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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - LB - 2005.04.19 URLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY UNG,Board of Trustees AgendaApri1192005- 4:30pm 480 Primrose Road-Library Conference Room SUGGESTED ACTION I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. WARRANTS & SPECIAL FUND Approval IV. MINUTES Approval V. CORRESPONDENCE AND INFORMATION Information A. News from the Capitol, March 31,2005 B. News from the Capitol,April 8, 2005 C. March 2005 Statistics VI. FROM THE FLOOR (Public Comments) VII. REPORTS A. City Librarian—Escoffier Information B. Foundation Report- Escoffier Information C. Budget Status Report- Escoffier Information VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - A. Meeting Date Change from May 17th to May 24th Discussion/Approval IX. NEW BUSINESS A. Library Bill of Rights Discussion/Approval B. Freedom to Read Statement Discussion/Approval C. Citizen Request for Reconsideration of Library Material Discussion/Approval X. ANNOUNCEMENTS XI. ADJOURNMENT Adjourn BURLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY Burlingame Public Library Board of Trustees . ..._..,� Minutes March 15, 2005 I. Call to Order President Herman called the meeting to order at 4:30pm. II. Roll Call Trustees Present: David Carr, Mary Herman, Katie McCormack, Carol Rossi and Pat Toft Staff Present: Al Escoffier, City Librarian Sidney Poland, Recorder Members of the Public Ro LoGrippo Spinelli, Mike Spinelli, John Root, Ann Keighran The Trustees agreed to move agenda item VIII. Unfinished Business Section A. Public Hearing - on "Boy Reading" Bronze ' Statue and Section B. Recommendation to Council to the next order of business. VIII. Unfinished Business A. Public Hearing Ro LoGrippo Spinelli, speaking on behalf of the Friends of Gloria Barton, stated that her preferred location for the statue was outside. However Ro agreed with the sub-committee's decision to place it near the Children's room entrance on the basis that the statue would be better preserved and have a higher degree of visibility. B. Council's Approval of Library's Acceptance and Placement of Artwork 1. Motion - Trustee McCormack moved that the Trustees send a written request to Council recommending its approval of the Library's acceptance of the statue "Boy Reading" and of the statue's placement-near the entrance to the Children's Room. M/S/C (McCormack/Rossi) 2: Recommendation - Trustee McCormack recommended that Ro write the inscription for the plaque and contact Randy Schwartz regarding purchase of the plaque. III. Warrants and Special Funds The Trustees unanimously agreed to approve the warrants. M/S/C (McCormack/Carr) 48o Primrose Road-,Burlingame•CA 940io-4o83 Phone (650) 558-7474Fax (650) 342-6295 IV. Minutes `- The Trustees unanimously approved the minutes of the February 15, 2005 meeting. M/S/C (Rossi/McCormack) V. Correspondence and Attachments Correspondence and Attachments were noted. A. Key Indicators - The City Manager requested that all departments prepare key indicators for use of their facilities and services. Trustee McCormack asked if there was someway that complimentary letters of staff members by patrons could be included in this report or perhaps tracked by another means. B. Budget - Budget figures for 2005-2006 will be given to the Trustees at the April 19th meeting. VI. From the Floor Public Hearing held at beginning of meeting. VII. Reports A. City Librarian's Report - Highlights of Report 1. Children's Library Card Campaign - Members of the children's staff have been visiting schools in Burlingame and Hillsborough in an effort to get 100% of the children to have library cards. 2. High School District - At the recent high school district board meeting, the City Librarian and other library directors testified on behalf of school librarians whose jobs were in jeopardy, due to the district's proposal to eliminate librarian and counselor positions in order to create a 7th period. Public input prevailed and the high school Trustees adopted a modified plan which included keeping the school librarians. B. Foundation Report - Since there was not a quorum at the March meeting, no official business was conducted. The next meeting will be held April 14th. VIII. Unfinished Business - Items A 8a B were moved to the beginning of the meeting. C. Eucalyptus Tree - The City Council voted to further research the possible removal of the Eucalyptus tree located in front of the Library at Easton and Cabrillo. Library Board of Trustee Minutes March 15,2005 IX. New Business X. Announcements A. PLS Activities - Trustee McCormack noted the following PLS activities: March 19th System Advisory Board breakfast and April 23rd Legislative Breakfast. The speaker for the Legislative Breakfast is Susan Hildreth, California State Librarian. The Trustees will extend invitations to their individual council member. B. Library Board Tenure - Trustees Herman and Rossi noted that their terms end June 30th and neither one will reapply. Trustee Carr advised the Trustees that he would resign from the Library Board as of June 30th. C. Meeting Date Change - A proposed change of meeting date from May 17th to May 24th will be included on the April 19th agenda. XI. