SANTA  MONICA  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  BOARD

Minutes of the REGULAR Meeting of December 5, 2002

To Be Approved

A REGULAR meeting of the Library Board was called to order by Chairperson, Gene Oppenheim, at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, December 5, 2002 at the Main Library in the conference room, 1343 Sixth Street, Santa Monica.

Call to Order

PRESENT:

Vice Chair Edwards, Boardmember Field, Chairperson Oppenheim and Boardmember Stern

Roll Call

ALSO PRESENT:

Jon Arenberg, Chair of the Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library; Wini Allard, City Librarian

Vice Chair Edwards reported to the Board concerns from some community members who wanted more space for the collection at the Montana Ave. Branch not space for a community room. 

Communications from the Public

Board discussion followed. 

The minutes of the November 7, 2002 meeting were corrected to include Chair Oppenheim’s suggestion that the courtyard in the new Main Library be named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Approval of the Library Board Minutes

The minutes of the November 7 meeting were approved as corrected in a unanimous voice vote. 

Chair of the Friends of the Library, Jon Arenberg, reported on the November 11 meeting of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Library.  The Friends plan to honor their retiring boardmembers with engraved bookends. 

Report from the Friends of the Library, a Library Support Group

The Friends allocated $8,000 to the Library to be used for digitizing photographs from the Donald Douglas/Museum of Flying collection.  Cynni Murphy, Image Archive Librarian, will select and catalog the images.  Ms. Murphy estimates that there will be 455 b/w prints and 45 negatives that will be of interest to the SMPL Image Archive collection.

Mr. Arenberg attended “Make a Difference” day where the Friends of the Library were presented with a $25,000 grant from Verizon.  The grant will be used to purchase laptops and software to create a mobile Youth Technology Center. 

The Friends continue to move forward on their fundraising efforts for the Main Library.

The brick paver fundraiser at the Montana Ave. Branch has raised over $110,000.  The funds will be used to purchase furnishings for the branch. 

The Friends are currently looking for a Chair for the Fairview Branch brick paver fundraiser.  

Ms. Allard reported to the Board on the interior design work for the new Main Library. 

Main Library Expansion - Update

The Board heard a report on the Branch improvement projects.  The Montana Ave. Branch is scheduled to open on December 16.  Fairview will not be open until sometime in January.  A grand opening is being planned for January for both Montana and Fairview.     

The temporary library needs some seismic retrofitting.  The renovations should be completed by mid February.     

Chair Oppenheim updated the Board on the Library Board Contest for Young Adults.  The flyers for submissions have been distributed. 

Library Board Contest for Young Adults

The Board discussed the need for a special meeting in mid to late January to hear a presentation from the architect.  The Board agreed to hold their regular meeting on January 2 at 7pm.

Request for a special meeting

No Report. 

Nationwide Current Library Trends – Review of Journal articles

Secretary’s Report

The Friends have not been able to locate space to continue sorting books or holding book sales.  The Book Sale Chair of the Friends made an arrangement to sell the excess discards and donated books and several of the Friends volunteers are unhappy with this arrangement.  

Friends of SMPL – Book Sale Issues

Staff updated the Board on the progress for the staff party.

Farewell Party for Staff

Ms. Allard and Boardmember Field attended a workshop given by Mary Minnow on the Patriot Act. 

Chair Oppenheim made a motion requesting that staff come back to the Board with wordage for a sign with regard to the American Patriot Act.

The Library staff is investigating hiring a service to collect overdue fees and materials. 

The Library Board asked that the following items be included in next Library Board agenda:  update on the Main Library Expansion and the Branch improvements; Young Adult Photography Contest; a report from Cynni Murphy, Image Archive Librarian on the images from the Museum of Flying; collection of overdue items; report on the Farewell Party and text for a sign regarding the patriot act.

Agenda Building

Vice Chair Edwards moved to adjourn the meeting.  Boardmember Field seconded the motion.  The motion was approved in a unanimous voice vote.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:35pm.

Adjournment

Attest:

Approved:

Winona Allard

Gene Oppenheim

Secretary

Library Board Chair