County of Los Angeles Public Library Biennial Report 1994 - 1996

              2
Zev Yaroslavsky
Supervisor 3rd District
Gloria Molina
Supervisor l st District
Deane Dana
Supervisor 4th District
Yvonne Brathwaite Burke
Supervisor 2nd District
Michael D. Antonovich
Supervisor 5th District
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
1994-1995 & 1995-1996
5
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These two years provid­ed
another chapter in
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"
the County of Los
Angeles Public
Library's history
of efforts to con­tinually
reinvent
itself. Major strides
in electronic service
capabilities were made despite
the very tight and unstable budget circum­stances.
We managed to transition all but
20 of the 88 libraries to an online catalog
thanks to staff ingenuity in the use of avail­able
resources and through pursuit of
grants. Financing, annually cut by 50%
since the California State shift of property
taxes in 1993, was partially restored allow­ing
stability of service to resume. Staff and
County officials deserve great thanks and
recognition for taking bold steps to find
sources of revenue beyond the traditional
property taxes. Though the County Library
is by no means out of the financial woods,
we were able to normalize half of the ser­vice
thanks to the income from the
Community Facilities District assessment
revenue and to improve across the board
service thanks to the availability of money
from the County General Fund. It was a
time period in which we repositioned our
Library's Foundation to bring in more pri­vate
income each year.
We marched into new service fronts with
the advent of public Internet stations and
children's Homework Help Centers.
Literacy and cultural awareness services
were kept vibrant. Many of the 52 cities
served by the County of Los Angeles
Public Library partnered with the County
in ways which strengthened library ser­vice
in their communities.
It takes many people working together to
sustain quality service in a challenging
financial environment. The County
Library staff, 66 Friends of the Library
groups, the Library Commission, the
County Board of Supervisors, the County
Library Foundation Board, and the offi­cials
of 52 city councils and numerous
town councils deserve well-earned cred­it
for collaborative efforts which kept
customer service strong. This report is a
litany of many points of pride.
County Librarian
Finance and Budget Reshaped
Determjned to sustain excellent Library
service, Library managers continued
marching down the cbaUenging path to
find new sources of both on-going and
one-time finances to replace the $31 mil­lion
lost annually in the 1993 State tax
shift. During this period the Library
moved from a 50% revenue shortfall to a
34% shortfall to a 16% shortfall. Great
progress was made. It felt wonderful to
resume selective hiring, to restore Library
hours. and to begin buying more books
and materials. Key strategy us began
the diversification of the revenue
streams for the Library's annual budget:
Community Facilities District
The Community Facilities District
(CFO), a financing mechanism estab­lished
by the County Board of
Supervisors in 1994, replaced nearly one
third of revenue lost in the tax shift. The
first levy of these benefit assessments,
anchored at $22 per residential parcel,
occurred in 1995-96. The first year's
assessment brought $8. 7 million to the
Library District and normalized service to
the 42 libraries within the financing ilis­trict,
of which 13 libraries were within 10
cities and 29 libraries were in County
unjncorporated area.
The Library won a legal chaJlenge to the
CFD filed by the Jarvis Taxpayers'
Association. This re-affirmed that the
County Library was on firm legal ground
in using Mello Roos law as a means to
finance library service.
Board of Supervisors - General
Fund Support
The County Board of Supervisors provid­ed
$14 million from the General Fund to
Sp<cial Asse<>-... (CFO)
15.4~
the County Library District each of these
two years.
Foundation and Friends
The County Library Foundation and
Friends of the Library groups positioned
for increased income. A eries of articles
in the Los Angeles Times raised aware­ness
of the County Library and its
Foundation.
Foundation:
The County Library Foundation of Los
Angeles County was formed in 1982 to
assist the County of Los Angeles Public
Library by attracting funding from the
private sector. The goal was to make the
County Public Library a vital force as a
preeminent library information system,
a library prepared for the 21st century.