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 6:00pm. The next meeting will be held April 19, 2005 in the Conference Room. Respectfully Submitted, L Alfred H. Escoffiee� City Librarian r Library Board of Trustee Minutes March 15,2005 Escoffier, Al From: Crowe, Linda Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 8:30 AM To: PLSCOUNCIL@PLSSRV2.PLSINFO.ORG Subject: FW: [CALIX:3826] News from the Capitol-Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing report -----Original Message----- From: Susan Negreen [mailto:snegreen@cla-net.org] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 4:10 PM To: calix@listproc.sjsu.edu Subject: [CALIX:3826] News from the Capitol-Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing report March 31, 2005 TO: CLA MEMBERS/SYSTEMS/ NETWORK CONTACTS FROM: Mike Dillon, Lobbyist; Christina Dillon, Lobbyist RE: NEWS FROM THE CAPITOL ASSEMBLY BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE INDICATES EARLY SUPPORT FOR HELPING PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION "This cut is penny wise and pound foolish." Late yesterday afternoon, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance met to consider Governor Schwarzenegger's January Budget for the California State Library, and the Public Library Foundation, specifically. You may recall that Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing a small $2.2 million cut to the Public Library Foundation, which would bring the baseline figure for the fund down to $12.1 million. While the proposed cut is considered relatively modest -ompared to some of the massive cuts proposed in other areas of the Budget, the total reduction to the PLF baseline since — 3udget Year 2001-02 is a whopping 79 percent. Despite the difficult Budget challenges facing the Governor and the Legislature this year, CLA was pleased when the Assembly Budget Subcommittee expressed their support yesterday to possibly reject the Governor's $2.2 million cut when they finalize their recommendations at the end of May. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee is Chaired by Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, and consists of Assemblymembers Wilma Chan, Joe Coto, Lynn Daucher, Jackie Goldberg, and Bob Huff. Yesterday marked the first time that the appointed State Librarian, and former CLA President, Susan Hildreth, appeared before the subcommittee on behalf of the State Library. Her presentation to the subcommittee was one of the best we've seen, and was well received by the members. CLA took the opportunity, during our testimony, to note that we were "exceptionally pleased to have Ms. Hildreth as the State Librarian. As you can tell, she is extremely sharp and a great advocate for libraries." State Librarian Hildreth noted that the "state's fiscal situation is a difficult one. While we have some decreases in our programs, it is not as bad as the past four Budget years. We are stabilizing somewhat." In speaking specifically to the PLF, she noted, "It is a critical fund for public libraries, and is the only clear and consistent way that the state supports libraries." Lastly, she thanked the members for their support of Senator Alpert's 2004 library bond bill, sponsored by CLA, which will appear on the June 2006 ballot, and added that there was considerable demand for library projects throughout the state. When asked by Chairman Dymally what her"vision"was for the State Library as "the new kid on the block," Ms. Hildreth referred to libraries as "the great equalizer" and commented that the Internet had not decreased usage in libraries, but rather had significantly increased usage. She also spoke to the current situation in Salinas, where the entire public library system is facing closure, and offered that libraries are community centers, a "neutral place where people can exchange ideas." During our testimony regarding the Governor's proposed reduction to the Public Library Foundation, we gave the subcommittee (which contains a few new members)a brief historical overview of the fund and how and why it was created, ,d spoke to the significance of the state funding for the program. e presented our new 79 % cut chart"which had been updated to reflect the Governor's proposed $2.2 million cut, and explained how the decrease in funding has led to fewer materials purchases, loss of staff, reduced hours at branches, etc. Lastly, we discussed an article that appeared in the Sacramento Bee this weekend, and featured Sacramento Public 1 Library Director Anne Marie Gold and some remarkable statistics regarding the sizeable increase in demand for Internet service at the Sacramento branches. We noted that while the state's deficit is considerable, CLA would nonetheless appreciate help in restoring some of the cuts to the program as soon as possible. Following our testimony, the representative from the Legislative Analyst's Office concurred that the reductions to the PLF were significant and said that since the Governor's Budget makes "pretty substantial restorations to higher education" in a particular area, "I think you could find $2 million for the PLF." He concluded, "It seems like they've given more than their share." The Department of Finance was then asked to comment, and stated, "We support the Governor's Budget, given the state's fiscal condition." Subcommittee member, Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg said, "The fund was at $56 million when I first arrived. What this means to low income areas: it means that collections are not up to date, or doors are closed on