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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Library Promotion Committee 10/18/2017CITY OF PALM DESERT REGULAR MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, October 18, 2017 — 3:00 p.m. Administrative Conference Room 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260 I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Kermode called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Member Marilyn Hahn Member Lois Cardona Member Carol Marcuse Member Ella Manor Vice Chair Rosenberg Chair Kermode Also Present: Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk Michael Mason, City Librarian James Gallagher, Special Events Coordinator Eileen Strain, Palm Desert Library Volunteer Coordinator Karen Gonzales, Friends of the Library Connie Swanson, Guest Grace L. Rocha, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Palm Desert Library Promotion Committee Meeting of April 19, 2017. Chair Kermode called attention to a typographical error, which will be revised in the final version. APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2017 Upon motion by Vice Chair Rosenberg, second by Member Marcuse, and 4-0 vote of the Committee (AYES: Hahn, Marcuse, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None; ABSENT: Cardona and Manor), the Minutes of the Library Promotion Committee Meeting of April 19, 2017, were approved with one correction. V. NEW BUSINESS A. REPORT ON THE MULTI -AGENCY FACILITY MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS FOR THE PERIOD OF APRIL TO OCTOBER 2017. Ms. Klassen noted Mr. Mason's report in the Committee's Packet, which provided an update on the maintenance & operations of the facility and the various ticket items still pending. Chair Kermode inquired about the air conditioning, lighting, and leak in the ceiling, questioning who paid for the repairs. Mr. Mason replied that since the Library was a multi -agency facility, College of the Desert (COD) and Riverside County Economic Development Agency agreed to jointly pay for getting all the lighting up to par, and it has been completed. The leak in the ceiling happened after the remodel, but it had previously been repaired by the COD maintenance and operations crew. At this point, it was a cosmetic thing, and he listed it on the report as a low -priority item. With respect to the air conditioning, what had been happening is that the fire alarm system was being triggered, shutting down the dampers to the unit, and it was occurring on a regular basis on weekends. The situation has been resolved; it took extensive work to clean out the ducts, and they have not had any new problems. He said between the COD maintenance crew and the SimplexGrinnell Fire Alarm System representatives, they figured how to reset the air conditioning when it's a false alarm, but security still has to check to make sure that's the case. For ticket items that are open, he will stay on top of it. He was proud to say the Library is well lit again, and he's requested the maintenance crew come up with a plan for replacement of light bulbs as needed. Member Marcuse moved to receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Member Hahn and carried by a 4-0 vote (AYES: Hahn, Marcuse, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None; ABSENT: Cardona and Manor). 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2017 VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VII. OLD BUSINESS None VIII. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Council Liaison (Councilmember Gina Nestande) None B. Librarian (Michael Mason) Mr. Mason reported on the following: 1. Summer Reading Program — attendance was lower across the board throughout the Desert from previous summers. He noted that Alice Co, long-time Librarian, was on medical leave, so he had temporary personnel fill in, adding that the program required a lot of preparation and coordination, so with all things considered, he believed the Library held its own. With Alice not returning, it created the Library I (Children's) position to be open, and they are now inviting people to be interviewed. 2. Programming and Outreach Updates — provided a handout and went over the successes, shortcomings, statistics, prizes, and donations received. 3. Staffing and Professional/Individual Development - announced that Jake Barillaro was no longer the Zone Manager, and the position is currently vacant. He is working with staff to cross -train and on team -building activities, including shooter evacuation escape routes. Additionally, ensuring staff continues with their certifications and is up -to -speed. Lastly, he reported there is a new Reference Librarian at College of the Desert. 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING C. Special Events Coordinator (James Gallagher) OCTOBER 18, 2017 Mr. Gallagher provided a handout and went over the following ongoing events at the Library: 1. Continuina series: Author Talks, Frankly Speaking, Monday Matinee Movies, Meditation Monday, Hooked on Books (Book Club), and Write On! (Writers' Support Group). 2. Adult Summer Reading Proaram — reported that in addition to the successful Children's Summer Reading Program, the Library offered an adult version with 14 people participating, and each read 10 books over a two -month period. 