The Los Angeles County Library
Foundation redirected its fund-raising
Salaries & Employee Benefits
Services & Supplies
Other Charges
Fixed Assets
Equipment
Structures
Other Financing Uses
Appropriation for Contingency
Total Requirements:
Fund Balance
Operating Transfer-County General Fund
Revenue
Cancel Reserves
Property Taxes
Community Facilities Dist. Assessment
Total Available Funds:
Budgeted Positions:
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
1994-95
$ 32,474,000
27,432,000
1,450,000
0
1,717,000
1,220,000
31 ,000
28,000
$ 64,352,000
$ 7,816,000
21 ,200,000
5,036,000
0
27,800,000
2,500,000
$ 64,352,000
860.0
1995-96 Change
$ 36,606,000 $4,132,000
18,414,000 (9,018,000)
1,355,000 (95,000)
00,000 (1,617,000)
1,201 ,000 (19,000)
31 ,000 0
0 (28,000)
$ 57,707,000 ($6,645,000)
($261,000) ($8,077,000)
14,000,000 (7,200,000)
6,754,000 1,718,000
407,000 407,000
28,007,000 207,000
8,800,000 6,300,000
$ 57,707,000 ($6,645.000)
844.0 (16.0)
8
initiatives during 1994-95 to seek long-term
projects and escalating income. The new
directions are aimed to provide consistent
streams of revenue to maintain and expand
the services in this era of financial
repositioning of the County Public
Library.
The Library contracted in
October, 1995 with a philan­thropy
consultant, Gene
Richey, who provided a strate­gic
fund-raising plan and acti­vated
this plan in record time.
As the contract ended,
Mr. Richey became the County
Library Foundation's first ever
executive director. The centerpiece
of the fund-raising strategy was an
annual membership drive with posi­tioning
to reach the individual, the large
corporation, and everyone in between.
A continuing goal of the Foundation has
been to raise funds to supplement innov­ative
literacy programs. The program
raised $54,000 to match the dollars pro­vided
for literacy by the State of
California. This assured continued tutor­ing
service to over 9,000 people.
In April 1996, recognizing the Library's
role in connecting to the information
superhighway, the Foundation granted
$110,000 to develop Internet connections at
libraries that were without public computers.
Tbe Foundation plans to continue its efforts to
add new technology annually.
The Foundation Board is building alliances
and establishing collaborative commu­nity
partnerships with a variety of
organizations and businesses to
assist in creating new library
programs. A major effort was
initiated to bring cultural orga­nizations,
museums, schools, and busi­nesses
together as partners
with the Library in a program
to attract children to secure library
cards and to stimulate parent
involvement in their children's edu­cations.
The Foundation's Count Me In
Campaign renewed efforts to bolster
financing to purchase new publications
and subscriptions for the Library as a
whole. This dovetailed nicely with
efforts of the 66 Friends of the Library
groups which each worked successfu11y
to raise funds for new books for their local
libraries.
A program to place donation envelopes in
the bills of local water districts was initiat­ed
by the Foundation. Because of the size-able
area served by the County Library
District this necessitated collaboration with 27
separate water districts as no single
utility company covers the 3,000 sq. mile service
area.
(above)
Gene Richey. Executive Director
Los Allgeles Counry Public Library Foundation
The Foundation is grateful to its Board
of Directors, Friends of the Library, vol­unteers
and donors who gave enormous
numbers of volunteer hours and lent their
expertise.
Friends of the Library
Publication resumed of The Dispatch, a
newsletter which goes to the County
Library's more than 1,000 volunteers as
well as to each Friends of the Library
group. The newsletter provides a means
for sharing of ideas and events across the
miles. As one example of the hundreds
of creative ventures of Friends of the
Library groups, the New Agoura Hills
Friends of the Library partnered with
their city officials to benefit from rev­enues
raised weekly by a Farmer's
Market. Their goal is to raise money for
an enlarged Las Virgenes Library. By
June 30, 1996, the sale of fruits and veg­etables
had already brought $16,000 in
income to this group.
