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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Library Promotion Committee 04/19/2017CITY OF PALM DESERT REGULAR MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, April 19, 2017 — 3:00 p.m. Administrative Conference Room 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Kermode called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Member Lois Cardona Member Ella Manor Member Carol Marcuse Vice Chair Rosenberg Chairman Kermode Absent: Member Marilyn Hahn 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 Daria Wood, Youth Committee Member Grace L. Rocha, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Chairman Kermode stated Connie Swanson, who is one of her acquaintances, has submitted an application to serve on the Library Promotion Committee, but she was ill and unable to attend today's meeting. APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING IV. CONSENT CALENDAR APRIL 19, 2017 A. MINUTES of the Palm Desert Library Promotion Committee Meeting of December 21, 2016. Upon motion by Vice Chairman Rosenberg, second by Member Marcuse, and 5-0 vote of the Committee (AYES: Cardona, Manor, Marcuse, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None; ABSENT: Hahn), the Minutes of the Library Promotion Committee Meeting of December 21, 2016, were approved as presented. V. NEW BUSINESS A. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR FOR 2017. Vice Chair Rosenberg nominated Louise Kermode to serve as Chairman of the Library Promotion Committee. Motion was seconded by Member Manor and carried by a 5-0 vote (AYES: Cardona, Manor, Marcuse, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None; ABSENT: Hahn). Member Manor nominated Bobbie Rosenberg to serve as Vice Chair of the Library Promotion Committee. Motion was seconded by Chairman Kermode and carried by a 5-0 vote (AYES: Cardona, Manor, Marcuse, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None; ABSENT: Hahn). B. REPORT ON THE AUTOMATED BOOK RETURN AND EXTERNAL BOOK DROP BOX AT THE PALM DESERT PUBLIC LIBRARY. Member Manor stated she noticed Mr. Mason had fixed the return box. Mr. Mason explained how he was able to obtain the lock mechanism from one of Indio's unused book returns in order to fix the one in Palm Desert. Member Manor stated the Committee had discussed doing away with the book return, but has realized it's needed. She suggested putting a sign on it saying it's for disabled access. Mr. Mason replied he was amazed to learn how many people use the book drop, stating it's heavily used morning, noon, and night. Responding to question, he said based on his experience, people like having the privacy of not letting others know what they have 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 checked out, which might be another reason for keeping the book drop. Chairman Kermode commented she liked the convenience. VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VII. OLD BUSINESS A. REPORT ON STATUS OF THE DONATED ARTWORK CHILDREN READING ON A BENCH. Ms. Klassen reported that unfortunately, the art piece presented in December has been donated someplace else. It appears the donor wanted an immediate response, but with governmental agencies that's not always possible. She said there may be another opportunity, but if not, if the Committee determines it wants another public art, the City does get those coming through every couple of years. Therefore, if the opportunity presents itself, the Committee might go that route in the future. VIII. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Council Liaison (Councilmember Gina Nestande) None B. Librarian (Michael Mason) Mr. Mason apologized for arriving late to the meeting, due to a person entering the Library who is permanently banned from all County Branches. He added that Zone Manager Jake Barillaro agreed to stay behind to make the police report. Mr. Mason reported on the following: 1. Palm Desert Library Anniversary — he said today the Library marked 21 years at its present location. 2. Riverside County Library System Monthly Statistics — he handed out the Statistics Report for the months of January, February, and March. He said the report shows the Library has increased its outreach to the community. However, the 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 report doesn't tell the whole story of how busy they are, but when looking at other branches comparable in size, it's evident Palm Desert is one of the busier ones, which is a good thing. From the comment cards received at the Library, he finds that people want more classic movies, newer and more books for teens, and large print books, which he will ask Mr. Barillaro to pass along that information to Riverside. 3. Homeless Issues — Member Marcuse brought up an issue she experienced when at the Library. She said there was a woman sitting directly across the table from her who was talking to herself, and on that same day, there was a man sleeping in one of the chairs. She questioned if the homeless issues had been resolved to Mr. Mason's satisfaction. Mr. Mason agreed it happens, but he didn't know how avoidable that was. He shared that in comparison, the Palm Desert Branch had fewer people in these situations than the many others he's visited around the County. He said the folks that do come in are prevalent, and it is a concern. He went on to say there's a woman who brings bags with her and talks to herself, and staff has offered her a brochure on how to go about getting some assistance. However, she is rather aloof. Mr. Gallagher said he's noticed two men, whom he suspects are homeless, are clean, quiet, and they use the computers, believing they can benefit from the services the Library provides. After all, the Library serves toddlers, teenagers, and adults, noting it is there to help cooperative people find a job. Ms. Klassen added that from the City's perspective, it doesn't want to deny service to somebody who can access the public library. If someone is being disruptive, the Library has the means to take steps to cure the situation. She said the City is also participating in the CORP (Community Outreach Resource Program), adding it's trying to do its level best to reach out to folks, particularly those with mental health or addiction issues. She said there are resources for the homeless, but many are very reluctant, offering that the former Chief of Police in Indio said it takes approximately 70 contacts before someone accepts help. 