HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-04-27 City Council (27)City
City of Palo Alto
Manager’s Report
TO:
FROM:
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY SERVICES
DATE:APRIL 27, 1998 CMR:207:98
SUBJECT:NAMING OF HISTORICAL ARCHIVES IN HONOR OF GUY
MILLER
The Library staff and the Board of Directors of the Palo Alto Historical Association have
recommended naming the archives at the Main Library the "Palo Alto Historical Association
Guy Miller Archives." By City policy, the City Manager can adopt and formalize such a
name change. This report is to inform the Council that the City Manager has approved the
naming of the historical archives in honor of Guy Miller. No Council action is required.
BACKGROUND
The Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA) has requested that the archives housed in the
Main Library be named "Palo Alto Historical Association Guy Miller Archives" to honor the
creator of the collection and the first historian of the Palo Alto Historical Association. This
request is timed to coincide with PAHA’s 50th anniversary (1948-1998) celebration.
DISCUSSION
City Policy and Procedure No. 1-15, "Naming City.-Owned Land and Facilities," states that
"places within City-owned land or facilities, such as a room within a building; which do not
require formal dedication by the City Council, may be named by the City Manager..." The
section on criteria includes names that have geographical or "historical significance for the
City...or for the area in which the land or facility is located."
The naming of the archives in honor of Guy Miller is appropriate since his connection with
the City and specifically the Library is quite strong. He was an early Library trustee, in
addition to toiling for years in the basement of the old Carnegie Library collecting and
preserving Palo Alto’s past, and forming the foundation upon which today’s historical
collection is firmly based. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Palo Alto Community. Book
(1952), and of the pamphlet, "The Palo Alto Public Library; its history and development"
(1930).
CMR:207:98 Page 1 of 2
Following the City Manager’s approval, the PAHA announced the naming of the archives
at its 50th anniversary celebration on April 5, 1998. The PAHA will finance the purchase
and installation of an appropriate plaque.
PREPARED BY:Steven Staiger
Senior Librarian
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
PAUL THILTGEN
Director, Community Services
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
JUNE
City Manager
CMR:207:98 Page 2 of 2