As an additional communication vehicle,
in June, 1996, a Friends' Exchange was
scheduled. The Exchange, a small con­ference
held at the Montebello Library,
b1iefed all Friends' groups about the
emergence of a restored Library
Foundation with programs aimed to
dovetail and add strength to fund-raising
efforts of each Friends group. Friends
enjoyed a demonstration of the Library's
new Internet Web page and were briefed
on the upcoming Library I(jds Card cam­paign.
Several new Friends groups emerged
bringing the total number of Friends of
the Library groups to 66. New groups
included Los Amigos de la Biblioteca de
Bell Gardens, Friends of the Littlerock
Library, Friends of the Lake Los Angeles
Library, Friends of the South Whittier
Library, Friends of the Woodcrest Library,
Amigos de la Biblioteca de Lennox, and
Friends of the Pico Rivera Libraries.
Friends groups which re-energized them­selves
during this time included the
Friends of the East Los Angeles Library
and Chicano Resource Center, Friends of
the Lynwood Library, Friends of the San
Fernando Library, Friends of the West
Hollywood Library, Friends of the West
Covina Library, and Friends of the
Huntington Park Library.
Volunteers Made a Difference
The amount of volunteer help rose to
1,151 volunteers working 90,273 hours in
1995-96 from 1,044 individuals working
79,733 hours the prior year.
Sharon Ollmann exemplifies the many
volunteers working at the children's
Homework Help Centers. At the
Brakensiek Library's Center, she makes a
difference to all of the students. Using
her practical mind and expertise she
became known for her ability to help
with math problems. Darrell, a student
helped by Sharon, could not wait to
show her his report card which showed
several A's and B's. When he learned
that Ms. Ollmann was moving from the
State, Darrell could barely hold back bis
tears.
A successful pilot test at the Clifton M.
Brakensiek Library in Bellflower uti­lized
a group of trained volunteers to
work side by side with library staff to
stretch service hours beyond those possi­ble
during severe financial cutbacks.
With this success, the concept was
encouraged at any other County Library
or community which wanted to use the
same strategy. The Wiseburn Library in
Hawthorne and the Lomita Library also
implemented similar programs.
Grant Income
lncome from grants sustained targeted
programs. The Library staff sought one­time
grants of start up capital to enable
strategic service objectives. 1n May
1996, the Board of Supervisors accepted
over $724,000 in added income to the
Library which was generated through
successful grant applications. This was
in addition to over $1 million in dona­tions
and grants each of which was less
than the $10,000 threshold requiring
Board approval.
Sampling of Service-Enabling This program, aimed at a youth and small business management,
Grants family audience, promoted cultural "Something Ventured: An
♦ A grant of $120,000 in 1995 from awareness and understanding through Entrepreneurial Approach to Small
the Los Angeles County Productivity programs and reading. Between Business Management."
and Investment Fund enabled four January, 1995 and June, 1996,
Homework Help Centers located at seventy-six multi-cultural programs • Literacy services stayed strong
the San Fernando, Paramount attracted over 5,000 people. thanks to $7,000 from California
Baldwin Park, and San Gabriel Programs included authors such as Community Foundation to work with
Libraries. Bebe Moore Campbell and Isabel the East Los Angeles Sheriff's
Allende. There were traditional Station. This grant came through the
♦ A Productivity Investment Fund Korean dancers and a tribute to Dr. Library Foundation.
grant in 1995 of $244,426 financed Martin Luther King, Jr. Stories from
25 public access computers which Asia drew large crowds as did musi- Library customers benefitted
now provide online County of Los cal and performing arts productions. from grant dollars:
Angeles Public Library catalog ♦ Public Internet sites were estab-access,
access to other catalogs, and ♦ The Lennox Library received book lished at the A C Bilbrew, Angelo
to data bases positioned on the main donations from a special KCET lacoboni (in Lakewood), Calabasas,
frame. This major start to the neces- pledge drive devoted to helping the Carson, Claremont, Compton,
sary transition of the Library's cata- County Library. As a result over two Cudahy, Culver City, Diamond Bar,
log from its compact disc format was hundred new books were donated to East Los Angeles, Gardena Mayme
thus accomplished despite the lack the Lennox Library by KCET. Dear, Hacienda Heights, Hawthorne,
of funds in the Library's budget. Huntington Park, La Canada
♦ Various books and materials grants Flintridge, Lancaster, La Mirada, Las
♦ As part of its lnfoPeople Project, the were critical in filling what would Virgenes (in Agoura Hills), Leland R.
