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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-03-19; Library Board of Trustees; MinutesApproved ITEM #2 MINUTES MEETING OF: LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES DATE OF MEETING: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 PLACE OF MEETING: Board Room - Carlsbad City Library 1775 Dove Lane CALL TO ORDER: Chair Bill Kamenjarin called the meeting to order at 4:04PM. ROLL CALL: Present: Library Board Trustees Kamenjarin, Lignante, Swette and Tarman Absent: Trustee Bradley Also Present: Heather Pizzuto, Library Director Dave Curtis, Deputy Library Director Suzanne Smithson, Deputy Library Director Carol Naegele, Principal Librarian Susan Simpson, Senior Librarian Cheryl Mast, Library Management Analyst Jessica Padilla Bowen, Library Community Coordinator Marg Kealey, NSDCGS Liaison Carolyn Taylor, League of Women Voters observer Prior to moving to the prepared agenda Library Director Pizzuto introduced the Library's new Principal Librarian, Carol Naegele who will be overseeing the Library Learning Center. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the meeting held February 20, 2008 were approved as submitted. MONTHLY LIBRARY REPORTS: Trustee Tarman had some questions about the Adult Learner Leadership Institute mentioned under the Adult Learning report and Deputy Library Director Smithson explained that this was the first time the Carlsbad Library had hosted this workshop in which the learners provide the program for other learners from area literacy programs. Library Board of Trustees Page 2 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting Trustee Kamenjarin referenced the statistics report and the steady rise in use, and asked if staff has made any projections as to the impact of the opening of the new Encinitas Library. Library Director Pizzuto responded that we have no projections yet and the statistics report in this month's packet does not reflect the opening of the Encinitas Branch; however, this report next month will give us a better sense of any impact. She added that she had spoken with some of our computer lab staff who did not feel there had been any change in the activity level in the use of computers since the opening. Deputy Library Director Curtis added that he had been told by Taffy Cannon of the Friends of the Library that the book store has noticed a reduction in the amount of donations received this month. CARLSBAD READS TOGETHER: Community Coordinator Jessica Padilla Bowen reported that all the events have been confirmed and the first book club discussion is scheduled for April 1st. The books have been on display at both locations for some time and as a "quick read" are being checked out constantly. She added that the Friends of the Library have given us all the donated copies of the book to add to the collection, which greatly increased the number of copies available. She reported that just recently Home Box Office (HBO) premiered in London the first of a series based on The #1 Ladies Detective Agency which will eventually air in the United States; however, the unexpected death of the director of the series will no doubt have some impact. The library has received a number of calls about Alexander McCall Smith's visit as well as the other events and programs, and the Carlsbad Reads Together web page has been viewed more than 200 times in both January and February. Beginning the first week of April there will be ads running in the North County Times; however, because of the costs, the Library decided against using banners to promote the program this year. Trustee Kamenjarin asked if the Library was going to able to broadcast the author visit into the Gowland Meeting Room and Community Coordinator Padilla Bowen responded that the program would be available via closed circuit directly into the meeting room and the staff is working with a consultant to get the signal up to City Hall for viewing in the Council Chambers. Trustee Swette commented on the excellent content and quality of the resource booklet for this year's program but expressed his concerns at the potential of a large crowd for the event, similar to what happened with Ray Bradbury's visit. Library Board of Trustees Page 3 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting Library Director Pizzuto responded that the staff learned a great deal from the Ray Bradbury visit and one of the reasons the tickets will be available at 6 pm this year is that it will allow us to determine fairly quickly when we have reached capacity in the Schulman Auditorium and Gowland Meeting Room and allow sufficient time for anyone remaining to reach the Council Chambers in time to watch the program there. Community Coordinator Padilla Bowed added that the Library anticipates that attendees will begin to line up well before the 6 pm ticket pick-up. The queue will be managed to allow for both the auditorium and meeting room seating, and color coded and numbered tickets as well as additional stanchions and signs will be used for line control. Library Director Pizzuto reported that procedures for the book signing following the event were being developed to make that a more orderly process than in the past. She added that it would be interesting to see what the relative audience would be on a Thursday evening at 7 pm compared to the Ray Bradbury event which was held on a Saturday. Only through the experience can we determine how we are able to