HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-27-2008 Library Commission minutesCITY OF SARATOGA
LIBRARY COMMISSION
MINUTES
DATE: February 27, 2008
TIME: 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Community Room
Saratoga Library
13650 Saratoga Avenue
Saratoga, CA 95070
1. Call to Order
Chair Nilan called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Commissioners present: Chiou, Lemmon, McBane Mulford, and Nilan. Others present:
County Librarian Melinda Cervantes, Saratoga Community Librarian Barbara Williams,
Saratoga Interim Staff Liaison Crystal Morrow, Saratoga Facilities Maintenance Supervisor
Thomas Scott, Friends of the Saratoga Libraries Liaison Tat Blesch, and City Clerk Cathleen
Boyer.
3. Report on Posting of the Agenda
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly
posted on February 22, 2008 (Boyer).
4. Accept Agenda Items and Order:
No additional items were added pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. McBane
Mulford moved to accept the agenda items and order, seconded by Nilan. Motion passed 4/0.
5. Approval of Minutes of Regular Meeting December 5, 2007.
Minutes from December 5, 2007 and February 27, 2008 meetings will be distributed for
approval at April meeting.
6. Oral & Written Communication
No oral or written communications were presented to the Commission. Chair Nilan
welcomed Dick Corson, an avid library user who attended the meeting to learn more about
the role and activities of the Commission.
7. Old Business
A. Review of the Library Commission’s Mission Statement
∗ Chiou recommended minor changes to the mission statement, which focused on
including city and library staff in the language. The recommendations were discussed
and clarified by the commissioners and staff. Additionally, replacing the word
‘guides’ with ‘advises’ in regard to the Commissions’ role with respect to the Joint
Powers Authority was discussed.
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February 27, 2008 Meeting Minutes
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∗ Nilan read the revised mission statement to confirm the changes proposed, as follows:
“The mission of the Saratoga Library Commission is to ensure that access is
provided to informational, educational, and recreational library materials and
services that respond to evolving community needs. The Commission guides the
Saratoga City council and city staff regarding the library facility and grounds, as
well as current library issues. The Commission advises the Santa Clara County
Library Joint Powers Authority Board and library staff regarding library budgets,
politics, plans and procedures.”
∗ Lemmon moved to approve the changes as stated above, seconded by Chiou. Motion
passed 4/0.
B. Building Maintenance Update
Thomas Scott reviewed the memorandum dated February 20, 2008 re: Library Projects
Update that was distributed as part of the Commissioners’ agenda packet.
∗ As of February 20th, 2008, the following facilities items were identified as completed:
∗ The outside wall staining project has been completed.
∗ Staff confirmed that the roof top exhaust fans on the roof do not require a shut off
safety switch since the service switch is located under the hood.
∗ The following projects are currently in progress:
∗ Getting bids to repair the roof leaks noted after the last large storm, some
temporary work has been completed. There are leaks due to failures in the roof in
a number of places from unknown circumstances, although roofing material (with
nails included) left on the structure by the original contractor may have
contributed to the issues when these materials were tossed about the roof in the
January storms.
∗ As an additional note regarding roof drainage, the design of the physical
structure in one area forces approximately 200 sq. ft. of roof area to shed onto
the roof below. This drainage could be converted to piping and may be
considered in the future within the capital improvement fund allocations. This
would mitigate further leaks in the affected areas.
∗ Getting bids to replace the inside stained ceiling tiles.
(a) A total of 42 ceiling tiles were stained by leakage within the library.
Currently, only ceiling tiles stained are proposed for replacement. However,
once installed the aesthetic considerations regarding combination of new and
old tiles may cause staff and the Commission to reevaluate whether additional
tiles should be replaced. The work will require a man lift as the tiles are at 30
feet above the finish floor, and plywood must be temporarily placed to
distribute the load. The intent is to perform the work on Monday and Tuesday
mornings prior to opening the library to the public. The ceiling tile project
will start once the roof leakage has been completely addressed.
∗ Getting bids to clean out the roof gutters that are plugged.
(a) Large sheets of water are cascading due to debris in the gutter systems. This
issue, per the lease agreement, is the responsibility of the County Library.
Staff is exploring a ‘gutter guard’ type solution, although the architecturally
unique gutters on the facility will not accept any readily available and a
custom solution might be necessary.
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February 27, 2008 Meeting Minutes
Page 3 of 6
∗ Getting approval on replacing outside failed wood siding, $1,500.00.
