Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-04-15; Library Board of Trustees; MinutesMINUTES Heeling of: LIBHAHY BOAHI) 01 IHIISIM.S lime of Meeting: 3:00 p.m. Dale of Meet inq: April IS, I9H7 Place of Meeting: La Costa Hr.inHi I ihr.iry TRUSTEES CALL TO ORDfcR: President Martin called tlie meeting l» order jt 3:0C> p.m. ROLL CALL: Present - President Martin, Irusl'-es Cooper, falkensteln jnd frig.is. Absent - trustee Grosse. Also Present were: Clifford Lange, Library Director Reinier Vanderschroeff, Senior MdiKigement Analyst Bee McWllltams, Genealogical Society Representative Margaret Brownley, Representative, Serra Advisory Board APPROVAL 01- MINUiLS: Minutes of the meeting held March IH, 1987, were approved as presented. COMMUTE REPORTS: a. Building and Grounds Director Lange reported the Site Selection Committee would be meeting tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. for an update. They are working with the developers on the site on Fl Camino Real between Alga Road and Dove Lane. One major change is the post office which is interested in Hi.it location and the developer is now making an offer to buy the seven-acre property. fhc post office would occupy the southern portion of that property and the library the north portion. Director Lange stated they were going to meet together to firm up the building sites and this would go back to Council for approval of the purchase of the site and the construction of the building. the developer is confident he could save a great deal of money for the City. Trustee Ialkensteln expressed concern the library might not be built In the first phase of the center. He stated they should make certain the library will be built in the first phase. Trustee Trigas stated a funding mechanism was needed. The "No Growth" People want to block the building of the library. She was concerned about getting the funding specified and not held up. Director Lange said there are several ways, but the funds should come from the PIT. Trustee Falkensteln reiterated his concern that the library should be the number one building to be constructed in that center. Martin Cooper Falkenstein Trigas MINUTES LWRARY BOADO (II IKUSTH S April 15, 1997 Page 2 TRUSTEES COMMIT TEE RLPORfS: Trustee frigas asked whetliei- Ilicn: w.i-, money in tlie PI I for the library. Director Lange said tliere was tiot at the present time, and the City could lease It back on a lease/purchase basis from the developer and pay for it over a period of time. It is in the PI I plan and the money is allocated, but not all there. It is predicated on development. Director Langc slated one way to pay for the building would be to lease it and spread the payment over a period of time. Director Lange stated the library funding would not take place until after the building Is built, and would be another two or three years at the earliest. Another alternative would be to buy the land up front. The developer would not ,v;k for any money up front. Director Lange said the seven acres would have to be purchased and the plans would h.ive to be approved. There are three components in this center, the shopping center itself, the post office and the library. The land where the post office and the library would be located is zoned residential. A Conditional Use Permit would he obtained for that use and that Is allowed by the City. There is $650,000 in the current CtP, and lh.it could be used for the land purchase. Trustee (rigas felt it would be wise to spend that money to purchase the land. Director Lange stated he w.is very pleased with the site and the cooperation from the de\eloper. b. Budget Trustee Cooper stated he would defer to the agenda item. c. Personnel Trustee Talkeristein reported Carol Watts will be going to the Finance Department as an Account Clerk. Her position in the Library is frozen and Director Lange will meet with the Assistant City Manager to try to obtain permission to fill that position. d. Youth There was no report given. OLD BUSINESS: a. 1987-68 Library Budget Request - Discussion. Trustee Cooper stated there has been a major reduction in the projected City income and Director Lange would give the details. Director Lange continued the report, stating there have been several versions of the budget and the recommended cuts-have been made. The Finance Department made recommendations for reductions, and the goal is to go In with a balanced budget for the coming year. MINUTES L I HI! AH Y UOAI1I) 1)1 IHIIr,[| I S AprlJ I9S7 Page TRUSTEES OLD BUSlNtSS: (emit i I) Director Lange stated lie felt the City budget has been successful 1) trimmed jud the solution h.is been in the temporary luring freeze. Ilic I Ihrary Budget IMS been trimmed considerably and the l)iid(|(:l contains two sections, State oi<) and (lie Gencrdl l-und. I he budget is .3 of J percent less for next year in the General fund. As fdr as Director Lanqe knew, this budget would si.IMC) ,js it is presented. [here will be r\o new full time positions-- two were requested. Other are.is have bec'ii trimmed ds well with the total budget down 7%. However, Director Lanqe stated business tit the I ihrary w.is not dropping off. (he budget cuts .ire due to the slow down in growth dud the revenue is .just riot being received hy the City. inPresident Martin referred to the City Revenues reported the packet. b. 