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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Library Trustees 2018-11-13 AgendaAGENDA SAN RAFAEL LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING, NOVEMBER 13, 2018 DOWNTOWN SAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING ROOM, 1100 E Street, SAN RAFAEL 6:00 PM MELANIE LEAVITT CANTARUTTI, BOARD CHAIR, PRESIDING APPROVAL OF AGENDA APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MEETING OF OCTOBER 9, 2018 PUBLIC COMMENT This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons desiring to address the Board on all items, agendized or not. Presentations are generally limited to two minutes. DISCUSSION • Library Community Services Merger CORRESPONDENCE REPORT FROM INTERIM LIBRARY DIRECTOR (Henry Bankhead) REPORTS FROM LIBRARY SUPPORT GROUPS • Friends of the Library (Henry Bankhead) • Library Foundation (Henry Bankhead) • Special Library Parcel Tax Committee (Henry Bankhead) OLD BUSINESS • Library Policy – Guidelines for Library Use - Amendment to allow limited eating, revised from last meeting NEW BUSINESS • New Library Facilities Project 2nd Round Meetings update ADJOURNMENT American sign language interpreters and assistive listening devices may be requested by calling 415-485-3064 (voice) at least 72 hours in advance. Copies of documents are available in accessible formats upon request. To allow individuals with environmental illness or multiple chemical sensitivity to attend the meeting, individuals are requested to refrain from wearing scented products. Gary O. Phillips, Mayor • John Gamblin, Vice Mayor • Maribeth Bushey, Councilmember • Kate Colin, Councilmember • Andrew Cuyugan McCullough, Councilmember Location: SRPL, Downtown Library Meeting Room Date: 10/9/18 Time: 6:00 p.m. Chair, Presiding: Melanie Leavitt Cantarutti Members Present: Jaimi Cortes Josh Libresco Melanie Leavitt Cantarutti Scott Harrup (Alternate) Members Absent: Robert Ross Doug Van Gessel Others Present: Henry Bankhead, Interim Director Jamie Poirier, Circulation Supervisor Jinder Banwait, Administrative Assistant APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was unanimously approved on a motion by Cantarutti and a second by Libresco. One error found under “NEW BUSINESS”, the word “odd” changed to “of”. APPROVAL OF MINUTES August minutes were unanimously approved by all members. September minutes were unanimously approved by all members. PUBLIC COMMENT None. STAFF PRESENTATION Poirier shared a presentation about visiting local libraries (Mill Valley, Corte Madera, and Novato) within the MARINet Consortium. She and other library staff took this opportunity to build connections, observe, and learn operations and best practices. Jamie shared pictures and ideas from the visits. She discussed some of the ideas in detail and how some ideas can be implemented at SRPL and some be part of the future new library. Ideas such as holds shelves layout, efficiency of space, effectiveness of lighting, combining 3D printing and VR, providing seeds for the community, wayfinding, greeter at entrance, shared service points, and modern check-in equipment and other technology. SRPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING SUMMARY Gary O. Phillips, Mayor • Maribeth Bushey, Vice Mayor • Kate Colin, Councilmember • John Gamblin, Councilmember • Andrew Cuyugan McCullough, Councilmember CORRESPONDENCE None. REPORT FROM LIBRARY DIRECTOR Bankhead said there was an error with the Library Foundation meeting date, that it should be on the 8th, not the 25th. Bankhead also shared the success and activities of the annual Staff Day event. Libresco asked about the emergency preparedness presentation part of the Staff Day event, how all the information can be so overwhelming. Bankhead shared information about the preparedness of SRPL and how the DT facility has no modern safety equipment. Bankhead also shared information about the role of government workers during a disaster. Cantarutti recommended a 6-week disaster preparedness program the Library can offer for the community. The program has an environmental aspect incorporated in it. REPORT FROM LIBRARY SUPPORT GROUPS AND OTHER RELATED GROUPS Friends of the Library: Bankhead said that the Friends are discussing the future of the Friends Books Bookstore. Bankhead shared some of the concerns such as declining proceeds/revenue, increasing rent, workload, volunteer resources, and the lack of parking. Some solutions discussed were to decrease open hours, request a revenue forecast study, limit donations of non-valuable books, hire a part-time manager, visit other Friends in the area to learn their operations, use younger volunteers, and partner with local businesses and schools. SRPL Foundation: Meeting on the 8th at 6 p.m. at the San Rafael Yacht Club. Special Library Parcel Tax Committee: Meeting on October 22nd. OLD BUSINESS Bankhead continued the conversation about updating the food policy. He said that the consumption of food can be controlled better if it is legitimized. Bankhead said that updating the policy would improve the quality of life of the patrons and increase their enjoyment of the library. Bankhead explained that responsible consumption of individually wrapped food, where it isn’t disruptive to others, in designated areas, with increased level of janitorial services will not have an impact of any sort to library operations. Cortes shared her concerns about noise and trash, but was assured certain areas would be zoned. Cantarutti recommended