HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - LB - 1994.10.11 i U RLIN CAME r U BLIC; LIBRARY
rBURLINGAME
Board of Trustees Agenda I r
October 11, 1994 - 4.30 pm
DUNCAN ANNEX
SUGGESTED ACTION
CALL TO ORDER:
ROLL CALL:
BILLS:
City Checks: $ 6,363.72 Approval
Special Fund: $ 363.28
Duncan Funds: $ 91.76
MINUTES: Approval
CORRESPONDENCE & COMMUNICATIONS: Information
a. Memo: Temporary Quarters Revisted
b. Legislative Update
c. Letter: Thank You from Mary Sullivan
d. Article: City Government Online
e. Letter:Julia Farrell Fund
f. Article: "Bridges" Literacy Newsletter
Approval
REPORTS: bit?/
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a. City Librarian's Report- Escoffier Information
b. Foundation Report- Herman Information
c. System Advisory Board- Cannon 4.a4jt k%,cyvr YAzWormation
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
a Employee Achievement Awards
b. Temporary Quarters — d, Discussion
Discussion/Action
NEW BUSINESS: k
a. Foundation Start-up Funds Y' 3 V Approval
b. Inventory of Design Elements Discussion
c. Holiday Schedule: 1995 Approval
ADJOURNMENT:
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Burlingame Public Library
Board of Trustees
Minutes
September 20, 1994
Call to Order
The meeting of September 20, 1994 was called to order by Secretary
Dunbar at 4:30 pm.
Trustees Present: Cannon, Dunbar, Herman, Robertson & Taylor
Trustees Absent: Robertson
Staff Present: Alfred Escoffier, City Librarian
Judy Gladysz, Administrative Secretary
Bills
M/S/C unanimously to approve the payment of City and Special fund
checks.
Minutes
The Minutes of the Meeting of August 16, 1994 were approved and
ordered filed.
Correspondence and Communication
Correspondence was "mailed in the Trustee packets.
Reports
City Librarian's Report
The Trustees reviewed the Librarian's Report. There was some
discussion concerning the target date of December 20th for
implementation of Dynix.
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�- 480 Primrose Road • Burlingame, CA 94010-4083 • (415) 342-1038 • Fax (415) 342-1948
Unfinished Business
�— a. CLA Registration- The Board members discussed CLA
conference attendance.
b. Temporary Quarters- The Board discussed the temporary
quarters options outlined by Temporary Quarters Task Force member Jane
Dunbar.
New Business
a. Temporary Quarters Press Release- The purpose of the
press release is to heighten community awareness of the library
construction project and outline the needs for temporary quarters. The
release also solicits a gift of a building for library use. The consensus of
the Board was that the proposed press release should be forwarded to
Council for review.
M/S/C (Dunbar/Cannon) to forward the Temporary Quarters Press
Release to the City Council for review.
b. Employee Achievement Awards- The Employee
Achievement task force reported on their recommendations for employees
to receive this year's award.
M/S/C (Taylor/Dunbar) to accept the committee's recommendations
for Employee achievement awards.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 pm. The next regular Board
meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 11, 1994, 4:30 pm, Duncan
House, one week earlier than the regular schedule.
Respectfully Submitted,
Alfred H. Escoffier
City Librarian
Board.Minutes
13URL NNG,-\�"IE '
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i� `10
City Librarian's Report
October 11, 1994
Library Design Approved
Group 4/Architecture presented plans for the building exterior to the City
Council on September 21st. Council approved the design, including the site plan,
fenestration and removal /replacement of the redwood tree to allow for necessary
exiting from the community room. The next steps include work with the City Building
Department on code issues. Design development will be the next phase of the design
process.
Temporary Quarters Options
Group 4 is developing options for the temporary quarters facility. Alternatives
will be outlined and estimated costs developed. Alternatives being studied at this
point include: leased space, modular structures, remodeling City Hall, and "out
sourcing" library services to other jurisdictions. Council has tentatively scheduled
review of the options at the the October 17th Council meeting.
Library Foundation Update
The Burlingame Library Foundation is moving forward. Bylaws and Articles of
Incorporation are slated for approval this month. Committees of the Board have been
meeting including: public relations and budget. A Board development session on the
library building project is planned for the October meeting.
