Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJANUARY 16,1992 I I CITY COUNCIL LIBRARY BOARD LIBRARY TOUR .;: 7 ~O_ -/0 ~ ' c::.""I' CU'/5rO(\ 34:0019 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA and the LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES JOINT MEETING JANUARY 16, 1992 The City Council and the Library Board of Trustees met at 6:00 p, m" Thursday, January 16, 1992, at the City Library for a tour of the Library facility, PRESENT: Councilmembers Ciraulo, Fasching, Harbicht, Young and Cilb None ABSENT: PRESENT: ABSENT: Trustees Dumbacher, Scott, Vanlandingham and Delao Trus tee Fee Others present: Kent Ross, City Librarian George Watts, City Manager June Alford, City Clerk The City Council and the Library Trustees met in the foyer of the City Library on Duarte Road to begin a tour of the facility conducted by the City Librarian, Kent Ross, Mr, Ross commented on the various areas of usage in the building as originally designed and completed in 1961, And pointed out those areas in need of expansion; the changes in library practices; and the addition of computer technology, A brief summary of comments and response to the City Council's questions follows: Referring to the restroom accommodations off of the foyer, the City Librarian informed Council that these facilities do not conform to requirements for the handicapped. The restrooms are in need of wider doors and stalls, In the large area containing the half circle circulation desk, he noted the insufficiency of the area for sorting books, Shelving had been added to this area to provide additional space for the latest book additions, The tower in this area, which is a decorative architectural feature set in the flat roof, had been damaged in the June, 1991 earthquake, and continues to have a settling problem, Water leakage from rain is also 'an ongoing problem, City Public Works workers have tried many times to correct this condition, ,The tower leaks water onto the circulation desk, Mr, Ross added, Moving into the main library area, the catalog files section, which has been computerized allowing the public to search for books and authors on computers, the need for increased space for equipment for this library function was explained, At the non-fiction area near the reference desk, Mr, Ross noted that this area required many additional shelves placed 36" apart to accommodate the increased book volume, Seating and tables in this area had been reduced to make room for additional rows of shelving, This same type of shelving has been added to other areas of the main room also, Council ,noted that these shelves were very high and could not be reached by the handicapped person in a wheelchair, Si~ce ,. 1 1/16/92 ADJOURNMENT 34:0020 space is at a premium, the shelves are higher to accommodate the book inventory, although the library does have an ongoing purging system of the book selections, because of this space limitation, Because of the need for more room, the library can not grow at all, according to Mr, Ross, Council noted also that the lights over the tables for reading are very poor, The light fixtures over the reading area are in need of an upgrade, Fluorescent lighting has been added over the book shelves which often falls down and requires repair, Referring to another area, Mr, Ross noted that the library no longer has an audio visual section, This area is now used for additional book shelves, also, The staff reference offices at the east side of the building were said to have enough room but were poorly arranged. Further, these offices have very inadequate wiring especially I since the addition of computers, With the electronic equipment and computerization of the library the wiring throughout the building has been severely strained, The addition of lines running along the baseboards and up the walls has been required, Proceeding into the staff and work area at the southwest side of the building, Mr, Ross reported that this work area is large enough but it also needs rearranging, This area suffers when it rains because the roof leaks, The air conditioning unit is housed on top of the roof of this area and leaks through onto the work areas, Mr, Ross noted that the staff office area, which is located in the center of the building, does not have windows, Further, staff and library patrons use the secretary's office to pass through from the circulation desk area to the work area, These offices and the reference offices should be located next to one another to be efficient, he added, Moving into the Children's Room, this section also contained many additional shelves placed as close together as allowed, Seating in the children's theater has been reduced to 35 children at each performance or story time , The Council and Library Board viewed the large patio area just outside of the Children's Room and briefly discussed the possibility of using this large patio area to expand the library, Staff noted the exterior walls of this patio are tilt up concrete construction and could not bear a roof, Further discussion ensued of the usage, however. The tour ended in the Art and Lecture room where Mr, Ross had provided photographs of the facility, The square footage of the entire building is 36,000 feet, with 29,000 square feet of the total for public areas and staff, Of particular interest was an aerial photograph of the entire roof area and tower, Mr, Ross reiterated that the large flat roof area has incurred many water leaks after 'the rains, Further, the water collects on the roof and remains for long periods of time, I A discussion ensued of the possibility of using the Art and Lecture room to expand the library, especially since the Community Center has been completed and many of the events held in the Art and Lecxture room could be held at the Center, Staff pointed out that the children use this area often; the Art and Lecture room is used for many functions such as financial lectures and music recitals ... many times the room is packed out for these recitals, Councilmember Young pointed out also that this room contains a fully equipped stage which is very costly, The Community Center does not have a stage because of the expense, The stage in the Art and Lecture room should remain because of this, The tour ended at 6:45 p, m, and the City Council ADJOURNED to 6:30 p,m" Tuesday, January 21, 1992, in the Conference 'I 2 1/16/92 .r~:') " , . " I f _~ , , , ' .' , :.._~~ ' :'. ~ A \ \ ' " I, 34:002l Room of the Council Chambers to conduct the business of the Council and the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency and any CLOSED SESSION necessary to discuss personnel, litigation and evaluation of properties, fjJ~ Charles E. Gilb, Mayor ATTEST: JU~~d~~~k 3 1/16/92