present library. We can do focus groups, surveys,
etc., to get this feedback. Also we still do need a list of FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions). We should also brain-storm about the
old 1991 architectural plans, and capture our thoughts and ideas to
give us a clearer picture of what we wish to do. As we get into
this, what questions will come up? D. Mclaughlin will work on the
FAQ list.
M. Manzo asked all the commissioners present to work on preparing
well to discuss these topics at the November meeting. J. Grantham
noted that we still must be prepared to present a "plan B" in case
the November voting shows public sentiment to be against expansion.
E. Sessler observed that the November vote will have a very big
effect on what we do. M. Manzo wants us to record our thoughts,
positive and negative, on what we like / don't like / need, etc.
for the next meeting.
B. New CAC Representative.
This is the city Citizens Advisory Commissioner to the county Joint
Powers Authority. S. Towse has had this responsibility for
Saratoga, and is stepping down. M. Manzo went in her place last
week, and volunteered to continue. D. McLaughlin moved she do so,
E. Sessler seconded, all agreed.
C. Library Expansion.
1. Commission - Proposal to Council. Covered above (prematurely).
2. Educating the Public. The group felt it is too early to talk
about this. J. Grantham moved that we table this discussion until
at least November, S. Towse seconded, all agreed.
VII. Reports.
S. Fuller, County Librarian.
The CAC and the JPA are considering hiring a visiting speaker to
come and discuss the Internet and the whole spectrum of electronic
issues. She would like recommendations of names of speakers who are
both witty and entertaining as well as knowledgable and informative.
The JPA meets tomorrow (10/24). They will review building policy,
reorganization of support services, etc. Also will honor Diane
McKenna with a special certificate with LOTS of signatures. She is
a 'good egg' They will have chocolate cake and give her a book.
The meeting is to be in Milpitas.
There was recently a nice dedication of the Alum Rock library. A
lot of effort has gone into enhancing it, and we should plan to
visit it, it looks great. Three county Supervisors were at the
dedication.
Our Saratoga Library book drop is not ready for a date yet, but this
improvement should be done in November.
S. Fuller has a fact sheet and budget for last year and this year's
budget.
Report - D. Barnes, Community Librarian.
The community room is available for public use by non-profit
community groups. Today, D. Barnes met with a woman and her son,
who want to book the room for their rock music group to play in
(with an audience). Saturday night is the only option. D. Barnes
invited her to attend this meeting tonight, but she did not show up.
S. Fuller said that this sort of request has been a problem in
other county libraries as well. We need to check policy with the
city Council. We also need to get a list of the rules controlling
the use of the community room. It's possible for certain groups and
their audiences to inflict damage on the facilities, but it also
true that we are committed to equal access for all qualifying
groups. There may be other suitable alternatives for some groups,
such as the Teen Center, etc. M. Manzo said that we'll put this on
the agenda for next month %o review the usage rules.
The Lwo girls that were at the September commission meeting
represent a group that is now planning a meeting in the community
center to tell about what they've achieved.
D. Barnes will send Nancy Howe in her place to the November meeting.
Report - I. Jacobs, City Staff Representative.
Absent, no report.
Report - M. Manzo, Chair.
D. Mclaughlin was at the Brown Act meeting. He will be on the
Library Commission meeting agenda for November to share a report
about it.
Report - C. Foscato, Friends of Saratoga Library.
M. Manzo reported for C. Foscato %hat the recent auction and paper
book sales have generated revenue of $4,700. Membership is soaring,
with current enrollment at over 790 people. The Friends have more
money now that at the end of last year, and are doing great.
Report - S. Towse, Saratoga Library Foundation.
The Foundation met October 4 as planned, and further meetings are
planned. The Foundation even got a check from a couple (Porters)
who indicated that they could not come but sent a nice letter and a
check. At the meeting, Mike Fox said that he feels we need
$70-75,000 for the initial architectural work, not the $40,000
estimated earlier. He offered to help us find it. Sally Lucas
offered her house for a reception for $1,000 donors. Paul Jacobs
also offered his house for this (off Pierce Road). The Foundation
intends to have many other meetings and would like additional names
to approach.
VIII. Oral and Written Communications. None.
IX. Adjournment.
S. Towse moved Adjournment. E. Sessler seconded.
Adjourned at 9:05 pm.
Notes taken and transcribed by Jack Grantham.
THESE NOTES FORWARDED BY EMAIL TO Irene Jacobs at Saratoga city
office, 10/31/96, 8:15 am, (408) 741-1132, [voice = I408) 867-3438,
X. 215]. EMAIL address = saratoga@STATENET.COM.
Copies of these notes and attachments sent to I. Jacobs at Saratoga
city office by paper mail on 10/31/96 as well.
~-24-199S I:~IAM FROM SARATOGA LIBRARY ~08 867 98~6 H.z
Santa Clara County Library
Policy for the Public Use of the
Saratoga Community Library Meeting Room
I. The Santa Clara County Library is happy to provide a meeting room for your use and hope
you find it satisfactory. Community groups will be D~raitted and encouraged to use this
room for educational, cultural, and recreational programs when such uses do not conflict
with library programs. Such programs must be free and open to the public. The room
is not available for private partie~
2. Eli~ble or t, ani'zations (in priority ~der)
a. Library programs
b. Library reh~d groups (e.g. Friends of the Library, Great Books discussions)
c. Civic and school groups
d. Other nonprofit groups not included in the above whose use of the room would be
compatible with Santa Clara County policies
3, F.~
a. The non-refundable fee is $10 for each use of the room.
b. Fee must be paid in advance, when the room is rescued.