Dynix System Update:
The Dynix implementation is moving along well. The target date for
implementation has been scheduled for December 20th. Several weeks prior to that
date, we will be on "mini-circ." This is a transitional stage in the process during which
the system will move from Geac to Dynix. This computer module will allow check in
and check out only. We will be unable to access patron records, retrieve financial
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480 Primrose Road • Burlingame. CA 94010-4083 • (415) 342-1038 • Fax (415) 342-1948
information, or use the online catalog. There will likely be some patron
inconvenience. Fortunately, we will still have the main card catalog available.
In preparation for the online catalog, the catalogs in Children's, Audio Visual,
and at Easton, will be removed and replaced with computer terminals. There will be a
period of time when these locations will not have access to catalog information. We
are confident that it will be a relatively short period of time. The main card catalog will
remain in place until the move to temporary quarters.
Staff are busy "training the trainers." Full staff training will begin later in the
month.
Reference Division
Our recruitment for on-call librarians resulted in three new staff to fill in at the
reference and children's desks. Linda Watson received her MLS from San Jose State
University and has worked at the Redwood City Library and the Stanford Libraries.
Sandra Wee also holds and MLS from San Jose State and has done work for
Oakland and San Francisco Libraries and is fluent in Cantonese.
Sue Reiterman, an MLS graduate of Simmons College, rejoins the staff after 6
years. Sue worked for us full time in the 1970's in Reference and Audio Visual. Since
that time she worked as a Branch Librarian for Pasadena Public Library. We are
pleased to welcome our new on-call staff!
Easton Branch
During the month of October, we will be setting up 5 terminals for training at the
Branch Library and removing the card catalog. Due to space restraints, it will be
impossible to maintain the catalog and the computer terminals during the interim.
Branch Librarian, Lisa Dunseth had the celebrity ALA posters encouraging
reading, framed and hung in the Branch Library. She has also hired a second adult
page, Connie Dougherty for 8 hours a week.
Children's Services
During the month of September, Cathy Somerton did a total of 25 program
including 4 preschool story times, 8 toddler story times, and visits to Easton and Main,
along with 11 programs in the schools. The programs reached 565 children.
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Upcoming Events:
o Fall Book Sale, October 7, 8, 9, Library Community Room
o Columbus Day Holiday, Library closed, Monday, October 10
o Library Board Meeting, Tuesday, October 11 th, 4:30 pm ( Meeting
Date Change)
o Foundation Board Meeting, Thursday, October 13, 4:30 pm
o City Council, Monday, October 17, 7:30 "Temporary Quarters"
o All Staff Meeting and Employee Recognition, Wednesday, October 26th,
8 am, Community Room
Alfred H. Escoffier
City Librarian
CL.21
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Correspondence A
r BURLINGAME 1
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September 27, 1994
TO: Wayne Gehrke, at olandson
FROM: Al Escoffier
RE: Temporary Qua rs Revisited!
As we move toward developing options for temporary quarters, I felt the need to
summarize where I feel we have been and were we may be going. I admit to a strong
bias on keeping the collection and services together, as I feel the more separated they
become now, the more watered down the service becomes now and in the future.
In addition, should the "out sourcing" option be adopted in any form, I feel the
integrity of the Burlingame Public Library as an institution, and it's reputation,
collections and services would be irreparably damaged. The loss of staff and
subsequent loss of collective memory, skills, talents, abilities, not to mention
collections, would be devastating.
I have included a grid, which is my take on some of the major pros and cons of
the options. I'm not exactly sure what you were planning for the meeting, but just take
it as my input into the process.
cc:Trustees
M.Revisited
�' 480 Primrose Road • Burlingame, CA 94010-4083 • (415) 342-1038 0 Fax (415) 342-1948
Temporary Quarters Overview
Overview
The necessity to provide library service during construction of a new facility is
not a new one. Many libraries have had to undergo similar displacements. The major
reason for providing some type of temporary library service is to guarantee to the
community the provision of books, information, question answering and borrowing of
materials that they are accustomed to receiving.
Even when one considers the necessary "disruption" which is inherent in
construction or remodeling project, it is important to outline the major service issues
which are a priority for the library.