the weekends, or closed at night. This cut disproportionately hurts people who are striving to get ahead. This cut is penny wise and pound foolish. I hope that we could find $2 million or even $4 million." Echoed Chairman Dymally, "I'm looking at this 79% chart. Is reading not important to us? What a sad commentary." Assemblyman Joe Coto told the subcommittee, "This PLF reduction is much too dramatic. won't support the Governor's Budget on this." Assemblywoman Goldberg, emphasizing the serious nature of the 79% cut, said, "The last time I went to the library, I was told that they didn't have the book I wanted because they couldn't afford it." Ultimately, the subcommittee decided to approve the State Library's Budget, but first, removed two items: the Public Library Foundation and the California Civil Liberties Public Education Act. With regard to the latter item, the committee would like to consider an evaluation of the Civil Liberties program, at the request of subcommittee member Assemblywoman Daucher. She believes that where there are good examples of programs that were awarded funds, the programs could be replicated statewide. With regard to the Public Library Foundation, the subcommittee decided that they would like to revisit the funding level for the program after the so-called "May Revision" of the Budget,when the subcommittee will have a better idea of the state's fiscal health. In the meantime, you may wish to write the members of the Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees on Education Finance. In your letters to the Assembly subcommittee you may thank the members for their initial support of the PLF and ,ope that when they consider the issue again after the May ''Revision, that they restore the $2.2 million. The Senate Subcommittee will hear the issue on Monday, April 25. In your letters to the Senate subcommittee, you should ask them to reject the Governor's proposed $2.2 million reduction to the PLF. Lastly, in your letters, please mention the types of impacts on services the overall 79 percent reduction has meant or will mean to your library- reduced hours, can't purchase bookmobiles or materials, loss of staff positions, etc. Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number Two on Education Finance Chair, Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally Member, Assemblywoman Wilma Chan Member, Assemblyman Joe Coto Member, Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher Member,Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg Member, Assemblyman Bob Huff Sample address: The Honorable Mervyn Dymally Chair, Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number Two on Education Finance State Capitol Sacramento, CA. 95814 Senate Budget Subcommittee Number One on Education Finance Chair, Senator Jack Scott Member, Senator Bob Margett Member, Senator Joe Simitian 2 Escoffier, Al From: Susan Negreen [snegreen@cla-net.org] Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 10:25 AM To: calix@listproc.sjsu.edu Subject: [CALIX:3858] News from the Capitol April 8, 2005 TO: CLA MEMBERS/SYSTEMS/ NETWORK CONTACTS FROM: Mike Dillon, Lobbyist; Christina Dillon, Lobbyist RE: NEWS FROM THE CAPITOL I. SENATE RULES COMMITTEE TO HOLD CONFIRMATION HEARING ON STATE LIBRARIAN, SUSAN HILDRETH On Wednesday, April 20, the Senate Rules Committee will meet to consider Governor Schwarzenegger's appointment of former CLA President, Susan Hildreth, as State Librarian. You may recall that Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Ms. Hildreth upon the retirement of Dr. Kevin Starr, but she has been serving as the "Acting State Librarian" until she has full confirmation by the State Senate. The five-member Senate Rules Committee has asked Ms. Hildreth to appear on the 20th, and she will be invited to give a brief opening statement. Members of the Rules Committee may then choose to ask her questions on a variety of subjects, pertaining to the office of State Librarian. Supporters are also welcome to come forward to make a brief statement about the appointment of Ms. Hildreth, and similarly the Committee will also hear from any opponents to the appointment. The Senate Rules Committee will then vote on the confirmation, and if she has sufficient votes, Ms. Hildreth's confirmation will be forwarded to the Senate Floor, where the entire house will vote on her confirmation. a he confirmation hearing of Susan Hildreth will be held the same day as CLA Legislative Day in Sacramento. If you are interested in being present at the hearing, and would like to add your name in support for the record, you may join us in room 113 at 1:30 p.m. at the Capitol. (Seating is extremely limited.) If you are interested in supporting the confirmation of Ms. Susan Hildreth as California's State Librarian by letter, please take a moment today to write the five members of the Senate Rules Committee. They are: Senator Don Perata, Chair Senator Jim Battin, Vice Chair Senator Roy Ashburn Senator Debra Bowen Senator Gil Cedillo Sample address: The Honorable Don Perata Chair, Senate Rules Committee State Capitol Sacramento, CA. 95814 RE: APRIL 20, 2005 CONFIRMATION HEARING OF SUSAN HILDRETH, STATE LIBRARIAN - SUPPORT II. ASSEMBLY FLOOR HONORS PUBLIC LIBRARIES DURING "NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK" _A is sponsoring House Resolution 8, by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, relative to "National Library Week." Specifically, as National Library Week is being celebrated in public libraries throughout California from April 10 through April 16, 2005, CLA would like to recognize the importance of these great community resources. Assemblywoman Wolk was gracious 1 enough to carry the resolution in the Assembly for CLA. HR 8 states that"the Assembly, during National Library Week, applaud the positive and vital impact of California's public libraries, librarians, and all library workers, and thank them for enriching the lives of residents and helping to make our state an exceptional place to live, learn, and work." The resolution became a "consent" item on the Floor this week, meaning that there was strong bi-partisan support for the measure and it was approved by a unanimous vote of those present. -----------------------------------------------------------------calix-+ Views expressed on CALIX are the opinion of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the position of the California Library Association. How to get off CALIX: Subscribers are strongly encouraged to keep abreast of CLA and California library news via this mailing list. To sign off from the list, send email to listproc@listproc.sjsu.edu with the following request: SIGNOFF CALIX or UNSUBSCRIBE CALIX in the body of the message. Make sure your subject line is blank and nothing other than the command is in the body of the message. -----------------------------------------------------------------calix-- 2 BURLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY STATISTICS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2005 Patron Statistical Classes - New Adds Registered Borrowers Previous month's total #Added Total Registered Burlingame Adults 18,444 127 18,571 Burlingame Children 5,287 40 5,327 Hillsborough Adults 2,770 21 2,791 Hillsborough Children 1,416 90 1,506 Non-San Mateo Co. Borrowers 1,799 21 1,820 Totals 29,716 299 30,015 Item Statistical Classes-Use Counts Circulation Activity Main Easton Branch Adult Print Materials 21,618 955 Children's Print Materials 11,360 2,140 Audio/Visual Materials 12,345 1,083 Overview Checkouts Circulation Totals This month total Main 49,059 This month previous year 47,471 3.3% Increase **This month total Branch 4,811 This month previous year 0 100% Increase This month Grand Total 53,870 This month previous year 47,471 13.0%Increase Ex ress Check Use Patrons Items 0 of Circulation Main 2,828 10,258 25% 7Easton 491 1,987 48% Reference Activity Inter Library Loans Questions Lent 2,791 Reference 3,045 Borrowed 3,025 Children's 1,410 TOTAL 5,816 Lower Level 3,020 Branch 806 TOTAL 8,281 Collections Main Titles Volumes Main Titles Added Branch Volumes Added Adult Non Fiction 403 204 13 Children's Non Fiction 162 63 51 YA Non Fiction 0 0 0 Adult Fiction 198 127 27 Children's Fiction 154 58 32 YA Fiction 48 22 4 Cassettes Audio 1 1 0 Compact Discs 28 15 2 'ideos 1 1 0 hildren's Audio 0 0 0 Children's Video 0 1 0 Children's Compact Disc 0 0 0 DVD's 75 48 12 Children's DVD's 7 0 0 TOTALS 1,077 540 141 BURLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY STATISTICS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2005 PAGE 2 D nix Deposit to City Treasurer Main $8,826.65 Branch* 688.66 `- Total $9,515.31 Main and Easton Deposits Revolving Account Rental (Main) $ 172.00 Trustees Special Fund Photocopies/Print Fees(Main)** $1,159.53 Branch $ 22.45 Estimated User Traffic Main 35,021 :j§:a:i:1j Average Main 1,167 Estimated User Traffic days Easton 3,573 Daily Average Easton 132 Community Room Adult* TOTAL MEETINGS HELD 10 345 Adult Library Programs Attendance Lectures, Film Series etc. 1 40 Book Groups 2 30 Children's and Young Adult Attendance Pre-school Story Time 9 384 Toddler Story Time 8 612 Total Story Time Events 17 Total Story Time Attendance 996 Special Programs Class Visits 14 226 Preschool Outreach 6 122 Total Class Visits 20 Total Class Visits Attendance 348 Children's Reference Questions Main 1,410 Total 1,410 Easton Story Times &Special Programs Attendance Questions Easton Preschool 4 80 Reference 806 Toddler 4 156 Total Programs 8 Total Attendance 236 Class Visits 3 Attendance 85 Easton Internet Usage User Sessions 1 369 Main Internet User Sessions **Hour& 1/2 Hour Express Children's Total 6,012 est. 2,227 447 est. 8,686 est. **This includes both hour and half-hour Internet terminals. BURLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY STATISTICS FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2005 PAGE 3 October 2004 Outreach Statistics Total Number of Active Outreach Patrons 18 Deliveries 26 Pick Ups 3 Books 159 Magazines 8 Videos 5 Books on Tae 0 Paperbacks 0 Total Library Materials 172 BURLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY City Librarian's Report April 19, 2005 Library Budget Status The library budget has been submitted to the Finance Department for review and preparation for Council. The new budget reflects a 3% increase in anticipated employee costs, and a 3% increase in the operating budget. We have lost a vacant Library Assistant II position due,to retirement. This was our Tier IV reduction. This brings our FTE down some next year. Hourly staff remains at the same level as last year. I have budgeted for another express check machine for the main library. The book budget remains down 22% from 3 years ago. Express Check Catching on Patron use of the express check machines is