The project manager appointed by the county to determine how tax funds will be spent on the Malibu Library said it is “bursting at the seams” and needs more room for books and services.
By Troy Dove/Special to The Malibu Times
The project manager hired by Los Angeles County to work with the Library-Malibu Assessment Project, L-MAP, explained the process she plans to utilize to assess the city’s library needs at a Town Hall meeting Tuesday.
The L-MAP was established after the city discovered it was paying far more in tax dollars (approximately $500,00) than it was receiving in library services, which are primarily funded through property and special taxes, and after wrangling with county library officials over whether Malibu should receive those funds. The results of the assessment project will determine how public tax funds will be spent to improve the Malibu Library.
Linda Demmers, who has served as consultant for cities such as Manhattan Beach, Mill Valley and West Hollywood, stated that the L-MAP is necessary to determine the most appropriate allocation of funds for the library since every city has its own specific needs.
“No two cities are alike,” Demmers said, “and no two cities library needs are alike.”
Indeed, that has been the complaint for many years with residents comparing the library to the one in Agoura, which is double the size of Malibu’s and hosts a wealth of modern technology in addition to a respectable book circulation. The Malibu Library dates to the 1970s and has not undergone a major refurbishing for the past three decades.
Demmers plans to launch a “broad-based” study of the city of Malibu to determine which services would best serve the community.
A key element to Demmers’ assessment strategy is community participation. She suggested several tactics that will be used to obtain public input. There will be a series of public and Town Hall meetings where the surveys will be available both at the library and online where the public can voice their concerns, and there will be focus groups established to determine the needs of specific groups such as children, teens and seniors, Demmers said.
Stakeholder interviews will also be conducted involving school personnel, leaders of local clubs and elected officials to gain further insight.
These stakeholder groups are essential “to get to the heart of how to serve some of these specific groups,” said Demmers, since they work directly with members of the specific groups.
While community participation is a key factor in the assessment program, Demmers stated the importance of analyzing the current condition of the library to determine the most appropriate ways to improve the library.
Library expansion and updating current technology are a major concern of Demmers.
“Your building is bursting at the seams,” Demmers said. “There is not much room on the shelves to increase the collections.”
In addition, Demmers added that the circulation desk is not up-to-date for the technology it currently supports and attention should be focused on updating technology used throughout the library. Additional space is needed not only to house material resources, but also to support the library’s large annual attendance.
“Annual attendance of public libraries exceeds attendance at sports events, concerts and museums combined,” Demmers said. Therefore, space must be a major issue in the L-MAP’s assessment.
Demmers stated space is not only needed for material resources but for community meeting areas as well. Library meeting areas are a “community living room,” said Demmers, suggesting space be allocated for residents to gather and study.
An expansion or enhancement in this area of the library is especially important since Santa Monica Community College is currently assessing the possibility of establishing a learning center in Malibu. The library may be used to serve a portion of this new student population.
While a learning center proposes to increase library attendance, it also means an increase in resources as the library could possibly receive funding from the proposed $25 million center.
Library expansion is not the only area of concern for the L-MAP. A second major focus of the assessment will be establishing services to meet Malibu’s specific demographic needs.
The L-MAP will focus on specific cultural and local needs of Malibu and how the library services can better meet those needs.
Demmers mentioned programs in place at other California libraries such as multilanguage collections, literacy programs, teen centers and art galleries. The L-MAP will determine what programs will be most appropriate for the Malibu community.
Enhancements to children’s services will also be a concern of the L-MAP. Currently, children account for “60 to 70 percent of the circulation” for most libraries, Demmers said. She suggested additional services be added that focus mainly on children, as well as making visual enhancements to the children’s room.
After her presentation, Demmers opened the floor to the residents in attendance who gave opinions on how they would like to see the funds allocated.
Mayor Sharon Barovsky and Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich were also in attendance at the meeting, yet yielded the majority of the floor time to Demmers.
While a schedule has not been finalized for the meeting series, the next Advisory Board Meeting will take place on Feb. 28 in the City Hall Council Chambers.