accommodate a major author visit in the future. Trustee Swette suggested that the event presents a great opportunity for the Library and support organizations like the Friends and the Foundation to market their services, especially to those people in line, and Library Director Pizzuto agreed to bring his suggestion to the next Carlsbad Reads Together Committee meeting. FY2008-09 BUDGET REVISIONS: Library Management Analyst Cheryl Mast reported to the Board that the Finance Department withdrew the 3.8% across the board increase for the budget due to the current financial climate and the less-than-projected City revenue for January and February. The Departments were allowed to apply the 3.8% increase in personnel costs but had to revise their proposed budget to reflect a 0% increase for M&O. The Library was able to cut about $80,000 of the proposed budget for next year and submitted the revised budget to Finance this week. Preliminary review meetings with Finance will be scheduled in early April to make any adjustments before it is brought before the Board at the regular April meeting. The Trustees expressed concern over the impact on operating hours or services and Library Director Pizzuto assured them that the budget reduction would not necessitate a service adjustment and the Library may request additional funds from the Friends of the Library if needed. Library Board of Trustees Page 4 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY REVISIONS: Library Director Pizzuto referenced the revised policy document sent to the Trustees previously and the summary of changes included in the agenda packet. She explained that the Collection Development policy is something the Library revisits about every five years, and Senior Librarian Susan Simpson, Collection Development and Acquisitions Division Head, was on hand to answer any questions from the Board. Sr. Librarian Simpson explained that many of the revisions were predicated by the opening of the Library Learning Center which then offered the opportunity to change a few other things, including updating the demographics and Library statistics, adding the Library Learning Center as one of the facilities and including the current Library Mission and Vision Statements. She pointed out the expanded section dealing with alternative formats such as the selection of links for Internet sites for the Library's website and just more detail in general for selection of alternative formats. Some language changes in the policy are in the Controversial Items paragraph with regard to parental responsibility for their own minor children in the use of library materials, and emphasizing that the Library does not stand in loco parentis. The Challenged Book policy was not changed but the procedure now included an appeal process which did not previously exist. Trustee Swette asked about the reclassification of a book when the content is fine but might be moved from the Children's Division. Sr. Librarian Simpson responded that one of the options available to the review committee on a Challenged Book is to reclassify the book and move it to a different section if appropriate. In reviewing the entire text of the Challenged Book section of the policy, Trustee Swette suggested that the language should be more specific in explaining that there are three options: discard, retain or reclassify. Library Director Pizzuto pointed out that the document under review is the Library Policy Statement and does not contain all the internal procedures in place. She continued that in the case of a challenged book, often the recommendation is to reclassify the book which is an option in the procedures. She asked Trustee Swette if he felt it was necessary to spell that out specifically in the policy. Trustees Swette, Kamenjarin and Tarman all agreed that the additional language was needed for the public to know about a third option, to reclassify the book. Sr. Librarian Simpson described the remaining changes in the policy which separates financial donations from donations of material and identifies the various ways financial donations can be made while clarifying the policy on donations from local authors. Library Board of Trustees Page 5 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting Trustee Kamenjarin asked what method is used to determine the percentage of the collection budget dedicated to the purchase of alternative formats and what is the current breakdown between books and alternative formats. Sr. Librarian Simpson responded that she could not give him the current breakdown without going back to her records and would be happy to provide those figures to the Board, but she could tell him that the current overall materials budget is a little over $1 million and the Library spends $139,000 on on-line database subscriptions and about $80,000 on video. As to the method used to determine what to purchase for the collection, the selectors pay close attention to what circulates, what is used and what is requested by the patrons. Part of the strategic team planning process includes a new team to look at new formats and develop criteria for selection. Trustee Kamenjarin asked if the Library could provide statistics on the use of the alternative formats as opposed to books and Sr. Librarian Simpson responded that the circulation statistics report breaks the items out by Dewey numbers; in the audio visual materials by tapes versus CDs, VMS versus DVDs, etc. The Technology Librarian runs