'Serra Advisory Board - Discussion of appointment of a Library Board member and possible recommendation to the Mayor regarding this appointment. Director Lanqe staled it was desirable for the person appointed to the Serra Advisory Board to have a library background and it would be logical to have that be a Member of the Library Board of Trustees. He felt this would meet all of the law requirements and would certainly be an advantage. President Martin asked when this would take effect, and Director Lange answered when Margaret Brownley's term expires, which is September of 1988. Margaret Brownley, Serra Advisory Board representative, spoke regarding this appointment, stating it would certainly be advantageous to have a person sitting iti that chair that knew the business of the library and the library functions. She felt it was not as efficient to have an Advisory Board representative who was not a Member of the Library Board of Trustees. She added it might not be possible to find a Member of the Board who was able to devote the additional time to being the Serra Advisory Board representative, but the Board could recommend to the Mayor a preference be given to a Board of Trustees Member. The alternate could be a person from the community. In answer to Trustee Talkenstein's question regarding whether other libraries were considering this, Mrs. Brownley stated some are ex-Board Members, and the President of the Serra Advisory Board for the coming year is a Member of a Library Board of Trustees. Director Lange commented the position is not a very demanding one with generally five or six meetings a year. [he Library Board of Trustees recommended to the Mayor and the City Council that a Member of the Board of Trustees be given priority in the consideration of an appointment of a representative to the Serra Advisory Board. Martin Cooper l-alkenstein Trigas MINUTES April 15, 1987 LIBRARY BOWl) Of I RUSH I 5 Page TRUSTEES NEW BUSLNLSS: a. Citizen's Request for Rceonsideralion uf a Book. Director Lange gave tlic background on this item, slating the Library's policy for many years has hecn if a citizen complains about a book or an item in the Library, they are then given a formal process to follow. Ihe next step is for tin; item to become .in agenda I tent for the Library Board of trustees to review. Director L anqe stated this is the first time this has happened in the time he has been here at Carlsbad. Hie book under considerat ion was Hie Lwoks Join the fight. Director Lange stated the book has been re-evaluated, and his recommendation would be to reelassify the book to a higher level. fhis is an I book currently, which is typically for preschool children. Ihis certainly is not a preschool child's book. [he book will be reclassified to 3Y--which would be the 2nd grade through the 4th grade. Director Lange stated this book was a take-off from the Star Wars movies. The book is very popular and in the Branch it was checked out 43 times since June', I9H4. Again, Director Lange stated his recommendation would be to reclassify the book for older children. If books were removed for violence, there would not be very many left on the shelves. Part of the Library's role is to present materials on all sides and issues. People can come in and read what they want or not read what they prefer not to read. He felt this book should remain in the collection, but be reclassified. The Library Board of Irustees voted to reclassify I he Iwoks Join the f ight to ttie next level, JY classificat ion. b.Library Conference Room Policy Change - Recommendat ion. Director Lange referred to the revised regulations governing the use of the Library Conference Room, slating there were two major changes, as follows: Regulation //3 states: "Applicant understands that, the room may be used free of charge by non-profit groups and organ!zations sponsoring meetings of general interest." (hat condition is an addition to the policy the Library previously had. fhe main reason for the recommended change is the number of library programs that have to he held and the limited time left over for other groups. Martin Cooper f alkenstein Irigas MINUTES LIBRARY BOAHI) 01 I HUSH I S April 15, 19H7 Page 5 TRUSTEES NEW BUSINESS: (continued) The rules have been tailored to the facility at the Branch, and the Branch Librar> is not open on Monday, Wednesday or I riday evenings. AJso, this library is not open until 9:00 p.m., so