HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-11-18; Library Board of Trustees; Minutesjroved:ITEM #3
MINUTES
MEETING OF:
DATE OF MEETING:
PLACE OF MEETING:
LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Wednesday, November 18,2009
Library Board Room
Carlsbad City Library, 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad, CA 92011
CALL TO ORDER:
Chair Marie Bradley called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
Present:
Absent:
Staff Present:
Library Board Trustees Benson, Bradley, Hulsart, Lignante and Swette
None
Heather Pizzuto, Library Director
Dave Curtis, Deputy Library Director
Callie Ahrens, Principal Librarian
Cheryl Mast, Library Management Analyst
Jessica Padilla Bowen, Library Community Coordinator
Devin Castel, Library Business Systems Specialist
Lisa Irvine, City Finance Director
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
On a motion by Trustees Benson/Swette the minutes of the regular meeting held October 21, 2009
were approved as submitted (5/0).
MONTHLY LIBRARY REPORTS:
Both Trustees Bradley and Benson commented on the addition of the database Mango and Trustee
Benson asked for some usage statistics sometime in the future.
Trustee Lignante asked for additional information on the "Day of the Dead" celebrations at the
Libraries and the origin of the custom.
Library Director Pizzuto advised that the Library wishes to discontinue the statistics on e-mail and
telephone notification explaining that when these services were first offered in 2005 the Board was
interested in determining whether these represented viable alternatives to the mailed notices. Since
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Minutes of November 18, 2009 Meeting
2005, 100% of the activity has been on the increase so at this point the Library has concluded that
these methods are well established communication methods and will discontinue collecting the
activity statistics, unless the Board has any objections. She offered the Board the opportunity to
identify any other statistics to include in the monthly report that might be helpful, noting that
requests for additional information need not be presented at this particular time, but at any time in
the future.
There were no objections from the Trustees and the item did not require any formal action by the
board.
Trustee Lignante questioned the huge increase over last year's number in the in-house use of
materials count at the Learning Center and Principal Librarian Ahrens explained that in the previous
year the staff was performing a manual count and that during the current year they are using the
automated system to count the materials left out but not checked out. Deputy Library Director Curtis
added that although this method of counting the material (used at all three facilities) is more
accurate, it is extremely labor intensive, and collects information no longer included in the State
Library report. For those reasons, the Library will probably cease to collect and record those numbers
in the near future.
CITY 2009-10 BUDGET UPDATE:
Library Director Pizzuto introduced City Finance Director Lisa Irvine who provided an in-depth
PowerPoint update of the City's budget for the current fiscal year and the 10 year financial forecast.
She explained that the economy has affected the City of Carlsbad's revenue resources and the drop in
revenue will require some adjustments, but that the City has been preparing for this recession for
several years and is therefore in a much better position financially than most. She continued that the
recession is not going to end very quickly and economists agree that although it appears to be pretty
close to being over, the recovery will not be as quick as it was in the 1970s.
QUARTERLY TECHNOLOGY REPORT:
Business Systems Specialist (BSS) Castel provided the quarterly report on technology usage in the
Library explaining that the wireless statistics were missing from this quarter due to an upgrade taking
place in the structure and the tool needed to capture the stats is not yet in place. He added that he
hopes to have the wireless statistics as well as web site hits by the next quarterly report. BSS Castel
advised that he has also removed the bandwidth-use bar graph from this report since the peaks and
maximum usage times seem to have remained fairly consistent quarter to quarter; however, should
the patterns change, he would again include this in the report.
BSS Castel then reviewed the information on PC Management sessions and utilization and the
difference between the two measurements.
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Minutes of November 18, 2009 Meeting
Trustee Swette asked about the utilization in some areas and the possibility of relocating or
repurposing some of the PCs, or purchasing additional ones. BSS explained that the increase in the
Dove Lab particularly is a direct result of a repurposing some PC's.
