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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Library Promotion Committee 05/18/2005yr C), APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2005 — 3:00 P.M. ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM CALL TO ORDER Chairwoman Beasley called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Joan Beasley, Chair Betty Carapellese Lynn DeSantis Louise Kermode Ella Manor Jim Ron Bobbie Rosenberg Staff Present: Rachelle Klassen, Staff Liaison Jean Benson, Councilmember Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary Others Present: Jeannie Kays, City Librarian Mary Arnold, Event and Volunteer Coordinator Barbara Bowie, Desert Library Zone Nancy Johnson, County Librarian III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF FEBRUARY 16, 2005 Ms. Rosenberg moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the minutes of the February 16, 2005, meeting. Motion was seconded by Ms. Carapellese and carried unanimously. APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2005 V. NEW BUSINESS A. CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE INSTALLATION OF INTERNET WIRELESS "HOT SPOT" EQUIPMENT FOR THE PALM DESERT PUBLIC LIBRARY Ms. Klassen reported that the County was ready to move forward with the installation of the Internet Wireless "Hot Spot" equipment. She said the Committee would need to support spending money from this year's budget and added that there were funds available for the installation. Upon question by Ms. Manor, Ms. Klassen gave a brief explanation of what the Internet Wireless "Hot Spot" was and how it worked. She noted that Library patrons would need to be inside the Library to get the connection with their own laptop computer. She added that access would be filtered, and if someone wanted unfiltered access, they would have to request that of staff on the hard- wired computer stations, show proof of age, and then they would be allowed unfiltered access for an allotted period of time. Ms. Kays mentioned that there was a firewall and security to protect the overall computer system. Ms. Bowie mentioned that Mr. Brady from the Library's Operation Department gave a presentation to Library staff and met with Doug Van Gelder at the City, to make sure everyone was comfortable with the application. Ms. Manor moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the installation of Internet Wireless "Hot Spot" equipment for the Palm Desert Public Library. Motion was seconded by Ms. DeSantis and carried unanimously. B. CONSIDERATION OF THE OFFER TO DONATE ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY GARY BURKE TO THE PALM DESERT PUBLIC LIBRARY Ms. Klassen gave a brief presentation about this item. She asked Ms. Kays if she had any new information about the donation. Ms. Kays said she spoke with the gentleman who offered the donation to the Library, and he said the artwork belonged to his parents who used to live in Palm Desert. She said the piece was four feet wide and weighed about ten pounds. She commented that Coda Gallery appraised the piece at about $6,800, and Gary Burke, the artist, made either 25 or 50 of the pieces; and the piece being offered for donation was number two in the series. She added that she informed the gentleman that he would need to provide a picture of the artwork, its history, and the reason he wanted to donate it to the Library. Ms. Kays was interested in the piece and thought it was really pretty. Ms. Manor suggested that it could be placed in the sculpture garden. Ms. Kays said she didn't know how weather resistant it was but thought it could be placed in the garden as a wall mount. 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2005 Ms. Klassen indicated that it was the desire of the donor to have it placed in the Library, and if the Committee were interested in accepting the donation, she would send the proposal to AIPP. Upon inquiry by Councilmember Benson, Ms. Klassen stated that the approval by AIPP would probably require a plaque with the donor's name on it next to the artwork. Ms. Manor moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the placement of the Gary Burke Bighorn Artwork in the Palm Desert Public Library on the condition that the Art In Public Places Commission approves the artwork. Motion was seconded by Ms. Rosenberg and carried unanimously. VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VII. OLD BUSINESS None Vill. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Council Member Jean Benson None B. Librarian's Report (Jeannie Kays) Ms. Kays was excited about the Internet Wireless "Hot Spot" installation, as it would enable customers to use their own laptop computers without having to wait for the use of the Library's public computers. The "Hot Spot" would also free up the public computers in the Library. She added that installation should take place very soon. Upon question by Ms. Manor, Ms. Kays responded that they would definitely advertise the "Hot Spot" once it was installed. Ms. Klassen added that the City would also be involved with the advertisement of the "Hot Spot." Ms. Kays distributed the statistical reports for January 2005 to April 2005. She briefly explained the information contained in those reports. She said things were moving along very nicely. She reported that an additional 170 paperback books and 521 other books and materials were added to the Library's collection between January and April. She said those were not included in items received from its regular vendors, and a lot of the items were donated. Ms. Kays reported that about 400 people attended the "Libraries are Fun Festival." She also reported that 115 people attended the "Day of the Child" event. She said they had a magician from Los Angeles, called "Mariachi Magic", who incorporated dancing, music, and magic into his act. 