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 Mr. Mason said they keep an eye on individuals who have had a negative history with either Library staff or other users. He said the security guard that's there during the week brings things to his attention, and she will occasionally intervene and ask people that are sleeping if they are ok; she makes her presence known and it works as a deterrent. Security has also had direct intervention where they have had to tell people to leave for the day and to come back when they're calm, but they are cautious, because you never know who's having what type of day. Responding to question, he confirmed the Library has security coverage every day, but the persons working on the weekend don't always work out, which he has addressed to Riverside and the security company. 4. Mental Health First Aid Training — He said Zone Manager Jacob Barillaro is one of the trainers for the Mental Health First Aid Course, and the Library hosted a training where representatives from all branches of the Zone came to take it. Basically, it teaches how to approach someone who might be non -compliant, stating there are many ways to deal with getting people to find help through the Library's information resources. 5. Zone Manager's Meeting at La Quinta Museum — Mr. Mason attended this meeting on behalf of Mr. Barillaro and learned a lot about what's going on at different branches. He's proud to say he had one of the longest reports, because he had a lot to share. He passed out a list of events for the Summer Reading Program, and it turns out Palm Desert had a lot of the top entertainers. He said the Library obtains them through a booking agency,"Dreamshapers.org," where they coordinate with one or two other branches to get performers from out of the County at a discount when they perform two or three shows on the same day. It was a good Zone meeting, because some smaller Zone branches found out about performers that will come out for free in order to promote themselves. 6. Staffing at Library — Mr. Mason said that when he joined the Palm Desert Library in December it wasn't fully staffed. He had a temporary person filling in for the Children's Librarian, who was out on medical leave. Then the temporary employee, for personal reasons, decided not to continue. However, this temporary employee did a lot of ground work 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 to set things up for the summer. He said that yesterday he spent the day interviewing for the vacancies, and he's happy to report that on May 1, he hopes to be fully staffed. In the meantime, staff did a tremendous job working as a team. 7. Libraries Are Fun Festival — He reported the event was a great success, but attendance was not as large as years past. However, he heard comments that it was well organized, ran smoother, and feedback from the parents was positive, adding he was pleased to see everyone diving in and contributing. 8. Maintenance at the Library — He shared that the Palm Desert Branch hosted the Zone Manager's meeting on February 7, which meant a lot of the people from Riverside County Library Systems and Services were in attendance. He was able to speak about and show them the many things that needed attention, such as the lighting, which has been an on -going battle. He said other issues have come up, but they are slowly getting resolved. 9. National Poetry Month — For this program, he coupled speakers and awareness items, but turnout was light. However, he was able to add something extra on the calendar that didn't make it into the brochure. This coming Friday, he's looking at Earth Day Weekend, and he's showing "The Lorax," by Dr. Seuss, stating he hopes it will draw both parents and children. 10. County -Wide Movie License — The Library Systems and Services (LSS) was able to obtain a County -wide Movie License Certificate for all the branches, so there is now a data base they can look up a movie and promote before showing it, to make sure they are in compliance. What's nice about the database is it includes posters, promotional ideas, and activities they can use to surround the movie and make it into an event. Therefore, he can now get a frame and post upcoming movies prominently. 11. Public Outreach by the Library — He reported the Library had a booth at Civic Center Park for the "Fight the Bite 5K" event, and the prior weekend, it had a table at the Veterans Expo at the Indio Fairgrounds. Since they have a Veterans Center on -site, he and Ron Garcia, the main volunteer for the Veteran's Center, were encouraged to attend the training. 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 The primary focus is to reintegrate veterans into contemporary society by providing information helpful to them in obtaining a job, applying for benefits, etc. He felt it was making an impact; although, he wished it was more active. 12. College of the Desert Tour — He thanked Chairman Kermode for inviting him to go on the guided tour of the College of the Desert campus, which was quite enjoyable. As a spin-off, a student approached him about a class assignment, where he is to bring an outside speaker to his class. So, tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m., he'll be on the COD campus speaking to a class C. Special Events Coordinator (James Gallagher) Mr. Gallagher handed out his Special Events Report and went over the following items: 1. P.D. Library Events & Activity Spring 2017 Brochure — He said the spring brochure went through an update and format change, giving it a cleaner look. He is also in the process of obtaining bids for the 2017 summer brochure, which he believes will be eight pages rather than twelve. He was waiting on the third bid to make a final decision, stating he hopes to get it to the printer and finished by May 30. 