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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-13-2007 Library Commission MinutesCITY OF SARATOGA LIBRARY COMMISSION MINUTES DATE: June 13, 2007 TIME: 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. LOCATION: Community Room, Saratoga Library 13650 Saratoga Avenue Saratoga, California 95070 1. Call to Order Chair Thirumule called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. 2. Roll Call Commissioners present: Thirumale, Chiou, Lemmon, Nilan, and McBane Mulford. Others present: Nancy Tucker, Los Altos Library Commission member, Dolly Barnes, Community Librarian, Melinda Cervantes, Santa Clara County Libranan, Tat Blesch, Friends of the Saratoga Libraries, and Cathleen Boyer, City Clerk. 3. Report on Posting of the Agenda Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly posted on June 10, 2007. 4. Accept Agenda Items and Order Thirumale motioned acceptance of the agenda items and order, Chiou seconded and the motion passed 5/0. 5. Approval of Minutes of March 28, 2007 Chiou motioned approval of the minutes, Lemmon seconded and the motion passed 5/0. 6. Oral Written Communication No oral or written communications presented to the Commission. 7. Old Business By way of his June 6, 2007 memorandum to the commission, Thomas Scott reported (in absentia) that the new HVAC control system has been installed and is now working on the internet. The following projects are being worked on: *The outside wall staining project is planned for summer 2007 *Correcting lighting problems in the Childrens' area *Repair of various lighting and power problems *Installation of a safety ladder for the roof Maintenance cleaning of the "cool roof' *Installation of PG &E meters for Metro /PCS and the City 8. New Business A. Review of the Library Commission's goals and mission statement Since the commissions goals have not been reviewed in some time, Nilan moved to create a subcommittee to review and rewrite commission goals for 2007 -2008. Chiou Saratoga Library Commission June 13, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 6 seconded. (Motion passed 5/0). Sam McBane Mulford and Roxanne Nilan were nominated as members. B. Clarification of the discrete roles of the Saratoga Library Commission and the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries. Since recent discussions with City staff and City Council members have revealed confusion regarding the difference between the Library Commission and the Friends of the Saratoga Library, commissioners and guests discussed the two organizations' relative roles, responsibilities and accountability It was agreed that while both organizations support and advocate for the library, the Friends are primarily an advocacy group through both programs and a variety of fundraising projects (such as the library bricks, paperback book sales, and the very successful Book -Go- Round, which alone brought in $138,000 in the past 11 months). The Friends' board, elected by the membership, is accountable to the membership. The Friends supplement the library's annual budget, to enhance the collections, services, and programs provided to the community. Most recently, it provided two -year funding to keep the library open on Mondays. Library Commissioners are appointed by the city councils of Saratoga (4) and Monte Sereno (1), and serve as the Council's eyes and ears, providing advice to city council, staff, Santa Clara County Library staff, and the City Librarian, on library policies, budgets, plans, and procedures. As city appointees, they serve the entire community of Saratoga -Monte Sereno, and are subject to the Brown Act. (The Friends have no such political accountability). The City of Saratoga owns both the current library building (though not its collections) as well as the former library building, now the Book -Go- Round. The Commission serves as an oversight committee to public funds in the Library Capital Improvement fund. Clearly, the Friends and the Commission have the library as a common bond (often commissioners are also members of the Friends), and the two groups collaborate in many ways. A member of the Friends board serves as an ex- officio member of the Commission. Both give voice to different issues within the community and to the Council, although they may do so by different means. Lemmon mentioned that other service organizations are interested in the library, noting that the Lions Club (of which she is a member) has also donated to the Library. Barnes added that this community is small enough that people feel an ownership for the building and library activities, which may not by typical of larger communities. Los Altos Library Commissioner Nancy Tucker (who is also a member of the Los Altos Joint Powers Authority, and the Los Altos friends) was invited to share information about the Los Altos library, friends and commission. She noted that the Los Altos Commission has seven members, who (like Saratoga) are interviewed and appointed by