SANTA  MONICA  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  BOARD

 

Minutes of the REGULAR Meeting of February 2, 2006

To Be Approved

 

 

 

 

A REGULAR meeting of the Library Board was called to order by Chairperson, Edward Edwards, at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, February 2, 2006 at the Administrative Conference Room, Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

 

Call to Order

PRESENT:

Chairperson Edwards, Boardmember Field, Boardmember Oppenheim and Boardmember Stern

 

Roll Call

ALSO PRESENT:

Jerry Rubin, Marisa Rubin; Members of the Community; Jon Arenberg, Chair, Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library; Susan Annett, Principal Librarian for Public Services; Greg Mullen, City Librarian; Rachel Foyt, Administrative Analyst

 

 

The Board discussed two communications from the public.

 

Communications from the Public

The first communication regarding the meeting room policy was from Sherrill Kushner, community member. Ms. Kushner requested the Library offer the community meeting rooms to the public free of charge.

 

 

The Library Board previously discussed the meeting room policy and approved rental fees at the December 1, 2005 Board meeting. Library meeting room rental fees are comparable to rental fees charged at other City facilities. The Library Board stands behind their previous decision and approval of the meeting room rental fees.

 

 

The second communication, also from Ms. Kushner, regarded the use of materials in the Santa Monica Collection. She expressed concern about the fragile condition of some of the material in the collection and the fact that there are no limitations on its use.

 

 

Greg Mullen, City Librarian, responded that with the construction of this building there was a desire to open up collections and make them available to the public. Spaces in the building were designed to allow open access to collections previously in closed stacks.

 

 

The Santa Monica Collection is not an archive and the Library does not collect material that is extremely rare. In an effort to balance security and accessibility the room that houses the Santa Monica Collection is adjacent to the Reference Desk. Copies of some items in the collection are available for check out in the circulating collection.

 

 

Mr. Mullen responded to both communications from Ms. Kushner.

 

 

Jerry Rubin, member of the community, expressed his thanks to the Board for the new Library.

 

 

Boardmember Oppenheim made a motion to approve the minutes of the Library Board meeting of December 1, 2005.  Boardmember Stern 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, gave a report on the Friends activities to the Board. Currently, with the help of some fifty volunteers the used bookstore is open five days a week.  Start up of the used bookstore was made possible through a $700 donation from Kent Lewis and 400 volunteer hours. The used bookstore took in approximately $2400 on grand opening day.

 

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

Currently, the used bookstore is receiving a number of donations from the community but Mr. Arenberg reminded everyone to clean out their bookshelves and bring in donations.

 

 

The Friends’ Board is discussing offering a small collection of their more valuable books for sale to only Friends members.

 

 

The annual Board and Commission Dinner will be held on Monday, March 13, 6:30 pm at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The Boardmembers discussed the type of video they would like to make for the dinner. The video is to be 60 seconds long and sum up the accomplishments of the Library Board in 2005. It was decided that Chair Edwards would be the contact and appear in the video.

 

Annual Board and Commission Dinner

A report on the development of guidelines for adult program submissions was moved up from the Secretary’s Report. 

 

Adult Program Guidelines

Susan Annett, Principal Librarian for Public Services, spoke to the Board regarding the need for guidelines to govern submissions for adult programs. Since the grand opening of the Main Library the number of inquires and suggestions for adult programs has grown. Public Services staff developed the procedure for evaluating programs and community collaborations that can be scheduled and still create a balance in terms of programming and staff time.

 

 

Nancy O’Neill, Principal Librarian for Reference Services, worked with staff from Risk Management and the Fire Department to develop the emergency plan for the new Main Library. Main Library staff held an evacuation drill and were able to evacuate quickly and effectively by utilizing the plan. 