∗ Emergency capital repair. Commission must provide approval to reallocate
other capital funds in the current budget to address this issue as the failure of
the physical building is considered emergency capital repair. The cause of the
siding failure was due to sun overexposure and lack of ongoing annual
maintenance. Staff has determined that the staining and maintenance cycle for
the southern exposure is three years, where the rest of the siding is five years.
Staff will perform annual visual inspections to ensure that any issues are
remedied prior to material failure in the future.
∗ Correcting the Children’s area lighting problem will be worked on with the first
item being the selection of fixtures for the area by the Facilities Subcommittee,
Community Librarian and staff.
∗ Repairing various lighting and power issues around the building.
(a) This issue is still under investigation, as the site is located at a PG&E grid
intersection. Power brownings and outages seem to be prevalent in this area.
Staff will continue to observe and investigate as more demand is placed on the
systems (air conditioning and replacement computers).
∗ Getting bids to do maintenance cleaning of the rest of Cool Roof areas.
∗ Installing PG&E meters for Metro/PCS and the City.
C. Nilan moved to reallocate $1,500.00 from this fiscal year’s budgeted line item “Lighting /
Electrical Improvements” towards the emergency capital repair of outside failed wood
siding as recommended by staff; seconded by Lemmon. Motion passed 4/0.
D. Library Capital Improvement Fund Review
∗ Thomas Scott’s suggestions for 08/09 included:
∗ Various lighting and fixture improvements (10,000)
∗ Improvements in lighting Children’s area (20,000)
∗ Installing new PG&E meters (20,000)
∗ Unplanned Repair and Improvement Funds (10,000)
∗ Walkway around Library (25,000)
∗ No other anticipated expenditures
E. Library Commission Vacancy
∗ One vacancy currently exists for the Commission. The City has advertised twice, but
no applications have been received. The City Clerk will extend the deadline,
providing further recruitment opportunities.
∗ Cathleen will email Barbara Williams and Chair Nilan the current vacancy
information. Staff can post the vacancy information as well as assist in the recruiting
process.
8. New Business
A. Introduction of Interim Staff Liaison, Crystal Morrow
∗ Morrow joined the City’s staff to restart the Parks and Recreation Commission, and
has recently reinstated online The Saratogan. She is also currently looking at
improving electronic communications with residents, and is exploring development of
a subscription based email list for information distribution, notices, etc.
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B. Review and Approval Recommendations for Proposed Facilities Improvement Projects
Fiscal Year 08/09
∗ Nilan moved to carry forward funds into 2008-09 as allocated for 2007-08 for the
following projects if not completed by June 30, 2008:
∗ Improvements for various lighting and electrical issues, $8,500
∗ Improvements to lighting in the Children’s Area, $20,000
∗ Installation of new PG&E meters, $20,000
and to allocate funds for the following new project and contingency:
∗ Investigate feasibility of completion of a pedestrian walkway around the building,
$5,000
∗ Contingency for unplanned improvements and repairs (to be allocated by
commission approval for unplanned projects brought before the Commission
within the fiscal year at a regular meeting, or by the Facilities Subcommittee or
Library Commission Chair in the interim period), $10,000
C. Advocacy and Outreach
∗ McBane Mulford will follow up with an informational only email to Library
Commissioners after attending the March 1st CALTAC Workshop to be held in San
Mateo. McBane Mulford also plans to attend the California Library Association
(CLA) sponsored Legislative Day in Sacramento with Cervantes on April 16, 2008.
D. Agenda Items for Joint Meeting with City Council on April 2, 2008
∗ This will be a 6:00 p.m. meeting held prior to the 7:00 p.m. regular Council session.
While a formal agenda is not required, if the Commission would like to propose
agenda items or submit material to be distributed in the Council’s packet it must be
received by the City Clerk at least one week prior.
9. Reports
A. Melinda Cervantes, County Librarian
∗ Reminder: CALTAC is hosting a workshop at the San Mateo Public Library on
March 1, 2008. Dr. Ken Haycock, San José State University School of Library and
Information Science will be the keynote speaker. The deadline for registration was
February 15th, but usually walk-ins are welcome.
∗ Last month, facilitator Paul Meyer engaged attendees of the Library Commissioners
and Friends Forum in a lively discussion o how growth and change in local
communities may impact library services in the next 3 – 10 years. In February,
approximately 30 library stakeholders will participate in a telephone survey which
will be followed by an online survey of all library employees. Results of this
strategic planning process will be presented to the Library JPA Board at their June
meeting.
