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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-10-17; Library Board of Trustees; MinutesApproved ITEM #2 MINUTES MEETING OF: LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES DATE OF MEETING: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 PLACE OF MEETING: Board Room - Carlsbad City Library 1775 Dove Lane CALL TO ORDER: Chair Bill Kamenjarin called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM. ROLL CALL: Present: Library Board Trustees Bradley, Kamenjarin, Lignante, Swette and Tarman Absent: None Also Present: Dave Curtis, Deputy Library Director Suzanne Smithson, Deputy Library Director Cheryl Mast, Library Management Analyst Jessica Padilla Bowen, Library Community Coordinator Carrie Scott, Interim Program Coordinator, Adult Learning Marg Kealey, NSDCGS Carolyn Taylor, League of Women Voters observer APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the September 19, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted. MONTHLY LIBRARY REPORTS: Trustee Kamenjarin asked if the Library posted a list of the book titles selected by the various book clubs and Library Community Coordinator Jessica Padilla Bowen responded that the list is created every six months and is available on the web as well as on a bookmark. LITERACY GRANT ANNUAL REPORT & PROGRAM UPDATE: Deputy Library Director Smithson introduced Carrie Scott, Interim Program Coordinator for the Adult Learning Program who began her presentation by explaining that the State Literacy Grant program actually was a program within a program. The report covers the core program that has been in place for eighteen years offers literacy services to English-speaking adults over the age of eighteen and in 1998 they entered into a Library Board of Trustees Page 2 Minutes of October 17, 2007 Meeting partnership with the Carlsbad High School where students from four of the special education classes are transported to the program location to receive one-to-one tutoring. The partnership program is not covered as part of the State grant and the statistics are removed when calculating the grant. Ms. Scott reported on the overall statistics of number of learners this year, emphasizing the significant numbers who have continued in the program as compared to previous years. She also commented that historically there are about twenty learners on the waiting list for a tutor but this year the program has been successful in recruiting more tutors, keeping the list down to single digits. As part of her report she had statistics on the demographics of the learners and tutors ethnicity, age, and gender. Following her formal report she answered a variety of questions from the Trustees, involving the length of time a learner remains in the program, what makes them stay, and the types of goals the learners set and meet. Trustee Swette pointed out that some of the stories shared at the Adult Learning Program annual event are so moving that if they were made more public it would inspire others to volunteer or perhaps enter the program, but added that he understood the privacy concerns. Ms. Scott responded that some of the learner's literacy goals involve speaking in support of the literacy program and that one learner was recently interviewed for the newspaper and another learner/tutor pair will be featured in the 2008 Carlsbad City Calendar. STATE LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT: Library Management Analyst Cheryl Mast reviewed portions of the State Library report pointing out that the population for the City has now exceeded the 100,000 mark which will place the Library into a different category for comparison when the report is published next June by the State Library. Trustee Kamenjarin asked for the names of the City's in the 100,000 population category. Some items of specific interest were the increase in the number of volunteer hours (increased to nearly 8 FTE); the decrease in Federal funds (IMLS grant funds exhausted); and the increase in Capital Expenditures (the purchase of RFID equipment). The report reflects a drop in attendance but she reminded the board that the Library had faced several challenges over the past year with the door counters and that she had included that information in the report to the state. Library Board of Trustees Page 3 Minutes of October 17, 2007 Meeting LEARNING CENTER UPDATE: Deputy Library Director Smithson reported that the construction on the building continues to move forward on the exterior and surrounding hardscape and staff is beginning to work on the specifics of furniture, fixtures and equipment lists. She added that Phase I of the staffing plan was approved which authorizes the reclassification of the Senior Librarian position assigned to Adult Learning to a Principal Librarian position and the recruitment should be announced by the end of the month. The Principal Librarian will be