Service Priorities
The Library Board of Trustees, along with the library staff, have endorsed the
following priorities for library service during the library construction phase:
1) Maintain current service levels
2) Maintain current service hours
3) Maintain current staffing levels
4) House the entire collection services in one location
5) Maintain open stack policy
6) Provide accessible location with parking
7) Operate more hours at the Easton Branch Library
Physical Requirements
In addition to service priorities, staff have identified a number of physical
requirements for the temporary quarters facility. Briefly, these are:
1) 20,000 SF of space
2) Floor loading of 150 lbs/SF
3) Sufficient electrical service
4) Handicapped accessibility throughout
5) Ceiling height of 8 1/2'
-1-
6) 27,000 linear feet of steel, earthquake braced shelving
7) Building security
8) HVAC appropriate for people and for preservation of the collection
9) Fire suppression system as appropriate
10) Ability to install cabling for computer systems
11) Ability to install Merlin phone system
12) Nearby parking
13) Accessible location
Options Used in Other Settings
The scope of the Burlingame project is such that is will be impossible to remain
in the present building, therefore another facility is necessary.
In other settings, temporary quarters sites have been a variety of buildings.
Sacramento used a nearby office building to house their facility for 4 years while there
reconstruction and remodeling took place.
King County (Washington) has done a good deal of construction in their library
system. The example most relevant for Burlingame was the move of a major King
County resource library open 7 days a week to a former bingo parlor/dance hall in a
nearby shopping center. This arrangement necessitated some collection storage, but
provided full service reference and children's services. Patrons appreciated the full
service model, though circulation dropped about 10%. Negatives included a noisy
heating system, limited parking, and minimal office space.
In King County, the storage of collections, or moving staff to other facilities
worked well for branches within the same jurisdiction. For libraries in different
jurisdictions, this may pose some organizational difficulties. Benefits to staff included
the opportunity to work in other community libraries (same jurisdiction) and provided a
change of pace from their previous jobs. In all cases, these reassignments were from
6-9 months, since the remodelings were relatively brief. A project with a longer
timeframe might not be so successful. On the negative side, all reassignments were
not successful. Staff had to drive further, work at the convenience of the host library
and generally felt unsettled without a home during the project.
Other problems at King County, included reliance on the automated system to
indicated items in storage. If the system was down or not available, there is no way of
knowing what is available off-site. It is also difficult to the browsing user.
-2-
Spokane Library recently completed construction of a new main library. The
116,000 SF library operation was moved to an office building during construction. The
temporary quarters facility was leased at market rates and required a $ 125,000
upgrade before occupancy. The library was in the facility for 18 months.
Identified Options
1) Leased Space
2) Modular Structures on a City property
3) Remodel City Hall
4) "Out source" library services to other jurisdictions
Leased Space
Leased space is an attractive option because if the right property is found, it
would allow the library to move into one large space, complete with lighting,
restrooms, etc. The right property would have minimal upgrades necessary.
Modular Structures
Modular structures are attractive form the standpoint that the city could maintain
control over the property. The structure would take more planning, take longer to
install and would involve planning the temporary library facility, while planning a the
library facility.
Remodel of City Hall
The use of City Hall would drastically relocate the city hall services and provide
only a partial answer for housing collections and services of the library. It would
undoubtedly require additional modular structures to house the collections. There is
the added cost of asbestos removal and other issues which would be a necessary part
of upgrading an older building.
Out Sourcing Services
While local city and county libraries might find this a very attractive option, the
citizens might have some difficulty with not having a library within the city of
Burlingame. A store front facility would not begin to provide the resources of a full
service library. With all of the collection in storage and "on call" it would require a
sophisticated retrieval and delivery system, delivery van, and dedicated service
points. It is unknown whether providing public library staff at school libraries would
truly answer the need for library use, without providing library material. Most
Burlingame school libraries have inadequate, out-dated, and minimal book
collections.
-3-
In Summary
In summary, it is essential that any option chosen give high priority to the
service priorities and physical requirements outlined by the staff and Board. While
cost is a significant factor, I feel the Burlingame/Hillsborough community must have
access to the major collections and services the library now provides. Burlingame can
afford to do nothing less.
