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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986-11-19; Library Board of Trustees; MinutesMINUTES Meeting of: LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSfEES Time of Meeting: 3:00 p.m. Date of Meeting: November 19, 1986 Place of Meeting: Library Conference Room TRUSTEES CALL TO ORDER; President Martin called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present - President Martin, Trustees Cooper, Crosse, Falkensteln and Trlgas. Absent - None. Also Present were: Clifford Lange, Library Director Geoff Armour, Assistant Library Director Nancy Osberg, President, Friends of the Library Margaret Brownley, Representative, Serra Advisory Board Bee McWllliams, Representative, Genealogical Society Frank Mannen, Assistant City Manager APPROVAL OF MINUTES; The Minutes of the meeting held October 15, 1986, were approved as presented. COMMITTEE REPORTS; a. Building and Grounds This report will be given later in the meeting. b. Budget Trustee Cooper stated he had Just received a copy of the financial report. c. Personnel Trustee Falkenstein reported there were no personnel changes. d. Youth Trustee Grosse reported there Is a new list of classics in the children's department. The attendance for the children's programs almost broke the 2,000 mark during the month of October. She reported the Holloween Costume Party was a huge success with 325 children and adults attending. The theme for next summer's reading program will be "Outer Space". The Spanish storyhour for young ones had 17 children In attendance. The Carlsbad Youth Theater production of Pinocchlo will be December 2 and 5. They are expecting 500 people to attend these performances. She spoke about the motivation of George McKenna In getting kids Into the Library and said Oohn Quartarone returned with a great deal of enthuslam, as well as material. Martin Cooper Grosse Falkenstein Trlgas MINUTES November 19, 1986 LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSfEES Page 2 TRUSTEES OLD BUSINESS; a. Library Site Selection Committee - Progress Report Trustee Trlgas reported the first phase of the assignment has been completed and recommendations will be put In priority with staff working on negotiations. Trustee Trlgas said all five sites are good, and very much In the running. It will depend on the financial arrangements and the availability. Director Lange stated a financial proposal was being prepared for the City to consider. b. CALTAC Meeting in Carlsbad, March 7, 1987 - Discussion President Martin called attention to the new flyer contained in the packet. There was a meeting yesterday with two members of CALTAC, Barbara Campbell, Coordinator for CALTAC, along with Shirley Sterns, President of CALTAC. The original plan had been to offer them the use of the conference room here at the Library for the luncheon and use of the Council Chambers for the meeting. Late Monday afternoon it was decided the books from the mezzanine floor would need to be moved Into the Conference Room; creating a change in plans. There is a 2 1/2 inch sag In the floor of the mezzanine, also the Council Chambers is to be remodeled, and may not be finished. It would perhaps be a better idea to use the Safety Center for that luncheon and meeting. The rooms at the Safety Center are large, with movable walls. They could have the meeting in one room and the luncheon in another room. This meeting will be Saturday, March 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Members will be urged to visit the Library, but possibly only those traveling north will visit the main library. Those going to the south will probably visit the La Costa Library, if they visit a library at all. Friends of the Library have offered to take care of coffee and donuts, and lunch will be catered. The price for attending this meetinc will be approximately $10.00. Director Lange stated the Trustees may be asked to serve as hosts. c. Library Conference Room Regulations - Review Director Lange reported these regulations have been brought back after the City Attorney reviewed them. They are the same as presented last time, and the only significant difference in the form is where the people sign indicating they have read the regulations and have agreed to abide by them. Also, where the words "The Library Director has the final decision on the use of the Conference Room", this was changed from "Library Board" to "Library Director". Director Lange stated the Hold Harmless Clause to release the City from any responsibility has been reviewed by the City Attorney's office. The Library Board of Trustees adopted the regulations governing the use of the Library Conference Room of the Carlsbad City Library as presented. Martin Cooper Grosse Falkensteln Trigas MINUTES LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES November 19, 1986 Page 3 TRUSTEES NEW BUSINESS; a. Library Mezzanine Structual Evaluation - Discussion Director Lange stated a sag was noticed In the mezzanine floor of the Library a couple of weeks ago. The experts have been studying the weight calculations on the building plan and feel the floor Is overloaded. Marty Orenyak was here at the Library today and cut holes In the celling to Inspect the structure. The problem appears to be In the decking. The beams are fine, but It appears the decking has sagged. It Is Impossible to determine how long it has been that way. A transit was used to sight the floor and a 2 1/2 Inch sag was determined. The books will be moved this coming weekend to the conference room, and they will bring the transit