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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - LB - 1998.07.28 BURLINGAME URLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY Board of Trustees Agenda LIQ �IB¢- July 28th, 1998 - 4.30pm 480 Primrose Road- Board Room SUGGESTED ACTION 1. CALL TO ORDER: 2. ROLL CALL: 3. BILLS: Approval City Checks: $26,195.94 Special Fund: $ 1,942.55 Duncan Funds:$ 244.55 4. MINUTES: Approval 5. CORRESPONDENCE AND INFORMATION: Information a. Letter: Robertson b. Brochure: Teen Safety on the Internet c. Memo: Public Internet Lecture d. Article: Internet e. Burlingame Statistics: Update f. Institute for the Future g. Fundraising h. Suggestion: Children's Room i. Letter: General 6. FROM THE FLOOR: 7. REPORTS: a. City Librarians Report: Escoffier Information b. Foundation Report: Herman Information c. Planning Report: Dunbar Information S. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: a. Internet Filtering Report Discussion b. Internet Public Training Discussion 9. NEW BUSINESS: a. Election of Officers c�j Action b. Employee Achievement Awards J Information/Action 10. ADJOURNMENT: Adjourn Agenda) FTUW--LINGAME B U R L I N G A M E P U B L I C LIBRARY Burlingame Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes June 16th, 1998 1. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting of June 16th, 1998 was called to order by President Berger at 4:30pm. 2. ROLL CALL: Trustees Present: Berger, Cannon, Dunbar, Herman & Morton Trustees Absent: None Staff Present: Alfred Escoffier, City Librarian Judy Gladysz, Administrative Secretary Also Present: Shirley Robertson,System Advisory Board Representative 3. BILLS: M/S/C (Cannon/Herman) unanimously to approve the bills as presented. 4. MINUTES: The minutes of the meeting of May 19th, 1998 were approved as written and ordered filed. 5. CORRESPONDENCE AND INFORMATION: President Berger asked if it would be possible for a sign to be displayed in the library indicating the fiscal impact to the City should the vehicle license tax be reduced or eliminated. Librarian Escoffier said he would consult with the City Attorney. President Berger also suggested a newspaper article. 6. FROM THE FLOOR: None 7. REPORTS: a City Librarians Report: Mr. Escoffier gave the Board an update of the damage from the faulty fire sprinkler. He reported that the fans and dehumidifiers would be removed later in the week. He said there was about 150 damaged books. Trustee Herman suggested the City look into "sprinkler insurance". Trustee Cannon said the Board extends a big thank you to the staff who were here on Sunday and did such a marvelous job above and beyond and suggested a _ cake be purchased to reward them. 4 8 0 P r i m r o s e R o a d • B u r l i n g a m e • C A 9 4 0 1 0 - 4 0 8 3 Phone ( 650 ) 342 - 1038 • Fax ( 650 ) 342 - 1948 • www . p1s . lib . ca . us / pls / pls . html President Berger said the landscaping on the terraces looks wonderful. Trustee Cannon asked Mr. Escoffier what kind of furniture has been ordered for the terrace. Librarian Escoffier said classic teak furniture had been ordered for the public terrace: 1 table,4 chairs, 2 benches and an umbrella. He further explained that Sue Reiterman is recruiting for volunteers to monitor the public terrace. Trustee Cannon said that it was a good idea to monitor the terrace from the beginning so the public knows what to expect. Trustee Cannon said the new bench at the Branch looks nice. b. Foundation Report - Herman: Trustee Herman said the Foundation had a great meeting on June 11th. She said Michael Donnellan, former Burlingame Library staff,was present to talk about Foundation planning for the coming year. c. Planning Report: Dunbar: Trustee Dunbar gave an update on the Library Planning Process. d. SAB Report - Robertson: Shirley Robertson will serve as Board President this year. She noted there will be an orientation in September for new SAB members and new staff on the operations of the Peninsula Library System. Trustee Morton said she would like to attend. Shirley said the Board is planning an Advocacy Workshop in October as a joint effort with the Silicon Valley Library System Advisory Board. On September 24th there will be a Friends program featuring Lailee Van Dillon, author. A small reception will precede the event, sponsored in part by the AAUW and the Persian Society. She hoped everyone could mark their calendars and attend. 