the council. Saratoga Library Commission June 13, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 6 Applicants attend at least one commission meeting before submitting their application. Los Altos has a Mayor's meeting with all chairs of commissions. Nancy emphasized the importance of being an active advocate. The Friends of the Los Altos Library have been very successful in her view; they raise about $100,000 a year to supplement the Library's funds. The Friends have also received significant legacies from community members. Funds have been donated to several different groups, including the Los Altos Library Endowment (LALE), which generates funding from private sources, and seeks larger investments. These various organizations sponsor speakers, contribute funding for materials, and may be able to supply capital funds for the facilities. Recently, voters of the cities of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills created a Los Altos Joint Powers Authority (LAJPA), and through taxation, funds have been raised to support additional hours and library materials at both library locations. However, this local tax expires in 2010 or 2011, and voters will be asked to increase the parcel tax as well as fund a second addition to the Library. Due to the creation of these various fundraising organizations (including the friends and the LALE) and the establishment of the local JPA, there was some discussion of having the commission serves as an umbrella organization to address the complexity of relationships. Tucker stated that city government of Los Altos as well as the community is very invested in the library facility, and have shown that they feel that the facility supports the City by maintaining property values. Interestingly, local realtors supported Measures A and B in the last election even though they were reprimanded by the state board of realtors, whose policy has been to disapprove of any property taxes. (Saratoga realtors have similarly been supportive of library and educational efforts). The LAJPA has representatives from both city councils, and is supported by City of Los Altos staff. It is currently funding a needs assessment study for the addition to the library, to guide the future planning and to provide the research and data gathering and community engagement necessary to support an expansion campaign. A separate Expansion Committee, organized by the Library Commission, is being established to address the future needs of the Los Altos Library facility. The Friends in Los Altos have engaged an architect to establish a schematic design for expansion of the library. Cervantes noted that as more local JPAs, like that of Los Altos/Los Altos Hills, are formed, the Santa Clara County JPA will have more trouble convincing county voters to support taxation for other county libraries like Saratoga. Local support is an estimated at 75 to 80 percent, yet when so many organizations engage so many people to support their individual libraries, valuable efforts are duplicated and the goodwill of donors and taxpayers may be exhausted. Tucker shared some of the lessons learned in Los Altos. For the local election, they formed a committee of seven to work with a marketing professional, commissioners, Saratoga Library Commission June 13, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 6 former mayors, Friends board members, and other community people. They reached out to the community in a number of ways: personally distributing lawn signs; contacting editors of local and high school newspapers; attending Los Alto School District meetings, and community picnics; asking for endorsements from influential city officials. They found they had to educate the public about turning in mail -in ballots. Tucker said Los Altos is fortunate in having the North County Library Authority as another funding mechanism. Subcommittee will invite certain community members to participate on the committee. NCLA, Friends and Commission met together when first expansion was first discussed, and continue to hold joint meetings from time to time. The County Library is also represented at those meetings. The Los Altos Library Commission sought approval from the City to print business cards with logo; in San Jose, they provide business cards to Commissioners. These are handy to hand out when advocating on behalf of the library. C. Calendar Adjustments Beginning with the new fiscal year (July 2007), the Library Commission will meet six times a year. Nilan moved to schedule 2007 -2008 meetings as follows (Chiou seconded, passed 5/0): August 22, October 24, December 5, 2007, and February 27, April 23, and June 11, 2008. Meetings are normally held the fourth Wednesday of the month, except in December due to the holidays. All meetings are held from 12:00 noon to approximarly 2:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the Saratoga Library, except the December 5 meeting, held 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Book Go Round) D. Friends and