HomeMy WebLinkAboutJANUARY 16,1992
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CITY COUNCIL
LIBRARY BOARD
LIBRARY
TOUR
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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
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ADJOURNMENT
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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,
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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
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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:
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