MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

May 26, 2005

1. CALL TO ORDER:

The meeting was called to order by President Kawase at 2:30 p.m. in the Main Library Board Room.

ROLL CALL:

Present: Mr. Kawase, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Buck, Mr. Georgieff, and Mrs. Mann

Staff: Al Milo, Library Director

Betty Schwarzkopf, Administrative Secretary

Jeanette Pham, Children’s Services Library Division Manager

Joanne Hardy, Adult Services Library Division Manager

Chauncey Dunklee, Bookmobile Librarian

Guests: Nancy Lee, President, Friends of the Library

Carolyn Eckert, Resident

2. MINUTES OF APRIL 28, 2005:

Mr. Kawase noted that it was Mr. Georgieff not he who made the Foundation report at the last meeting.

Mrs. Britt moved and Mr. Georgieff seconded that the minutes be approved as corrected. The motion was approved.

3. WARRANT REGISTER OF MAY 2005:

Mrs. Britt moved and Mrs. Mann seconded that the warrant register in the amount of $37,055.32 be approved. The motion carried.

4. EXPENDITURE SUMMARY OF MAY 2005:

Director Milo commented that 91.6% of the fiscal year is completed with 81.8% expended. The report was accepted and filed.

5. REPORTS:

a. Library Director

Director Milo requested that the Board appoint a liaison to the Foundation Board. There was consensus that Mrs. Britt will serve as liaison and Mr. Georgieff will be the alternate. The written report was accepted and filed. A revised Board of Trustees roster was distributed.

b. Friends of the Library

Friends President, Nancy Lee, reminded everyone that the Friends Annual Summer Book Sale will be held on June 3, 4, and 5th. She said a patron donated 300 videos. Some of them will go into the Library’s collection and some will be sold at the used book sale.

c. Library Foundation

Mrs. Mann attended the Foundation meeting as the Board of Trustees’ liaison and reported that there is $295,965.16 in the endowment fund. The Foundation Board appointed a committee for the Library’s Centennial celebration. There was discussion that Board members call City Council members regarding the Library budget cuts. The idea of a Library book store was also discussed. A note from the Board of Trustees was read congratulating the Foundation on the success of the Dig Deep 4 Book$ campaign.

6. ACTIVITY REPORT FOR APRIL 2005:

There was discussion on the declining Bookmobile circulation numbers and that Library attendance is down. Mr. Georgieff said he would be interested in seeing the figures on attendance over the past 10 years. Program attendance is also declining. Staff will investigate the program attendance figures. The report was accepted and filed.

7. OLD BUSINESS:

a. 2005-2007 Proposed Budget

Director Milo reminded the Board members that staff has been struggling with a $200,000 deficit over the next two years -- $100,000 in 2005-2006 and $100,000 in 2006-2007. The deficit is due to State cuts to the Public Library Fund and the depletion of Library Reserves. Several options have been considered and staff is recommending suspension of Bookmobile service for two years.

Mr. Kawase inquired about the proposed sewer fee. Mr. Milo responded that there has not yet been a consensus of the City Council to approve the sewer fee. That it may not be decided until the June 27th meeting. He said if staff is faced with cutting $500,000 in addition to the $200,000, it would mean closing the Hunt Branch and closing the Main Library three days per week with only four days of service Monday through Thursday. Mr. Georgieff inquired if that would mean laying off people. Mr. Milo responded it would be practically the entire part-time employee budget.

Director Milo introduced Bookmobile Librarian and Driver, Chaunacey Dunklee, and distributed copies of a statistical report Ms. Dunklee has been keeping on the number of people served at each Bookmobile stop on a weekly basis.

Resident and retired Children’s Services Manager, Carolyn Eckert, asked to speak. Ms. Eckert said she has visited libraries all over the United States, and in Russia, England, and France. She said some libraries are able to retain their excellence and some are not. A library can be a beautiful building but have a terrible collection. What maintains the infrastructure of a library is to make sure if you eliminate something that patrons have other options. She added that if library materials are cut, it takes years to recover.

Director Milo said the alternatives to suspending the Bookmobile would be to reduce the hours of service at either the Hunt Branch or the Main Library or to cut the Library Materials (books) budget. To get to the $100,000 would take a lot of closure hours. The Hunt Branch would have to close on Thursday and Friday and the Main Library on Thursday evenings and Sundays. That would impact current services. The meeting rooms would not be available for programs or rentals. The Library collection and service hours were rated in the Needs Assessment that was conducted two years ago. The collection and the hours were high on the list of what patrons felt were important and satisfied with.

Bookmobile Librarian, Chaunacey Dunklee, said that the stops with the most attendance are the children’s stops. The stops at retirement homes and neighborhoods are the least attended. Some of the adults who drive to the Bookmobile stops could also drive to the Library or could be served by the Home Bound program. Her greatest concern is the children. Most of them have no way to get to the Library. Morningside has a shuttle that can bring residents to the Main Library. A copy of a report showing the number of visitors at each stop was sent out with the Board’s agenda packet.

Mrs. Britt said the community needs to be made aware that this is not just suspending the Bookmobile. This is the first step in reducing the services that their Library can provide. It will impact them at some point. This decision is being made by the Board very, very reluctantly.

Mr. Georgieff moved and Mr. Buck seconded staff’s recommendation to adopt the proposed 2005-2007 department budget, which includes the temporary suspension of Bookmobile service over the next two budget years in order to meet the $200,000 budget deficit. The motion carried unanimously.

b. Bookmobile Service

This item was discussed under (a) 2005-2007 Proposed Budget.

c. Visits to State Legislators

Mrs. Britt reported that she and Mr. Kawase visited the offices of Assemblywoman Daucher and Senator Ackerman to inform them of the dire straits of library budgets. She said Ms. Daucher is supportive of libraries but not encouraging about funds becoming available. Schools are her main purview.

8. ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS:

There were no donations to report.

9. CORRESPONDENCE:

Mrs. Britt reported she had sent a thank you card to the Foundation and a get well card to Mrs. Mann, who did not attend the April Board meeting.

10. BOARD MEMBER ROUND TABLE:

Mrs. Britt said she is saddened that the Board will not be able to move forward with the Young Adults program. She understands that it isn’t possible during the current budget climate but hopes the Board will continue with the program in the future.

Mrs. Mann thanked the Board for sending her a get well card.

Mr. Georgieff said he made another inquiry, and has a possible contact, in getting Kevin Starr to speak at the Main Library, in addition to Ted Kooser. He was making inquiries on behalf of the Foundation’s Centennial speakers forum. He will not be at the June Board meeting. He will be in Europe.

He said he knows it is not the climate to be moving forward on the Young Adults program, but perhaps the Foundation could fund a space analysis study of the Main Library for some of the mixed-use projects the Board has discussed.

Mrs. Schwarzkopf reported on the Soroptimist Fashion Show fundraiser. The entire City Council attended as well as other community dignitaries. The Soroptimist presented two $1,000 awards – one to the Fullerton Joint Union High School District’s TAPP program for pregnant teenagers held at La Sierra High School; and one to the Fullerton School District’s Mustang Ladies at Maple Elementary School. Both Mrs. Mann and Mrs. Britt have spoken to the Mustang Ladies.

12. ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Georgieff moved and Mrs. Mann seconded that the meeting be adjourned at 4:15 p.m. The motion was approved.