∗ The California Library Association (CLA) Legislative Day in the District took place
on January 25th and February 1st. The County Librarian joined other library
representatives at meetings with Senator Simitian, Assembly members Alberto
Torrico, Ira Ruskin, Joe Coto, and Jim Beall. CLA has taken the position that
California libraries have taken more than their fair share of cuts. The Governor’s
proposed budget includes a 10% cut to the State Library, including the California
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Library Literacy Services Program, Transaction-Based Reimbursement Program
(TBR) and the Public Library Foundation Program (PLF).
At the October JPA meeting, Cervantes reported that the Governor blue-penciled $15
million in cuts to library funding statewide. The impact on Santa Clara County
Library is a loss of $374,000 for FY2007/08:
∗ Direct Loan and Interlibrary Loan Program: Estimated impact = $300,000. This
revenue was NOT budgeted so there will be no impact.
∗ Public Library Foundation: Estimated impact = $74,000. This revenue was NOT
budgeted so there will be no impact.
∗ The Governor’s FY2008-09 Proposed Budget includes a 10% cut to PLF, BR and
CLLS funds statewide that will result in a reduction of $23,790 of PLF funding,
$178,000 of TBR funding and $9,060 for CLLS (Literacy) funding for a total
estimated impact of $210,850 in reduced funding.
∗ The CLA is sponsoring a Legislative Day in Sacramento on Wednesday, April 16th.
It would be great to have a few commissioners, Friends, and other library supporters
join staff in delivering our message to State Legislators. Please contact Cynthia
Garcia if interested and we will try to coordinate carpools and lunch.
∗ “Senator Joe Simitian, one of the biggest supporters of library issues in the
legislature, has introduced a new library construction bond bill for the 2008 session.
The $4 billion general obligation bond measure will be sponsored by the California
Library Association. SB 1516 would enact the California Reading and Literacy
Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2010, if
approved by the voters during the 2010 statewide primary election.” (Excerpt from
CLA Newsflash, submitted by Mike Dillon and Christina Dillon, CLA Lobbyists)
∗ The next JPA Board Meeting is Thursday, April 24, 2008
B. Barbara Morrow Williams, Community Librarian
∗ Level of Activity
∗ January 2008
- Saratoga Library circulated 117,574 items (books and periodicals, CDs,
DVDs, Videos, games and items in CD Rom format)
- Open 235 hours and averaging 498 items per hour
- Gate count of 34,426 people
∗ Comparative Level of Activity - January 2007 (Opened on Mondays)
- 119,637 in circulation in 243 hours, for an average of 492 items
- Gate count of 37,884 people
∗ Not included in the circulation data is the subscription to electronic resources,
including full-text sites. Not included in the gate count for January are program
attendees estimated at slightly fewer than 800, including Juvenile and Adult/Teen
events, Friends events, and outreach.
∗ The library installed new self-check machines which are faster and easier to
access. Saratoga now has six machines, three of them new models, in Adult and
Juvenile areas.
∗ Select Upcoming Programs
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∗ Free SAT Strategy sessions by Princeton Review will be held March 1st and
March 8th for pre-registered students – currently very well subscribed.
∗ Free Jazz Concert in the Library on March 19th at 7:00 p.m. with Sheryl Mebane
and Tangria Jazz Ensemble
∗ Master Gardener Series, March 20th and March 27th
∗ Juvenile programs for kids and parents: Meet the Sheriff on March 13th and
Meet the Fire Truck on March 19th; Princess Tea Party for ages 4-6 on April 9th.
Pre-registration begins March 1st.
∗ April is a busy month for the Library:
∗ With the participation of the Friends, we will roll out the Month of the Young
Child on April 6th, with a special event for children and their families. It is in
the planning stages and an excellent opportunity to develop our collaborations
in the community
∗ National Library Week, April 13th through 19th
∗ The Friends of the Saratoga Libraries will celebrate their 25th Anniversary
∗ New Teen Program Project
∗ This major project, with the help of the Friends, will revitalize the Teen Area to
provide program and reader’s advisory services to the many teens and tweens and
their families in our area. March 2ill include researching other teen spaces and
holding focus groups with our teens and tweens to get their input. April is
scheduled for planning by a cross-functional team of Juvenile and Adult/Teen
Program Services librarians who work with this growing demographic.
C. Tat Blesch, Friends of the Saratoga Libraries
∗ Please join us on Friday at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Room to welcome Barbara
Williams at a reception sponsored by the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries and the
City of Saratoga.
10. Agenda Items for Next Meeting
A. Library Capital Improvement Fund
B. Building Maintenance Update
C. Advocacy and Outreach
11. Adjournment
Chair Nilan adjourned the meeting at 2:27 p.m.