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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-1998 Library Commission agendaSaratoga Library Commission Meeting Community Room, Saratoga Community Library 13650 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga Wednesday, January 28, 1998 7:30 p.m. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Roll Call: Ceppos, Foscato, Grantham, Manzo, McLaughlin, Sessler, Towse III.Report on Posting of the Agenda Pursuant to Government Code 54954.2, the agenda was properly posted on 1/23/98. IV. Approval of Minutes of November 12, 1997 V. Old Business a. Library Consultant b. Focus Groups 1. Facilitator 2. Composition VI. New Business a. Brainstorming Session; Optimizing current space VII. Reports a. Susan Fuller, County Librarian b. Dolly Barnes, Community Librarian c. Marcia Manzo, Library Commission Chair d. Irene Jacobs, City Staff Representative e. Cathy Foscato, Friends of the Saratoga Library f. Sally Towse, Library Foundation VIII. Oral & Written Communication This section is for the public to speak on any item Not on the Agenda. IX. Adjournment Saratoga Library Commission Meeting Community Room, Saratoga Community Library November 12, 1997 4:00 p.m. Action Minutes I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. II. Roll Call Commissioners Present: Foscato Grantham, Manzo, McLaughlin, Sessler, Towse- Commissioners Absent: Ceppos, Others Present: Larry Perlin, Mary Jean Finn, Bill McDonnal, Carolyn King, Janet McLaughlin, Brian Gwens, Ruth Gipstein, Susan Fuller, Julie Farnsworth, Nancy Howe, Stan Bogosian, Irene Jacobs, Brian Godbe, Godbe Research & Analysis staff III. Report on Posting of the Minutes: Pursuant to Government Code 54954.2 the agenda was properly posted on November 6, 1997. IV. Approval of Minutes of August 27, 1997 & September 23, 1997 Meetings Commissioner McLaughlin made a motion to approve the minutes of August 27, 1997 with minor corrections. Commissioner Grantham seconded the motion and the motion carried. (5/0) Commissioner Foscato made a motion to approve the minutes of September 23, 1997 with minor corrections. Commissioner Sessler seconded the motion and the motion carried. (6/0) V. Old Business: Commissioner McLaughlin made a motion to address New Business items prior to Old Business items in order to accommodate the guest speaker and members of the Friends of the Saratoga Library who had come to hear the presentation. Commissioner Towse seconded the motion and the motion carried.(6/0) VI. New Business Brian Godbe of Godbe Research & Analysis was present to report his finding of the market research that his agency had conducted in order to access the feasibility of a library expansion in Saratoga funded by a bond measure. Members of the Board of the Friends of the Saratoga Library were present, in addition to the City Staff was directed to draft a memo to the City Council outlining these motions to be presented at their next scheduled Council meeting, Commissioner Manzo, Chair of Library Commission, asked the group to come to January's meeting with a list of the top ten priorities and problems facing the Saratoga Library. Old Business (continued from V): All present members of the Commission agreed that the three items that had been listed under Old Business; Expansion Timetable, Focus Groups and Library Consultant should be tabled until a future meeting when the group had had an opportunity to explore alternatives to the Library Expansion. VII. Reports Susan Fuller, County Librarian: Ms. Fuller reported that the County is in the process of preparing annual and quarterly reports. Marcia Manzo, Library Commission Chair: Commissioner Manzo shared that before the January meeting a sub -committee should begin drafting a presentation that will mark the beginning of the public education process and she recommended Commissioner McLaughlin to lead the sub -committee. Dolly Barnes, Community Librarian: Nancy Howe, reporting on behalf of Dolly Barnes, shared that this year alone the library had trained 175 people on the Internet. Irene M. Jacobs, City Staff Representative: Ms. Jacobs announced that Larry Perlin had been selected as the new City Manager . Cathy Foscato, Friends of the Saratoga Library: Commissioner Foscato reported that the next "New Books Day" would be held the day after Thanksgiving during the Open House downtown being held from 6-9 p.m. Sally Towse, Library Foundation: No report VIII. Adjournment Commissioner Towse made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Commissioner Foscato seconded the motion. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned at 6: 29 p.m. (6/0) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY After reviewing the research results, Godbe Research & Analysis has arrived at the following key findings: • Sixty percent of respondents to the survey have lived in Saratoga more than 16 years and just over 25 percent of the respondents were over 65 years of age. • When asked in an open-ended format, growth and overdevelopment is the most important issue to Saratogans, followed by traffic and the quality of education. Split school district lines also emerged as an important issue; notably among newer residents to Saratoga and respondents in their 40's. • Respondents ranked 'Maintaining fire protection services' as the most important service among 14 services tested in Saratoga. This was followed by 'maintaining police protection services' and 'maintaining library services'. • Maintaining library services received the highest ranking of the three library -related services tested in the issues of importance section of the survey. 