2. BrightSide Newsletter — He said he provides information on the Library's activities and events to Public Information Officer David Hermann to print in the City's bimonthly BrightSide Newsletter, which is an ongoing thing. 3. Chef's Table — He reported the series provided nine events from December 8, 2016, through March 2, 2017, at the Palm Desert Community Recreation Center, and the cost for the entire series, which is paid by the Friends, was $1,350. He noted the report lists attendance averages for each event. 4. Sunday Sounds — This series ran from December 11, 2016, through March 5, 2017, at the Palm Desert Community Recreation Center. He said the cost for this series was $4,500, which is paid by City funds that are sent to Riverside County Libraries in Riverside. 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 5. Behind the Camera/Behind the Microphone — Mr. Gallagher said this was a new series that just finished today. He had six different speakers through March and April, adding he did a promotion on a radio program in March, which helped boost attendance. 6. Classics on Stage — He said Desert Theatreworks approached him about hosting a three -Sunday run from March 26 through April 9 at the Palm Desert Recreation Center. He said the group read classic plays and provided a limited amount of acting while dressed in black. It didn't cost the Library or the City anything, except for having one staff member open the facility. The program was well received, with an average of 50 attendees, 59 on the last Sunday. 7. Monday Meditations — He said this program has not been well attended but hopes it will pick up. 8. Mondav Movie Matinee — He started this series in December 2016, trying out topical themes. He scheduled "Sergeant York" with Gary Cooper for the June film, because this is the 100th Anniversary of America's entry into World War I. They also showed "Rebel Without a Cause," because it would have been James Dean's 81st birthday last February. 9. Author Talks and Frankly Speaking Series — He said the speakers were divided into two groups. One is "Author Talks," which is done by someone who has written a book, and then there is "Frankly Speaking," which is a non -book discussion. These presentations are done as needed, there is not a fixed schedule, they are still experimenting with the time and taking the Committee's input to not interfere with the dinner hour. However, the time is also dependent upon when the community room is available, because it's heavily booked. 10. Veterans Center — He said the Center has been staffed for about two months, weekly on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mr. Mason reported that Mr. Garcia recently had an accident and has been hospitalized. In the meantime, people are directed to the reference desk. 8 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 11. SCORE — This program was begun by volunteer David Hamaker, but he too suffered an accident and passed away a week later. He said this program may not continue. 12. Email List — Mr. Gallagher said as the Library is holding events, he's putting out a sign-up sheet for those who want to receive communications from the Library. The goal is to build a list so he can do an email blast of events and activities. Chair Kermode noted Mr. Gallagher has done a lot of work, but in some programs there are only 10 to 15 people attending, which wasn't many. Mr. Gallagher agreed, stating he needs to do more to promote these programs/series. He's currently trying to post through the main Riverside County Libraries Website, which then links to the local Palm Desert Library. He is also attempting to build relationships with The Desert Sun and looking to other media as well. The BrightSide Newsletter is good, because it's mailed to just about every home in Palm Desert. He said the Palm Desert Library Events & Activities brochure is not mailed; it's strictly at the Library, the Visitor Center at City Hall, and the Recreation Center. He's hoping the email idea will help, because he, too, is frustrated, particularly with the Monday Meditation. He explained that the instructor wanted to have the class twice a month, which the Library accommodated, and the Friends agreed to pay. It's nice that four or five people are being served, but it's a lot of money and very little bang for the buck. For June, July, and August, the instructor will only hold one session per month. D. Volunteer Coordinator (Eileen Strain) Ms. Strain handed out volunteer mugs filled with candy to the Committee, stating it was one of Joan Beasley's ideas, which were also given to the Library volunteers. She handed out the Volunteer Report for the months of January, February and March. She pointed out that for the Fun Festival that was held on April 12, they had 15 teenage volunteers, including two parents, for a total of 60 hours. She is currently planning for the Summer Reading Program and getting the Volunteer Applications updated and ready to go. With regard to the Homebound Program, a representative from Atria called her to inquire about the program and agreed to assist with having something started there. Similar situation over at Hope Lutheran, where a representative there is going to make a 9 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 presentation on her behalf for the homebound people to see if there is interest. She has talked with Mr. Mason about the difficulty she has in getting things going and/or lack of response, and he agreed to give her pointers. A