3. National Competition Award — announced that Palm Desert Library entered a national competition offered by the American Library Association and the Public Broadcasting Corporation to receive copies of the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary series, "The Vietnam War" for public showing. He added that 50 libraries in the United States received the honor, Palm Desert Library being one receiving the grant. He believed both because the Library has a Veterans Center and its proximity to the military base at 29 Palms were winning factors in the judging. 4. Chef's Table and Sunday Sounds Sianature Series — The programs will begin on November 2, 2017, at the Community Recreation Center. He's expanding both series to eight or nine events each, stating they run from November 2 to the end of February or beginning of March. The City funds the music series and Friends of the Library fund the Chef's Table events. He handed out the new and revised design of the Events & Activities Brochure, adding that the bigger expense was on the design, printing was minimal. He is being trained on a new program for designing in order to take over updates of the brochure, which go out quarterly, but still keeping the same design and fonts. 5. Promotional Efforts — The other outlets for promotion of the Library activities and events include: the City's BrightSide Newsletter that goes out bi-monthly, the Facebook page called Palm Desert Library; and on the Riverside Library website: www.rivlib.net. Chair Kermode asked about the connection with the Library's Veterans Center and the one at College of the Desert. 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2017 Mr. Gallagher replied the Library has a Veterans Room with publications, and volunteers staff it at least once a week. Veterans can discuss anything from filing for benefits, counseling issues, etc., and they do a lot of crisis intervention as well. Likewise, there is a room at the College in the Craven's Building, and services there are directly for students, where the one at the Library is open to the public. Chair Kermode inquired about dissemination of the brochures. Mr. Gallagher said the brochures are at the circulation and reference desks at the Library, and he delivers them to Atria, Joslyn Center, Carlotta, Segovia, and the Visitor Center. He said they currently print about 1,500, but the Library didn't have a budget for mailing them. However, the BrightSide Newsletter is very effective, because it's mailed to all residents of Palm Desert. D. Volunteer Coordinator (Eileen Strain) Ms. Strain reported on the following: 1. Volunteer Statistic Report for 2016 and 2017 — noted that for 2017, the number of volunteers had increased, including an increase in the number of hours. 2. Homebound Proaram - provided a handout listing the various contacts made in efforts to bring the numbers up. She said numbers were down, which was an ongoing issue, even though she has visited the various organizations and convalescent homes to assist with promotion of the program. Vice Chair Rosenberg stated she felt it had more to do with the representatives at the convalescent homes that didn't want to make the effort. Ms. Klassen offered that Ms. Strain could pursue the Homebound efforts as time permits, but not to be overly disappointed about it currently. She said if there is a change in personnel at these convalescent homes, the new representative might be more receptive to the program. Mr. Mason noted that with the Homebound Services Program, they updated the brochures, logo, and phone numbers, and 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2017 revised the application form. Additionally, there is a concern about any type of service conducted offsite, so there was the potential that he may be asked to stop this service. He believed it was all related to liability as the County is self -insured. He added that EDA has come forward after County Supervisors approved recommended changes to the Meeting Room Policy and its fee structure, including prohibiting after hours work on any properties leased by EDA without prior approval, which made sense. They are also increasing the cost of photocopies and other minor changes. He said they are now facing all these insurance questions and being very careful. In fact, they have a new Safety Training person on board in Human Resources who promised to visit each of the branches. He brought all this information up now in case the Library needs to address any of these issues and/or is asked to discontinue the Homebound Program. He asked if the Committee ever calls for a special meeting if warranted. Ms. Klassen said it could if there is a room available and a quorum of the members. However, from the City's perspective, it appreciates, of course, the Homebound Program, but if interest was waning, she didn't know if it was worth pursuing if there was no demand for it. She said maybe ten years ago it was a bigger deal; now people are Tess interested and/or things have changed, because people can obtain books on electronic devices. Additionally, she explained that property taxes paid for Library Services, in addition to another layer of funding that comes from Property Tax Increment Revenues in the City of Palm Desert. Even though Redevelopment is gone, those funds are still being collected due to the foresight of prior Councilmembers, stating those funds paid for the extra things that the Library requests. She went on to say that Palm Desert is a contract City, which is why it hires out for police and fire services, because they are the experts in their field. In order to keep City staff more lean and focused primarily on direct citizen government work, the City allows the experts in the field of library services to run the Library. She understood the concern, because if Eileen were her employee, she wouldn't want her taking her vehicle on her own time; in fact, it wouldn't be allowed. Again, from the City's perspective, if interest isn't there, it would not demand that the Library must provide the Homebound Program. Responding to question, she said if Ms. Strain is providing the service even on her own time, from a liability standpoint, it would still be related to her employment and/or work with the Library. 