in charge of the facility in addition to supervising the two program coordinators for literacy and bilingual library services. Deputy Library Director Smithson explained that currently a Community Outreach Supervisor oversees the Centra operation and the Library will be redeploying FTE to cover a % time Community Outreach Supervisor for the literacy program. Recruitment for that position will be initiated early next year and the goal is to have both positions filled by early spring and have them involved in the final stages of preparation for the opening of the Learning Center in the summer. The Trustees had several questions about the staffing plan, including the difference between the training and experience for the Principal Librarian as compared to that of a Senior Librarian and Deputy Library Director Smithson explained some of the differences in the job descriptions. The discussion continued about duties and responsibilities and reporting order resulting in a request from the Board for a revised chart to provide a visual of the overall organization and FTE once the Learning Center is operating, DIRECTOR'S REPORT: In Library Director Pizzuto's absence Deputy Library Director Smithson delivered the Director's report to the Board. GL3.1 upgrade - The upgrade to our Sirsi automated system went very smoothly with 90% of the work done within the first 24 hours. Only a few issues took longer, but they were resolved by Tuesday afternoon. The work was begun op Sunday night and the total down time was from Sunday night until Tuesday about 1:00 p.m. Since the Library was closed on Monday for Columbus Day, the Circulation staff only had to operate "stand alone" on Tuesday until early afternoon. Deputy Library Director Smithson added that the upgrade was on the staff side and would not be noticeable to the public; however, Trustee Kamenjarin responded that he noticed the font size on the Library's web version of the catalog was considerably smaller. Deputy Library Director Smithson responded that she would ask staff to check into it. Library Board of Trustees Page 4 Minutes of October 17, 2007 Meeting ____ The test server which has GL3.1 loaded with a static data base will be refreshed next Monday and then continue to be refreshed on schedule. Unique Management Collection Agency - The Library has signed the contract with this agency who come with very good references from several other libraries. They refer to themselves as a "materials recovery" service in that they work exclusively with libraries for the return of overdue items. Initially only accounts involving overdue materials that are 45 days past due will be referred to Unique. Trustee Kamenjarin asked if this practice was public knowledge and Deputy Library Director Smithson responded that the information is currently on the website; there are signs up in the Library along with FAQ sheets; and the announcement is running as a legal notice in the North County Times for the entire week. Library Community Coordinator Jessica Padilla Bowen distributed copies of the FAQ sheets to the Board and added that all the literature explains that the main objective is to get the materials returned so that we don't have to purchase replacements. The Board discussed this item at length and Deputy Library Director Curtis was able to answer their questions satisfactorily. Carlsbad Reads Together 2008 - The selection for the author was finalized and Alexander McCall Smith will be here on April 24th at 7 p.m. in conjunction with the Carlsbad Reads Together selection of his book "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency." Several of the book clubs have already read this particular book and will be reading other titles by this author. The Friends of the Library are once again underwriting the majority of the expense for this program. Trustee Kamenjarin asked if this title was being made into a movie and Community Coordinator Padilla Bowen responded that there is talk of it becoming a BBC series of all the books in the series as early as December 2007. Conference Attendance - Deputy Library Director Smithson announced that all three directors will be at the California Library Association (CLA) Conference next weekend in Long Beach (Oct. 24 - Oct. 29) as well as a number of other staff members. The week following the CLA Conference is the Internet Librarian Conference in Monterey which will be attended by two reference librarians, followed by a Library Technology conference that our Business Systems Specialist will attend. Library Director Pizzuto's term as President of the Management Services Section of CLA is ending at this conference, where she will be a presenter for a program with the Urban Libraries Council entitled "Making Cities Stronger." Library Board of Trustees Page 5 Minutes of October 17, 2007 Meeting Library Director Pizzuto will now be representing the North County Libraries on the Serra Cooperative Library