HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 152-05City of Palo Alto
City Manager's Report
TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
ATTN: FINANCE COMMITTEE DEPARTMENT: LIBRARY
FROM: CITY MANAGER CMR: 152:05
DATE: FEBRUARY 15, 2005
SUBJECT: MAIN LIBRARY SPACE RECONFIGURATION -CIP PE-05002
This is an informational report and no Council action is required.
DISCUSSION
This CIP project is being proposed at mid-year in order to make children's services available in
an alternate location while the Children's Library is closed for expansion/renovation. Children's
Library is slated to close in July 2005 and is expected to remain closed for 18 to 24 months.
Most of the Children's Library collection of books and other library materials will be put in
storage while the Library is under construction. Since the Mitchell Park Branch Library and
other branches cannot accommodate all of the business from the Children's Library, a portion of
the Children's Library collection will be relocated in the Main Library on Newell Road. Small·
areas for seating and programs will also be established. A variety of children's books, videos,
DVDs and other materials will be available at Main on a temporary basis, until the Children's
Library reopens. In order to alleviate overcrowding once the Children's Library reopens, and to
place some materials, such as books for teens, in a more appropriate location, some of materials
formerly housed at Children's will remain permanently at Main. This project will create a
children's services area at the south end of the building, behind the fireplace. Two workstations
for Children's staffwill also be situated at the Main Library.
The Library is proposing, at the same time, to address several other needs to more efficiently use
existing public space and staff work areas. This work will include:
• Reduce the size of the circulation desk and relocate it. This will create more space for
additional customer self-service stations and collections, and more efficient traffic flow;
• More prominently place the express check-out (self-service) stations. This will make it
easier for customers to take advantage of the self-service option.
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• Move the return and check-in operations away from the public service desk to the staff
workroom, and install ergonomic workstations in the new check-in area. This will
improve staff efficiency and reduce workers compensation claims by allowing greater
flexibility in staffing by creating a more ergonomic work environment.
• Create space for a teen services area.
To make space for all of the above, the Technical Services staff (collections and database
support) will be moved to the Downtown Branch Library. The Information Technology
Division's GIS staff will be relocated to another facility and a portion of the public area in the
west section of the building will be converted -to accommodate Library Technical Services
operations. The quantity of seating may be reduced slightly, but the number of public computers
will be retained. Sufficient shelving will be maintained to house the "popular reading center"
collection designated for the Downtown branch in the Library Advisory Commission's New
Library Plan.
RESOURCE IMPACT
The 2004-05 mid-year report contains the Budget Amendment Ordinance (BAO) creating CIP
PE-05002 Main Library Space Reconfiguration. This report is scheduled for Council review on
March 14,2005.
PREPARED BY:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ~,tLQ
EMIL . HARRISON. ..
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
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