In again and survey the area. The issue is one of safety and this Is a prudent, precautionary measure. Director Lange stated the use of the conference room for books may be on a temporary basis. He stated Geoff Armour has done the legwork on this project. This Involves the west side of the mezzanine where the fiction and oversized books are located. The shelving has been there for approximately fourteen years and it Is felt this overload was not a sudden thing. Other arrangements have been made for places to meet, and City Hall will be available Into December. b. Library Policy on Noise Director Lange said he had told the Board staff were going to put out suggestion forms In the Library, and they have been getting suggestions back. Ninety-nine percent of the complaints Involve the Library being too noisy. Geoff Armour has drafted a policy on noise, and a copy of this Is Included In the packet. Staff felt this policy should be written for staff support. Because of the space problem In this Library, the noise problems are becoming Trustee Trlgas inquired whether they had considered signs, and Director Lange stated, no, but they were going to consider this. Geoff Armour stated signs have been an issue for years. Too many signs In a library are not attractive, and people do not really heed them. He felt at this point they would be installing one or two signs in the Library. Trustee Falkensteln stated there are also people who lie down on the chairs In the Library, and that is a visual disturbance. Geoff Armour stated It really Involves an application of common sense in the operations. When the noise is Identified, staff members should approach the person or the group immediately and caution them. Trustee Trlgas asked whether a copy of the regulations will be posted and put on the bulletin board. Geoff Armour stated It would be available at the public service points, but there will also be signs. Library Board of Trustees adopted the policy on noise for the Carlsbad City Library as presented. Martin Cooper Grosse Falkenstein Trlgas MINUTES November 19, 1986 LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Page NEW BUSINESS; c. Film and Video Collection Analysis Director Lange called attention to the report. He stated Geoff Armour had done this analysis and was present to answer any questions. He stated the report did show how they are making an effort to Increase their balance of holdings of non-entertainment materials. d. Quarterly Report, July-September 1966 Director Lange called attention to the report as distributed and had nothing to add, but would answer any questions. In answer to query regarding the drop In program attendance at the Branch, Director Lange stated there was no clear explanation. Perhaps the year-around school program has been a partial cause of this drop In attendance. Trustee Falkensteln commented on his observation there are fewer new people In La Costa coming Into the Library. More people came to the Main Library from La Costa, than go to the Branch. He suggested extra publicity might help the programs In La Costa, particularly If the publicity Is done In the La Costa area. A discussion among the Trustees determined that perhaps publicity In the form of notices on Vons bulletin board, churches and schools In the La Costa area would help attendance at their programs. Trustee Falkensteln reiterated his feeling that there should be more Imaginative publicity. Director Lange stated he would do more research on this. LIBRARY DIRECTOR'S REPORT; Director Lange reported the Mayor and the Council would like to have a joint meeting on January 13, 1986. This would be a time to present the recommendations on the Library site, financing plans and any other Issues needed to be brought before Council. Assistant City Manager Mannen stated this would be the Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. on that date. This would be the only Item on the agenda. Mr. Mannen stated Mayor Elect Lewis would like to go back to the format previously used of scheduling business sessions on the first and third Tuesdays of the month and using the second and forth Tuesdays for workshops, joint meetings and briefing sessions. It was decided at the December 17, 1986, Library Board Meeting a workshop will be held to plan the Items to be presented to the Council. Mayor Elect Lewis has decided not to have liaisons to the commissions and boards. The. department head will have the responsibility of sending a memorandum to Council reporting on the gist of the meetings. Mr. Mannen added this would be a short synopsis to be given to Council before the minutes of the meeting are received. MINUTES November 19, 1986 LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Page 5 TRUSTEES FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY; President Osberg reported that Trustee Cooper had volunteered to be the Book Fair Chairman. Mrs. Osberg reported on the meeting on October 29, 1986, stating there was standing room only. GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY; Representative Bee McWilliams reported by the first of the year the Genealogical Collection will reach 15,000 volumes. She displayed a copy of the book entitled "Ancestors We Have Found" and stated this book contains charts of a good many of the members. She said several libraries, genealogical and historical societies have ordered copies of this book. SERRA ADVISORY BOARD; Representative Margaret Brownley reported there would be a meeting on December 4, 1986. The Chairman attended a conference In Long Beach and she will have a report on that. The work on the CALTAC survey will be Included In Its entirety In the new tool kit, listed as a reference. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion, the Meeting of November 19, 1986, was adjourned at 3:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Harriett Babbitt Minutes Clerk HB:tc CIRCULATION STATISTICS MAIN LIBRARY CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARY STATISTICS October 1986 Current Year Materials checked out at circulation Film and video tapes Audio Visual equipment Total MAIN LIBRARY BRANCH LIBRARY Materials checked out at circulation Film and video tapes Total BRANCH LIBRARY TOTAL CIRCULATION 39,482 6,565 68 46,115 8,434 663 9,097 55,212 Previous Year 39,354 5,664 77 45,095 7,766 301 8,067 53,162 Increase (Decrease) 16 12 + 9 + 120 + 13 + 4 REFERENCE QUESTIONS ANSWERED MAIN LIBRARY Adult Section Children's Section Online Searches Total MAIN LIBRARY Total BRANCH LIBRARY TOTAL REFERENCE QUESTIONS 4,926 1,890 23 6,839 551 3,824 1,805 79 5,708 413 + 29 + 5 - 243 + 20 + 33 7,390 6,121 21 MATERIALS ADDED MAIN LIBRARY Books added withdrawn net books AV materials added withdrawn net AV BRANCH LIBRARY Books added withdrawn net books AV materials added withdrawn net AV TOTAL BOOKS TOTAL AV MATERIALS ATTENDANCE AT PROGRAMS Adult Children's Branch 243 1,933 886 INTERLIBRARY LOAN STATISTICS SERRA COOPERATIVE LIBRARY SYSTEM BOOKS OCTOBER 86 Requests by Carlsbad 81 Received by Carlsbad 97 Requests of Carlsbad 29 Filled by Carlsbad 30 FILMS Borrowed from other 57 Serra libraries Loaned to other Serra libraries CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARY NOVEMBER 1986 QUARTERLY REPORT FOR JULY-SEPTEMBER 1986 HIGHLIGHTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS Security System Checkpoint's radio frequency security system was installed during the quarter in both the main library and in the La Costa Branch. Prior to installing the security gates, staff and volunteers worked for several weeks tagging both reference and circulating materials with "date due" sensors. By the end of the quarter all collections, except some main library audiocassettes, were tagged. The system has been doing its job so far by preventing those who are either intentionally or inadvertently taking library materials that have not been properly checked out. New Reader-Printers Thanks to a $9,000 gift from the Friends of the Library, three new reader- printers were purchased for the rapidly growing microform collections. There are now two new Canon PC-70 microfiche reader-printers and one PC-70 dedicated to microfilm. All three new machines were set up together next to the atrium and the older models were moved to the mezzanine area. Plan for Library Space Needs The final report on a strategic plan for library and city hall space needs was presented to the city council in August. The report pointed to existing deficiencies in library space based on the city's public facility standards and recommended construction of a 58,000 square foot facility in south Carlsbad, as well as the expansion of the existing northern library. The city council approved the report and directed staff to form a site selection committee to study available sites for a new library. A committee has been appointed and will begin meeting next quarter. Final recommendations to the city council are expected by January. CLSI Computer Serious consideration was given this quarter to the possibility of terminating the contract that ties Carlsbad to Oceanside's CLSI computer. The computer is now shared for circulation control and needs to be upgraded to handle increased volume and a planned online public access catalog. The issue is one of control and the need to follow Oceanside's lead in any new situations involving the shared system, situations where Carlsbad might want to go in a different direction. A consultant was brought in for one day to answer questions about the pros and cons of separating from the system. The library is currently leaning toward having its own system once issues involving location of the computer, staffing, and costs have been finalized. An informal request for information will be sent out to several vendors to determine if there is sufficient reason to seek formal proposals from vendors other than CLSI. Biographies All adult biographies are being given a special spine tag. Biographies which had previously been cataloged in 920 will be moved to the front of the 900's. All other biographies and all new biographies will be kept in their subject numbers but will be readily visible to browsers because of the bright spine tag. This project should be completed by the end of the year. Circulation Overall library circulation was up 5% over last year as follows: TOTAL LIBRARY CIRCULATION 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 166,017 174,832 + 5 DIVISION REPORTS La Costa Branch Branch activity continued at a high level during the first quarter. Circulation was up 15% over last year while the collection grew 6% from 17,416 to 18,433 volumes. With a gift from the Friends of the Library, the branch purchased a Panasonic computer printer for use with the Eagle III computer donated last year. The computer and printer have been designated primarily for public use, though staff will also have access. The Summer Reading Club this year involved a baseball theme and featured a visit by Nate Colbert of the Padres. A final party for club participants was held at Levante Park. The branch conference room continued to be heavily used by community groups as well as for library programs. There was a special bedtime