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2017 Vice Chair Rosenberg asked about the Book Mobile. He said the Coachella Valley book mobile currently stops at Palm Desert Country Club for about two hours weekly. He will follow up in obtaining statistics on that service, because it is an outreach service they provide. E. Friends of the Palm Desert Library (Karen Gonzales) Ms. Gonzales reported on the following: 1. Friends of the Palm Desert Library Financial Report dated October 18, 2017 — The beginning balance was $49,542.25 and Income was $14,309.94, which includes a $2,000 donation from Muriel Pollia Foundation, and total expenses were $6,212.74. She pointed out that under Administrative Expenses, the highest expense was for printing of the summer and fall brochures, and the other high ticket was purchase of a new cash register and computer. Chair Kermode inquired about the "Add Books to the Collection" item. Mr. Mason explained that the Literary Society of the Desert gave the Library $1,500, and he had to tell them ahead of time how the funds were going to be spent. Therefore, he made a list of the books he was going to purchase, which included literary classics, books on writer's market, artist's market, and photographer's market. Member Marcuse stated she had copies of the financial reports for 2016, the April 19, 2017, report, and the one handed out today. She noticed that the balance for December 31, 2016, was $42,500, but the starting balance on April 19, 2017, is $44,000, which was good, but inquired about the $2,000 difference. Ms. Gonzales replied she couldn't speak to the previous reports, because that was before she took over. She was aware of a $30.00 difference, which may have been a check that hadn't cleared yet. Therefore, she based her report on the more accurate check register balance, so next month there will be a starting balance of $47,733.62. She appreciated the concern for having the correct balance, because she would appreciate 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2017 someone auditing the books, and Ms. Joan Beasley offered to do so. Responding to question, she agreed to look at the past financial reports and inquire with Ms. Beasley about the $2,000 difference noted by Member Marcuse. Member Marcuse stated the design and printing costs of the brochures were not in previous financial reports. Mr. Gallagher agreed, stating that prior to his taking the position, the previous employee worked on the design during her employment at the Library at no extra charge, so only the cost for printing would be listed. Ms. Klassen stated there was formerly a line item in the Library Budget for that purpose, paid for out of the events budget. Lastly, Ms. Gonzales pointed out there were bank charges for the bank statements, but she has switched to on-line banking to avoid those charges in the future. 2. Lifetime Membership List — working on updating the Lifetime Membership list, stating she mailed out two letters, but many were returned indicating they were deceased or returned for no specific reason. For the January through March report, she plans to invite Lifetime Members to some type of event. 3. Book Store Sales — started a new process of selling books from the cart for $.25, which is a step she added prior to sending them off to Angel View, and they seem to be selling quickly. Mr. Mason said he was told by his former supervisor that the Library had to wean staff from participating in Friends of the Library activities, because it's supposed to be strictly volunteer work as Friends is under a 501(c)(3) exemption. Further, the Friends of the Library were borrowing an old County property taxed desktop model and they needed to purchase a modern laptop to operate on their own without Riverside County IT support. With regards to donation of books, when Karen or other volunteers are not available to operate the bookstore, Library staff houses the donations until Karen can sort through them. He also made some other minor changes to assist the efforts of weaning Library staff from the Friends operation. 8 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2017 4. Donation of Franklin Library Books — received a donation from a patron of the La Quinta Library. It was more than 100 books, leather-bound, gold -gilded edges, and in beautiful condition. Additionally, four boxes of audio books were received from this same patron. F. Committee Members G. Staff None None IX. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Vice Chair Rosenberg, second by Member Hahn, and 4-0 vote of the Committee (AYES: Hahn, Marcuse, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None; ABSENT: Cardona and Manor), the meeting was adjourned at 4:44 p.m. Grace L. Rocha, Recording Secretary 9