8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: a. Internet: Children's Terminal: Mr. Escoffier said Barry Mills is looking at the filtering products available. Barry is aiming towards July to have it installed and ready. Classes will be held for those who desire Internet instruction. Special classes will be held for parents and children. 9. NEW BUSINESS: a. New Board Member: Librarian Escoffier said Council appointed Cecile Coar to the Library Board at their meeting on June 10th. b. Change in July Meeting Date: M/S/C (Dunbar/Morton) unanimously to change the July Board meeting from July 21st to July 28th. Page 2 c. Friend's Donation - Thank You: M/S/C (Cannon/Herman) unanimously to send a letter to the Friends of the Library to thank them for their very generous, continued support. President Berger said he would draft a letter. 10 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting of June 16th, 1998 was adjourned at 5:35 pm. The next Board meeting will be held on July 28th, 1998, at 4:30 pm in the Conference Room. Respectfully submitted, Alfred H. Escoffier City Librarian Trustees Minutej 6/17/98 Page 3 r BURLIHGAME I -UVII, B U R L I N G A M f P U B L I C '— LIBRARY City Librarian's Report July 28, 1998 "Planning for Results" The Planning Team Steering Committee met on July 17`h to plan activities for the next 6 months. The committee includes: Jane Dunbar, Chair; Esther Cummings, Reference Supervisor; Sue Reiterman, Reference LibrarianNolunteer Coordinator; Dr. Bob Jones, Senior Commission; Rhea Rubin, Consultant. Meg Monroe, City Planner, joined the committee to assist with the data and background preceding the community visioning. Mary Herman was on vacation and will join the committee on her return. The focus of the committee was to establish a "vision" for the City of Burlingame for the year 2008. This vision will be used as the basis for the visioning for the library at a future meeting in the fall. Flood Clean Up Status The clean up from the sprinkler flood damage is continuing. The major work of the water clean up, drying out of floors, walls, etc. is complete. It appears that the carpet has recovered from the incident. We are still not certain if the cork flooring sustained damage. We have contracted with a local vendor for replacement of the remaining damaged ceiling tiles. We expect the return of our vacuum-freeze dried books sometime this week. We have replaced a number of books and documents. Approximately 150 items were a total loss. We will be contracting with a local painter to patch and repaint the area as needed. The sprinkler heads have been removed and replaced with the appropriately rated sprinkler heads. The city is using their property insurance broker to handle the claim. Internet Filtering Status The Technology Division has reviewed three Internet filtering devices this month. All three were downloaded and tested by a team of librarians. Unfortunately, there was no perfect device. All devices were inconsistent (blocking some words or sites one time, but not another). Each device had different emphasis of blocking (some blocked words like "bomb", but not words concerning anatomical body parts). After review, we adopted the Cyberpatrol program. It has been installed and is in service. A report from Children's Supervisor, Joan Manini is attached. 4 8 0 P r i m r o s e R o a d - B u r I i n g a m e - C A 9 4 0 1 0 - 4 0 8 3 Phone ( 650 ) 342 - 1038 • Fax ( 650 ) 342 - 1948 • www . pls . Iib . ca . us / pls / pls . html Reference Division On June 7`h, the annual meeting of the San Mateo County Historical Association was held in the Lane Community Room and was preceded by a BPL Docent led tour for approximately 35 persons. Staff members Esther Cummings, Al Escoffier, Pat Psaila, Pat McKelvey, Joyce Griffin and Jackie Zlatunich staffed a Library Table for Art in the Park on June 13 and 14. All reported it was time well-spent connecting the library with the community. Volunteer Activity Volunteer activity was strong in June with the addition of several new student volunteers as well as several new Friends of the Library book sale workers. Children's Summer Reading Club "Get in the Game at Your Library," continues through the month and is an outstanding success! There are 289 children in the club at this writing. The sports theme is livening up the Children's room and the Easton branch. Other activities included a visit to 300 Lincoln School children to promote the Summer