 

Update on the New Main Library

Emergency Plan

Mr. Mullen presented a summation of the programs and events held at the Main Library since the grand opening and discussed upcoming programs. Programs that have occurred include the Grand Opening, the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium dedication, Lecture on the Architecture of the new Main Library and a tribute to Raymond Carver. Upcoming programs include the Wave of Tales Storytelling Festival with Henry Winkler, Technology Day, a series on sustainability and numerous book discussion groups.

 

Programs and Events

Punch list items are coming to an end. Building maintenance is an issue that Library staff is working to resolve. Issues with the self check out stations are being corrected. The need for additional directional signage and emergency exit signage has been addressed.

 

Facility Update

Construction on the café has commenced. However, there was a short delay due to the needed installation of floor drains. The café is expected to open the end of March or early April.

 

 

Mr. Mullen reported that the new Main Library is currently operating on a temporary certificate of occupancy as not all of the environmental impact report (EIR) requirements have been met. For example the streetlights on Santa Monica Blvd. need to be modified to satisfy the EIR. It could take up to a year before the work is complete

 

 

The Santa Monica Historical Society Museum does have an architect on board and is ready to move forward with design development. Library and Museum staff are meeting to discuss the lease terms.

 

 

Chair Edwards suggested purchasing a plaque and having the current Library Boardmembers’ names engraved. The plaque could be displayed in Library Administration. The Board asked staff to investigate the possibility of displaying a plaque in Administration and type of plaque to purchase.

 

Discussion of a Plaque Listing Library Boardmembers

Library staff is currently working on the 2006/07 budget request. City Council has decided not to request a two year budget from City Departments. Instead Departments will complete a budget for 2006/07 and a budget plan for 2007/08.

 

Budget Request 2006/07

Library staff is requesting a list of enhancements totaling approximately $350,000.  

  • An increase in the materials budget for additional DVD’s and audiobooks on CD
  • Marketing and Outreach including programming and the implementation of a three year marketing plan
  • A second Library vehicle 
  • Additional staffing - Library Services Officer to patrol the parking structure, a Public Services Librarian, a half time Staff Assistant at the Fairview Branch and a page for the Youth Technology Center

 

 

 

The Library Board discussed ordering new business cards with the Library’s new address and Library Boardmembers’ personal email address. The Board asked staff to provide a sample of the business cards including the new information.

 

Library Board Business Cards

Chair Edwards discussed a journal article he read describing an auction of used library furniture that raised money for a library in Texas. The Board asked about the disposal of the Library’s used furniture. Mr. Mullen explained that the furniture was offered up to other City Departments and the remainder would be sold to an auction company with funds going into the City’s general fund.

 

Nationwide Current Library Trends - Review of Library Journal Articles

Chair Edwards and Mr. Mullen participated in the Legislative Day in the District sponsored by the California Library Association. They met with Emily Gold, Shelia Kuehl’s Field Deputy and discussed full funding for the Public Library Fund and the State Library Construction Bond Act.

 

Secretary’s Report

Legislative Day in the District

Chair Edwards and Boardmember Field expressed interest in attending the CALTAC Workshop on Saturday, March 11 in Burbank.

 

CALTAC Workshop in Burbank

Discussion earlier in the meeting.

 

Adult Program Guidelines

Mr. Mullen reported the Main Library statistics since the January 7 grand opening.

  • visitor count 62,344
  • items checked out 95,821
  • percent of circulation from self check 44
  • new library cards 4,083
  • library card renewals approximately 3,000

 

Main Library Usage Statistics

The Library Board asked that the following items be included in the next Library Board agenda: a final report on the grand opening from Dawn Wilcox, Allison & Partners; a report on Citywide Reads activities; follow up on the Library Board plaque and a follow up on the parking at the Fairview Branch Library.  

 

Agenda Building

Boardmember Oppenheim moved to adjourn the meeting.  Boardmember Field seconded the motion.  The motion was approved in a unanimous voice vote. The meeting was adjourned at 8:47pm.

 

Adjournment

Attest:

Approved:

 

 

 

 

 

Greg Mullen

Edward Edwards

City Librarian

Library Board Chair