the time was changed from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., for ending time for audiences to leave the building. The conference room cannot be used on a year-round basis and meetings may not be booked more than six months in advance. Director Lange referred to Condition U, which was a new addition to the iist. Ihere was nothing in the policy relating to political groups. He felt this was the best way to handle that sort of a request. Director Lange read the condition which reads as follows: "Meetings of a partisan nature may not be held; however, forums for the presentation and discuss lot] of all sides of an Issue may be held." fhe thought behind this was candidates running for office. There is the equal time issue, and that is all right if there are only two candidates. There could be 10 or 12, and then this would create a difficult situation. The Library Board of Trustees approved the amended Regulations Governing the use of the Library Conference Room as presented. c. Library Services and Construction Act Children's Materials Collection Development Grant. Director Lange stated this was an Information item. The money will be received next year and the amended budget request will reflect this grant. This money is earmarked for the Branch Library. OTHER: Trustee Trlgas inquired why the Literacy Grant was being refunded. Director Lange answered the year the Library changed from the Trl-City Literacy to the Carlsbad Adult Learning Program, not all of the money had been spent. It is a requirement of the grant that this money must be returned. LIBRARY DIRECTOR'S REPORT: Director Lange reported that Assistant Library Director Geoff Armour Is on vacation in Hawaii. He announced the Library has new telephones and new telephone numbers. He stated there have been a number of thefts during the last month--purse snatchers. However, they are taking the money and leaving the contents of the purse. Signs have been put up and staff are now locking the cabinets where purses may be kept. Martin Cooper F alkenstein Triqas MINUTES LIBRARY HOARD 01 HHJSIH S April 15, 1987 Page 6 TRUSTEES FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY: Director Lange announced the Book lair would he held May 17. GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY! Bee McWllllams announced the Plant Sale was held two weeks ago and was extremely successful. She expressed the Genealogical Society's pleasure with the new additions in the Genealogical Department. SERRA ADVISORY BOARD: Margaret Brownley reported the information project is well along and she is very pleased witli the result. It was a struggle and a challenge, but they are bcglnnig to arrive at a point where the Adivlsory Board is functioning, and many good ideas have come from the information project. They can now work as a team, sharing concerns and problems and finding solutions to them. She stated one concern that had been raised is that statistics should be handled very carefully. The statistic on how much reference service Is given In the Library depending on the Serra Research Center, is a very smalt percentage. This is very deceptive. The statistics do not reflect the Importance of these services or ttie true extent to which patrons count on the Serra system. According to the statistics, which is all of the questions asked at the reference desk, the number referred to the Serra System was less than 1%. Mrs. Brownley stated she felt having a Library Board Member on the Serra Advisory Board would give that Member a perspective of the overall library scene that Is not possible being Involved with just one library. WORKSHOP: The Library Board of Trustees adjourned for a short recess at 3:55 p.m., and reconvened at ^:08 p.m., with President Martin, Trustees Cooper and Frigas present. Public Library Association Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries. The workshop Involved the questionaire on the library as It Is and as the Board Members felt Is should be. President Martin stated tills item was brought up because of the CALTAC meeting where this was one of the subjects discussed. President Martin read the eight goals listed, as follows: Community Activities Center, Community Information Center, Formal Education Support Center, Independent Learning Center, Popular Materials Library, Preschoolers' Door to Learning, Reference Library and Research Center. He also read the recommended number of role priorities and referred to the sample role selection tabulation sheet. MINUTES LIBRARY BOARD (II IHUSILI S April 15, 1987 Page 7 TRUSTEES WORKSHOP: (continued) the three primary goals selected b> all of the Board Members were the Popular Materials Iihrary, Preschoolers' Door to Learning and the Reference Library. The consensus of the Members was there Is a very large group of people interested In the Popular Material, and that is really the backbone of the