usage statistics on the on-line database use. Trustee Kamenjarin asked for a breakdown on the usage - alternative versus traditional - at the next meeting. Trustee Kamenjarin asked if the Library has any off-site storage, closed stacks or a catacomb system or do we just have to discard when there are space constraints? Sr. Librarian Simpson responded that the City phased out all the leased storage as it was very costly and the Library has no offsite storage for the collection. This has forced the selectors to be more diligent with their weeding to keep the collection more current and fresh and to balance the collection between the popular use and the classics. She added that the alternative formats take up much less space than printed materials and the on-line databases take up no physical space at all. Trustee Kamenjarin asked if both the buildings are at capacity and Library Director Pizzuto responded that certainly the Cole is and Sr. Librarian Simpson added that we are not to the point that the collection looks crowded but that a portion of our collection is always circulating so all that we own is not on the shelf. By proper motion and vote, the Board approved the revised Collection Development Policy with the additional language stating the third option under the Challenged Book policy is to reclassify. Library Board of Trustees Page 6 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting LIBRARY BRANDING PROJECT UPDATE: Library Director Pizzuto referenced the previous report on the Library's branding project to help identify for the public what the Library is about and to develop a logo that reflects this, and included in the agenda packet was the survey and responses from the team working with the consultant. She added that Mr. Peji is the same consultant working with the City's branding team, and Community Coordinator Jessica Padilla Bowen is a member of the City-wide team and spearheading the Library's. Community Coordinator Padilla Bowen explained that one reason the Library decided to proceed with this project was the opportunity to work under the umbrella of the City's process and at a time when we are opening the Library Learning Center and working on the marketplace initiatives. Community Coordinator Padilla Bowen passed around some early examples of logo concepts developed by the designer based on the team's responses to the questionnaire and discussion. The team often Library employees representing a cross- section of the staff identified the various elements of design that they wanted incorporated into the logo and has worked for four months to arrive at the final version, which was shown in color and black and white as well as various sizes. Library Director Pizzuto added that the logo was to be used for marketing materials and would not replace the City Seal. She explained that branding is more than just a logo but also how we talk about what we offer and Community Coordinator Padilla Bowen then distributed a list of possible tag lines to integrate into the logo and asked for input from the Board. The Board discussed several options and offered suggestions which she will take back to the team. LIBRARY LEARNING CENTER UPDATE: Deputy Library Director Smithson reported that the project appears to be on schedule and within budget, anticipating they will begin on the "punch list" by mid-May. The City's IT Department requires two months after the construction phase for installation and testing and is estimating they will be finished by mid-July. The built-in office furniture is expected to be finished by late June and most of the Library furniture should arrive in early July. No final date has been set for the grand opening but preliminary plans are for an opening celebration on a Saturday in August and open for business the following Monday. Trustee Kamenjarin asked if consideration was being given to the impact on the Adult Learning Program and Centra operations in choosing the date for the grand opening. Library Board of Trustees Page 7 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting Deputy Library Director Smithson responded that early August was best for the Literacy program as the high school students would not return to school until early September but is not the best time for Centra and the Summer Reading Program. Centra would probably be closed for the month of July in order to relocate, which is right in the middle of the program. She said staff had discussed possibly holding two mini-summer reading programs for Centra patrons, two weeks in June and two weeks in late August in the new building. Trustee Kamenjarin questioned closing the Centra for a month and Deputy Library Director Smithson explained that it would take a minimum of three weeks to relocate the collection and train the staff on new procedures and equipment that they do not have at present. The Library Learning Center will be operating with more technology based programs and operating functions and the meeting rooms will have state-of-the- art equipment that neither program has access to currently. Principal Librarian Carol Naegele added that the staff would like to have actual practice sessions using members of the staff as patrons to get comfortable with the equipment before opening to the public. DIRECTOR'S REPORT: Governor visit - Library Director Pizzuto announced that contrary to the email sent to the Board yesterday, she had just been advised that the Governor is not coming to the Cole Library