'Improving library facilities' and 'Expanding library facilities' received much lower rankings from overall respondents. • The first ballot test, which asked respondents to indicate whether or not they would vote 'yes' or 'no' on the proposed library measure, followed the introductory questions about important issues in Saratoga. At the overall level, 44 percent of respondents indicated they would 'definitely' or 'probably' vote yes on the measure, 47 percent of respondents indicated they would 'definitely' or 'probably' vote no on the measure and 13 percent of respondents were undecided as to how they would vote. • The tax threshold question followed the first ballot test and asked respondents whether certain tax rates would make them more or less likely to support the measure. At $24 per $100,000 of assessed valuation, respondents offered a positive ranking and a positive net gain of four percent. • After testing the ballot measure among respondents, the survey presented a list of features of the measure and asked respondents whether each feature would make them 'more or less likely' to support the library measure on election day. Among the top three features of the measure were mentions that the measure would 'create space for more books', 'increase public access to computer technology' and 'construct a quiet study area in the library'. • Features which did not particularly resound among voters were mentions that the measure would 'increase parking by almost 90 percent', 'move the location of the main entrance to the library to face the parking lot', 'increase the number of checkout stations' and 'add a more convenient book drop'. • Following the list of features, respondents were asked whether arguments for and against the measure would make them 'more or less' likely to support the measure on election day. The top three positive arguments for the measure were mentions that the measure would 'qualify the Library for more money from the County Library's budget', 'expand the library's collection' and 'make more room for reference materials'. • The top three negative arguments against the measure were mentions that 'residents of Monte Sereno will have Friends of the Saratoga Library Godbe Research and Analysis Survey of Voters Page 5 • While the results from this survey are not promising for a victory in 1998, GRA does believe that a public education effort over the next year could markedly improve the library's chance of passing a measure in the future. The public education effort is completely separate from a campaign that would take place once an election date has been called for. Therefore, the volunteers involved in this cause must start to visualize two campaigns and the resources required to be successful at each phase. • There must be several components to the public education effort in order for it to make an impact on voters and especially non -library users. First, the library must concentrate on educating residents to the need for expansion. Slogans, such as 'Save the Community Room' or 'Keep books on the shelves', should also be introduced early and reiterated throughout the course of the public education effort. The Saratoga Community Library measure is challenged by the perception that the library is in good condition. This double standard (good maintenance efforts vs. no perceived need for repairs) can hurt the measure's chance of passing. In addition to communicating the need for expansion via slogans, the public education campaign must also instill a feeling in the community that 'the library has done all they can'. Quarterly newsletters are a good place to -begin this type of public education effort. Newsletters must be readily available to library users, but also sent through the mail to all voters in Saratoga. As was noted in the Key Findings, there is no way of knowing how many respondents in the survey were library users. Without information on the political opinions of library users compared to non -users, it is critical to inform everyone about the condition of the library and the proposed expansion measure. • A second way to educate the public about the need for expansion is to build a strong community presence in Saratoga both at local events and by sponsoring events for community members. At local events (such as a street fair) the library can display new books or publicize events as well as offer more information about the condition of the library. Furthermore, by sponsoring events for community members (such as a lecture series or storytelling hour), less frequent users can become informed about the plans to expand and begin to understand the need for additional space. • Preparation for fundraising which will take place during the campaign should begin as soon as possible. A campaign consultant can offer more explicit direction in this area, but a group of volunteers to oversee the financing of the project should be assembled now. It is helpful if the group contain residents both with experience in fundraising and of diverse personal networks. Most of their work can wait until about eight months before the election, but having their names out in the community and some time to talk to potential donors before the campaign kicks into high -gear can only help in the long -run. • Election timing is a critical factor in any tax election. Whether or not this library measure coincides with other tax measures can make or break the library's chances of succeeding on election day. While 'teaming up' with another ballot measure is risky, the best possible scenario for the Saratoga Community Library would be to share an election date with a local school district ballot measure. What typically happens with both a school and a library measure on the ballot is that all the parents turning out for the school measure end up voting for the library measure too. If funding is a factor in choosing the election date, the Saratoga Community Library might consider a lower -turnout election because there will be fewer votes to secure during the campaign. Once the finance committee and the campaign consultant have an idea as to how much money can be raised, the election date and corresponding turnout may become obvious. Friends of the Saratoga Library Godbe Research and Analysis Survey of Voters Page 7