Reading Club. Visits to the library included: two classes including 19 students from Lincoln and 18 students from Washington School. McKinley sent 100 students in groups of 25 over a two day period for library visits. Cathy Somerton visited all of the classes of the summer schools in Hillsborough. On Tuesday, June 2"d, Denise Newman, a poet in the schools, who is doing an after school enrichment program, had her group come to the library where they read their poems. Approximately 38 people, mostly parents, were in attendance. Easton Branch Activities The Reading Club is also in full swing at Easton. Preschool story time resumed after a 3 week break. Bedtime story hour is on Wednesday evenings during the summer. Lisa Dunseth read stories to the 5`h graders from OLA and 2 classes from the McKinley summer school who visited the branch. Lisa has updated the Children's Services Web Page to include links to the Summer Reading Lists as well as link to the local schools. Lisa also issued a press release in time for summer entitled: "Teens read and Recommend." Personnel The final testing stage for the Library Assistant II, Stack Supervisor will be complete on July 21 S` 2 • Lions Club Dedication On June 25`h, the Burlingame Lions Club dedicated the bronze plaque for the fountain in memory of the late George Paul Lechich, long time City Librarian and Lions Club member. Members of the club were in attendance and the widow of George Paul, Nancy Lechich attended and spoke of her husband. It was a moving tribute to a very special man. Coming Events: • Foundation Executive Board Meeting, July 23, 4:30 pm • Library Board, July 28, 4:30 pm (New Date) • Library Board, August 18, 4:30 pm • Labor Day Closure, September 6 & 7 Alfred H. Escoffier City Librarian July, 1998 3 STATISTICS FOR JUNE 1998 REGISTERED BORROWERS: Total Registered: Burlingame Adults 12,185 Burlingame Children 3,595 Hillsborough Adults 1,934 Hillsborough Children 1 ,054 Universal Borrowers 614 Total Registered Borrowers: 18,702 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CIRCULATION ACTIVITY: Main Branch Adult Print Materials(books, periodicals, pamphlets, paperbacks) 20,015 1,154 Children's Print Materials (books, periodicals, pamphlets, paperbacks) 10,385 1,272 Audio Visual Materials(records, cassettes, films, videos, cd's) 5,652 149 TOTALS: 36,052 2,575 Main Total 1998 Circ: 36,052 Main Total 1997 Circ: 31,534 = 14.32% Inc. Branch Total 1998 Circ: 2,575 Branch Total 1997 Circ: 2,611 = 1.38% Dec. Grand Total 1998 Circ: 38,627 Grand Total 1997 Circ: 34,145 = 13.16% Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REFERENCE ACTIVITY: Questions Directions Reference 3,439 651 Children's 1,505 1,633 Lower Level 1,128 1,512 ILL Borrowed: 2,432 Branch 348 209 ILL Lent: 2,937 Total: 6,420 4,005 ILL Total: 5,369 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLLECTIONS: MAIN BRANCH TOTAL VOLUMES/TITLES VOLUMES TOTAL VOLUMES Ad.Non-Fiction 131,070 /115,340 5,015 136,085 Ch.Non-Fiction 23,220 / 22,090 2,240 25,460 YA Non-Fiction 1,905 / 1,725 100 2,005 Ad. Fiction 53,910 / 51,190 5,840 59,750 Ch. Fiction 19,860 / 17,950 5,905 25,765 YA Fiction 2,940 / 2,660 365 3,305 Reference 5.600 / 5,400 200 5.800 Totals: 238,505 /216,355 19,665 258,170 OTHER MATERIALS: Pamphlets 31,770 Paperbacks 3,395 Maps 1,690 Records 1,500 Cassettes 10,940 Video Tapes 2,230 Compact Discs 1,825 Deposited with the City Treasurer: Main: 5,813.32 Branch: 253.65 J Xerox: 578.00 Room: .00 Donations .00 CLSA: 20,978.45 User Traffic: 39,089 Daily Avg.: 1,303 Children's Programs: 21 Attendance: 565 Children's Programs for the year 1998: 65 with a total attendance of 1,861 children r BURLINGAME 1 r �. I .Q � �/C L`8R July 1, 1998 Shirley Robertson President Burlingame Friends of the Library 1726 Sequoia Avenue#4 Burlingame, CA 94010 Dear Shirley: On behalf of the Burlingame Library Board of Trustees—indeed, on behalf of all Burlingame—I want to thank the entire Friends organization for the generous contributions you've earmarked this year. The sum of your gifts reflects an enormous amount of hard work by your members, and we are truly appreciative. As you undoubtedly know,your organization continues to enrich the lives of many, from those who like(or require)their books on tape rather than paper,to the local children immersed in special programs funded by the Friends of the Library. Thanks for working in partnership with so many individuals and organizations