story hour for the Mother's of Pre-schoolers Group of La Costa and another children's program for the local Y-tykes Group. Adults were treated to travel programs on the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic region. Key statistics for the branch this quarter were as follows: CIRCULATION 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 24,686 28,389 + 15 BRANCH QUESTIONS 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 1,333 1,743 + 31 BRANCH PROGRAM ATTENDANCE 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 3,047 2,115 - 31 Audiovisual Services A small collection of about 50 compact discs was made available to the public -2- this quarter. The discs have been very popular and are clearly a trend for the future. With a $1,200 gift from the Friends of the Library, the compact disc collection will be expanded during the next quarter. For the time being, discs are housed in special racks on top of the cassette browsers. The video- tape collection now has 1,375 titles, up from 925 at the end of the first quarter last year. The size of the collection has required staff to rethink the space needed for an additional display board and for storage. In an effort to bring more subject balance to the collection, staff added more informational and cultural titles. Less than 60% of the videotapes held are popular entertainment films. About 20% of the videos are now educational or instructional titles. Staff has begun to promote these educational titles by producing lists in selected subject areas. Some of the lists being developed include foreign films, Academy Award winners, Shakespeare's plays, travel, biographies, and staff development. A study of the library's combined film and video holdings was completed in September. The analysis of subject content for both adult and juvenile holdings indicated the following breakdown: FILM AND VIDEO HOLDINGS Category Titles % of Collection Juvenile 293 18 Classics 106 7 Educational 445 27 Entertainment 789 48 Audiovisual circulation statistics for the quarter were as follows: USE OF AV EQUIPMENT 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 262 230 - 12 FILM BOOKINGS 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 1,078 653 - 39 VIDEO BOOKINGS 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 20,341 22,949 + 13 Adult Learning Program Needing additional space for tutor training, learner instruction, and volunteer workers, a large classroom adjacent to the Adult Learning Program office was leased. The new room is now equipped with a phone jack, new lights, a work station, and tables and chairs for tutoring activities. Program staff continued this quarter to work closely with the San Diego Council on Literacy. The Council has agreed to establish a literacy account with the San Diego Community Foundation and to hire a fundraiser and a public -3- relations firm. Staff also spent a good deal of time this quarter recruiting and training volunteers to help with clerical work and to assist with the intake and interviewing of potential tutors. The major event of the quarter was the PLUS initiative sponsored by ABC and PBS television. The initiative carried both national and local programs and public service announcements devoted to the problem of adult illiteracy. Staff worked at the PBS studios during the program, answered 145 phone calls, and made numerous referrals. Many inquiries from potential tutors have been received as a result of the program. Other key activities this quarter were: - Working with the Carlsbad Newcomer's Club to distribute program brochures to all new residents. - Initiating a writing class for learners which will be taught by volunteers. - Securing an agreement from Lifeline Community Services to give discount bus rates for learners. - Sorting and categorizing all materials in the library's Adult Learner Collec- tion and placing them in subject files for ease of access. - Organizing a monthly support group for learners to share common experience and to encourage each other. During the quarter, 57 new learners were brought into the program to begin instruction. In addition, there were 35 referrals of learners to other programs in the area. There were also 50 new tutors trained this quarter. Children's Services The Children's Division produced or sponsored 57 programs during the quarter, for a total audience of 4,383 parents and children. Special programs included freestyle bicycle riding, a reading game, paper airplane design and competition, a karate demonstration, a Chinese paper cuts workshop, and a film and lecture on surfing. Many of the programs, especially those on sports, were designed to reach out to non-users to get them into the library. Sponsorship and control of the Carlsbad Youth Theatre has been transferred from the library to the city's Parks and Recreation Department. In addition, Parks and Recreation has agreed to assist the Children's Division in conducting Carlsbad Loves Kids Day. Staff was asked to judge a children's short story writing contest sponsored by KPBS. Bilingual children's staff are now conduct- ing regular weekly Spanish language story hours for children and their parents, who otherwise rarely make use of the library. Summer Reading Club attendance at both the branch and the main library totaled nearly 1,000 kids. Of these, over 600 reported on more than 15,000 books read during the summer. There were also an unusually high number of visits and tours from area schools and organizations during the quarter. Staff handled a total of 30 tours for 830 children, one of the most active quarters in the