System Executive Committee. Library Recruitments - The Senior Office Specialist at the Cole Library, Michele Hardy, accepted a position with Recreation and interviews for the open position at Cole are underway. Deputy Library Director Curtis announced that Media Production Technician Greg MacLellan accepted a position with the City's Public Works Department and recruitment for that position will be initiated soon. Food & Drink in the Library - The Marketplace Team has recommended changing the Rules of Conduct for the Library to allow food and drink in some areas. The proposed changes have been incorporated into the current document and submitted to the City Attorney's office for final review before bringing it before this Board for approval at the next regular meeting. Change in meeting date • Deputy Library Director Smithson reminded the Board that the meeting for November has changed to the 14th but the location will remain the same, the Cole Library Community Room. FOUNDATION REPORT: Deputy Library Director Smithson reporting for Library Director Pizzuto announced that the Foundation investments have recovered from the shifts in the market. The Foundation is working on the final invitation list for a Richard Glazier concert and reception scheduled for December 8th. The Foundation is expanding its efforts toward grant money and has initiated a call to a grant writers' organization for assistance. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY: As reported earlier, the Friends Board once again approved the request for funding for the Carlsbad Reads Together 2008 program. Their annual October book sale was a huge success raising $3,000 and many of the leftover books have been offered to organizations that contacted the Library asking for available books for starting new libraries in Mexico and Africa. NSDC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: Board Liaison Marg Kealey announced that membership has exceeded their anniversary goal with their number now at 513. She reported the highlights of the September programs as well as previewed the future program plans for October and November. Library Board of Trustees Page 6 Minutes of October 17, 2007 Meeting LIBRARY BOARD COMMENTS: None. PUBLIC COMMENT: None present. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion,, the meeting was adjourned at 5:14 PM LXAJuL Cissie Selcton Administrative Secretary ITEM #3 Monthly LIBRARY Reports for SEPTEMBER 2007 Systemwide... 1. Library Staff spent September preparing for the Sirsi GL3.1 upgrade scheduled for October 7th - 10th The Training Team facilitated the training of dozens of staff members at the training lab at the City's Faraday building. A majority of the computers at all facilities were upgraded to accommodate the new software. This will be the first major upgrade (exclusive of our transition to Sirsi.net) since going live with our Sirsi integrated library system in February 2004. 2. City Fire Department staff held several trainings in September for First Aid, CPR, and AED training in which many Library staff have participated. 3. Librarian Heidi Wyner and Library Assistant Susan Burke from the Dove Library and Volunteer Coordinator Amy Bennett from the Cole Library are now representing the Library on the City's Green Team. The Green Team is a coordinated effort on the City's part to improve recycling and other environmentally sound practices in City operations. 4. The Library showed war films in September in conjunction with the PBS series The War by Ken Burns. The California Center for the Book provided promotional bookmarks about the PBS series and a list of war books that were both given out at the films. 5. Pasadena-area poets Don Campbell and Calokie read their works at Cole Library on September 5th Approximately 15 people attended. 6. Nearly 200 people attended the Library's Cinema Society screening of a ward-winning German film The Lives of Others. Approximately 50 people stayed for a post-film discussion. 7. The after-school, volunteer-based "Homework Zone" homework help service re-started in all Children's Services locations during September after the summer break. CCL, Dove Lane... 8. Following the Summer Reading Program, preschool programs resumed in September. Twenty-nine programs took place during this month and over 1600 patrons attended them. 9. September's Pizza and a Movie Night was held on the 21st. 14 teens attended and watched a screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 10. Carlsbad City Library Hour's September TV programming featured the "The Skank Agents," recorded live in the Schulman Auditorium. This Schulman Auditorium "Rock the Library" concert event was presented to a live audience as well as produced as a TV program to be shown on Community Cable Channel 19 Monthly Library Reports for September 2007 (Time Warner.) Library programs also are regularly shown repeatedly on KOCT Oceanside and on Del Mar Access TV. Georgina Cole... 11. The Cole Children's fall program lineup began on September 10th. New, revamped and renamed programs included Parenting Playground (focus on early literacy for parents and toddlers), 3-3-0 Club (various afternoon programs beginning every Tuesday at 3:30), Family Pajama Storytime (once-a-month evening family program), Teen Scene (Monday afternoons for teens), and Teen Street Team (teen advisory group). 