Evaluation of Temporary Quarters Options
Option Pros Cons Issues to Resolve Est Cost
Lease o Easy for public to understand o Negotiate with Landlord One or two sites
Bldg
o Potential to be in one facility o Less City control Staffing
o Service most similar to present
o Cheaper to staff and manage
Modular o City control of property o Need to "surplus" after Site selection
Bldg
o Potential to be in one facility o Requires custom modulars Parking
o Service most similar to present o Professional installation
o Cheaper to staff and manage
Remodel o Location o Space not adequate Relocation of CH
City
Hall o Additional site needed Parking
o Disruption of civic center Storage site
o Configuration of space
� a
Out Source o Cost savings o No viable service for 2 years Alternative sites
o Benefit to neighboring cities o Loss of staff via layoff Reassignment of staff
o Inaccessibility of collections Contracts with cities
o Delivery system needed Rebuilding staff after
o 2 year "hole" in collections
SEP-28-1994 16:32 FROM PENINS..ILP LIBRARY SYSTEMS TO CORRESPONDENCE 1
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CORRESPONDENCE E
PENINSULA
COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
September 15, 1994
Burlingame Public Library
480 Primrose Rd.
Burlingame , CA 94010
Dear Friends:
DIRECTORS
We are pleased to enclose our check in the amount of Hon. Tbomas M.Jenkins,Chair
$548.21 to your organization to purchase new books. TbomasE.Bailard
Hugh C.Burrougbs
This represents the annual contribution to the T.Jack Foster,Jr.
Burlingame Public Library from funds contributed Albert J.Horn,Esq.
by the Julia M. Farrell Memorial Fund. CbarlesB.Jobnson
Robert C.Kirkwood
Karen Ilan Hoesen Olson
�- Please sign and return the enclosed copy of this letter
Jobn P.Rensbaw
as a receipt for our records. Gordon Russell
William Wilson III
Sincerely, Rosemary Young
K EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Sterling K.Speirn
Jennifer A. Sims
7BPL
TEL. (415) 358-9369 FAX. (415) 358-9817
1700 SOUTH EL CAMINO REAL, NO. 300, SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA 94402 - 3049
1995 HOLIDAYS
DATE DAY HOLIDAY STATUS
December 30, 1994 Friday Close at 1 p.m.
December 31 , 1994 Saturday New Year's Eve Close at 1 p.m.
January 1 , 1995 Sunday New Year's Day Closed
January 2, 1995 Monday Closed
January 16th Monday MLK Jr's. B'Day Closed
February 20th Monday President's Day Closed
April 16th Sunday Easter Closed
May 29th Monday Memorial Day Closed
July 4th Tuesday Independence Day Closed
September 3rd Sunday Closed
_ September 4th Monday Labor Day Closed
October 9th Monday Columbus Day Closed
November 10th Friday Veteran's Day Closed
November 22nd Wednesday Close at 5 pm
November 23rd Thursday Thanksgiving Closed
November 24th Friday Close at 5 pm
December 22nd Friday Close at 1 pm
December 23rd Saturday Open
December 24th Sunday Christmas Eve Closed
December 25th Monday Christmas Day Closed
December 29th Friday Close at 1 pm
December 30th Saturday Open
December 31st Sunday New Year's Eve Closed
January 1 ,1996 Monday New Year's Day Closed
AHE/lw
10/4/94
Holiday Schedule
CORRESPONDENCE D �
Page 1 of 2PENI
- J Mr- '^ qx% r i r 4:-� !+ �'r(, F r` r 'x wv`�'+ R ted• d�"7M '- a
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Clety - Governments' Start to GoOnli*ne
Growing number open databases, host of services to Internet
By John Woo(folk Similarly, Cupertino in January Among the wealth of data available on- Since Palo Alto went online in April,
Chmnicu Cormepondent launched a nationally recognized,state-of- line from these cities are fire safety tips, some 1,200 people a day have visited the
the-art computer bulletin board called Ci- photographs of missing children and city in cyberspace.San Carlos,which went
ASan Carlos resident taps a few keys tyNet. Mountain View, Belmont and Sun- wanted criminals, information on obtain- online in May, has received 150 to 200 e-
on his home computer and gets an nyvale also are considering such a system. ing a business license, maps to local res- mail messages a day.Many of the inquiries
answer from City Hall to his question The results have allowed residents— taurants and theaters, transit schedules, come from local residents, while others
about fluoridated water. school curricula,job listings and vital sta- come from businesses and people in other
A continent away, a Brazilian soccer tistics. That's in addition to the expected states and countries,city officials said.
fan's electronic query about the World `It's sort of like a virtual stuff—names and phone numbers of city "It has been extremely popular, and
Cup games at Stanford University brings council members,agendas meeting ached-
my sense is it will continue,"said Dianah
answers from the city of Palo Alto to his city hall. This LS an ules and minutes.