tomorrow. She explained that the City had been asked by the Governor's office to provide a location for the Governor to hold a meeting regarding the State budget and the Library learned about it on Monday. The meeting was to be attended by somewhere between 50 and 75 community members and the Governor's staff reviewed a number of facilities and determined that the Cole Library would be the most appropriate one for what they wanted to accomplish. The Library has been in constant contact with the City Manager's office in preparation and only learned earlier this afternoon that the meeting has been canceled but may be rescheduled at some later time. Recruitments - In addition to welcoming Carol Naegele, the new Principal Librarian, the position of the Media Services Technician has been offered to a candidate and we are waiting on the final approval from Human Resources before announcing the appointment. The recruitment for the Community Outreach Supervisor for literacy services at the Library Learning Center will be posted by the end of this week and will close around April 10th. That will be followed by an oral board and departmental interviews, in hopes of filling the position before the opening of the Library Learning Center. Library Board of Trustees Page 8 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting Just this week the Library received the resignation from Librarian II Amanda Eisman from the Children's Division, who will be accompanying her husband to his new position in Alaska. The recruitment for that position should be opened early next month. Marketplace Team - Many of the staff are wearing a new lanyard printed with the message, "Need Help?, making the name tags visible at the public service desks, and new display fixtures have been installed at the Cole Library with similar ones soon to be delivered to the Dove Lane location. Silk plants have been added in several places and the Dove Lane facility is preparing to test, on a trial basis, some acoustic panels in the lobby to try to reduce the noise level. Public Library Association Conference - The Library Director as well as both Deputy Directors and other Library staff will be out of the office several days next week attending this conference in Minneapolis. Summer Reading Shirts: The Board is reminded that the shirt order needs to be turned in to the Admin Secretary by the end of the week. FOUNDATION REPORT: Trustee Tarman reported that the Foundation Board is working with Peder Norby to develop some strategies for seeking endorsements and donations for the capital campaign. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY REPORT: Library Director Pizzuto reported that the Friends have not met since the last Library Board meeting but are meeting tomorrow to discuss the funding requests for the Library Learning Center. NSDC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: Liaison Kealey reported that the Society has changed their Tuesday meeting times in order to vacate the Council Chambers earlier in the day. The COG Group (Computer Oriented Genealogy) will now meet at 10 am in Council Chambers and the regular Society meeting will be in the Cole Community Room in the afternoon. Ms. Kealey reported on recent programs and the spring fund-raiser scheduled for March 29th. She also announced that the beginner genealogy class has thirty students registered after an article appeared in the North County Times about the free classes offered. Library Board of Trustees Page 9 Minutes of March 19, 2008 Meeting _ LIBRARY BOARD COMMENTS: Trustee Kamenjarin asked for an update on any contact from Mr. Lambert. Library Director Pizzuto responded that the City received one more letter and Mr. Lambert continues to express interest in the Library filtering but we have no new information and no new action to take at this time. The Library is still in the process of collecting best practice research and taking a look at our actual Internet activity. A full report on the research completed will be forthcoming at a later date. She added that she has some preliminary statistics on Internet usage available through our electronic monitoring that meets the system's definition of pornography for a two-week snapshot. Compared to all Internet use by both adults and children, the items that meet the definition of pornography are .3% of total Internet access for this period, and in the children's area, the Internet usage that falls into that definition is .0003% Library Director Pizzuto explained that the Library uses these statistics to give us a sense of our overall activity and help us to understand whether we are dealing with widespread inappropriate use or occasional use. Our monitoring so far suggests that we have a very occasional use that meets the system's definition of pornography, and then again this is a definition that identifies pornography based on words not images. We also know that when we review the report and visit some of the sites identified according to the monitoring system, pornography is not evident. Library Director Pizzuto reminded the Board that we have no action to take at this point and we will continue to monitor the environment and we have no additional information or recommendations from the City Attorney's office nor requests from the City Council to take action. PUBLIC COMMENT: None present. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion, the meeting was adjourned at 5:25 PM. Cissie Sexton Administrative Secretary