REPORT TO BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES
SUBJECT
Title
Discussion and Action on Work Plan Goals and Activities for Calendar Year (CY) 2025
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Enhance Community Engagement and Transparency
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clara is developing a new process for Boards and Commissions to update their work plans and share with Council. The Board of Library Trustees is tasked to update and revise their work plan, for Board approval at the March or April regular meeting. It is anticipated that meetings will subsequently be scheduled in May or June for the Boards and Commissions to review their work plans with Council, ensure alignment with Council priorities, and finalize a new annual work plan.
Below are summaries of the recent work plans of the Board of Library Trustees:
1. CY 2022 Work Plan
a. Summary
i. At the December 6, 2021 Board of Library Trustees regular meeting, the Board reviewed and updated their prior work plan goals and activities. The following ideas were accomplished, or no longer prioritized due to new or changing information.
b. Content
i. Development
1. Explore opportunities for Library services in upcoming developments. Patrick Henry Specific Plan has potential.
ii. General Plan
1. Library incorporation into General Plan; continue using numbers as an approach to planning; address future library needs in relation to increasing population.
iii. Developer Impact Fees
1. Explore how developer impact fees are used elsewhere to support library services. Advocate for their use in Santa Clara.
iv. Placemaking
1. Explore ways to enhance and utilize areas surrounding libraries to attract new users.
v. Community Rooms
1. Assess community room fee structure.
2. CY 2023 Work Plan
a. Summary
i. At the April 3, 2023 Board of Library Trustees regular meeting, the Board updated and recommended the CY 2023 work plan.
b. Content
i. Library Hours
1. Advocate for and support staff in the restoration of Library Hours to pre-pandemic levels (144 hours/week across all branches), including nights and weekends, budget permitting, by December 2023.
ii. Strategic Plan
1. Participate in and contribute to Santa Clara City Library Strategic Plan 2023.
iii. Alternative Funding
1. To reduce reliance on the City’s General Fund, explore alternative funding support for Library services.
iv. Communications
1. Develop a communications plan to garner interest and awareness of the Board and generate resident interest in participating on the Board, present to Council on Library operations and support for future service.
v. Board Development
1. New Trustee Handbook development.
vi. General Plan
1. Explore feasibility of incorporating library services element into City’s General Plan.
3. CY 2024 Work Plan
a. Summary
i. At the November 6, 2023 Board of Library Trustees regular meeting, the Board reviewed the work plan goals and activities for CY 2023, and recommended work plan goals and activities for CY 2024. The goals were written to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART). A brief, condensed version of these was shared with Council at a Council dinner with the Board.
b. Content
i. Communications
1. Develop a communications and action plan to garner interest and awareness of Board of Library Trustees activities and generate resident interest in participating on the Board by March 2024, in anticipation of upcoming vacancies.
ii. Alternative Funding
1. To reduce reliance on the City’s General Fund, explore alternative funding support for Library services.
2. City Librarian to review and research alternative funding strategies, and develop possibilities to inform the Board by May 2024.
3. Explore feasibility of supporting alternative funding strategies in coordination with city staff by August 2024.
iii. Strategic Plan
1. Support the completion and approval of the Santa Clara City Library Strategic Plan, scheduled for completion in May 2024.
iv. Facilities Master Plan
1. Support the Library in initiating the Facilities Master Plan, planned to be procured and conducted in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 and 2024-25.
v. New Trustee Handbook
1. The New Trustee Handbook is in development, with its contents based on ideas generated by the Board of Library Trustees. It is in review with the City Attorney’s Office.
2. Complete development of the New Trustee Handbook as a source of information for new and existing Board of Library Trustee members by April 2024.
vi. Collection Funding
1. Advocate for support and funding for the Library’s collection budget, critical to providing the community access to books, media, and electronic resources, throughout CY 2024.
DISCUSSION
The Board will discuss and draft work plan goals and activities for CY 2025. The intended outcome is to have a complete list of work plan goals and activities ready for Board approval at the March or April regular meeting of the Board of Library Trustees.
What follows is a draft list of potential work plan goals provided solely as a starting point for efficient discussion, populated from prior work plan goals and other subjects raised by the Board in meetings over the past year.
1. Support the Library in the completion and implementation of the Strategic Plan and Facilities Master Plan.
a. Ideas for implementation of outreach and establishing partnerships in the community, advisory support
2. Alternative Funding
a. To reduce reliance on the City’s General Fund, explore alternative funding support for Library services.
3. Communications
a. Advocating for Library outreach in the community
4. Collection Funding
a. Advocate for restoration of the collection budget
5. Informational Development of Board
a. Review and become informed on Library updated policies
b. Review Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Act
c. Identify list of Library matters to learn more about via staff presentations.
i. Recent examples include a presentation on e-Resources, and presentations about and tours of Mission and Northside Branch Libraries.
ii. Bookmobile engagement/ride along?
6. Coordination with the Santa Clara City Library Foundation and Friends
a. Liaison to attend Foundation board meetings
b. Review and become familiar with key Foundation documents
c. Support Foundation fundraising
7. Liaison role with related Boards and Commissions
a. Vice-Chair Ricossa - Parks and Recreation Commission
b. Trustee Tryforos - Youth Advisory Commission or Historical Commission
c. Chair Evans - Santa Clara Station Area Taskforce
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact other than staff time.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the City Manager’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Board agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Discuss and draft the Board of Library Trustees work plan goals and activities for calendar year 2025.
Staff
Reviewed by: Sami James, Management Analyst
Approved by: Patty Wong, City Librarian