CITY OF SHORELINE

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF JOINT DINNER MEETING

Monday, September 23, 2002

Shoreline Conference Center

6:00 p.m. Highlander Room

City Council

PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Grossman, Councilmembers Chang, Gustafson, Hansen, Montgomery and Ransom

ABSENT: None

STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager; Joyce Nichols, Communications and Government Relations Director; Wendy Barry, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director; and Sharon Mattioli, City Clerk

Library Board

PRESENT: Chair Dale Stirling, Vice Chair Terry Brooks, Boardmembers Mary Jo Heller, Amy Mayfield and Joe Phillips

ABSENT: None

Deputy Mayor Grossman convened the meeting at 6:20 p.m., welcoming the Library Board and asking the entire group to do self-introductions.

Library Board Chair Dale Stirling provided a statistical overview of the library services provided to the City of Shoreline by the King County Library System (KCLS) at its two Shoreline facilities, the Shoreline Library and the Richmond Beach Library. He noted that KCLS seeks advice and input from the Library Board as it considers service enhancements and facility changes.

Councilmembers thanked Boardmember Joe Phillips and his wife Evie, a former Library Boardmember, for attending almost all the KCLS Board of Trustees meetings over the past few years. It was noted how useful this was during the siting process for the Richmond Beach Library.

Mayor Jepsen arrived at 6:30 p.m.

Library Board Vice Chair Terry Brooks reviewed the Library Board’s 2002/2003 goals and objectives, noting the Board’s role in promoting two-way communications between KCLS and library patrons in the community.

Library Boardmember Mary Jo Heller next reviewed the workplan items that had been suggested at the City Council’s retreat earlier in the year. She said the Library Board certainly views identifying and promoting strategies to enhance community use of libraries as one of its main goal.

Councilmember Hansen arrived at 6:40 p.m.

Turning to the new concept of the "Welcoming Library", Ms. Heller explained the background on the proposed physical changes to the Shoreline Library to implement this concept. Mr. Brooks stressed that marketing of library services through a more commercial approach is a nationwide trend.

Councilmember Ransom emphasized the importance of KCLS asking for community input before implementing changes in library services. He was concerned about moving away from the research aspects of the library to a more leisure-oriented focus.

Mr. Brooks responded the most research requests now come to libraries by phone or e-mail anyway. Ms. Heller added that there is room for both approaches and that the Library Board wants to have a community meeting before any changes are made.

Library Boardmember Joe Phillips then described the KCLS planning initiative "Library Choices for Growing Communities" and invited Councilmembers to the community meeting at the Shoreline Library on September 24, 2002. He stressed that KCLS intends to use automation to free up librarians’ time to work with patrons. He said the initiative will ask the members of each community what improvements they would like to see in their local libraries.

Returning to issues raised at the Council retreat, Ms. Heller noted that the Library Board has no control over the KCLS budget, so it could not do anything about increasing hours of operation at local libraries. She explained that KCLS has a formula by which it implements its hours of operation. She suggested that Councilmembers and community members could advocate at the upcoming meeting for increased hours of operation if that seems important. She also noted that in terms of using internet filters, KCLS does not support mandatory filtering, but filters are available if patrons wish to use them. Childrens’ Internet access is automatically filtered.

Mayor Jepsen noted the suggestion to increase parking capacity at the Shoreline Library. He noted how busy the library is with limited parking and wondered if the library could handle more customers if more parking were provided. Mr. Phillips said the KCLS is hoping that self-check-out and other advances in automation will make service more efficient.

Mayor Jepsen wondered if Shoreline needs another library. Mr. Phillips responded that the Shoreline and Richmond Beach libraries are very busy, but that getting a third library in Shoreline would be hard to sell because some areas of King County are much less well-served than Shoreline.

Mr. Phillips reiterated the invitation to the information-gathering meeting to be held by KCLS on September 24, 2002. He stressed the importance of citizens telling KCLS what they would like to see in the future.

Steve Burkett, City Manager, commented that costs and funding approaches are missing from the information distributed by KCLS. He commented on the competing uses for taxpayer money—parks, transportation, libraries, etc.--and hoped that all the public entities would work together and look beyond their own agendas to strike a balance in what the taxpayers are asked to support with new funds.

Responding to Mayor Jepsen, Mr. Phillips said the proposed 2003 KCLS budget is to be presented in a week or so. Ms. Heller said that although the Library Board has no official role in the KCLS budget process, the Board attends a budget workshop and monitors what is proposed. She said KCLS is funded for the next two years. The current levy is 45 cents for general levy and seven cents for bonds.

Councilmembers expressed confidence in the Library Board’s role as a liaison with KCLS and said they would like to meet every year with the Board. In the meantime, Council can monitor library news by reading the Library Board minutes and the KCLS Board of Trustees minutes.

After thanking the Library Board for attending, Mayor Jepsen declared the meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

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Joyce Nichols, Communications and Government Relations Director