to make Burlingame Public Library better and better and better every year. Sincerely, Yi er dent, oard of Trustees Xc: Al Escoffier 480 Primrose Road Burlingame, CA 94010-4083 • (415) 342-1038 0 Fax (415) 342-1948 17 July 1998 To: Al Escoffier From: Linda Santo Re: Public Internet Lectures In our first few attempts at holding Public Internet Lectures, we have seen mixed results. Our lecturer was Cathie Scalice, Children's librarian at Daly City Public Library. Our goal was to present two topics — Introduction to the Internet for Parents, which would discuss basic search skills, child safety on the Internet and some appropriate sites for children, as well as to address the filter issue. The other topic is Basic Introduction to the Internet, which would discuss basic search skills, navigation in general and cover some topic areas such as finding information on Bay Area events. Surprisingly, our first Parent lecture on Saturday, July 11 was attended by only 4 people. We had tickets for 75 people available. Only one of them was a parent, I believe. The rest were just interested in knowing "more" about the Internet (indeed, _ they also attended the lecture following the Parents class) The Basic lecture, also on Saturday, July 11 was attended by 58 people. Only one of them owned a computer at home and this one did not have Internet access. We had another Parents lecture on Wednesday, July 15th. This one was a bit better attended — 8 people (2 sets of parents and children among the 8). For our next Basic lecture, which is Wednesday, July 22, 52 tickets have already been taken. In addition to a packet of handouts we also offered the attendees an information sheet on how to receive one on one training with a volunteer. Most seemed very pleased and impressed with this offering, though I think Sue has only heard from a few people so far. We did distribute an evaluation form and some of the comments were as follows: "A comprehensive overview of the INTERNET, from a librarian's perspective" "Hard to remember everything" "Too much too fast" "I appreciate role of BPL to spread info about computers to parents and others." "Cathie has a sense of humour and made learning enjoyable" "This is very new to me" "Too rambling, tighten up, structure more" "Too basic for me" "The advice given on which search engines were best and why the lecturer thought so." For the most part the comments were positive. There were a few about how we could organize the lecture better or other suggestions about content that would be better served in an advanced lecture. There were several comments about the Lecturer which Cathie will read and absorb. As a result we are trying to tighten up the presentation, assume the audience knows little to nothing about the Internet and in some cases, the Windows environment and start from there. We have planned two Parent lectures and two Basic lectures in August. If the Parent lectures prove to be under attended it is possible we could add some Parent and Kid related information to the Basic lecture and dispense with the Parent lecture. Both lectures were advertised equally so it was not a matter of not enough promotion. It is also Summer and that could have an impact, though 58 people felt they could attend the Basic lecture on a Saturday. After the Basic lecture on Wednesday, July 22 and after we view the evaluation for that lecture, we will be able to make some positive changes to our content and the presentation of the lectures. Filter: Library wants Ll' braly block by summer Continued from NEWS-1 tering software, Head Librarian Al Escof ler has made his peace with the decision. arents a "I think it gives p rushing choice," he said. We want people to have options." At the same time, the library is finding the task of locating to fmilter , appropriate filtering software are more difficult than expected. "The software has to be ac- cessible and be compatible with the library system," saidEscof- fier. "We're researching it now. I Emsmut just hope we have it in time for our summer classes." board Jeff Berger, library chairman, calls the filtering system a trial, not necessarily a Effort aims to protect permanent solution for the li- brary. n "Filters block what you want to BUrli n(game children block, but they also block what you don't want them to block," By piarie Sussinan he said. "Also, we don't want STAFF WRrrER parents to get a false sense of what filters can do. People BURLINGAME—With