library's history. -4- Media Services The Media Services Division, though administratively under the library, performs most of its services for other city departments. A survey of all assignments completed during the past quarter revealed a total of 54 projects. Of these, 13 were for the Public Information Office; six were for the library; five each were for Parks and Recreation and Cultural Arts; four each were for Utilities Maintenance, the City Clerk, and Redevelopment; three each were for the City Manager and the Police Department; and one each were for seven other departments. Some of the more noteworthy projects completed were: - Photos of new city facilities, operations, and services for the Quarterly Newsletter. - A documentary for the Engineering Department on the stages of construction of a typical major arterial. - Photos of the San Diego Symphony Concert and the jazz series for the library's Cultural Arts Program. - Aerial views of a number of city projects under construction. - Photos of the Carlsbad Triathlon and a variety of recreational and instruc- tional programs for the Parks and Recreation brochure. - Photos of police officers in action for the new Public Safety Center. - A photographic inventory of all library audiovisual equipment. - Documentaries on several activities of the library's Adult Learning Program. Programs and Exhibits Special displays this quarter included Alaskan Indian dolls, avon bottles, teddy bears, Statue of Liberty memorabilia, and a freedom to read exhibit of banned books. There were also a number of exhibits of paintings and photo- graphs loaned to the library by area artists. The main library mounted ten displays during the quarter, while the branch had five of its own. The library also sponsored 11 adult programs this quarter. Noteworthy among these were lectures on the effects of nutrition on intelligence; ways to avoid probate; camping out in the Soviet Union; a poetry reading by author Kali Bradford; and a slide-talk on the latest techniques for surf photography. In addition, there were five concerts for this quarter featuring different jazz, folk, and classical groups. Audience for all programs, both adult and juvenile, was down from the previous year: AUDIENCE FOR ALL PROGRAMS 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 9,296 7,080 - 24 -5- Reference and Information Services The reference staff was augmented this quarter with the addition of one new full time librarian. The new staff member is concentrating on inter!ibrary loans and book selection in addition to desk duties. Both new and old staff continued to develop their computer skills by attending workshops on DIALOG search techniques and Lotus 1-2-3. A number of special classes for area schools and organizations were provided this quarter. Staff organized a session on the use of reference resources for job finding as well as a class for the Futures in Education organization. Another staff activity this quarter was the selection of several key periodicals for conversion to microforms for storage and durability. This is a trend that is likely to continue in the future, though at a relatively slow pace due to the costs involved. Staff also continued to write regular reviews of new books for the Business Bookshelf column of the Carlsbad Business Journal. Some of the key activity indicators in reference this quarter were as follows: REFERENCE AND INFORMATION QUESTIONS 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 18,273 18,200 INTERLIBRARY LOANS SENT BY CARLSBAD 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 228 254 +11 INTERLIBRARY LOANS RECEIVED BY CARLSBAD 1st Q 1985 1st Q 1986 % Change 494 400 - 19 One small trend noted in the ILL statistics was the greater demand apparently being placed on Carlsbad's interlibrary loan resources by other libraries. At the same time, there was a significant reduction from last year in the number of ILLs received. Cultural Arts Program With the Cultural Arts Program and the Arts Commission only operational for about six months, the first quarter saw a number of significant accomplishments. In July, the Arts Program sponsored Music at Magee, a series of four jazz concerts which drew an enthusiastic public response and assisted the Historical Society with raising $1,000 for community projects. Also in July, an educa- tional panel discussion on public art was sponsored. The program attracted about 100 interested residents and will be condensed into videotaped highlights for broadcast over cable TV. The major event of the quarter was the appearance of the San Diego Pops orchestra for an evening concert in August. The concert took place on Koll property near Palomar Airport. Planning for the event, which was sponsored -6- by Hoehn Motors, involved the efforts of a number of city departments and included a major advertising campaign, the creation of a large grassy field, and the logistics of parking, utilities, security, and equipment. A crowd estimated at 6,000 attended the event, which is likely to be sponsored again next year by Hoehn. Other staff activities this quarter included: - Planning for the week-long visit of singer Evelyn de la Rosa as an artist in residence and arranging for 12 scheduled performances. - Awarding $10,000 in grants to arts groups offering programs for Carlsbad residents. - Printing and distributing the first arts newsletter. - Computerizing the program's information services, including mailing lists, the newsletter, a calendar of events, and an artist's registry. - Serving as a clearinghouse for the Carlsbad Heritage Celebration. -7-