Neff, Palo Alto's director of information
s computer screen. Furthermore, residents and city offi- resources.
a One by one, local governments have additional wag of cials can communicate quickly through
been popping up in cyberspace along the reaching the public' electronic mail, or "e-mail," rather than Cities have dabbled with online offer-
information superhighway. playing phone tag,wading through voice ings for years,but until recently the idea
This spring, Palo Alto and San Carlos —BRIAN MOURA, mail or waiting for the regular "snail never caught on,Moura said.Some 50 cit-
SAN CARLOS ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR mail." ies nationwide operated computer bulle-
joined the Internet,the global network of �, tin boards in the mid-1970s but for various
n computer systems. Brisbane, South San Its sort of like a virtual city hall, said
Francisco,Daly City,Sunnyvale,San Jose, and anyone else in the world with a com- San Carlos Assistant City Administrator reasons they did not survive.By last year,
it Antioch,Berkeley,San Mateo County and puter and a modem—to find out what's Brian Moura."This is an additional way of nearly all had been disconnected.
the Association of Bay Area Governments happening at city hall and around town reaching the public.It still seems to be in But there has been explosive growth
have also been experimenting this year any time from the convenience of their its infancy,but there's a lot of talk about it
with various levels of Internet access. homes or offices. and I think we'll see more of it." INTERNET: Page P5Col.1
1
i
CORRESPONDENCE D Page 2 of 2
FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER 16,1994 lian.Wrancisco l:hroni(le P5
INTERNET: Online Cities
From Page P1 ourselves available to everyone in
the Bay Area or the world."
and interest in the Internet in re- So far,those agencies that have
cent years. gone online have done so at the
Once the exclusive domain of hands of a few motivated officials
researchers and college techies, or staff members and with the
the Internet has become more and help of some generous benefac-
more accessible to average com- tors.
puter users. Palo Alto's $20,000 to $40,000
Subscribers to commercial ser- start-up cost was underwritten by
vices such as CompuServe and the Digital Equipment Corp.,with
America Online have gained ac- some equipment donated by Fry's
cess to an increasing array of In- Electronics and Hewlett-Packard,
ternet services. Nearly all now al-
low users to send e-mail through HOW TO ACCESS
the Internet, and many are open-
ing electronic "gateways"to other BAY AGENCIES
Internet services — with menus
and commands that are easy for Those acquainted with the In-
novices to navigate. ternet can look for Palo Alto,
Computers, meanwhile, have San Carlos,the Association of
become more commonplace in Bay Area Governments and a
homes, businesses and schools, few other Bay Area agencies
particularly in the Bay Area. And through the World Wide Web:
modern software has made them ■PALO ALTO—Type at the
easier to use by replacing cryptic "URL"(universal resource lo-
text commands with colorful cator)prompt:http:/
graphic displays that allow users to /www.city.polo-alto.ca.us/
perform tasks by pointing to a rep- home.html
resentative icon and clicking a but
ton. ■SAN CARLOS—The city is
Both Palo Alto and San Carlos located through the Associa-
tionuse the Internet's "World Wide of Bay Area Governments
Web," which includes an easy-to- O ce there,
the menu to
use graphics format, although it Once there,use the menu to
requires a more expensive connec- find San Mateo County and
tion to see the graphics. then San Carlos.E-mail can be
sent to scorloscrl.com
"(The Internet) has gone from N ABAG—The Association of
being a technical tool to being a Bay Area Governments can al-
user-friendlier tool," Neff said. so be located on the Internet
Not user-friendly, but user- through a"gopher server"at
friendlier." "gopher.obag.ca.gov"or by
While a growing number of "telnetting"to"www.a-
city officials are showing interest bag.ca.gov"Direct e-mail in-
in going online,not all are enamor- quiries can be sent to Eugene
ed with the Internet. Leong at eugenelobag.co.gov
"When you're on the Internet,
there's a huge security problem," Neff said. Operating costs are $1,
said Cupertino City Councilman 300 a month,she said.
Wally Dean, who launched the San Carlos budgeted$20,000 for
nonprofit CityNet. The hackers equipment. The city's connection',
are very,very good.The pornogra-
phy,the language,the racial stuff, ea Governments has been free,but
Ar-
we don't want that.We can screen the agency soon will charge the
everything here." -city$100 a month,he said.