Library. the Reference Library would certainly be a close second, with the Preschoolers' Door to Learning third. As far as the other current activities listed, an Independent Learning Center and formal Education Support Center were next with less emphasis on Community Information Center and Community Activities Center. It was felt the Carlsbad Library was really not a research center. the Library Board discussed the desired commitment for the Library in the future, feeling the popular materials are not emphasized as much as they should be. Director l.ange said a substantial part of the money is spent on popular materials. the three items the Board Members placed at the top of the list, Popular Material, Preschoolers' Door to Learning and Reference Library were certainly the three that were the most emphasized at this time. As far as popular material, it was felt the solution to availability of more material might be a rental library, such as the one observed at the thousand Oaks Library. trustee frigas commented that other than space for preschoolers, she thought the Library was doing well. As far as Community Information Center, it was felt the Library did not do too much in that area. Director Lange said the reference staff does refer people to other agencies and maintain local Information files. the independent Learning Center roie is done with the collection, representing an opportunity to learn any topic anyone desires to learn. There is no Adult Education Specialist. With regard to the Community Activities Center, Director Lango stated the Library has done that, but does less now because of space constraints. It will be something to consider when the new building is built. Trustee Trigas stated she felt the Library needed to narrow its focus. She felt the interest had been very scattered in the past, and the latest indication is libraries now are focusing more on fewer Items, such as the three top items. She felt those three top items should be centered on more substantially. MINUTES LIBRARY BOARD 01 IRUStUS April" 15, 1987 Page 8 TRUSTEES WORKSHOP: (continued) Director Lange stated the Library must establish priorities and must focus its resources and attention on certain things. This has been done to d certain extent, but he felt they need to look at priorities with the new building and see how to adjust them. Director Lange felt it would be a good idea to do a survey as to what the citizens think about the library and what they would like to have in that library. This could be done in the Library with the people who use the Library. People could fill out questionnaires while visiting the Library. The Formal Education Support Center was discussed and President Martin stated that was predicated on the assumption the schools did not have their own libraries. Director Lange stated, they do have to draw on the public libraries, depending on the quality of the school libraries. The schools are doing better in Carlsbad at the present time. However, the school libraries cannot satisfy the students' total needs and there will always be a role for the public library. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion, the Meeting of April 15, 1987, was adjourned at <n33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, y" ^ ,t-f?:^f iJ.d&(•V'jii/'v Harriett Babbitt Minutes Clerk HB:tb CIRCULATION STATISTICS MAIN LIBRARY Print Materials Film and Video Tapes Audio Visual. Equipment Total MAIN LIBRARY BRANCH LIBRARY Print Materials Film and -Video Tapes Total BRANCH LIBRARY TOTAL CIRCULATION REFERENCE QUESTIONS MAIN LIBRARY Adult Children's Online Searches Total MAIN LIBRARY Total BRANCH LIBRARY TOTAL QUESTIONS PEOPLE COUNTER Main Library Branch Library TOTAL ATTENDANCE AT PROGRAMS Adult Programs Children's Programs TOTAL INTERLIBRARY LOANS ARLSBAD CITY _::?.ARY STATISTICS March 1987 Current Previous Year Year % Change 44,204 39,248 + 13 8,451 6,626 + 28 68 82_ - 17 52,723 45,956 + 15 RY * * 10,723 848 11,571 64,294 ******* 8,981 1,100 10,081 56,037 + 19 - 23 + 15 + 15 4,468 1,965 21 6,465 RY 978 7,443 ********* 44,634 11,461 56,095 ********* 5,246 1,807 23 7,076 802 7,878 Daily Average 1,717 441 2,158 - 15 + 9 - 9 - 9 + 22 - 6 BOOKS Requests by Carlsbad Received by Carlsbad Requests of Carlsbad Filled by Carlsbad FILMS 216 1.877 2,093 ***** 107 116 488 72 Borrowed From Other Libraries 43 Loanded to Other Libraries 58 CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARY APRIL 198 QUARTERLY REPORT FOR JANUARY-MARCH 1987 HIGHLIGHTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS South Carlsbad Library Plans for a new South Carlsbad library took a new and promising turn during the quarter. Developers of one of the sites selected, an area west of El Camino Real at the future extension of Dove Lane, have proposed including a 58,000 square-foot library on the most visible part of their land. The project will