12. September was Library Card Sign-up Month and Children's staff handed out Arthur coloring bookmarks and a drawing ticket for a chance to win 4 LEGOLAND tickets to every child who showed us their library card at the Children's Desk. Over 100 children showed us their library card during September. 13. The Tuesday Evening Book Club met on September 4th and discussed The Worst Hard Time: the Untold Story of those who survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. The Thursday Afternoon Book Club met on September 13th to discuss The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. 14. The Genealogy Divison provided three beginning classes, all taught by Margaret Read with a total of over 50 participants. This year's new follow-up, hands-on classes have proven to be popular and helpful to genealogists with an average of 10-15 participants in a small group setting held as a follow-up within a few days of the larger presentations of usually 75-100 attendees. One particularly exciting program held in September with almost 100 attendees (a full house) was presented by Nancy Wing from the National Archives who spoke to NSDCGS on "Little Used Sources in the National Archives." Adult Learning... 15. AmeriCorps member Geoff Armour and Coordinator Carrie Scott staffed and shared a booth with the City's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator David Harrison at the Carlsbad Business Expo. Approximately 90 community members received information regarding free library services to business. 16. The Book Club enjoyed The Teacher Who Couldn't Read, selected for National Literacy Month. 17. Both CLLS AmeriCorps members, Ila Schmidt and Geoff Armour, have decided to stay on for a second term. (Two terms are the maximum that AmeriCorps members can serve.) Monthly Library Reports for September 2007 Centre de Informacion ... 18. Regular scheduled programs including bilingual story-craft, "Euros Cuentos y Pan Dulce," and the All Star Readers began their "Fall Season," at the Centre. A special program celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month was held at Centre on September 26th with Alina Mendez who entertained a group of children and adults with Latin America folktales and dance. 19. On September 27th the Centre's Fall sessions of "Writing on the Computer" classes held in Spanish began. Three different 8-week classes are offered: keyboarding, word-processing, and Internet /email. The groups meet on Thursday and Friday mornings before the Centre opens. 20. Centre Supervisor Lizeth Simonson presented to a group of new teachers at the Head Start Program in Carlsbad. She discussed the partnership between the Library and the Head Start Program and the services the Library offers to the families enrolled in Head Start. CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARY MONTHLY USAGE STATISTICS - SEPTEMBER 2007 CCL Dove Lane Reference questions Circulation People count In-House Use of Materials Cole Library Reference questions Circulation People count In-House Use of Materials Centro/ALP Reference questions Circulation People count In-House Use of Materials Library-Sponsored Programs Adult programs Adult program attendance Young Adult programs Young Adult program attendance Children's programs Children's program attendance Total Summer Reading programs (Jun X -Aug X) Total Summer Reading program registrations Total Summer Reading program attendance Computer Users All Facilities E-Mail Notification New Users Outbound Notices (Hold, Overdue 1 & 2) New Users Cumulative Total (Began August 2005) Telephone Notification New Users New Users Cumulative Total (Began December 2005) Facility Meeting Room Use Events booked Event attendance Events cancelled Volunteer Hours Total hours Sept-06 11,166 72,405 38,618 13,953 6,263 31,360 19,303 6,975 137/50 745/1 1 1 2,045/* 141/* 27 541 8 197 76 2,435 12,502 930 5,567 12,061 398 2,640 105 4,030 16 1,010.6 Aug-07 12,988 74,994 34,135*** 16,321 7,030 31,937 21,365 8,490 169/39 715/126 2.127/* 217/* 32 364 6 82 21 815 131 3,612 7,183 15,632 936 7,484 20,898 283 5,987 71 2,133 20 1,367.95 Sept-07 13,329 75,163 33,647 14,377 6,850 30,952 23,248 9,498 172/59 674/140 1.714/* 125/* 30 423 9 95 83 2,025 14,991 785 6,576 21,683 282 6,269 77 3,954 8 1,004.75 * Not reported. *** Door counter errors for a few days. 10/9/07 CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARY ADULT LEARNING PROGRAM September/October 2007 ITEM # 4 Responsibilities are Shared by All Everyone who is part of the Adult Learning Program has responsibilities for making the learning part- nership a success. Tutors are responsible for preparing meaningful learning activities and con- ducting sessions twice a week with their learners. Tutors are also responsible for providing both monthly reports and progress reports. Learners are responsible for attending learning ses- Congratulations! Sofia C.