California State Library provided otherwise have been gaping holes in Weaver (in South Gate), Montebello,
equipment for 8 additional public the very sparse budget. The Library Norwalk, Pico Rivera, Rosemead,
Internet sites, augmenting the 23 Foundation, in its Count Me In Rowland Heights, San Dimas,
sites funded in 1993-94. This grant Campaign, repositioned to ale1t the Temple City, Valencia (in Santa
value was $69,000. public of the need for contributions Clarita), View Park, West Covina,
of new books or dollars to buy books. West Hollywood, and Westlake
• Two grants of $50,000 each were Village Libraries.
received in 1995 and 1996 from the ♦ A major gift donated by the Small
Miller Brewing Company to extend Business Development and • A Library Foundation challenge
that company's Read About Me pro- International Trade Center provided grant of $110.000 provided dollars
gram to the County of Los Angeles. 40 sets of a video training course for for public Internet sites. "
•
Operating Budget
Fiscal Year 91/92
Dollars in Million 67.5
Operating Budget (excluded delinquency reserves)
Operating Revenue
Fiscal Year 91/92
Other Revenues $5,522,602
Special Assessment (CFO)
Property Taxes 27,TT2,636
Augmentation 31 ,250,762
Operating Transfer/County General Fund 0
Year-end Fund Balance/Reserve Cancellation 2,976,000
Total $67,522,000
Expenditures for Key Indicators
Fiscal Year 91/92
Materials
Dollars in Million $9.0
Capital Projects
Dollars in Thousands $133
Key Business Indicators
Fiscal Year 91/92
Material Circulation
In Millions 16.1
Reference Questions
In Millions 7.9
Registered Borrowers
In Thousands 1,200
• Includes $2.1 million of Community Facilities District dollars .
STATISTICAL
HIGHLIGHTS
92/93
66.4
92/93
$5,494,241
24,687,781
30,045,978
1,000,000
5,199,000
$66,427,000
92/93
$2.1
$2,968
92/93
15.9
8.8
1,431
93/94 94/95 95/96
53.6 63.0 56.5
93/94 94/95 95/96
$6,854,702 $8,511,954 $6,502,674
8,702,601
29,352,298 25,845,046 27,478,725
8,992,000 21,200,000 14,000,000
8,654,000 7,496,000 (178,000)
$53,853,000 $63,053,000 $56,506,000
93/94 94/95 95/96
$2.3 $9.0 $4.0'
$1 ,299 $1 ,220 $1,201
93/94 94/95 95/96
11.5 11.9 14.2
6.5 7.3 8.0
1,584 1,760 1,929
u
CITY RELATIONS
ENERGIZED
This money was raised the County
Libraries are Worth It Campaign to
keep access to library service in
tough financial times. Matching cor­porate
dollars or equipment donations
are being sought.
♦ Literacy Outreach was strengthened
with information at numerous loca­tions:
Baldwin Park Library,
Carmelites Housing Project, Carson
Library, Clifton M. Brakensiek
Library (in Bellflower), City Terrace
Library, Compton Library, Duarte
Library, East Los Angeles Sheriff's
Youth League Center, Harbor Hills
Housing Project, Huntington Park,
La Verne Library, Lynwood Library,
Norwalk Library, Nueva Maravilla
Housing Project, Paramount Library,
Pico Rivera Library, South Whittier
Library, Walnut Library.
♦ Family Literacy Programs thrived at
the Baldwin Park Library, City
Terrace Library, Compton Library,
Huntington Park Library, and
Paramount Library.
♦ Literacy Tutor Training was given at
the Quartz Hill Library and at the
Valencia Library (in Santa Clarita).
