The Malibu City Council is looking to conduct a feasibility study that would look at options for the library, including becoming independent, going private or staying with the county.
By Sara Bakhshian / Special to The Malibu Times
City council members at its meeting on Monday will take into consideration a staff recommendation that City Manager Jim Thorsen negotiate and complete an agreement with Arroyo Associates, Inc. to conduct a library feasibility study, which would determine whether the city library should continue to operate under the umbrella of the Los Angeles County Public Library system or strike out on its own.
The contract with Arroyo would cost $15,925.
The Malibu Library, located at Civic Center Way, near the Malibu Courthouse, was established in 1970 as a branch of the County of Los Angeles Public Library. The library has long been an eyesore to some and critics say it, and its materials, are outdated.
The city conducted a Community Needs Library Assessment in 2004 to deal with the many issues facing the library. However, it was realized that property taxes on library services did not suffice for the money spent on the Malibu Library. In order to fix the problems, a comprehensive analysis is needed.
Arroyo, a general management consulting film, was chosen because of its experience in evaluating library services and planning throughout California. The firm has worked with cities such as Calabasas, Commerce, Costa Mesa, Long Beach, Moorpark, Santa Clarita, West Hollywood and Westlake Village.
The consultants will be expected to document and examine the current level and cost of library services available to Malibu; look at service delivery and funding alternatives; and figure out short- and long-term options and strategies to improve financial resources required for library services and facilities.
Arroyo’s resulting recommendation would include whether the city should stay with the County of Los Angeles Public Library, create an independent municipal library or outsource to a private library service provider.
Nicholas T. Conway, who has conducted studies on library service-delivery systems in Orange, Pasadena, Escondido and Fontana in California and Douglas, Ariz., would be the project manager. The Project lead would be Leslie Nordby, who has more than 30 years of experience in managing public services with the Los Angeles Public Library. James Lam, an associate with Arroyo, would give analytical support for the project.
The project would be conducted during a six-week period.
The Malibu Library is a part of the Agoura Hills cluster, which also includes the Agoura Hills and Westlake Village libraries. The Malibu Library is comprised of 16,530 square feet, which can accommodate a total of 125 people. Open 50 hours a week, Monday through Saturday, the library offers services such as reference and readers’ advisory and preschool and toddler story times. Some notable collections include the Arkel Erb Memorial Mountaineering Collection, primarily about information West of the Rockies, the Peter A. Horn Senior Citizen Collection and the Sean Matthews Collection of children’s fiction and nonfiction books in print and on tape.
City seeks fundraising coordinator
The City of Malibu has issued a request for proposal seeking a coordinator to pursue private contributions to fund capital projects in the city. This individual might also be involved in other projects such as the production of a quarterly newsletter, promotional events, news releases and Web site development.
Although the city’s present priority is acquiring donations for the Legacy Park Project, other prospective capital projects could include a new library or remodeling the existing library, a cultural center and various park and open space projects.
The consultant would be under the supervision of the city manager and accountable for running and facilitating the fundraising of community based projects, which the city will decide.
The fundraising of $2.5 million toward the purchase of the Legacy Park property, which includes the Chili Cook-Off land along Pacific Coast Highway at Webb Way, was conducted by Susan Shaw, who was later hired on a six-month public relations contract at $5,000 per month. Shaw’s hiring caused a ruckus amongst City Council critics saying the city did not need a public relations person and that cronyism was involved. Shaw’s contract ends this month.
The deadline for RFPs for the Capital Campaign Coordinator job is March 22.
This individual is also expected to have practice in raising money for capital projects in the surrounding Malibu area, which, Reva Feldman, administrative services director, said includes cities surrounding Malibu.