Commissioners Forum Report Tat Blesch Blesch reported on the presentation of Dr. Ken Haycock, Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, January 13, 2007. His subject was "Developing a Powerful New Vision," and focused on developing a wide range of resources, free access to resources, and personal assistance. Haycock believes strongly in advocacy and emphasized publicity, public relations, marketing, and lobbying. He encouraged the use of such terms as "family literacy," "community awareness of issues," and "development of community." Library advocacy should include planned, long term volunteers who are constantly seen by the community (friends organizations), and should include constant reminders of mission. Advocacy should respect all power bases. "People do things for their own reasons, not ours. We volunteers should go where they are, not necessarily drag them to the library unnecessarily." Advocacy is about connecting agendas. Libraries can fill needs. Dr. Haycock encouraged clear and measurable mission statements, an assessment of current market situations and target groups, an opportunity- issues analysis (as well as an analysis of the competition), and ongoing evaluation. Saratoga Library Commission June 13, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page5of6 The commission is the means for communicating between citizenry and the City, while the Friends is a more powerful means to emphasize to the public the need to have and support a library. Tat encouraged the commission to use its advisory role to educate the city and its citizenry, collect statements of support, identify needs, work with service organizations, etc. 9. Reports A. Melinda Cervantes, County Librarian Sen. Joe Simitian has introduced SB156, California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2008. If passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, this Proposition could appear as early as the November 2008 ballot. [Update: The Senate Appropriations Committee place SB156, in committee, on "suspense," which means it will have until January 31, 2008 to be sent to the floor for a vote.] The old Morgan Hill Library closed June 9th to begin moving into its new building. The Grand Opening will be held July 21, 2007, at noon. The 2008 Silicon Valley Reads book selection is Distant Land of My Father, by Bo Caldwell, the debut novel of a Cupertino author. It tells the story of betrayal and reconciliation spanning several years across two continents. The book will be the subject of numerous programs throughout Santa Clara County in February 2008, when readers are asked to read the same book, at the same time, and discuss it. This will be the sixth year of Silicon Valley Reads, which is co- sponsored by the Santa Clara County Library, the Santa Clara County Office of Education, and San Jose Public Library Foundation. The goals of the program are to promote reading and literacy while building a sense of community through dialogue among widely diverse readers. The JPA Board adopted the FY2007/08 Santa Clara County Library Budget at their meeting on Thursday, June 7, 2007. *The County Library's Information Systems manager is retiring. An interim systems manager will be appointed through County's IS department for six months while the Library recruits for the position. (The vacancy will be posted in August). *Gilroy's library building is failing and requires a 1.7 million investment to continue use. Gilroy's city manager, who is retiring in December, is willing to take this forward now and consider this as a CIP project. They hope to identify a local solution in July. B. Dolly Barnes, City Librarian Saratoga's childrens librarians made 59 presentations to 3,565 students in 11 days of visiting eight schools. They made a variety of presentations with riddles, science experiments, and other fun and engaging activities. Their goal was to promote summer reading. It must have worked through June 12 more than 400 children have signed up for the summer reading program. Adult services libranans have participated in book talks at the Foothill Club, were invited to attend an arts forum at Villa Montalvo, and participated in the County Library's outreach at the Book Club Convention at Expo San Jose. C. Vandi Thurumale, chair Special meeting on May 2 went very well. Minutes will be reviewed at the next meeting. D. Tat Blesch, Friends of the Saratoga Library 30 businesses have signed up for Saratoga's annual sidewalk sale in the village in September. "Saratoga Swings," July 14 and 28, 2007, will include salsa and "older generations." The Friends recently approved a planned giving subcommittee of Friends and five others, to develop a "Leaving a Legacy" program. The Friends worry that the library cannot depend upon long -term government or tax funding, and would like to explore other streams of revenue. 