just two weeks to go be- shouldn't think, 'Oh, it's fil- fore it launches an ambitious program to train tered. All our problems are children and parents on the Internet, the Bur- solved.'" lingame Public Library is scrambling to find fil- tering software to keep kids away from cyberporn. The library is trying to comply with a recent decision by the Library Board of Trustees to in- stall such a capability on the computer in the children's section of the library. The filtering soft- ware would restrict access to pornography. The decision applies only to the one computer in the children's section. The library's six other computers will have unrestricted access. In Bur- lingame, the library board, not the City Council, sets policy for the library. After months of discussion and examination, the board bowed to pressure from parents and residents who were distressed by the idea that children could view pornography in the library, of all places. A public hearing on the issue held last Feb- ruary drew a large crowd, most in favor of fil- tering. Proponents of filtering also found a powerful ally in Mayor Mike Spinelli, who has made the issue a personal crusade. "If parents had any idea of the stuff their kids have access to, it would make them sick,"he said at the time. Although librarians' groups throughout the country have generally.opposed the use of III- Please see Filter,NEWS-11 BURLINGAME STATISTICS GENERAL Population (1997) 28,567 (19%over age 65; 16% under age 18) Dwelling Units (1997) 13,032 (50% multiple units; 52% rental) Persons Per Household 2.25 Area 5.5 sq.mi. (3,517 acres;66% residential; 34%commercial/industrial) Average Cost Dwelling Unit $625,000(1998 SF Examiner) Mean Household Income $70,000(1995 ABAG estimate) Registered Voters 15,546 (Mar 1998) Number Hotel Rooms 3,340 (1997)9 major hotels Jobs/Businesses 25,280 jobs (1995 ABAG estimate);4,425 business licenses CITY SERVICES City Operating Budget $34.6 million (1998-99) Employees 247 full-time; 38 part-time(FTE); (50% Police& Fire) Police Officer per 1,000 pop. 1.7-48 officers Fire Fighter per 1,000 pop. 1.8-49 fire fighters Calls for Service (Annually) Police--26,400 Fire--2,500 (4%fire, 55% medical) Sewer--4,000;Water--2,100 PUBLIC WORKS Employees 57 full-time, including water&sewer Street miles 152 travel lane miles Sidewalk miles 116 Sewer Line miles 84, 8 pump stations Water Line miles/connections 94.2 miles-8,918 connections Water Usage 4.67 million gallons per day(1996-97) Sewer Treatment 4.1 million gallons per day(1996-97) Sewer/Water/Storm Drain Pumps 50 On Street Parking Meters 788 (126 Broadway) Public Off Street Parking 1,307 spaces (Broadway 252) Parking Tickets 26,800 (1996-97) Street Lights 1,735 PARK and RECREATION DEPARTMENT Employees 31 full-time Acres of Land scapi ng/Tu rf 63 acres of landscaping, 22 acres turf Street Trees 11,200 (18,000 public trees) Recreation Classes and Activities 1,400 User Fee Paid 63% LIBRARY Volumes 242,000 Circulation 445,000 annually Registered Borrowers 16,800(includes 2,700 Hillsborough) BUDGET 1998-99 Expenditures Revenues Police $6.5 million Sales Tax $8.5 million Fire 5.4 " Hotel Tax 12.6 " Public Works/Water&Sewer 13.4 " Water/Sewer Fees 10.0 " Parks& Recreation 3.7 " Property Tax 4.9 " Library 2.4 " State/Gas Tax 2.5 " Administration & Other 3.2 " Capital Projects .5 " Total Operating Budget $34.6 million All Other 10.4 " Capital Improvement Projects 13.8 million $49.4 million Debts&Grants 1.0 million Total All Expenditures $49.4 million [A:R0STRSF0RMS\STATS.WP6] July 16,1998 We"..Welcome Your Comments J •rhe Bdrlingame Public Library series all members of the community by providing and promoting free and equal access to resources and _ info'rmation in.a professional,welcoming environment. In support of this.mission,we strive to provide quality library collections, along with courtepus and officient service to our users. We encourage your vA comments,so that we may continue to provide you with the best library service possible. o l If you would like aresponse, T� please eave your name and address bel� 17 Itl Ci Librarian - f Burlingame Public Library 480 Primrose Road �'.