SANTA  MONICA  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  BOARD

Minutes of the REGULAR Meeting of September 4, 2003

To Be Approved

A REGULAR meeting of the Library Board was called to order by Chairperson, Gene Oppenheim, at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, September 4, 2003 at the Montana Ave. Branch Library in the Conference Room, 1704 Montana Ave., Santa Monica.

Call to Order

PRESENT:

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

Roll Call

ALSO PRESENT:

Wini Allard, City Librarian; Migell Acosta, Principal Librarian for Information Management; Jon Arenberg, Chair of the Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library; John Jakuboski, Member of the Community

Edward Edwards took the oath of allegiance and was reappointed to the Library Board.

Oath of Allegiance and Reappointment of Edward Edwards

The Library Board reviewed written communications from the public. 

Communications from the Public

John Jakuboski addressed the Board.  He and his wife are new to the community and are interested in becoming involved with the Library.

Chair Oppenheim made a motion to approve the minutes of the Library Board meeting of June 5, 2003 as amended.  Vice Chair Edwards seconded the motion.  The minutes were approved in a unanimous voice vote.

Approval of the Library Board Minutes

Jon Arenberg, Chair of the Friends of the Library, reported on the August 11, 2003 Board of Directors Meeting of the Friends of Santa Monica Public Library.  The Friends current efforts are focused on fundraising. 

Report from the Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library, a Library Support Group

Mr. Arenberg reported that the Friends are researching and investigating ideas for the Friends bookstore in the new Main Library. 

The Friends have raised approximately $140,000 for the Montana Ave. Branch.  Furniture has been ordered for the Montana Ave. Branch and will be paid for by these funds. 

The Friends paver campaign for the Fairview Branch is scheduled to complete in June 2004.  The campaign is a third of the way to its goal of $50,000.  The money raised by the Friends campaign will be used to purchase furniture for the Fairview Branch.

The Friends plan to move to a more sophisticated budgeting system.

The Friends are planning an author talk featuring Susanne Trimbath and Glenn Yago who will discuss their book “Beyond Junk Bonds”.  The program will take place October 15, 7pm at the Montana Ave. Branch. 

Mr. Arenberg reported on the Friends Books for Babies program funded by a $4500 grant from the Weingart Foundation.  The Friends have distributed book bags filled with information for new mothers and fathers on the importance of early childhood exposure to reading and literacy.  The bags have been distributed to Santa Monica Hospital and local clinics.  The information is in English and Spanish.

Vice Chair Edwards reported to the Board on the Richland County Public Library Literacy Residency Program.  Vice Chair Edwards is interested in starting a similar program here at the Library when the new Main Library opens in 2005.  There is another program in San Francisco called Word For Word that Vice Chair Edwards will investigate.  His next steps are to speak with the people who are actually doing the program.    

Richland County Public Library Literacy Residency Program

Ms. Allard gave an update on the new Main Library. 

Update on the new Main Library

Schematic drawing of the Auditorium in the Board packet. 

The Library is working with the museum consultant, Ilene Fort on the return of the Stanton Macdonald-Wright mural to the Library.  Boardmember Field asked about how the restoration of the Stanton Macdonald-Wright mural would be funded.  Staff is looking into several grants that are available. 

Ms. Allard reported that staff has been meeting with the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum and that the lease is close to being finalized. 

Moore Ruble Yudell is focusing on the design of the Children’s and Young Adult areas.  Staff has also been meeting with a new interior designer regarding furniture and fixtures for the new Main Library.  

The Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) court decision does not apply to the Santa Monica Library because the Library does not currently receive any State funding.  Ms. Allard reported that there new legislation being proposed to block the CIPA ruling.  

Child Internet Protection Act

The Board discussed Boardmember Stern’s request to change the regular Library Board meeting date.  Boardmember Breisch made a motion to hold the Library Board meetings on the second Thursday of the month.  Boardmember Field seconded the motion and the motion carried in a unanimous voice vote.  The next Library Board meeting will be October 9, 7pm at the Montana Ave. Branch. 

Request for a Change in the Regular Library Board Meeting

The Board discussed current library journal articles.  Chair Oppenheim suggested that the City’s Risk Management department review the settlement in the staff lawsuit against the Minneapolis Public Library.  The article is in the August 25, 2003 issue of Library Hotline.  Staff members claimed they were “subjected to a sexually hostile workplace when they were exposed to pornographic images on the Internet and lewd conduct by users of such resources.” 

Nationwide Current Library Trends Review of Library Journal Articles

Secretary’s Report

Ms. Allard reported on the in-service workshop for staff by Mary Minow on the USA PATRIOT Act.  The in-service was held on July 10 from 9am – 11am at the Montana Ave. Branch. 

In-Service Workshop on the Patriot Act

The Board received a copy of the Library Memory Project.

Library Memory Project

Two Santa Monica Public Library staff members received grants from the California State Library to go to library school.  Gwendolyn Stevens who works in Periodicals was awarded $3,033.  Ann Wagner who works at the Montana Ave. Branch was awarded $3,870.

Public Library Staff Education Grant

The Library is gearing up for the next City Wide Reads.  This year is the 100^th anniversary of Christopher Isherwood’s birth.  The Huntington Library is having a number of programs to celebrate the centennial and the Library could partner with the Huntington on a number of programs.  The Library is discussing Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood as the selection for the City Wide Reads program.

City Wide Reads

Migell Acosta, Principal Librarian for Information Management Division spoke to the Board about the centralized materials ordering process that is going into affect.  This system will streamline the materials ordering process. 

Centralized Book Ordering

Staff is working to create a system in which the material that is ordered will be marketed and then evaluated to see if it was a successful purchase.  The use of inventory lists and collected data will help librarians select materials to meet a specific need and more effectively serve the community.  Materials will be better utilized.   

The Library Board asked that the following items be included in next Library Board agenda:  election of Boardmembers; report on Summer Reading; follow up on the preparations for Citywide Reads; an update on the Main Library and a report from Moore Ruble Yudell on the new Main Library.

Agenda Building

Chair Oppenheim adjourned the meeting at 8:45pm.

Adjournment

Attest:

Approved:

Winona Allard

Gene Oppenheim

Secretary

Library Board Chair