The draft Library Sub-element includes eleven sections that provide information about the current Library issues and project future directions for Sunnyvale Library services and collections. The future directions are defined in six major goals related to library materials, information services, enrichment programs and publications, the library facility, technology and maintaining quality services through partnerships, customer feedback and maximizing the skills of library staff.

Public input was integrated into the revised Sub-element during its development.

The working team to revise the Sub-element included a member of the Board of Library Trustees. The Board of Library Trustees reviewed and commented on the new community condition indicators and the goals, policies and action statements as they were being drafted in the spring of 2002. The Board of Library Trustees also identified the roles or areas of service emphasis that will be the highest priority within the new goals, policies and action statements in the future.

A Library Needs Assessment was conducted in late 2001 in order to gather community input regarding the future direction of Sunnyvale Library services. An independent survey research group conducted several surveys and two focus groups which targeted different groups in the community:

• Sunnyvale residents who use the Library
• Sunnyvale residents who do not use the Library
• The business community
• Remote library users through the library web site

The feedback from these surveys has been fully integrated into revised Sub-elements.

Draft Sub-element

This draft includes the following eleven sections:

1. Introduction
2. History of the Sunnyvale Public Library
3. Evaluation of the 1990 Library Sub-element
4. Executive Summary of the 2003 Library Sub-element
5. 2003 Library Sub-element Process
6. Community Conditions (narrative)
7. The Library
8. Inter -Relationships with other Sub-element
9. Community Conditions (chart)
10. Goals, Policies and Action Statements
11. Appendix

The revised library Sub-element incorporates 2000 Census data. The Census data illustrates major demographic changes in the city during the last decade which will impact library services. The largest growth in Sunnyvale's population has been in the 19 or under age group and in the 35-64 age groups. These age groups are traditionally very active library users. High levels of education in the community also contributes to library use. There were also significant changes in the 1990's in the multi-ethnic composition of the population that will impact the content of the library collection and the delivery of library services. The challenge for the next decade will be to use resources effectively to serve all the members of the community as needs for library services continue to diversify.

The population of Sunnyvale increased by 12.4% between 1990 and 2000. The number of library visits per capita remained as the population grew. The number of items checked out between 1990 and 2002 increased by 53.3%. During this period the average number of checkouts per item per year increased from 3.76 in Fiscal Year 1989 -1990 to 6.4 in Fiscal Year 2001-2002. The focus by library staff during the past decade to select items that are relevant to customer needs are reflected in these use statistics. Efforts to provide relevant materials will continue during the next decade.

The revised Sub-element identifies several key issues that will influence the delivery of library services in the next decade.

• The impact of technology on library services. The digitalization of information and the distribution of this information over the Internet has affected the way libraries provide services. New challenges have emerged that may alter the ability of libraries to serve as a source of free access to all the information needed by the community. Federal legislation regarding filtering and access is evolving and potentially impacts the use of the Internet in public libraries.

• The public library is playing an increasingly important role in childhood literacy. The public library has a major function in helping children be ready to read and learn through preschool library materials and programs. Family use of the library is also increasing as parents and children read together for pleasure. Libraries are also increasingly providing materials that support classroom learning. Parents are also working in the library with their children to improve learning skills and knowledge which are now assessed regularly through standardized testing of students in California.
• The 2000 Census indicates that educational levels and incomes are high for many City residents. The 2000 Census also indicates that there is significant variation in education and incomes in Sunnyvale between the lower and higher groups. The public library will continue to be very important to the less affluent members of the community who rely heavily on the library for education and popular materials.

The revised Library Sub-element is based on six major goals for the future.

1. Provide a broad and diverse collection of books and other library materials to meet the varied needs of the community.

Policies and action statements for this goal address the key collection areas for the future. These are children's materials, reference materials, materials for individuals of all ages who are enrolled in a formal education program or studying independently and popular materials.

2. Provide library services to help the community find and use the materials and information they need.

Policies and action statements for this goal are related to services for library customers that help them find information, which include organizing materials so they are finable and usable and reaching customers through outreach services.

3. Provide library programs to educate, enrich and enlighten library users.

4. Maintain library facilities and materials that are easily obtainable and appropriated based on changing community needs.

The policies and action statements for this goal address both the accessibility of library materials and adequacy of the library facility. Facility issues include space needs arising from different demands on the building from a variety of users - ranging from children to researchers to groups seeking study space for group projects. This goal also recognizes that the library building is an important focal point for the community.

5. Use new technology to optimize the development and delivery of library services.

The policies and action statement for this goal anticipate that serving as an access point for information in digital formats and continuously evaluating the effectiveness and new technology will be important activities for the library in the future.

6. Foster a collaborative organization to attain a high performance and customer focused library.

• Establishing a wide variety of relationships and partnerships with other entities to maximize the effectiveness of library services.
• Building on the Library Needs Assessment conducted for the Library Sub-element revision and continuing to use community input to assess the effectiveness of library services.
• Maximizing the skills and knowledge of the library staff to deliver high quality library service.
• Adopting practices and systems to streamline procedures in making library services and materials available to the public.

A negative declaration has been prepared in compliance with California Environmental Quality provisions and city guidelines. An initial study was prepared for this project and determined that the project would not cause any adverse impact on the environment (attachment).

Notices for the Board of Library Trustees hearing for review of this document on March 3, 2003, were published in the agenda of the Board of Library Trustees. Draft copies of community condition indicators and goals, policies and action statements along with notice of this meeting data were sent to the Library Needs Assessment focus group participants and local school administrators prior to this meeting. The draft community condition indicators and goals, policies and action statements were also made available as handouts during two recent library customer appreciation events in the library and on a continuous basis with notification of the meeting made. This information was also made available for other interested library visitors. The Board of Library Trustees unanimously recommended to approve the Library Sub-element with the modifications already communicated incorporated in the final report.

Notices of the public hearings were published in the Sunnyvale newspaper, the City's official notice bulletin board and the City of Sunnyvale and the Sunnyvale Public Library website. Focus group participants, local school administrators and library visitors were also notified of the Planning Commission hearing.

No fiscal impact expected at this time.

Formal adoption of this Sub-element by the City Council to occur after review and comment from the Board of Library Trustees and the Planning Commission.

1. Adopt the Negative Declaration and approve the Library Sub-element.
2. Adopt the Negative Declaration and return the Library Sub-element to staff for revisions.
3. Adopt the Negative Declaration and take no action at this time.