catching on in a big way, with 25% of the main library circulation going through Express check and 48% Easton circulation going through the Express check. This is good news that our investment is paying off. We are still experiencing long lines at peak hours at the Circulation desk,but when the other two machines are installed this should help with the lines. Overall circulation for March was the highest ever at 54,000! Online System Migration on Schedule The migration of the database from Dynix to our new Innovative Millennium system is well underway. Staff from all member libraries is participating in various committees to prepare for the new system. Train-the-trainer training began the week of April 11 th Cataloging and circulation will be the first areas of training. We are on a tight time schedule to "Go Live"on June 29th. We have a contingency plan in place in case we are unable to make this target date. Children's Services Children's circulation reached an all time high of 14,190 items in March. Total attendance at children's programs within the library, as well as classroom visits reached 1,344 children. This included 17 story hours, 14 class visits and 6 pre-school outreach programs. We are particularly pleased with the reception of our class visits and our library card campaign for the Hillsborough schools. _ Children's Librarian Recruitment We will be filling the vacant children's position at 25 hours per week this spring. For flexibility we will be offering the position at less than full time. This will allow for more coverage on weekends and evenings. We will backfill with hourly staff. The appointment is scheduled to be made in June. Easton Branch Library Circulation continues to climb at Easton to 4,811 for the month. With the use of Express check we are able to handle almost triple the business and staff the building with two employees. This also frees staff for more one-on-one patron interaction. Marketing 48o Primrose Road•Burlingame•CA 940zo-4083 1 Phone (650) 558-7474'Fax (650) 342-6295 displays this month included: Spring stories; How does your Garden Grow; Animals; All �-- things Irish; Award-winning authors. Main Library Marketing The marketing of the collection continued during the month with lobby marketing of collections: Celebrity Chefs; Personal Finance; and books on the new SAT test for the college bound. April 1St we installed a display of the "For Dummies"books. Work continues on the Popular Materials room planning. With the help of the Foundation, the Popular Materials room will be reorganized to better feature popular materials in print and media. Rental Collection Dropped We now purchase more copies of popular titles for our regular collection, so patrons now have a minimal waiting time for popular titles. Also,patrons sometimes mistakenly rent a copy from the Rental Collection when there are regular copies either in the Popular Materials Room or upstairs in the Fiction or Mystery Collection. Although we charge $ 2.00 for a rental,we do not make money on the arrangement, rather we break even. With the new system we will no longer be able to do cluster holds to protect our most popular titles for Burlingame users. Instead, if we have a blockbuster title we might make 4 copies "no hold" and 4 copies on the hold list. That way we can create a browsing collection for our own users and not have all of our copies of a title moving all over the county. This change is effective May 1St Upcoming Events: April 15, 16, 17- Foundation Book Sale, Lane Room April 19- Library Board Meeting, 4:30 PM April 23- PLS Legislative Breakfast, Stanford Park Hotel, 8:30 AM Alfred Escoffier City Librarian April 11,2005 2 Agh Aa see 0 Fiscal Year 2005-2006 ,n April 2005 �Tz�Sy Personnel is 76°/o of the budget k"6.' Al q Operating , is 24 % n No capitolro ectsr�e p J p One capital outlay item . Express check machine . r d, F,; i Ah do 3% increase in 3% increase in employee costs : to operating costs . include : retirement, The operating health costs and budgets have not , any salary gone up in 3 yearz). ' increases so there is ' ., significant1 `. " .. H 0 here . w a i Loss of full time Library Assistant I I (due to a retirement) This is our Tie IV reduction for this year. Hiring of a 25 hour per. vve professional children's libra' rian (created from a vacant full time - 914 position ) To recruit in May., a; Hourly staffing to remain the same Office Supplies- Up 3% F Special DExpense- U .n �. 12% due- Up Catalo ing gto � { outsourcing costs) ,, Gas & Electric- Down 9 ° f 4 PLS/PLAN contract — Up 5% ,� � ' � I Books- Up 10% to 185916 . 00 We are still down 22% from 3yearsg a o Media- to $ 27 ,441 . 