Library Director Pizzuto further explained that the Library converted some of the PCs from catalog-
only to Internet access which reduced wait time in some areas but there are other areas where we
have no way to meet the demand. That is the case at the Cole Library where we have provided all the
PCs that the building's infrastructure can support and are now looking at other ways to increase
access. One idea the Library is pursuing on a trial-basis is to provide a leaner laptop that can be used
wirelessly in the building. She explained that repurposing or repositioning Library PCs is on-going
based on annual trends, but what won't change very easily is the amount the Library can spend on
computers.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES FOR FY2010-11:
Library Director Pizzuto explained that earlier today the senior Library staff had participated in a brain
storming effort, evidence of which was still posted on the walls of the Board Room. She explained
that the group began with the current strategic directions, used the advice provided by this Board at
its last regular meeting and developed some alternative language for some of the directions. The
strategic initiatives were the next focus and the discussion was not finished but will be concluded at
the regular Division Heads meeting tomorrow morning, Thursday November 19th. The final versions
of the strategic directions will be provided to the Board at their next meeting, together with the
initiatives being considered for next year. She concluded that until we have more information on the
budget for next year the list cannot be finalized, but will be brought back to the Board once the
Library can finally determine its capacity to accomplish the proposed initiatives.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT:
Library Director Pizzuto provided the following updates to the Board:
CLAF Mini-golf - The average door count for a Sunday is about 600 for the four-hour period, but on
Sunday, November 8th, the Library opened two hours earlier and the door count exceeded 1200. The
Library staff did not receive any complaints or negative feedback from this first mini-golf event, and
there were no injuries or damage. The CLAF committee has not had their recap meeting and
therefore there are no figures available on resulting revenue.
Sr. Librarian recruitments - The recruitment process continues with the scheduling of the
departmental interviews.
Mango - This new database was recently added and the Library has plans for downloadable audio
books to be available early next year. An in-depth overview of those two new resources will be
scheduled for a future Board meeting.
CLA Annual Conference - Thirteen Library staff members attended portions of the annual conference
in Pasadena last month despite a challenging budget year. Many attended a single day and were able
Library Board of Trustees Page 4
Minutes of November 18, 2009 Meeting
to use the city vehicle for carpooling. The overall theme of the conference was maintaining positive
momentum during difficult economic times, sustaining services where possible and preserving a
sense of humor. As is the Library's usual practice, brown bag sessions are planned where those staff
who attended can share information with those who did not.
Door Counters - The Library has selected a vendor for the replacement door counters, Walker
Wireless, and will purchase one set of counters to test at all locations before purchasing additional
sets.
Public Art - The joint first responders training facility art component will be available for previewing
as part of the public art process, at various locations, the Cole Library being the first, followed by the
Library on Dove Lane.
Vacation - The Director will be on vacation next week and Deputy Library Director Curtis will be the
acting Director in her absence.
FOUNDATION REPORT:
The primary focus of the meeting was the upcoming mini-golf event at the Library but Library
Director Pizzuto added the Foundation did establish a slate of officers for the next year.
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY REPORT:
Trustee Hulsart announced that the Friends will be holding their annual holiday book sale on
December 7th & 8th and honored their volunteers with their annual luncheon event on October 30th.
NSDCGS REPORT:
Board Liaison Marg Kealey reported their membership numbers are up and this Society is one of the
largest in the country. She reviewed the programs from the previous month and reminded the Board
that they are invited to attend the annual Holiday Luncheon at the Lake San Marcos Country Club on
December 8th.
LIBRARY BOARD COMMENTS:
Trustee Bradley announced that Trustee Benson recently accepted a position with National University
Headquarters as the Executive Director of Extended Learning.
Trustee Bradley commented on the experience and historical knowledge available from Trustee
Lignante and his long association with the Library.
Trustee Swette advised that the Community Grants Committee had completed its work for the year
and their recommendations were being presented to City Council sometime in December.
Library Board of Trustees Page 5
Minutes of November 18, 2009 Meeting
Trustee Lignante commented on his involvement with the wounded Marines and the Base
Commander at Camp Pendleton with regard to the donation of some of his court room drawings, and
encouraged other Board members to personally consider these causes.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
None present.
ADJOURNMENT:
By proper motion (Lignante/Benson), the meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
Cissie Sexton
Administrative Secretary
ITEM #4
Monthly LIBRARY Reports
for
October 2009
Systemwide...
1. On October 1, Captain Book performed magic, presented a chest of books, and stressed
the importance of reading during a visit to the Library Learning Center. Each child took
home a book. The Kiwanis Club of Carlsbad generously donated a treasure chest filled
with books and will help maintain the collection of free books for the Learning Center.