10. Suggested agenda Items for Next Meeting August 22, 2007 Mission and Goals Discussion SCC Library Strategic Planning Process Update Saratoga Library Commission June 13, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 6 11. Adjournment Chair Thirumale moved to adjourn the meeting at 2:00 p.m. (Nilan seconded; 5/0) CITY OF SARATOGA LIBRARY COMMISSION MINUTES DATE: August 22, 2007 TIME: 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. LOCATION: Community Room, Saratoga Library 13650 Saratoga Avenue Saratoga, California 95070 1. Call to Order Chair Thirumale called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call Commissioners present: Chiou, Lemmon, McBane Mulford, Nilan, and Thirumale. Others present: County Librarian Melinda Cervantes, Community Librarian Dolly Barnes, Saratoga Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Thomas Scott, Tat Blesch of Friends of the Saratoga Libraries. 3. Report on posting of the agenda Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly posted on August 17, 2007 (Boyer). 4. Accept Agenda Items and Order: No additional items may be added pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. Lemmon/Chiou moved to accept the agenda items and order (Motion passed 5/0.) 5. Approval of minutes of Special Meeting May 2, 2007 The following corrections to the minutes were identified: typo correction, p.2b, of Ruth Gipstein (add s); and inclusion of full date for Lon Tinfow's report, May 3, 2005. McBane Mulford/Lemmon moved to approve minutes with the corrections. (Motion passed 5/0.) With a change in commission "secretary" from Nilan to McBane Mulford, it was confirmed that in the future, meeting minutes will be forwarded to the chair for review at least two weeks prior to the next meeting of the Commission. The minutes, reviewed and corrected, will be forwarded by the chair, with the upcoming meeting agenda, to the city clerk (Cathleen Boyer) at least one week prior to the next meeting of the Commission. 6. Oral Written Communication No oral or written communications presented to the Commission. 7. Old Business A. Building Maintenance Update. Thomas Scott reviewed progress as of August 14, 2007. Projects discussed at the June meeting are still in process. Scott added that, following the May 2, 2007, special meeting, he Saratoga Library Commission August 22, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 obtained relevant account numbers from the city's finance depai tment, and is tracking activities accordingly. He will work with Gay Strand of the County Library on the lighting issues in the Children's Room, and will call upon the Facilities Subcommittee members as necessary to obtain input and feedback on projects when appropriate. B. Review of the Library Commission's Mission Statement and Goals Nilan circulated the draft, "Saratoga Library Commission Goals 2007 2008," and asked commissioners to review them. (Two proofreading suggestions by Cervantes were incorporated.) Goals should be both concise and measurable. She also circulated a copy of the "commission profile" from the City of Saratoga's website, and noted the following two corrections for action by the City Clerk: Nilan's term ends in October 2008, not 2007 as stated; and Vandi Thirumale is commission chair (not Chiou, as stated.) Commissioners discussed the need to clearly differentiate the profile and mission statement, and to create a concise, easily repeated and clear mission statement. Nilan suggested that a subcommittee revisit and revise the profile and mission statement to reflect current context and future direction. Lemmon and Chiou volunteered to review the profile and mission statement for discussion at the next Commission meeting. Blesch noted, in response to a need expressed by Friends of the Saratoga Libraries, staff from the Santa Clara Library have scheduled five forums on the following topics to help them better understand the library's services, programs, collections and operations: Money Matters, Circulation and Community, Online Services, Children's Services, Adult Teen Services. Dolly Barnes distributed a schedule of the forums, planned for August through December of 2007, and invited commissioners to attend. Since individual commissioners are also members of the Friends, official noticing is not required. (No Commission business will be discussed amongst Commissioners at a forum). In discussing the forums, as well as goals and mission statements, commissioners noted the need for commissioners to understand specific responsibilities of the Santa Clara County Library vs. the City of Saratoga, particularly with respect to financing the facility's operations, maintenance, repair and improvements. (The lease agreement establishes certain responsibilities, and the Capital Improvement Fund is governed by restrictions for its use.) The Commission would like to invite staff from both the County Library and the City to discuss the roles, responsibilities, and accountability of each jurisdiction to clarify oversight roles and to craft specific goals regarding facilities and finance. Those identified for tentative invitation by the Chair to future meetings include John