also include a major shopping center, movie theater and a new post office. Some conceptual designs have been presented along with a number of funding, purchase and construction options. A firm proposal will be going to the city council during the next quarter. New Computer System The library moved closer to establishing its own computer system by giving notice to Oceanside that Carlsbad will withdraw from the shared CLSI system. Council approval for this move also included the expenditure of accumulated state grant funds to purchase the necessary hardware and software. The system will give the library control over both automated circulation as well as a planned online public access catalog. Staff narrowed the field down to CLSI and INLEX as the favored replacements for the shared system. New computer hardware will be located in the city hall computer room. Since the city already owns the appropriate Hewlett-Packard hardware for the INLEX system and is planning an upgrade of its own, the possibility of a conversion to INLEX is now being seriously considered. Brief proposal requests were sent out to each vendor and a final decision is expected early next quarter. Division Relocations With remodeling of city hall, two library divisions were relocated. Media Services transferred its operations from rented space in the Colonial Mall to space in city hall formerly occupied by the Police Department. The Graphic Arts and Exhibits staff, with their equipment and supplies, were moved from the library to city hall space adjacent to Media Services. Plans are also underway to rearrange and expand the Technical Services and Reference work spaces on the second mezzanine. Mezzanine Reorganization After library staff discovered a deflection in the first mezzanine floor, the Community Development Director and engineering staff recommended redistribut- ing the books to lessen the weight. As part of the move, the entire fiction collection was taken off the mezzanine and relocated to the library conference room. This move took the weight off the floor but also took away the conference room. Programs and staff meetings have been rescheduled at the Branch, Heritage Hall and various sites in city hall. To complete the reorganization and redistribution of weight across the entire mezzanine, the library was given approval by the City Council to purchase additional shelving. The remaining collections will then be moved into a formation which will meet the load bearing specifications of the floor. New Audiovisual Counter ,, A large new counter, formerly the main information desk at the now closed Oceanside Gemco, was installed in the audiovisual area. The new counter provides staff with standup service to the public and a much more efficient organization of work space for computer terminals, checkout windows and special files. The purchase and rehabilitation of this counter, its move to the library and installation by a city maintenance crew cost less than $400, a savings of at least $2,000 had a custom counter been built. DIVISION REPORTS La Costa Branch Branch circulation was up a healthy 10% over the same quarter last year. During the same period the book collection expanded from 17,000 to over 20,000 volumes and there were significant increases in branch holdings of records, cassettes and videotapes. To accommodate the growing videotape collection, staff and maintenance workers set up a new video board with magnetic tags, similar to the one at the main library. Tags on the board are arranged alphabetically by title and are color coded in five categories. The tag board provides much better service to the public and is far more efficient for staff to manage. Expanded shelving behind the circulation desk will enable the videotape collection to grow by at least another 300 titles. Another major improvement in staff service to the public was the addition of a second terminal at the circulation desk. This has enabled staff to handle video materials on one terminal and other materials on the second terminal, without having to constantly switch back and forth. February 28 was the third anniversary of the La Costa Branch. During those three years book collections have grown from about 7,000 to over 20,000 volumes and total circulation has increased from 68,072 the first year to 110,964 the third year, a gain of 63%. Key statistics for the branch this quarter were as follows: 3rd Q 1985 30,159 3rd Q 1985 2,198 3rd Q 1985 2,198 CIRCULATION 3rd Q 1986 33,033 BRANCH QUESTIONS 3rd Q 1986 2,586 BRANCH PROGRAMS 3rd Q 1986 2,337 % Change + 10 % Change + 18 % Change + 6 Audiovisual Services Compact discs and videotapes continue to be extremely popular with the public. CDs have only been available in the library for the past few months and the collection now stands at over 230 titles. The discs are in such great demand that they are rarely seen in the