Jessica attended the October 13 Kiwanis meeting to thank the group and report back on
the success of the event.
2. The Library hosted poet and literary legend Yevgeny Yestushenko on October 8. Over 200
people attended the talk and provided great feedback on this rare opportunity to hear an
acclaimed poet read his work.
3. On October 13, the Library hosted author Richard Lederer who discussed his new books, A
Treasury for Dog Lovers and A Treasury for Cat Lovers. Approximately fifty people listened
to the talk and attended the book signing.
4. On Oct. 18, 25 people attended a poetry writing workshop with local teacher Jill Moses at
Georgina Cole Library.
5. The History Room sponsored 2 History Mystery events. At Georgina Cole Library, 9
children attended and at the Dove Library, 6 attended. The History Mystery night was a
program for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Each team had a set of history questions to solve in a
race against the other teams, using materials (many original) from the history room. After
all of the teams completed their questions, the children shared their favorite questions
and answers. The evening also included a get-to-know you game at the beginning of the
evening, and ended with Scooby Doo mysteries and snacks.
6. A new online database, Mango Languages, was added to the collection. This will help
many patrons learn a new language, especially those who are frustrated by the wait to
use the Rosetta Stone language learning CDROMs.
7. The annual favorite "Food for Thought" reading incentive program sponsored by In-N-Out
Burger began October 10 and runs through November 21. Children may earn up to three
certificates good towards a free cheeseburger for every 5 books they read.
8. Sirsi 3.3 upgrade went very smoothly for us.
9. A volunteer orientation took place on October 17 at the Dove location and had 14 in
attendance. Staff is currently interviewing applicants for Dove, Cole and the Learning
Center opportunities. The next orientation is planned for January 16 at Cole.
Monthly Library Reports for October 2009
CCL, Dove Lane...
10. On October 6, Teen Services Librarian Darin Williamson attended High School College
Night. He spoke to 125 students about services available through the Carlsbad City
Library to help them prepare for and find the right college.
11. Two holiday-themed programs were held for teens in October. On October 19, ten
teens attended a Day of the Dead program and decorated traditional sugar skulls. A
pumpkin carving program was held just in time for Halloween on October 26.14 teens
attended this program and carved some very creative jack o' lanterns.
12. Teen Read Week (October 18 - 24) was once again marked by the Read for Chocolate
program. Teens that wrote book reviews received a candy bar for each review turned in
to the Reference Desk. Teens wrote a total of 23 book reviews.
13. The Childrens' division hosted Raggle Taggle, who performed a rollicking Buccaneer
Halloween Pirate Show on October 19 in the Schulman Auditorium to the delight of the
145 adults and children who attended.
14. Children enjoyed the Make and Take Halloween craft on October 29 and the traditional
Halloween costume parade following both Storytime Theater programs on October 30.
Georgina Cole...
15. October's Culture Craft featured Latino stories and a craft in celebration of Hispanic
Heritage Month. Story Craft's theme was Halloween. A sugar skull craft workshop was
held to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. A screening of The Corpse Bride was held for some
Halloween fun.
16. Two "Spooky Preschool Storytimes & Halloween Parade" programs were held the last
week of October and were well attended (45 in attendance on October 28 and 50 on
October 29). The kids were able to trick-or-treat at the different service desks.
17. The 3rd annual HalloTEEN late night teen event was held on October 30. Twenty-six
teens attended and participated in a variety of activities such as pumpkin decorating,
mummy wrapping and other ghoulish games.
Learning Center...
18. The Learning Center hosted a Read for the Record event on October 8. This annual
national event aims to create the world's largest shared reading experience by having
readers reading the same book to children on the same day. This year's book was "The
Very Hungry Caterpillar." This local effort was led by AmeriCorps members Shirley
Betters, Leslie Rodwick, and Ben Russak, who partnered with Bilingual Services to host
two special Read for the Record story times for Head Start children. The guest readers
Monthly Library Reports for October 2009
were two learners from Literacy Services, Gloria D. and Gloria R., who read to 40
children. Thanks to the generosity of the event's sponsors, free copies of the book were
given to the participants.