Indeed, when Palo Alto debut- Daly City, Brisbane and South
ed its Internet service, city offs San Francisco, meanwhile, have
cials blushed to find an adult video posted data on the Internet at no
on the screen of one of their public
Inter-
computers in City Hall. cost through Daryl Jones,an Inter-
The Internet can also be daunt. net buff who has a connection at
his Redwood City home. Accord-
ing. CityNet uses special "friend- Ing to Jones, a city could join the
ly"software that produces sounds Internet for $1,500 in equipment
and colorful graphics. Special de- and$400 in monthly fees.
vises even allow users to connect Equipment for Cupertino's
over airwaves rather than tele- nonprofit CityNet was donated by
phone lines. CityNet does, howev non p y
er, offer e-mail through the Inter- local companies,but Dean estimat-
net. ed the cost at more than $20,000.
"When you look at the Inter- Annual user fees of $20 for resi-
dents and$50 for nonresidents off-
net, you've got to be a technical set the$2,000 monthly phone bills,
genius to figure it out,"Dean said.
"(CityNet)is designed for the mass While the costs to these cities
market,for nontechie people." have been minimal, they. are
Internet aficionados say securi- enough to make other communi-
ty issues can be dealt with through ties think twice.
"fire-wall" systems that block un- I Others caution that as govern-
wanted access. They counter that ment agencies leap into cyber-
systems such as CityNet are im- space, many of their constituents
practical for nonlocals,who,in ad- will be left behind.
dition to a subscription fee, must "To what extent are we increas-
pay telephone charges for the call ing the gap between the haves and
to the system. the have-nots?" said ethicist Tim =
"CityNet is pretty much a fan- Mazur. "As we move forward, are
cy dial-in for Cupertino," said Eu- they confirming that the citizens
gene Leong of the Association of they serve have equal access to the
Bay Area Governments, the re- information?" r
gional planning agency that joined Palo Alto's Neff said such con- °
the Internet in April. terns are not unwarranted but ad-
"If everyone took,the Cuperti- ded that residents have been clam-
no approach,it would be like hav- oring for the service.The city has
ing thousands of little telephone taken steps to make its online ser-
systems. You'd have to dial into vices more available by placing
each bulletin board for informa- two public computers In City Hall
tion and have the right software and having access through library
and protocols.We wanted to make computers,she said. r
CORRESPONDENCE F
4' D
Wri ge---S
NEWSLETTER
PROJECT READ WR/W SAN MATEO PUBLIC LIBRARY
Fall 1994
Moving Right Along...I
Welcome back to all of you who've been on You should have received a flyer informing
vacation(now, can I go?!) It's been a fast you of our hiring the new Educational
and furious time in the Project Read office Coordinator,Jeanne Gross. Jeanne has a
since Lisa left to play Mommie. Since mid- strong education background working with
May we accumulated a waiting list of over 30 adults. She was highly recommended by her
adults who wanted to be assessed or former co-workers and is very friendly.
matched! End of fiscal year reports were due Some of you have had a chance to meet or
in July and we held our breath to see if we speak with Jeanne. If you haven't, please call
got $20,000 from the City of San Mateo's or stop by for a chat during-her hours.
community funding. (We did. Thank you, Jeanne, along with adult school staff, will
thank you!) With a great deal of help, train volunteers; assess potential learners;
however, Project Read is up and running at make the matches; select and recommend
full speed. materials; support small class tutoring; and
see to any of your educational needs. Jeanne
I managed to wheedle office help from two introduced herself at the August Tutor
terrific tutors and they saved my sanity! A Support Group Meeting. We are very luck to
billion thanks to Helena Robinson and have her! (See Jeanne's article, next page.)
Trudy Maxwell. Helena has moved in with
her jammies and has done a ton of computer
entry. Trudy has done the painstaking task of
recording all our resources down to the
individual titles. What reward does she get?
A timorous request for her to enter it into the
computer. Ack! Enough to make you scream,
XV
right? But she's doing it,bless her heart, even
though she's unfamiliar with WordPerfect!
These women are saints!