changing wording from “encourage” to “permitted”. Cortes and Harrup approved making changes to the policy and reviewing a draft in the next meeting. Bankhead continued the conversation about the Library Board Minutes vs. Summary. All members agreed to use a detailed summary. Bankhead said there was no update on the New Library Project. Gary O. Phillips, Mayor • Maribeth Bushey, Vice Mayor • Kate Colin, Councilmember • John Gamblin, Councilmember • Andrew Cuyugan McCullough, Councilmember NEW BUSINESS Poirier proposed eliminating the requirement of asking patrons to provide proof of address. She shared that families who recently moved to the area or those without a physical mailing address are unable to obtain a library card. Poirier said that the MARINet Consortium is moving toward a non-mail notice system in the near future. Libresco said as long as there is a way to contact the patron, such as an email address, a proof of address requirement isn’t necessary, all members agreed. Bankhead said that the library staff can assist patrons in getting an email address. All members approved proposal. Action Items Owner(s) Deadline Details 1 $10 or more account fine prevent use of e-resources? Poirier N/A Jamie will confirm. 2 Update Food Policy Bankhead Next Meeting Henry will update the current policy and present a draft. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Henry Bankhead cc: November 2018 TO: San Rafael Public Library Board of Trustees FR: Henry Bankhead, Interim Library Director RE: Monthly Report to the Board Facility Updates New Inside DVD Drop Slot! We have installed another drop slot inside the downtown library lobby to give patrons a “media only” slot. This is to protect the media items from being potentially damaged from having heavy books fall on them while they are in the bin behind the slot. Library Personnel Updates The library made a conditional off to a permanent, benefited Library Assistant I position at 53% (20 hours/week.) We will be announcing the lucky candidate after they have passed through the backgrounding process. Recent Library User Comments • (Bibliocommons user) I love the Marin County library system. Being able to place a hold on a book and being notified when it is ready for pickup make using the library so convenient. Thanks for all you do. • A Tool Library! • (Bibliocommons user) I am embarrassed that I have not been in for quite a while. Requested a hold and was pleasantly surprised by the time it became available. I will have to try downloading books that are available, and some other services you offer. Library Activities Library Merger with Community Services With the recent departure of the Library Director in June 2018, the organization has decided to merge the Library and Community Services Department together over the next several months. Why Combine? Monthly Librarian’s Report to the Library Board of Trustees, p. 2 The two departments share services goals, which include supporting an engaged and informed citizenry; activating a thriving community; and stewarding well-managed, effective, and sustainable shared assets. Our goal is to leverage the best aspects of two talented and highly functional community-facing departments, while limiting duplication of and enhancing services to the community. By combining into one department, we can create new possibilities for collaboration and innovation in programming and services for the community. We can also develop staff’s talents by offering shared training and professional development to more staff members. Some cities that have integrated similarly are; Roseville, Sunnyvale, San Bruno, Temecula, Torrance, Salinas, Stockton, Oxnard, Beverly Hills, Chula Vista, Ontario and Pleasanton. Engaging and informing our San Rafael Communities Both departments currently serve our different populations through activities, programs and services. For instance, the library offers classes and workshops that benefit the same groups of people that Community Services serve. Some of the classes are very similar. For example; Baby Time, Stay & Play, Sing and Dance, Jumping Jacks Art & Sensory Workshop, Canta Conmigo, Free Poetry Readings, Computer Classes, Reading Buddies, Book Clubs etc. Enhancing Service Levels By combining the departments, we’ll be able to do more on behalf of the community with less overhead. We can improve service levels and maximize public participation in library and recreation programs through less redundancy, especially in the areas of budgeting, technology, public information, purchasing, and general programming. We’ll Do This Together The City intends for the integration effort to be a participatory one, engaging staff from both departments. Moving forward we intend to combine all administrative functions. This will allow for consistency and efficiency over time while enhancing the customer experience through more streamlined access. We will take advantage of strong community connections. Both of our talented teams are strongly connected to the community. By combining these connections, we can build a stronger and more coordinated network of community programs. While we expect our teams to maintain their core functions and continue to provide great service, we’ll coordinate our efforts to engage, inform and entertain the community. We are not eliminating any jobs, but some positions will see a few changes in their responsibilities. Our teams will work together to plan and execute programs and services that have potential for overlap. Senior, Monthly