packet regarding the Homebound Program was provided to City Clerk Rachelle Klassen so that it can be provided to anyone who inquired about it. Mr. Gallagher added that the Chef's Table Series could not be done without the volunteers, stating he used at least three or four per week. In fact, he was able to recruit a volunteer from the audience. Mr. Mason pointed out they are going through all the flyers and brochures, and making necessary updates. Ms. Strain reported there is a high volume of book donations coming in, many of them are in mint condition. However, some of the books are not good enough to be placed on the shelves or for the book sale. Because Mr. Mason is very much interested in the environment, they are no longer being thrown away. She said Mr. Mason got in touch with Angel View, and they agreed to accept everything; they recently picked up 24 boxes. In that process, she learned that Angel View also accepts packing materials, because when they sell breakable items, they use that paper to wrap them. Responding to question, she said it was her intention to include last year's figure in the report; she will do it for the next one. E. Friends of the Palm Desert Library (Karen Gonzales) Ms. Gonzales announced she took over for Joan Beasley in February on behalf of the Friends of the Palm Desert Library. She handed out the Financial Report for the period of January 1 through April 19, 2017, and went over the figures. The starting balance in January was $44,512.92, and the total income received was $10,997. The breakdown of the income is mostly attributed to book sales in the amount of $6,880, and donations from Muriel Pollia Foundation in the amount of $2,000; Literary Society of the Desert in the amount of $1,500; and Seattle Foundation in the amount of $617. In her report she itemized expenses totaling $5,997.52; therefore, the current balance is $49,513. Mr. Mason stated there is opportunity for those who come into the Library to put cash into the donation boxes, which should be part of that donation amount in the financial report. 10 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 Ms. Gonzales said she will inquire about it, because there were two different boxes that money was taken out of, and she's not sure how frequently it is collected and mixed in with money from the book store sales. However, she just learned today there is a key number that identifies money from the cash register as opposed to money from book sales. Mr. Mason shared that the Literary Society of the Desert held a very nice luncheon at the Indian Wells Country Club, and all branches receiving a check from the Riverside County Library System were represented there. He said Literary Society of the Desert started something new this year, in that before being given a check, a breakdown of how the funds were going to be encumbered needed to be presented. Therefore, he provided a mini report and shared that the Library had identified gaps in some of its collections, for instance, Sue Grafton, author of the `alphabet series' has a gap. If these books are not received in donations, the Library tries to obtain them to ensure Palm Desert is well represented in the community with the most current annuals. He named a few others, including the Literary Criticism sets not held by College of the Desert, etc. In the end, he was delighted to accept the check, because he knew the funds would be used locally. Mr. Gallagher inquired about the history of the book sales, stating the amount raised was impressive for a three-month period. Ms. Gonzales explained there is a team of people that look at donated books. Some of them are beautiful coffee table books, some have a $20 or $30 price tag and go directly to the table sale; others are researched on Amazon and priced accordingly, adding music CDs and movie DVDs are also being sold. Responding to question, she confirmed donations come from a lot of repeat customers. Member Kermode recalled for the Committee that at the last meeting Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan shared an observation that those who are life members of the Friends are not receiving any type of communication. She wondered if there was a way to communicate with them and possibly recruit them to help put out a yearly report. She said Member Cardona, who is also a writer, could help in that effort, but something should be done to keep them engaged so they don't feel ignored. Ms. Gonzales responded she read about it in the minutes, but didn't know what to do with that information. However, in the records that 11 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 19, 2017 Ms. Beasley gave her, names and addresses of the members were included. She didn't know how far back those memberships went or how accurate the information was, but she agreed to put together a list and work from there. Chair Kermode offered to assist in getting that list updated. Responding to question, Ms. Gonzales said she recently updated information as it relates to the Friends of the Palm Desert Library on the BookSaleFinder.com website, adding this website is used across the Country. Another thing they are doing is labeling books in order to tell how long they have been on the shelf, because after six months they are taken to Angel View. This has been an ongoing process where they experimented with the best approach on how to keep track and finally settled on round dots that are identified by month. In that process, they teamed that some buyers returned books after having read them, which meant that books are being resold. F. Committee Members G. Staff None None IX. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Member Rosenberg, second by Member Cardona, and 5-0 vote of the Committee (AYES: Cardona, Manor, Marcuse, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None; ABSENT: Hahn), the meeting was adjourned at 4:20 p.m. % �,i/� .Q X- L3 Grac L. Rocha, Recording Secretary 12