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2005 Ms. Kays distributed the Palm Desert Library's 2005-2006 Materials Budget spreadsheet, per the request of Committee Chair Beasley. She gave brief descriptions of each category and went over the sources that contributed to the Library's budget. She stated that the Library would be doubling its amount of audio books; there were currently about 900 in the collection, and they were continually checked out. Ms. Beasley thanked Ms. Kays for supplying the Committee with the budget information. Upon question by Ms. Manor, Ms. Johnson explained what Mitigation Funds were and how those monies were generated. She said the Board of Supervisors required developers to contribute $261, per single-family dwelling, into a County Library Materials fund. The County Library must use those funds within a five- year period. She said the Library had quite a lot of money in that fund, and it was actively spending that money. She added that the County was really showing some wonderful effects from those monies. Ms. Johnson reported that the Riverside County Library System would be subscribing to a service that would allow the Library patron to download a full- length audio book onto an MP3 player from either a home computer or a Library computer. The cost of the service would be free to the patron and would remain on the MP3 player for three weeks. After that time, the book disappears, or it could be renewed for another three weeks. She said that the service would not download on an Apple Ipod. Ms. Manor asked how long it would take to download a book. Ms. Johnson said it would depend on the speed of the computer. She said the titles to choose from were voluminous. She noted that the San Bernardino Library System currently had the service and inquiries were received from Riverside Library patrons as to when the service would be available in Riverside. Ms. Manor inquired about the timeframe. Ms. Johnson said she did not have a definite date, but the subscription begins on July 1 s'. She added that if there were some technical work to be done, it may take a little longer, but it should be definitely be available this summer. Upon question by Ms. Manor, Ms. Kays responded that she felt the there was adequate staff in place to run the Library efficiently. She explained that there had been two vacant positions that needed to be filled, one of which already was, and the other would be filled by June 151. She added that one Library Page had been promoted, which left another empty position to be filled. Ms. Kays noted that the COD Library's hours change during the summer, and they would need less staffing during that time. Upon question by Ms. Klassen, Ms. Bowie responded that the number of staff per Library is determined by its square footage, whether the Library was a principle research center, hours of operation, and circulation. She noted that the Palm Desert Library was a principle research center. Ms. Johnson added that the Palm Desert Library was staffed on the same level as other libraries with the same square footage, and it really does have its fair share of staff. She said there was no clear indication, at this time, that the Palm Desert Library needed additional staff. Il APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2005 Ms. Bowie stated that the County Library employs two individuals who work as "floaters." The "floaters" work 20 hours per week and go wherever they may be needed. She noted that the Palm Desert Library utilized the "floaters" during the "Libraries are Fun Festival." Upon question by Councilmember Benson, Ms. Kays said that the "floaters" were not trained specifically as pages. She said that there were training issues within the Palm Desert Library, and she believed that all of the work would get done; she just needed to get everybody motivated and cross -trained. Ms. Manor said the Library was improving and reiterated that Ms. Kays was doing a great job. C. Event and Volunteer Coordinator's Report (Mary Arnold) Ms. Arnold distributed the brochure "New Season Special Events for 2005-2006" and the June 2005 calendar. She also distributed photographs of the Volunteer dinner and read a thank you note from a volunteer. She reported that in addition to the Children's Summer Reading Program, they were going to have a new program for teenagers. The teens would learn how to prepare for story time and sing -a -long classes. She said they were hoping to train enough teens to have five per program. Upon question by Councilmember Benson, Ms. Arnold responded that the program would be Tuesday mornings from 10:30 -11:30 a.m. through July. D. Budget Review Group (Ella Manor/Betty Carapellese) None E. Friends of the Palm Desert Library (Joan Beasley) Ms. Beasley distributed the Income and Major Expenditures Report from January to April 2005. She reported that they were receiving a good variety of materials in the large print area. She also reported that the Internet sales were bringing in from $3,000 to $5,000 annually. She added that everything was going well financially. Ms. Beasley announced that she and Ms. Arnold would be advertising a joint trip to Los Angeles this summer to see the King Tut exhibit. She said the trip would be for the Library volunteers, Palm Desert Friends, and the Indio Friends group. Ms. Beasley stated that there were currently 140 members. She added that if the King Tut trip was a success, they might be able to add more members to the roster. She said they sometimes use membership as an incentive for people who sign up for the field trips. F. Committee Chair (Joan Beasley) None APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2005 G. Committee Members None H. Staff Ms. Bowie reported on the One Book - One Community Project. Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen, was the book chosen for the Project. She stated that all of the County Libraries in the Valley and all three school districts were now involved with the Project. She said they were all very excited about it and the appearance of Mr. Mikaelsen in the Valley. She said books had already been purchased with mitigation money and were available at the Palm Desert Library. It was also available on cassette. She added that she had given a copy of Touchino Spirit Bear to Supervisor Wilson, and he loved it. She said Mr. Wilson had given the book to his son to read, and his feeling was that it was all - encompassing and for all ages. Upon question by Ms. Manor, Ms. Bowie responded that Mr. Mikaelsen would be in the Valley for at least three days during the week of March 6, 2006. She was not certain of the exact schedule but would keep the Committee informed of all the details. Ms. Johnson reported that she had been working on contracts, budgets, and renewal of the LSSI contract. Ms. Klassen said she did not foresee any items coming up, and it was unlikely that the Committee would meet in June. Upon question by Ms. Rosenberg, Ms. Klassen responded that it was possible that the Committee would not meet at all during the summer months. She added that City Committee and Commission meetings were usually dark in August. IX. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m. r �i Lor mbish, Recording Sedretary 6