Librarian’s Report to the Library Board of Trustees, p. 3 Youth, Teen & Preschool Services as well as outreach & community events will benefit from focused coordination and service delivery. Demo Day November 6th was Demo Day for our City Employees who are part of the Together San Rafael learning labs. Margaret Stawowy, our children’s librarian is was part of the team examining the employee evaluations process. Their challenge statement reads: “Regular evaluations help employees develop their skills and advance in their careers. Right now, employees typically are evaluated by their supervisor each year. This practice is not always consistently applied or meaningful. How might we ensure that all employees get meaningful evaluations that incorporate the Together San Rafael guiding principles?” Cheryl Meeker, Library Assistant is part of the Cultivating a Positive Culture Team. Their challenge statement is: “We live in divisive times and it’s easy to forget all of the good around us. Stress can cause negative health impacts, counterproductive and dangerous behaviors, and even violence. How might we cultivate a culture of positivity in San Rafael?” Miriam Wallen, librarian with adult services participated in the Community Partnerships Team. Their challenge statement is: As our capacity to provide services declines and community expectations continue to increase, there is a growing frustration from the public and a reduction of trust in local government overall. In the past, local governments may have been able to be the sole provider of services, while now it takes a partnership or coalitions to work together to address issues. For example, there are actions a community can take to make for a safer neighborhood – it is not solely about the number of police officers. There are actions a community can take to make for a cleaner community – it is not solely Public Works employees picking up illegal dumping. How might we create toolkits so that the community can clearly see how they can best partner to help create the quality of life they want? For more information on Learning Labs and Together San Rafael go to: https://employees.cityofsanrafael.org/learning-lab/ New Library Facilities Planning Process Meetings October 16th, 18th and 20th marked the next round of community meetings that were held to solicit input from the public about New Library Facilities needs for the City of San Rafael. The meeting on Tuesday the 16th at 6 PM in the Terra Linda Community Center had 24 attendees and focused on North San Rafael needs, including a library Monthly Librarian’s Report to the Library Board of Trustees, p. 4 community center joint use building as well as a mall option and the Dixie School district option. The meeting on Thurs the 18th at 6 PM at the San Rafael Community Center on B Street had 25 attendees and focused on Central San Rafael’s needs, including a Carnegie remodel, a library in Albert Park as well as a Boyd park option. The meeting on Saturday the 20th at 2 PM at the Al Boro Community Center had 23 attendees and focused on the expanding the AL Boro Community Center Building to create a larger pickleweed library space. At each of the public meetings Noll and Tam collected feedback from the audience and provided more detailed plans about where different service modules – adult, children, teens, staff, meeting rooms – would be located. The next step in the process is to create a community wide survey and hold a final round of public meetings. October Library Director Activities • November 9-11 — California Library Association Conference • November 11 —Community Services/Library Department Integration Kickoff Meeting • November 13 – Library Board of Trustees Meeting • November 14 — Friends of the Library Board Meeting • November 15 — MARINet Board Meeting • November 21– Department Directors Meeting • November 29 – Library All Staff Meeting • Upcoming Special Events Boards and Commissions Holiday Reception Tuesday, December 4 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM Falkirk Cultural Center 1408 Mission Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901 LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES POLICY AMENDMENT PROPOSAL November 13, 2018 TITLE: UPDATED PROPOSAL REGARDING ALLOWING LIMITED CONSUMPTION OF FOOD IN THE DOWNTOWN AND PICKLEWEED LIBRARIES SUBJECT: ALLOW LIMITED CONSUMPTION OF FOOD IN SAN RAFAEL LIBRARIES SUMMARY: Best practices in public libraries throughout the San Francisco Bay Area allow limited consumption of food items within public libraries. Currently as part of the Guidelines for Library Use for San Rafael Public Library states: The following behaviors are prohibited on Library property to ensure everyone can enjoy the library, and may result in warnings, expulsions, or suspension of library privileges: Eating inside the library, except as approved for specific events. The proposal at hand would be to remove this section from the prohibited behaviors section and instead substitute in the allowed behaviors section: To enjoy library materials and services fully, the following are permitted in designated areas: Responsible consumption of individually packaged food and drinks; full meals and pungent foods should be consumed outside the library. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact from this report. RECOMMENDATION: Approve or Reject the proposal and/or provide feedback. ALTERNATIVE ACTION Any other action as determined by the Board Submitted by: Henry Bankhead Interim Library Director