00 Media is now 20% of circulation ; hopefully we will get more help from the ' Foundation I . >NJ s J 4; ry Re-carpet portions of Main Library- put ofuntil 2009will revisit t next year ,A 3rd Main Library Check.,;: machine- Requested .. .. . . . ... ..:.. . M r /�� yr}1 i) •� • 4 Install , train , provide PR for new automated library v system Create more opportunities to outsur` backroom activities r Emphasize self service as an option for the " ''• public Market collections by increasing display , and "impulse" '� �� a check out. �; . •�: Revamp Popular Materials/Lobby marketing of materials Board of Trustees Meeting,April 19, 2005, Items IX,A, B: The Library Bill of Rights The Library Bill of Rights was adopted by the American Library Association in 1948 in an effort to ensure that public libraries provide free and equal access to materials to their users.The policy has been adopted by public libraries, including Burlingame, as a standard of service. An earlier version of this policy was adopted by the Burlingame Library Board of Trustees in 1953, and has been a part of our collection development criteria ever since. I would like the Board to discuss.this policy and reaffirm it as a guiding policy for the collection of materials and the service to our users. Freedom to Read Statement The Freedom to Read Statement was developed in 1953 through a joint effort of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council. The Freedom to Read Statement was developed to emphasize the role of selection and publication of materials in a democratic society. Both of these statements should be a guiding force for the selection and access to library materials for the users of the Burlingame Public Library. I respectfully request that the Board of Trustees reaffirm the Library Bill of Rights and adopt the Freedom to Read Statement. In so doing, the Board of Trustees goes on record with a standard policy should library materials be challenged. Alfred H. Escoffier April 11, 2005 Library Bill of Rights The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services. I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas. V. A person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. Adopted June 18, 1948. Amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980, inclusion of"age" reaffirmed January 23, 1996, by the ALA Council. THE FREEDOM TO READ The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials,to censor content in schools, to label "controversial"views, to distribute lists of"objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid;that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas,wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read. Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be "protected" against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression. These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films,broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect,to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials. Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension.Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy,every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference. Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections. We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings. The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights. 1 We therefore affirm these propositions: I. It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority. Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy. The power of a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it. 2. Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated. Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks L proper. 3. It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author. No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say. 4. There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression. To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking?We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one group without limiting the freedom of others. 2 5. It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous. The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them. 6. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people's freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information. It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental prerogative or self-censorship. 7. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, they can demonstrate that the answer to a "bad" book is a good one, the answer to a "bad" idea is a good one. The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader's purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint,but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their support. We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours. 3 This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council,which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers. Adopted June 25, 1953; revised January 28, 1972, January 16, 1991, July 12, 2000, June 30, 2004, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee. A Joint Statement by: American Library Association Association of American Publishers Subsequently endorsed by: The Association of American University Presses, Inc. Freedom to Read Foundation NNW 4 Burlingame Public Library �— Citizen Request for Reconsideration of Library Material 1. Name Date Address _ Telephone number Email Complainant represents: Himself/Herself Organization or group Name/Address of group 2. Material: Author Title Publisher _Date Circle one: Book Magazine CD DVD Other: 3.To what in the material do you object? (Please be specific: cite page numbers)- 4 What do you feel might be the result of reading/hearing/viewing this material? 5. Is there anything good about the material,in your opinion? 6. Did you read/hear/view the entire work? What parts of it?___ _ 7.What do you believe is the theme of this material? 8. Are you aware of the judgment of this work by literary critics? 9.Added comments: Signature: _ Form adopted by the California Library Association,December 13,1977. Revised April 2005.