Library Expansion 02-23-98
CITY OF CUPERTINO
LmRARY EXPANSION ADVISORY DESIGN COMMITTEE
Febru~ 2?, 1998, 7:00 p.m. PUBLIC WORKS
Cupertino LIbrary Story Room
FEe 2 7 1998
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Jillian Hamer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. ROLL CALL
Present:
Jillian Hamer, Cupertino Library Commission, Chairperson
Karen Burnett, Director of Information Services, FUHSD
Jean Gallup, Friends of the Cupertino Library
Julie Farnsworth, Deputy County Librarian, Santa Clara Co. Library
Dorothy Stow, Cupertino Library Foundation
Mary-Ann Wallace, Community Library Supervisor, Cupertino Library
Absent with prior notice:
Jean Bedord, Cupertino Library Commission
Don Burnett, Cupertino City Council
Dr. Michael Chang, Mayor of Cupertino
Ja-Lih Lee, San Jose Public Library, Asian American Parents Assoc.
Bert Viskovich, Director of Public Works, City of Cupertino
3. MINUTES
The Minutes of the February 18, 1998 meeting were accepted as
written.
4. ORALCO~CATIONS
None.
5. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
Will be shared with the group with under the appropriate agenda
heading.
6. OLD BUSINESS
Planning session: Ways to seek input for early stages of space planning from
groups about whose needs we have the least data: teens, newly arrived
immigrants, home office workers/businesses, seniors, and physically disabled
library users. The first thing to decide is what do we need to know from each
group? What will be asked in each group? What are the best means of
contacting each group? Which committee member will approach each group?
What is our tentative timeframe for this information gathering? When will we
be ready to turn the information over to the consulting librarian David Smith,
and how long after that will we receive information back from him?
At the present time, library staff are still completing work on collection
projections that David Smith needs right away. Because he does not yet have
all of the information that he needs, he will not be able to respond by our next
meeting on March 5th, but is plannning on an initial brief report back to the
committee by the March 26th meeting.
One of the first ideas for reaching teens was to use the library's teen
volunteers as a focus group. The library has also just completed a teen survey
passed out in the library from January 26,1998 through February 8,1998
with specific questions on what parts of the library collection and services
teens did or did not use, and what suggestions they had for things they wanted
to see in the library. Responses numbered 105 with 59 teens taking the time
to write comments. Copies ofthe survey were passed out to the committee
and a copy has been given to library design consultant David R. Smith.
Committee member Karen Burnett asked about issues that may
prevent some teens from using the library currently, and volunteered to
discuss with her staff an approach to teens in the three high schools in FUHSD
that are in Cupertino. Surveys or focus groups could be coordinated with staff
through the school library or through the teen leadership groups.
A written communication from committee member Ja-Lih Lee was
shared by Chairperson Hamer with the group, as it pertained to the gathering
of information from newly arrived immigrants. In addition to the churches,
where whole families are in attendance, Ja-Lih felt that some of the newly
arrived immigrants are also the parents and grandparents of our current
library users, who are perhaps taking their grandchildren to the library, and
may be using our collection. There are also many who may be isolated, and so
there may need to be several different approaches to be sure that we have full
information on needs and expectations.
Librarian Mary-Ann Wallace, Library Commisioner Yuhfen Diana Wu,
and Children's Librarian Bonnie Wang have an invitation to meet with parents
at one of the large Chinese schools in Cupertino in early March, and will include
questions on what parents want to see in the library for their children, for
themselves, and for their parents.
In addition, another approach to newly arrived immigrants may be
made through the limited English population (LEP) program at the three high
schools that are in Cupertino in FUHSD. Karen Burnett volunteered to
contact school staff about the possibility of her visiting classes to elicit
information or the possibility of having the students expresss their ideas, and
needs, hopes, and expectations concerning the library in the form of a class
assignment. Karen will come back to the group with her ideas on the best
approach by the March 5th meeting.
Committee member Dorothy Stow brought a list of names from the
Chamber's newly established home-based business group. She will check with
the Chamber as to the date ofthe group's next meeting. The committee
discussed whether a phone surveyor e-mail survey might be most effective.
If possible, committee member Dorothy Stow, Librarian Mary-Ann Wallace,
and Cupertino Reference Librarian Kate Moyle will reqest a place on the
agenda of the next meeting to give a short 10 minute presentation on the
library's needs assessment process, ask for their input and ideas, hand out a
short survey, and ask them to return it or mail it back to the library.
For senior input, the committee will ask Don Burnett to use his contacts
through the Senior Center Expansion Advisory Design Committee to elicit the
seniors' library wants and needs. In addition, Mar.f-Ann Wallace will contact
Diane Snow of the Senior Center for her suggestions on other good ways to
gather info from the seniors in our community.
In gathering input from the physically disabled, Karen Burnett and
Mary-Ann Wallace will start by contacting Carl Brown of the Adaptive
Technology Institute. We hope to find out what the needs of the physically
disabled are over and above what the ADA regulations stipulate.
Committee member Jean Gallup shared her suggestions for a short poll
of questions that could be adapted to each individual group. After discussion, it
was decided that these questions do reflect what the committee wants to find
out, and the committee thanked Jean for her input. The committee \vill use
these questions in the first go round, and then evaluate the respons' , to see if
any changes need to be made in order to elicit still more information.
Library tour(s): Chairperson Hamer also wants the group to decide on some
specific library tours and to set up some tentative tour dates for formal or
informal tours. Librarian Wallace passed out a sample list oflibraries to tour
that Community Library Supervisor Lani Yoshimura of Gilroy put together for
her library commisioners, as well as a floorplan of the new Mountain View
Public Library.
It was decided that the committee will try a first tour on
Saturday, March 14, 1998, and will tour both Los Altos and Mountain
View libraries, meeting at Cupertino Library at 9:30 am, if carpooling, or
meeting at Los Altos Library at 10:00 am, if a committee member prefers to
meet the group there. Librarian Wallace will coordinate setting up the tours
with the appropriate staff at the libraries.
Checkpoints for communication with City Council: It was decided that
the committee will keep this as a standing item, and will schedule these
checkpoints as appropriate throughout the process as reports are available
and information is updated.
Longer term planning for community input and communication: This
item will be re-agendized for the next meeting.
7. COMMITTEE MEMBERS' COMMENTS AND AGENDA BUILDING
Agenda building:
.Status reports from the various groups will be presented at the
March 5th meeting.
.Tour plans will be firmed up at the March 5th meeting.
. Consultant update will be presented at the March 26th meeting.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Chairperson Hamer adjourned the meeting to Thursday, March 5, 1998
at 7:00 pm in the Cupertino Library Story Room.
Upcoming meetings of this committee will be held on:
Thursday, March 5, 1998 - Library Story Room
Thursday, March 26, 1998 . Library Story Room
Respectfully submitted,
~ - ¡r4Út ðDL ~
Mary-Ann Wallace
Community Library Supervisor
Cupertino Library