LITERACY PROGRAMS AND VOLUNTEERS
Literacy programs have positive impact
on the lives of the individuals they serve:
·'Your constant self-esteem builders in the
Family Reading Program gave me the
courage to accept a part-time job at a local
elementary school. I'm now a noon aide!
The children and teachers speak to me
in English. Sometimes I am embarrassed
because I don't understand or I don't know
how to answer them. But through the
library's literacy program my English is
improving. I'm not going to give up.
Thanks for helping us."
"My supervisor recommended your program
to me because I needed to improve my read­ing
skills. I couldn"t read very well and it
was affecting my work. I work in assembly
and was packing our products wrong
because I couldn't read. My tutor helped me
co improve my reading skills. I even
received a job promotion because of my new
skills and abilities."
CITY RELATIONS ENERGIZED
The County of Los Angeles Public Library
provides library service in 52 of the 88
cities of Los Angeles County. The operat­ing
budgets of the city-based libraries, as
well as the 29 operated in the County
unincorporated area and 3 bookmobiles,
have been primarily financed each year by
the share of property taxes collected from
within those areas. The County Library,
established as a dependent district of the
Board of Supervisors, historically
received no annual revenue from either the
cities served or from the County General
Fund. However, when the County Library
was forced to trim ervices throughout the
District to match the revenue available
after the State tax shift, city officials
became concerned about the County
Library's ability to provide consistent
library service to their constituents in this
environment of unstable funding. Cities
wanted to be assured that their residents
were getting their fair share of remaining
resources. They wanted assurances that
the County Library was effectively man­aged
with resources positioned to give
maximum service. Some wanted to use
city funds to provide financial assistance
for improving service in their cities. Was
it time for a new structure or governance
of their libraries? Several cities conduct­ed
studies to determine models of operat­ing
and financing library service. Those
studies revealed that it would be difficult
for a city to operate the same or higher
level of service than that provided by the
County Library at the same cost.
Communications
Above all, city officials wanted to be
involved with the County and the Library
in seeking solutions to stabilize library
service. They were willing to invest this
time despite the fact that the library was
not an official department operated by
their cities. During this period many of
these cities too were feeling the impact of
the State property tax shift. Their own
coffers were depleted. Staff of the
Library entered a period of intensified
communication with cities.
Alllhor Isabel Allende (ce111er) signs books ar "Read About Me "cultural heritage event sponsored by Miller Brewing Company, par­ricipating
are (l-r) Michael Brophy of Miller Brewi11g Company, Sandra Reuben. Counry Librarian, Isabel Allende, Gloria Molina,
Counry Supervisor, and Victor Franco of Miller Brewing Company.
13
Key elements of city relations included: eating the baseline library budget. Canada Flintridge, Lakewood, Lomita,
Lynwood, Maywood, Santa Clarita, and • Library staff increased regular com- Cities wanted assurance that they West Hollywood joined the community
munication with cities, unincorporat- were getting value back in propor- facilities district, allowing their property
ed areas town councils, and con- tion to the property taxes paid in owners to pay annually a $22 residential stituents. In addition the Library their cities. The Library began dis- assessment which increased community l
conducted eight community forums tributing revenue to each libra1y, library services. Bradbury joined the
in March and April, 1996, to deliver whether in a city or in an unincor- CFD and contributed the equivalent of
information to the public and to porated area, with a new formula. the CFD assessment.
solicit ideas from people. A cus- Aiming for equity, the new formula
tomer survey was also conducted was calculated based on three ele- Other cities granted dollars or in-kind
in April. Informational meetings ments: assessed valuation of proper services to help bridge the financing gap.
were held with city officials to ty in the area (30%), population of Financial aid from cities was appreciated.