�C �lC '�.cti C���{ �kZ4`� Burlingame,CA 94010 650-342-1038 c:7xer/s,&ate i/vs FBURLINGAME U-W,�- B U R L I N G A M E P U B L I C LIBRARY July 20, 1998 Ashton Grewal 1228 Cabrillo Avenue Burlingame, CA 94010 Dear Ashton: Thank you for your letter concerning Internet service at the library. The Library initiated Internet service from a single terminal two and a half years ago. At that time, providing Internet service was an experiment for us. As interest in the Internet grew, we continued to monitor the use of the service. Because of increased use, we offered a second terminal and tightened up some on how long individuals could use the terminal. This early experience, along with surveys of the public, told us that our primary users were adults. When we moved to our new library, we greatly expanded our Internet access. We now have 6 terminals available to the public on the main and lower levels, and just two weeks ago we installed a filtered Internet terminal for the children's room. All terminals seem to be in constant use. Our Library Board (a group of citizens who represent the community to the library) discussed the concept of filtering for over two years. The issue of filtering the Internet terminals has legal and management implications far beyond what one might initially realize. When the Board discussed filtering, our legal counsel informed us that we could not legally filter access to all of our terminals. In addition, we learned that we could not limit children's access to materials or particular terminals in our library, as we do not limit any other materials or services to adults only. The best option open to us was to offer the choice of a filtered terminal to children and adults in the children's room. We now provide dual Internet service for our users, either filtered or unfiltered access. 4 8 0 P r i m r o s e R o a d • B u r l i n g a m e • C A 9 4 0 1 0 4 0 8 3 Phone ( 650 ) 342 - 1038 • Fax ( 650 ) 342 - 1948 • www . p1s . I ibca . us / pls / pls . html I share your concern for inappropriate subject matter on the Internet, but as librarians we feel it is the duty of parents to guide children through their use of the library as well as such services as the Internet. As librarians, we caution that the Internet is an uncontrolled environment over which no one has control. Information on the Internet may not only be inappropriate in a given situation, but may be inaccurate and slanted to one point of view. In preparing for the children's workstation installation, we tested three major filtering devices. We noted that none of the filters fully blocked inappropriate sites, and the blocking that did occur was inconsistent and unreliable. This confirms the articles we have reviewed in such magazines as Consumer Reports, where the consistent theme of the reviewers has been that no filter does the job of a parent and no filter blocks out all inappropriate material consistently. Recently the Library began to offer classes on the Internet for general users, as well as special classes for parents and children. The purpose of offering the classes has been to help general users, as well as parents and children, find the wonderful resources on the Internet and to help find them quickly and efficiently. If you are interested in these classes, please contact our Reference Desk at 650-342-1037. 1 hope I have answered your concerns regarding the use of the Internet at the Library. If you have other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your letter and your interest in your local public library. Sincerely, w�4 Alfred H. Escoffier City Librarian cc: Library Board of Trustees June 30, 1998 Mr. Al. Escoffier City Librarian Burlingame Public Library 480 Primrose Rd. Burlingame, Ca 94010 Dear Mr. Escoffier, I am Ashton Grewal and I'm writing this letter to you because I am concerned about the problem of pornography access through the internet, at the library. Kids have access to pornography at almost any time. I have seen kids go into the library and pull up pictures within minutes. I think it is very bad that kids are able to look at this. Studies show it can become addictive and affect the overall outcome of these kids. Pornography also promotes sexual harassment which is a big problem for kids as well. I think we need to do something about this. I recommend getting blocking devices. I know there are many on the market and most of them work very well. If you cannot provide them for all computers I would make sure you get them for the children's computers. I hope you will take this into consideration. Sincerely, Ashton Grewal 13 J Ashton Grewal. . . . . . . . . . . 1228 Cabrillo Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . .Burlingame, Ca 94010. . . . .342-8299