library. Videotapes are still the single most heavily used audiovisual format. Video circulation was up 42% over -2- last year and the collection grew during this same period from 1,319 to 1,705 titles. A great deal of staff effort this quarter was devoted to putting security tags on all the audio cassettes so they could be put out on the open cassette browsers. The public now has direct access to the tapes and circulation staff no longer has to switch boxes or store them in filing cabinets. Audio- visual circulation statistics for the quarter were as follows: USE OF AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 279 257 - 8 FILM BOOKINGS 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 629 - 29 VIDEO BOOKINGS 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 17,354 24,594 + 42 Adult Learning Program During the quarter, the San Diego Literacy Coalition was renamed the San Diego County Literacy Network. The Network has six formal members: the three library-based programs plus Laubach, Literacy Volunteers of America and the San Diego Council on Literacy. Non-voting members who attend Network meetings include the County Probation Department, San Diego Community College District, South Bay Community Services, the San Diego Labor Council, the Employment Development Department and the County Department of Social Services. The relationship between the Network and the Council on Literacy has evolved into one where the Council is serving as an umbrella organization to seek grants and high-level community and business support. Some of the projects currently being developed include an 800 phone number for county-wide referrals, a grant proposal to the Urban Literacy Development Fund to assist county programs and special aid to the Laubach and LVA operations. The new Apple computer donated to the program is now being heavily used by learners, working both independently and with their tutors. Some of the more noteworthy techniques used this quarter to reach new learners were these: - Notices on all city water bills encouraged prospective learners to call the program. - Flyers directed at potential learners were sent home with all Pine School students. - Welcome Wagon distributed literature and imprinted pencils to about 100 new families each month. Staff also kept busy this quarter working with the Finance Department to audit grant records and to account for accumulated interest. Another project was the labeling of all materials in the library's Adult Literacy Collection and the organization of these materials into new subjectcategories. -3- The Program Coordinator and the Assistant Library Director attended a three-day- retreat in Monterey sponsored by the California Literacy Campaign. The retreat provided an opportunity for program coordinators and library supervisors to consider the purpose of the campaign, to evaluate what has been accomplished and to plan for future funding. The general consensus was that local jurisdic- tions will need to incorporate literacy programs into a plan of library service if these programs are to survive. During the quarter 73 new learners were brought into the program to begin instruction. In addition, there were 34 referrals of learners to other area programs. Staff also trained 67 new tutors this quarter. Children's Services The Children's Division produced or sponsored 69 programs during the quarter for a total audience of 3,774 parents and children. In addition to the regular storyhour and film programs, staff developed and presented a number of special programs, including bear crafts, a bear fair, a rock painting workshop, a valentine workshop, U.S. President's birthday crafts and a pig puppet show. The Creative Storytelling Club and Spanish Storyhour, both entirely handled by part-time staff, have a regular group of children in attendance and have presented many innovative program ideas. Part-time staff have also been active in the preparation of special craft programs. The Children's Division is fortunate to have these talented and energetic assistants serving the community. Another project during the quarter was the preparation of several bibliographies, such as Famous Birthdays in February and materials on Black History Month. Staff also compiled a brochure titled "Tips for Teachers" on the use of the library. 