The Resource List will be included in the
next BRIDGES. Update lists will be in the
following BRIDGES, as well as available
from the office and out by our Bulletin
New Coordinator Jeanne Gross
Board.
cont. on other side
Getting to Know You... .�
by Jeanne Gross
Hi! I'm the new educational coordinator. I'll WUA110N
be meeting the adult learners, and assessing
their skills and needs. I will train the tutors,
match them with learners, and provide them The Tutor Support Group meets monthly. The
group includes veteran tutors who can offer you
with ongoing educational support. I want to advice when Jeanne is not available. Learn, share
tell you a little about my background. I've your experiences, and have fun!
been an educator for over 13 years and have
an MA in ESL and an MA in Social Ethics. Tutor Support Group Corner:
I'm teaching ESL at Foothill College. My When Learners Hit a Plateau
goal is to combine education and social By Betty Wyren
work.
So, how was YOUR summer vacation? At
I'm also a working mother with two 7-year- the July 9th Tutor Support Group Meeting
old twin boys! I do volunteer work at their we were happy to meet two new tutors to the
school and in our community. I want them to program, Barbara Silagi and MaryBeth
live in a world where all people express Lorence. It is always a joy to see new tutors
themselves joyfully; I want them to live in a who are fresh and full of enthusiasm. Some
world where everyone has the opportunity to of us have had learners for awhile, and
successfully read and write. sometimes we find ourselves in the "plateau"
stage, which can go on for months. I think
So, for very personal and professional that sometimes tutors are not comfortable in
reasons, I am committed to the work of this stage. I know I think I should always be
Project Read. Your commitment of time and helping my learner make progress and when
effort are the precious gifts that make Project we stand still, I feel we don't. However, the
Read work. Please give me your ideas and learner probably needs this time to really
advice about how we can make the program absorb the lessons. I think that in our society
even stronger and more vital. I appreciate we are encouraged to learn things "right
your support! (Until further notice, my hours now." We never seem to be able to take the
are Tuesdays 10:30-4:30 and Wednesdays time to savor what we are learning and my
4-9 PM.) miss some of the richness of the experience
by learning in the "express line" of life. So, if
Reminder: If you or your student meet at you are in a plateau stage with your learner,
Main and one of you is running late or
learn to enjoy it. if'you feel really stuck and needs to cancel at the last minute, leave a uncomfortable, come to a Tutor Support
message with the library's 3rd floor staff. (;roup Meeting or call any of the names
listed in the last BRIDGES. They will try to
Both of you should keep this number
handy:377-4685. "unstick" you.
Project Read EVENTS
-4 In October,the cast of"On a Mission to
V The Human Race brought in $1012.87, Read and Write" will put on their first
thanks to the efforts of our tutors and workshop for learners about writing and
students. The following prizes were awarded performing a play. The workshop will be
to the top 3 pledge/$collectors: Lucy Santos presented at the California Literacy
and Betty Wyren enjoyed a dinner courtesy Conference in San Jose. Congratulations to
of The Fish Market restaurant; and Gloria Al Banks, Chris Collins and Lonnie Pino,
Milina received a gift certificate for a meal at who have been meeting regularly to keep the
the Dunfey San Mateo Hotel. Special thanks ball rolling. The word "dedication" is
also to Al E.,Jr, and Al Banks for your personified in Lucy Santos, who has devoted
efforts on our behalf. Congratulations and hundreds of hours to nurturing, directing and
Thank You! coordinating the efforts of the play's cast. We
are truly indebted to you,Lucy.
The June 11 Project Read Picnic was Next Spring will be our 10th
fun for all who shared the camaraderie and
generous donations of picnic items. Thank Anniversary Celebration! Unlike our usual
you very much to: Gladys Young, who Celebration Dinner, we are planning an Open
coordinated this event. She recruited House. We need a speaker; local
volunteers, created the flyer, called local celebrities; background music; authors;
merchants for food and beverage donations. balloons; flowers; printing of flyers,
Gladys got help from Helena Robinson, invitations and programs; food and
Betty Wyren, Frances Poulos, Pearl beverages; and mostly, a site! If you know
Spiegel,Lucy Santos and Bill Spence. The someone, perhaps an entertainer or merchant
group was delighted to have the company of who would donate their services, PLEASE.