Cherbone, Saratoga City Public Works, city finance director Mary Furey, and county library finance director Gay Strand. Tat Blesch requested that all future minutes and other documents distributed for review or action by the Commission include page numbers and revision dates. Nilan/Thirumale moved that Commissioners review the goals as drafted and approve them at the next meeting (motion passed 5/0.) Saratoga Library Commission August 22, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 9. Reports A. Melinda Cervantes, County Librarian Dolly Barnes has announced her retirement as city library (see below), and the County Library is recruiting for her position. They are beginning with a list of applicants for the recent Cupertino Community Librarian position, which included many well qualified candidates. SCCL will also recruit externally as well as explore internal opportunities. Since this will take several months, Dolly will recommend an interim replacement. SCCL is committed to selecting someone as talented and capable as Dolly to assume the position. The Grand Opening of the Morgan Hill Library, held July 21, 2007, was attended by more than 4,500 people. The next issue of the newsletter will have photos of the event. An interim Information Services manager is in place, and SCCL is working to fill the position. The County Library will most likely see many retirements over the next few years. B. Dolly Barnes, Community Librarian Barnes announced her retirement at the end of December, although her last day at work will be near the end of October. She has worked in this position for twenty years, and with the county library for 36 years. She stated her appreciation for her wonderful staff, and for Saratoga's community support and appreciation for library services. She believes that Santa Clara County is an excellent, family friendly employer, who has made it possible to achieve a work life balance. A new service, the "Jobs Kiosk is now located in the Saratoga library (one of four county locations; the others are at Gilroy, Cupertino, and Campbell). This is a first installation of a project between San Jose Mercury News and Yahoo Hot Jobs. Job seekers work through menus of available positions at the kiosk. Although positions are included, the kiosk is particularly strong on hourly, entry level positions. She noted that this is an opportunity to work with community college students. The library provides power only. The kiosk uses wireless communication, no data connection required. The machine also monitors paper stock and alerts project's staff to replace supplies as necessary. C. Vandi Thirumale, Chair no report D. Tat Blesch, Friends of the Saratoga Libraries The Saratoga Village Development Council is sponsoring a Lantern Walk on Saturday September 22, from 5 to 7:00 p.m. The SVDC also sponsors the Pet Parade and the Witchy Walk. The Library will hang a lantern in the building in advance to publicize the event. A recent Gentry Magazine article featured the Village, and the San Jose Mercury News has also scheduled a feature. The Saratoga "Authors Hall of Fame," is on display through September. On September 5, at 9:30 a.m. (Community Room), a Friends breakfast forum will host the local author of Dancing in My Nightgown. Blesch noted that the Friends subcommittee working to establish an endowment for the library, hopes to frame a mission statement. To encourage giving, individuals will want to know that the legacy they are funding is aligned to their values. The Friends would like individual commissioners to act as liaisons and ombudsmen within the community to generate support for the concept. Nilan encouraged a clear statement, noting that targeted endowments can be quite successful, while trying to be everything to everyone will prove less so. Blesch stated that the Fnends Subcommittee is seeking a tax attorney to volunteer expertise toward the effort. 10. Agenda Items for Next Meeting Review and Discussion of Mission Statement Review and Discussion of Commission Goals for 2007 2008 Library Facility Finances and Responsibilities Discussion Election of New Chair Distribution of Library Commissioner Handbook Saratoga Library Commission August 22, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4 Adjournment Thirumale/Nilan moved to adjourn the meeting at 1:43 p.m. (motion passed 5/0) Memo To: Library Commission From: Thomas Scott, Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Date: October 18, 2007 Re: Library Projects Update City of Saratoga Facilities Department As of October 18, 2007, the following facilities items have been completed at the Library: Repaired the roof siding over the Lobby. Installed a new safety ladder for the Lobby roof. 1 Projects being worked on: The outside wall staining project is planned for November of '07. Correcting the Children's area lighting problem. Repairing various lighting and power issues.'/ Maintenance cleaning of the rest of Cool Roof areas. Installing PG &E meters for Metro /PCS and the City. V'