500 copies of this publication were distributed to all Carlsbad schools. Now that the library conference room is full of books, storyhours have been relocated to Heritage Hall. With over 200 children and parents attending most storyhours, Heritage Hall has become an inadequate site for storyhour. Plans are now being worked out with Parks and Recreation to switch the story- hour programs to Harding Street. Media Services The Media Services Division completed 35 projects this quarter. Of these projects, ten were for Parks and Recreation; six for Public Information; five for the City Manager; four each for Utilities/Maintenance and Redevelop- ment; three for the library; two for Cultural Arts; and one for Municipal Projects. Some of the more noteworthy projects completed were: - Slides of Holiday Park improvements. - A documentary on the remodeling of city hall and council chambers. - Photos of various sports activities sponsored by Parks and Recreation. - A videotaped annual report for the library and a slide/tape annual report for Parks and Recreation. - Aerial photos of the redevelopment project area, Buena Vista Creek and all city parks. - Portraits of all new city department heads. -4- -.Photos of official city ceremonies. - Documentary on the seawall construction. - Jazz concert at the Safety Center. Programs and Exhibits With the main library's conference room now full of books, nearly all programs have been scheduled at the La Costa Branch. Once council chambers are reopened, some programs will be held at that site. During the quarter the library sponsored 16 programs. Easily the most noteworthy program, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, was the talk given by Ray Bradbury to a standing- room only crowd at the Cultural Arts Center. Mr. Bradbury also sold, through the Friends of the Library, copies of his new book DEATH IS A LONELY BUSINESS, with 40% of the proceeds going to the Friends. Other excellent programs this quarter included a lecture on goal setting and time management; armchair travel programs to Europe, Alaska and China; two jazz concerts; a poetry reading workshop; a lecture on tax reform; a film and talk on the history of flight; a lecture on the token system of child discipline; and a chamber music concert. The library also mounted 15 exhibits during the quarter, nine at the main library and six at the branch. Special displays included paintings by local artists; a genealogical history chart tracing 900 years of a local family; mosaics, pottery and lacquerware of Mexico; crocheted dolls; Chinese papercuts; calligraphy; wildlife photographs; miniature Greek temples; and a display of photos from Norman Cousins' new book THE HUMAN ADVENTURE. Mr. Cousins also made a personal appearance at a reception at the branch, where he auto- graphed copies of his book. AUDIENCE FOR ALL PROGRAMS 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 4,349 6,944 + 60 Reference and Information Services Reference staff devoted a good deal of time this quarter to community outreach. Three special tours and instruction in use of reference resources were provided for classes from area schools. Staff also gave three presentations, including book talks, for community groups. Further training with new computer applications was another significant staff activity this quarter. Various staff attended seminars in online patent research and Dialog biomedical applications. The division head continued to write regular reviews on new business publications for the Carlsbad Business Journal. Key activity indicators for reference this quarter were as follows: REFERENCE AND INFORMATION QUESTIONS 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 23,025 23,009 INTERLIBRARY LOANS SENT 3rd Q 1985 ' 3rd Q 1986 % Change 258 228 - 12 -5- INTERLIBRARY LOANS RECEIVED 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 502 492 - 2 ONLINE SEARCHES 3rd Q 1986 73 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 73 OTHER PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES Tax Volunteers The library once again made good use of five tax form volunteers from February 1 through the end of the tax season. The volunteers provided invaluable help to the reference staff by working 146 hours during this period and cover- ing the busiest part of each day. Over 1,200 contacts and requests for informa- tion and forms were handled. The work of these volunteers supplements the VITA program, sponsored by the United Way, which provides more in depth tax preparation assistance. People Counter At the beginning of the quarter an electronic eye "people counter" was installed at the entrance to the main library. A similar device was activated at the branch a few weeks later. The electronic eye now provides an accurate count of the number of people who come into the library, information which has never been available before. Averaging the count so far indicates that nearly 2,200 people come into the two libraries every day, over 1,700 at the main library and more than 400 at the branch. Total Circulation Activity Overall circulation at the main and branch libraries was up substantially over last year: TOTAL LIBRARY CIRCULATION 3rd Q 1985 3rd Q 1986 % Change 164,242 185,012 + 13 Statistics released by the State Library for the past fiscal year show that Carlsbad already has the highest per capita circulation of any library in California. There is every indication that this heavy use is continuing to grow. -6-