19. On October 6, Lizeth Simonson met with Dr. Jane Hartman, School Principal at Jefferson
Elementary School to converse about Homework Zone and to open communication and
collaboration between Homework Zone tutors and Jefferson school teachers. Dr.
Hartman expressed her gratitude to the Library for this valuable service we provide to
the children and their families in our community. Ms. Simonson provided Homework
Zone flyers to the school to be distributed to the parents at the Parent School Night.
20. Three Carlsbad learners were honored at a luncheon in Pasadena on Oct. 31 for their
achievement in the State Library's Writer to Writer challenge. This annual event invites
adult learners to read a book that has influenced their lives and then write a letter to
the author. Four winners, eight runners-up, and 30 finalists were selected in four
writing categories from 188 entrants from adult learners throughout the state. Carlsbad
learners Ramon G. and Camila R. were selected as runners-up in the Beginning category,
and leaner Nyla H. was chosen as a finalist in the Intermediate category.
21. On October 27, a program celebrating the "Day of the Dead," was presented at the
Leaning Center. Children and adults learned about the customs and folklores associated
with this holiday and decorated skulls made out of sugar.
CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARY
MONTHLY USAGE STATISTICS - OCTOBER 2009
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
Learning Center (began Aug 2008)
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
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
Oct-08
13,754
73,026
33,526
9,195
7,856
31,640
16,750
5,974
833
1,832
4,942
198
43
666
11
97
124
3,342
13,864
818
8,627
32,423
272
9,618
72
2,766
16
1,239.55
Sept-09
15,237
77,555
33,483
8,238
10,791
33,845
14,828
6,707
1,071
1,280
4,775
610
39
602
8
70
67
2,102
17,599
909
10,102
51,236
385
13,413
82
3,021
15
1,694
Oct-09
14,478
78,217
34,502
9,100
10,166
34,906
17,406
6,649
1,117
1,572
5,025
540
40
444
13
128
117
3,048
14,633
776
10,163
52,012
303
13,716
80
3,344
5
1,725.65
ITEM # 6
CARLSBAD
CITY LIBRARY
Technology Report
July -September 2009
PC Management Sessions
Location
Dove Adult Lab
Dove Adult Lab 2
Dove E-mail
Dove Walk-up
Dove Children's
Cole Adult
Cole E-mail
Cole Children's
Learning Center Children's Lab
Learning Center Adult Lab
Total # of
Computers
20
3
4
4
9
12
1
8
7
7
Sessions
Apr- Jun
2009
9,348
1,295
6,095
4,038
1,848
10,155
1,283
2,595
1,326
1,831
Sessions
Jul -Sep
2009
11,416
1,395
6,695
4,101
1,885
11,644
1,565
3,054
1,466
1,866
Pet of
Change
22%
8%
10%
2%
2%
15%
22%
18%
11%
2%
Apr-Jun/Jul-Sep Percentage of change
Figure 1. Sessions
PC Utilization Averages
Location
Dove Adult Lab
Dove Adult Lab 2
Dove E-mail
Dove Walk-up
Dove Children's
Cole Adult
Cole E-mail
Cole Children's
Learning Center Children's Lab
Learning Center Adult Lab
Total # of
Computers
20
3
4
4
9
12
1
8
7
7
Utilization
Apr-Jun
2009
71%
80%
29%
57%
22%
78%
24%
35%
35%
56%
Utlization
Jul-Sep
2009
81%
80%
32%
62%
23%
86%
29%
41%
32%
58%
Pet of
Change
10%
0%
3%
5%
1%
8%
5%
6%
-3%
2%
12%
Apr-Jun/Jul-Sep Percentage of change
*
Figure 2. Utilization
Top Public Internet Categories
Apr-Jun 2009 Jul-Sep 2009
Category
Streaming Media/MP3s
Web Advertisements
Social Networking
Search Engines/Portals
Reference
E-mail
Computers/Internet
Business/Economy
Arts/Enterainment
Percentage of
use
14%
14%
13%
9%
6%
4%
4%
3%
2%
Category
Streaming Media/MP3s
Social Networking
Search Engines/Portals
Reference
E-mail
Computers/Internet
Business/Economy
News/Media
Arts/Entertainment
Percentage
of use
16%
13%
9%
6%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%