CITY OF SUNNYVALE

SUNNYVALE BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES

Council Chambers - City Hall

Regular Meeting March 1, 2004 - 7:00 p.m.

MINUTES

1.	CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Pam Anderson at 7:02 p.m.  The following members answered roll call: Tom Flaherty and Robert Harms.  Chairperson Bill Soby arrived at 7:38 p.m.  Staff members present: Administrative Librarian Susan Denniston and Recording Secretary Sandra Barajas. Tom Flaherty moved to excuse Roland Wanigatunga’s absence of the March 1, 2004 Board of Library Trustees meeting; seconded by Robert Harms; motion carried unanimously.
2.	AGENDA APPROVAL: Robert Harms moved to approve the agenda as presented; seconded by Tom Flaherty; motion carried unanimously.
3.	APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF 2/02/04 MEETING: Tom Flaherty moved to approve the minutes as presented; seconded by Robert Harms; motion carried unanimously.
4.	PUBLIC INPUT: None
5.	NEW BUSINESS:
	a.	Ideas for Inclusion in new Friends of the Sunnyvale Public Library Agreement: Administrative Librarian Susan Denniston reported that a new process has been developed to replace the Co-Sponsorship process.  Library staff will be able to develop an agreement which is specifically designed for the Friends of the Library.  The types of items included in the form are: obligations of the city and group to each other, insurance, and duration of agreement.    Boardmembers provided the following suggestions for staff inclusion in the agreement: percentage of funds to be donated to the library per year, guidelines for how funds should be used, plan for dispersion of funds if the Friends of the Sunnyvale Public Library organization disbands, liability and insurance issues.  It was also suggested, since this is a new process, that the first agreement have a duration of one year.  Thereafter agreements could last up to three years with a budget presentation by the Friends to the Board of Library Trustees once a year during the agreement.
	b.	Role of Board in Advocating for Library Patron: Chairperson Soby requested this item be placed on the agenda in order for the Board to determine what, if any, actions are appropriate for the board to take during the budget process.  For example, this might include planning to attend the relevant meetings, crafting statements or planning a special meeting when more information is available.
		The Library is scheduled for review on Saturday, March 20.  There will also be meetings on Saturday, April 10 and 17 during which the Council will give policy budget direction to the various departments.   Administrative Librarian Susan Denniston provided the Board with copies of library issues identified in the Library Sub-element by the Board, a PowerPoint used to provide an issues orientation to new City Council Members and a Report to Council outlining the budget process.   Within the next two weeks the Board will receive a packet from library staff which will include the Service Review Worksheets that Council will use to begin prioritizing City services in anticipation of budget cuts at the March 20 meeting.  These sheets briefly explain the work of the library and the resources associated with each area of the library.   Discussion ensued regarding establishment of an ad hoc committee to prepare a presentation for City Council, holding a “special” Board of Library Trustees meeting to discuss the committee’s recommendations, and the need for additional information from library staff.    Chairperson Soby requested that a special Board of Library Trustees meeting be held on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m.  Recording Secretary will reserve a meeting location.
	c.	Multicultural Outreach Task Force Nominations: City Council has requested that the Board consider nominating an individual to serve on a task force focused on the review of options for multicultural outreach and civic engagement.  The task force will meet from mid-March through April and is anticipated to require about six hours of an individual’s time.  Nominations are due by March 8, 2004.    Nominations were opened for Multicultural Outreach Task Force representative. Pam Anderson nominated Robert Harms; seconded by Tom Flaherty; motion carried unanimously.
6.	WORK STUDY PROGRAM: None.
7.	OLD BUSINESS: None.
8.	SVLS (Silicon Valley Library System) REPORT: The system will be exploring options for a shared catalog system that allows users to perform one search for an item and apply that search to the collections of all member libraries. Representatives of SVLS participated in a Strategic Planning Process for Peninsula Library System which manages SVLS, BALIS, and MOBAC as well as PLS.  SVLS is exploring the idea of doing a separate strategic plan for our system. The member libraries are working to identify services and programs which we could share or provide to each other for a fee.  This is part of a county wide effort to plan for service in a budget crisis.  Ideas being explored include things like coordinating library open hours as hours are reduced in area libraries. The annual Legislative Breakfast is being planned for sometime in mid to late April or early May.  More information to follow once the speaker’s availability is determined.  The speaker might be a state legislator.
9.	CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT: None.
10.	DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
	Administrative Librarian Susan Denniston noted the following:
	-	On February 6, the Sunnyvale City Council and City Manager Robert LaSala reached an agreement canceling Mr. LaSala’s June 1997 employment contract, effective immediately.  Mayor John Howe will discuss the establishment of an ad hoc committee to search for a new city manager at the March 2nd City Council meeting.
	-	The annual Groundhog Shadow Day was held on February 3.  More than two dozen students from Santa Clara High School came to City Hall to participate in this NOVA-sponsore event in conjunction with Junior Achievement.  Supervising Librarian Chris Doxtad spoke to the group about her library career.  She also coordinated smaller group visits to the Library so that they could learn more about library work.
	-	A patron named Robert Lewis telephoned in praise of Sara Kempen for the outstanding service she provided him at the reference desk one Saturday.  Mr Lewis explained that he had asked a very difficult question relating to ice boats, and Sara ably sought and uncovered the information using the Web and one of the books in our collection.  He said that very few, if any, people he hired during his 30 year career could match Sara in her customer service skills.
	-	The library experienced a surge in use in Period 8 (January 18 - February 14).  The highest year-to-date circulation figures were recorded for Children’s Non-Fiction, Books on CD, Feature DVDs and Non-Feature.  The number of reference questions asked of Children and Adult librarians also was the highest year-to-date in Period 8.  February 17, the day after the President’s Day holiday, 3,452 people entered the library, the highest number recorded since the start of this fiscal year.
	-	On March 9, members of the City Council will meet with Acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Jon Dudas.  The Library has provided the Council with talking points relating to the Sc[i]3 partnership and whether or not the concept of partnership libraries remains a viable one.
	-	There are four upcoming public meetings regarding the budget.  Service Review meetings are scheduled for Saturday, March 13 and March 20.  Saturday, April 13 and 20 meetings will involve discussion on the preliminary budget, service ranking and priority setting, and Council policy direction.
	-	The volunteer office has requested that Board liaisons provide pictures of their boardmembers in action for use in a volunteer recognition event to be held on Tuesday, April 20.  Sandra will be taking photos of the Board at the April meeting.
	-	The Legislative Issues Discussion is scheduled for the April 5 Board meeting.  We will also discuss activities for National Library Week, April 18-24.  In addition, discussion will be held regarding an RTC which is being prepared for permission to apply for a grant from the Human Rights Video Project, co-sponsored by National Video Resources and the American Library Association.
	-	Program flyers, articles and announcements were distributed.
11.	BOARD INPUT: Boardmember Anderson, as legislative liaison, reminded the Board to vote tomorrow which is “Super Tuesday”.
12.	STAFF INPUT: None.
13.	AGENDA BUILDING: None.
14.	NEXT MEETING: 3/17/04, West Conference Room - City Hall 7:00 p.m. 4/5/04, Council Chambers - City Hall 7:00 p.m.
15.	ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, Tom Flaherty moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:51 p.m.
	Respectfully submitted:
	Victoria L. Johnson
	Director of Libraries