-getting her citizenship Lupe G.-completing a course at MiraCosta College Abel G.-Writer-to-Writer Challenge finalist Yulia A.-getting hired LiLing C.-publishing a poem sions twice a week, doing their work, being attentive, and letting their tutors know if they don't under- stand something or need more information. All of us are responsible for being on time, keeping appointments, and letting others know in advance if we need to miss a session. The Adult Learning Pro- gram staff has recently written these and other responsibilities into docu- ments that have been signed by new learners and tutors. Introducing the "Tutor Responsibilities" and "Learner Responsibili- ties" help each new pair start with a good under- standing of their duties and obligations to each other. Now we would like to intro- duce these responsibilities to existing tutors and learn- ers. Between now and the end of the calendar year, staff will be meeting with each tutor/learner pair to review the responsibilities and to sign the documents. We hope that you will find them to be as helpful as new learners and tutors have. Dates to Remember: September 3-Closed for Labor Day September 4-Rrst day for | CHS | •X 11.1!•1 S 1 • 1 September 13-Tutor Brown Bag 11:30 a.m. September 25-Book Club 6:00 p.m. October 6-San Diego Countywide Adult Learner Conference 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. October 11-Tutor Brown Bag 11:30 a.m. Xs V \ V 11 \ 1 H Are You Preparing for an Exam? Passing an exam is often required for important events in our lives like get- ting a degree or certificate, a better job, a license, or U.S. citizenship. A free database called "Learn-A-Test" is now available on the Carlsbad Library's website, www.carlbadlibrary.com. This resource has practice tests and on-line study guides for skills improve- ment, GED, TOEFL, U. S. citizenship, and many other situations. October 23-Book Club 6:00 p.m. If you would like more in- formation about this, and a brief introduction to using it, please stop by the office and any staff member will be glad to help you. Abel G. a finalist in the Writer to Writer Challenge A New Fiscal Year Our Year . Happy New Year! This might seem like a strange greeting this time of year, but it's appropriate for us as the Adult Learning Program is now in a new fiscal year. Last year was an exciting one for us. We saw increases in the number of tutors and learners, volunteer hours, and the number of small group classes offered. One hundred and eighteen tutors donated a total of 9,966 volunteer hours. Although we think of this time as priceless, using Independ- ent Sector's volunteer rate, the donated time is worth over $187,000. Our learners—119 in all—received 5,300 hours of instruction. A record 77 learners are continuing their studies into the new year. Over 130 books were given to our learners. We also served 43 students as part of our partnership with Carlsbad High School. 40% 30% 20% 10% -I 0% Our Ages by Percentage El Learners H Tutors 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Our Genders by Percentage • Learners B Tutors Male Female Learning Activities The year also gave both learners and tutors the opportunity to participate in learning activities beyond their one-to-one sessions. Learners were able to participate in a number of small group classes, including computers, writing, math, and public speaking, many of which were taught by volun- teers. Learners participated in our new Book Club, reading such selections as "The Wizard of Oz " and "Night. " Tutors took the opportunity to participate in "brown bag " discussions with their peers and staff. Other events that brought tutors and learners together included our record- breaking participation in the San Diego Union-Tribune Race for Literacy, our first annual Holiday Open House, and our Annual Celebration. Tutors attended the READ/San Diego Tutor Conference, learners participated in the San Diego Council on Literacy's Conference, and tutors and learners enjoyed the Southern California Library Literacy Network's ( SCLLN ) Tutor/Learner event. Staff members were featured presenters at both the Council's and SCLLN's conferences. "lam really proud of what I've accomplished so far. I have more confidence for the things I can do and am not as nervous as I was before." .,. In Review Learner Achievements and Contributions We are especially proud of our learn- ers' achievements. Eighty-seven per- cent of our adult learners met at least one literacy goal that they had set dur- ing the past year. These goals