4. Reservation of facilities
a. The meeting room is avaJbble: ~.
Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Sunday Not available
b. Re. sexvations are made at the front checkout desk or by phone, Monday fiu'ough Friday
during open hours before 5:00 p.m. The individual to be responsible for the meeting
must fill out the "Application for the Use of the Saratoga Library Meeting Room."
Whoever fills out the form will be responsible for making sure library rules are
followed and the room is left in good order. The application must be submitted well in
advance of the meeting.
c. Permission to use the facilities will be granted,to adults only.
d. In an effort to serve as many community groups as possible,, no one group will be
booked more than once a month nor mca'e than three months in advance. Permission to
use the facilities by groups which meet on a regular basis is subject to periodic review.
e. Minimum group size is eight persons. Maximum number of persons pertained in this
room k~ 100, owing to fire regulations.
f. Permission for use of the meeting room will be grante~ upon condition that all rules and
regulations governing the use of the room are followed.
4-2~-1995 1:41AM FROM SARATOGA LIBRARY ~08 8S7 98~S ~.J
5. Rules for use of the facilities
a. Meetings must be free and open to the public.
b. The individual or organization granted use of tl~ room shall be responsible for payment
for any damages to and/or loss of library property~ The facilities must be left in good
condition.
c. The organization seeking use of the room must designate a repre~ntative who will be
responsible for the protection, care, and cleanline.~ of the room. This person must be
the one who fills out the application.
d. If the person who rifled out the application does not auend the meeting, another person
must be delegated to be responsible for the room. He/she must receive copies of the
policy statement and responsibility sheet and must notify the library of this change
when checking in at the front desk, so that hi~ex signature can be added to the
application.
e. When re. sexving the room, allow time for Ineparafion and setting up before and cleaning
up after the meeting. Groups may not enter before the time reserved and must have left
by the time specif~L
f. Stacking chairs axe provided by the library. The group using the room must set up the
chairs before the meeting and return them to their stacks afterward. Tables should be
lined up next to the front walls.
g. Lights must be turned off and doors locked at the conclusion of the meeting. Use the
Responsibility Sheet as a checklist to make sure every0fing is taken care of.
h. An adult sponsor shall be pre.~t if members of the group are under 18 yea~ of age.
i. The following proba'bitions must be observed:
NO solicitation, sales, fegs, or requested donations. A nominal
amount to cover refreshment costs may be collected.
Organizational dues may be collected.
NO smoking or alcoholic beverages.
NO nails, screws, thumbtacks, staples, tape, adhesives, or signs on
the walls or doors unless advanc6 approval is given.
NO messages can be accepted by library staff for delivery to someone
in the meeting room (true emergencies excepted) nor are library
phones available for meeting room users.
NO copying of copyrighted software.
NO high voltage equipment. Deeibel level must be appropriate to
library.
j. Doors and windows to the outside shall remain closed to allow the Iibrary's air and
heating systems to operate eonecay.
2
~-2~-1995 I:~2AM FROM SARATOGA LIBRARY ~08 BS7 98~6 ~-~
6. publicity and mail
We ask that if you do media publicity about your event that you clearly inelucle a contact
phone number and address other than the libraty's in your release. It is frustrating for library
staff to get many unanswerable qt~sfions about your event. Questions from the public about
your event will be referred to the name and phone number on the application.
?.
The exterior book return slot for the library is loca~ on an outside wall of the Community
Room. Books drop into a locked closet in the Community Room at all hours. This will
impact your meeting in two ways:;
a. Despite ongoing efforts to pad the closet, books dropping in are noisy.
Library staff need to empty the closet at set hours. An employee will enter the
room with a book cart to empty.the contents of the closet. Most groups
find the disruption minimal.
8. Security arrangements
If your meeting begins before ~ library is open, please...
· rap at the front door, A staff member will let you in. The rest of your group needs to
emer via the glass back door of the'Community Room.
· notify the front d~k staff when your meeting ks over.
If your meeting begins while the library is open, please...
- check in with the front desk staff be, fore proceeding to the Community Room.
· notify the front desk staff when your meeting is over.
If your meeting begins alter the library is closed, please...
· sign out a key the day before the meeting or earlier that day.
· when entering the library, be sure the front doors latch closed behind you.
· when entering the Community Room, immediately hang the key on the nail next to the
double doors inside lhe Corfimunity Room. You will not need this key again.
· have your group enter through the back door of the Community Room
for the meeting, not the front doors to the library,
If your meetings ends after the library is closed, please...
- turn out any lights in the front area.
· double cheek that the front double doors to the building are securely latched.
Failure to comply with these responsibilities could jeopardize a group's future use of the
Community Meeting Room.
3
4-2~-1996 1:42AM FROM SARATOGA LIBRARY ~BB B67 9806 ~-~
Santa Clara County Library
Application for Use Of Saratoga Library Meeting Room
Dare:
Name of Organization:
Individual placing reservation:
Address:
Telephone Business Telephone:
Daze and Time requested:
Purpose:
Estimated attendance:
(Fire Department prohibits more than 100 in room.)
Fee ($10.00) Paid: $rMT initials:
Special arrangements:
I have read and understand the printed policy statement for the use of the
Saratoga Library Meeting Room. I agree to abide by those conditions and
regulations. I am willing for my name and phone number to be given to persons
inquiring about this meeting. I will personally attend the entire meeting.
Signed:
Date:
Title:
All meetings must be free and open to the public.
Library approval: 200/5-93/101.031S