Mayor Jerry Hill and Councilmember Sue CALL! We will be forming a committee later
Lempert. The attendees listened to music on.
and shared experiences before and after
joining Project Read. We are very
appreciative of these supportive merchants:
Safeway,Wendy's, McDonald's,Trader
Joe's, Borel's International Deli,Key
Market,Wild Bill's Donuts, Long's Drugs
and Taco Bell. if
� September is Literacy Awareness
Month. We will have a literacy display at KIWANIS CLUB;
San Mateo's City Hall, and try to get as
much publicity in the media as possible. If HUMAN RACE DONORS;
you see something about literacy or our DR. JOANNE ROSSI AND
program in print or on TV, or hear PEGGY CRANE (FCRI) for
something on the radio,please call and let their assistance with assessing and
us know. We like to keep track of our matching learners during our staff
coverage. We will also hold our Tutor transition.
e.
Training, starting September 22.
Voice Mail Alert! Student Writing Wanted -�
If you haven't discovered yet, since August 8 Attention all learners who have
callers for Project Read have to go through stories or poems to share: We
voice mail to speak to staff or leave a
message. The reason for this is that Yellow would like to print your work
Pages made a mistake. They listed Project in BRIDGES.(You can choose to
Read with the Main Library's phone number! use your initials or your name, or
We got so many calls, we had to do neither.) Please send, or bring, your
something, and this alternative was offered.
The voice mail will most likely remain until writing to the Project Read office.
next May's new(and correct?!)phone book Your tutor and you will enjoy seeing
comes out. We heartily apologize for the your writing published!
inconvenience.
This newsletter is a publication of Project Read San Mateo,a program of the San Mateo County Library in
conjunction with the San Mateo Public Library,funded in part by the California Library Services Act.
PROJECT READ Bulk R
San Mateo Public Library U.S. POSTAGE
5 5 W. 'Third Avenue P A I D
San Mateo CA 94402
� SAN rY1ATE0, CALIF.
Permit No. 5
Time Valued Material
Bridges is produced by Project Read San Mateo
SMALL O_Mhs MOWING F Y I
(Board Room, Main Library)
Phonics I Wednesdays, 6:30 PM Burlingame kicked in $3,000 to
support our serving Burlingame
This is a beginning phonics class residents. Thank you to those who saw
taught by Natalie Win and Vallery this effort through: SM City Librarian KG
Washington. It is ongoing, so learners Ouye, Burlingame City Librarian Al
(and their tutors) can drop in. Escoffier, Tutor Trudy Maxwell, and
However, it is recommended that Burlingame Mayor Rosalie O'Mahony.
participants attend regularly so that all * Binders are available for you or
can progress. your learner. They're free and in a box
Phonics II Mondays, 7-8:15 PM
on the floor in our office. Help yourself!
�
Sept. 12-Oct. 31 The Project Read Bulletin Board
area has the latest information about our
This popular advanced beginner program's activities, schedules, and staff
class, for learners and tutors, is taught information. Check it often! [e.g., We are
by Pamm Scribner. She will be using looking for an FFL Coordinator.]
the Anglinq For Words series,
Sections 2 and 3. Tel
Intermediate Writing Tuesdays r
7-8:30 PM, Sept. 13-Nov. 15
Bob Weiss reprises his extremely
helpful instruction for learners who
want to work on expressing their ;z u
thoughts and ideas. This time, he will
concentrate more on how to get the SOARING HIGH!
words out and a little less on the
technical aspects that inhibit many We celebrate the accomplishments of[da
would-be writers. Sagers and her learners, Hilda and Silvia. A
poem of Ida's was published in Outstanding
Tutors: Please encourage your Poets of 1994. Hilda passed her citizenship
learners to attend these valuable exam and was sworn in August 23. Welcome
classes. They can serve as a to the U.S., Hilda! Silvia is making great
supplement to your tutoring. If you progress toward her writing/grammar goal.
can't attend, urge your learner to at Keep up the good work! In other
least try them out. They may get news...Norman was able to read and
hooked! understand a note with directions on it that
someone left on his windshield! Frank is
working on a book of photography. Now
that's exciting! Keep soaring, all!
PROJECT READ
CALENDAR
September
Literacy Awareness Month
S Labor Day
Library Closed
10 Tutor Support
Group
10 AM-12 PM
Board Room
22, 27 Tutor Training
& 29 6:30-9 PM
Art & Lecture
Room
November
October
S Tutor Support Group
1 Tutor Training 10 AM-12 PM
(last day) Board Room
10 AM-4 PM
Art & Lecture Room 11 Veterans Day
Library Closed
1 Tutor Support Group
10 AM-12 PM 24 Thanksgiving
Board Room Library Closed