include reading a book; reading, writing, and sending email; getting a better job; and becoming a citizen. Other learners were recognized for their outstanding contributions. Ramon G. was selected to present at the San Diego Council on Literacy's Chairman's Circle event with his tutor Ann O' Neil. Robynne K. and Wil M. were among 22 adult learners throughout Southern California who attended the 6-month Henry Huffman Leadership Institute sponsored by the State Library. Five learners participated in the California Library Literacy Services' Writer to Writer Challenge for Adult Learners. This annual event invites adult learners from library literacy programs through- out the state to write a letter to an author who has influenced their lives. Learner Abel G.'s letter to author Anna Fienberg was selected from over 140 entries as one of 12 finalists in the Intermediate Level of the challenge. Volunteers We were also privileged to have 3 AmeriCorps volunteers, Geoff Armour, Ha Schmidt, and Curtis Luster, Sr., who dedicated hundreds of hours tutoring and performing outreach activities. Along with marketing volunteer Bastien Atterbury they staffed booths at many events including Fiesta del Barrio, Carlsbad 5000, Carlsbad Street Faire, and Carlsbad Triathlon. Thanks in a Library Learning Center large part to their efforts and our increased marketing for additional tu- tors, we have reduced our waiting list from over 20 learners to 5. An honor went to fourteen-year Adult Learning Program tutor, Betty Groves, who was selected for the North County Philanthropy Council's volunteer award from all nominees in the City of Carlsbad. "The most rewarding thing about this program is seeing the expression on Urn learners'faces when they accomplish something that they never thought they could. That is something you could never he paid for." One of the most significant develop- ments was the start of construction on our new Library Learning Center located across the street from Holiday Park. The 11,000 square-foot building will house our program and the Centre de Informacion. The current plan is for the construction to be complete in late spring or early summer of 2008. In the meantime, we ask for your patience as we spend our last year in our cramped location. We are looking forward to another excit- ing year. We strive for everyone in the program—learners and tutors alike—to feel safe, supported, and successful. We thank all of you for your dedication and commitment! Carlsbad City Library Adult Learning Program 1207 Carlsbad Village Drive Suite 0 Carlsbad, CA 92008-1957 Phone:760-434-2998 Fax:760-720-7621 E-mail: carisbadaduttieamlne@yahoo.com Newspapers and Magazines Now Available Tutors and learners may now check out past issues of National Geo- graphic and News for You from the Adult Learning Program. Simply take your selection to a staff member, and we'll check it out to you for three weeks. The current issue will remain on display. Enjoy this new service! We also have several copies of The North County Times that are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Feel free to take a copy home from the basket in Classroom M. Thank You! Miguel P., Julie H., and Anete M.—sweet plums Linda M.—fabulous bulletin boards Dolores W.—juicy peaches Betty G.—flowers Betty P.—pencils Alex A.—baby bananas Wayne W.—paper for Learning Connection Lory M.—brownie bites Harriet N.—Trail Mix bars Barbara M.—See's candy Email Notification Offered by Carlsbad Library The Carlsbad Library system now sends due date reminders and hold notices by email. If this service sounds appealing, stop by the office to fill out the form to get this started for you. Adult Tutor Brown Bag Sessions Add New Format On Thursday, August 9, eleven tutors (a full house in our small classroom) attended a Brown Bag session led by staff member and book club coordi- nator, Erin Thomas. During the session Erin offered tips and tech- niques for introducing and using fic- tion with learners. Tutors were introduced to books that have been read in the Book Club: Seed Folks by Paul Fleischman, Gray- son by Lynne Cox, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and Night by Elie Wiesel. Although the Adult Learning Program has had general-discussion brown bag sessions in the past, each future session will also cover a specific topic and provide useful tutor tips and techniques that you can apply in your very next learning session. The Brown Bag meetings are planned for the second Thursday of each month from 11:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m. The guest speaker at the September 13 Brown Bag is Curtis Luster, Sr. This former learner will discuss his ex- periences with learning differences. There will also be time for question and answer and to see some multi- sensory resources. Be sure to watch for announcements on future Brown Bag topics and make your reservations early for the limited spaces available.