brief them on the Community Facili- the area (30% ), and overall use of Each was given a menu of prices for vari-ties
District so that cities could the library measured by key busi- ous service enhancements and could
determine whether or not they want- ness indicators ( 40% ). choose those that best matched their
ed their city to be among those community needs. Following are some
assessed $22 per property for • Contingents of officials from the of the city allocations that benefitted cus-library
service. On May 13, 1996, L.A. League of Cities met with the tomers:
the Board of Supervisors conducted County Librarian and Chief
a public bearing on library service. Administrative Office for the • Bell, Bell Gardens, Diamond Bar,
Meetings were held with groups of purpose of exchanging ideas and Duarte, Gardena, Lynwood,
city managers. Ideas from all of information. Malibu, Manhattan Beach,
these forums were digested to Maywood, Norwalk, Walnut, and
assure that library resources were • The first issue of "Read ALI About West Hollywood funded added ser-focused
on those goods and services It," a monthly newsletter for city and vice hours.
most wanted and needed by our town councils was distributed in
public. February, l 996. • Bell financed the painting of its
library interior. • Following discussions and sugges- Financial Partnering
tions from a special library task Cities partnered with the County Library • Calabasas funded moving costs and
force of the Los Angeles League of in various ways to strengthen their library utilized a $100,000 grant from
Cities and in conference with all service. Lockheed to finance interior
offices of the Board of Supervisors, upgrades and furnishings. Monthly }
a new formula was adopted for allo- Cudahy, Culver City, Duarte, El Monte, La rent is paid by the city.
14
l
F.ocus ON
CUSTOMER SERVICE
♦ Cudahy financed re-carpeting and
painting.
♦ Diamond Bar con­tributed
dollars
for added
hours, materi­als
in various
subject areas
and languages,
computer
access and a
computer LAN in the library
to offer CD-ROM access to
titles.
♦ La Canada Flintridge allocated funds
for books and library materials.
♦ Lakewood funded a new roof and air
conditionjng unit, plus a new book
drop.
♦ Maywood financed roof and ceiling
repairs.
supplemental books and materials.
♦ South El Monte allocated money for
new library carpeting.
♦ West Hollywood :financed painting
the library.
♦ Westlake Village, Santa Clarita, and
El Monte contributed to library
equipment, supplies, and/or materials.
financial circumstances thanks to gener­ous
contributions from the County
Library's Friends of the Library
groups. During the course of
this entire year children
found value at their
County libraries:
♦ Over 3,000 preschool
storytimes attracted over
87,000 children.
♦ Nearly 130,000 students visited
their libraries during 5,200 class vis­its.
♦ Another 82,300 children heard
about library services when librarians
visited 1,124 of their classes.
♦ And 2,100 special programs covering
the spectrnm of cultural topics
attracted over 77,000 school age chil­dren.
Westlake Village also continued to pay T HE SUMMER R EADING PROGRAM 1995:
♦ Paramount allocated funds to supple­ment
their library's book budget.
♦ Pico Rivera took over library land­scape
costs freeing this money for
buying books at the libraries in that
monthly rent.
FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE
Youth Services Reach Out to
Children and Families
city. THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM 1994:
LIBRARY Kms CHECK IT OuT.
♦ San Fernando funded landscaping and This program was sustained in the tough
AMAZING READING KIDS.
Over the summer, more than 16,000 chil­dren
participated, 45% more than prior
year. Some 85,000 children attended
reading motivational programs, a 103%
increase over the prior year. Crowds
numbering in the hundreds enjoyed indi­vidual
programs.
15
16
With UCLA professor Dr.Virginia Walter,
· the Library conducted research to deter­mine
the value of the Summer Reading
Program. This study and the Summer
Reading Program of 1995 were enabled
thanks to a $70,000 grant from the
County Productivity Investment Fund.
Walter Study Findings: parental interest
was the key as to whether children partic­ipate
in Summer Reading Program or
not. Parents or participants were general­ly
very pleased with the program and
their children's participation in it.
Parents have great respect and loyalty to
the children's librarian. This study pro­vided
data on which funire posturing of
youth programs will be built.
BEGIN AT THE B EGINNING WITH B OOKS:
This literacy program happens right in
the public health offices near County
libraries. Expectant mothers are briefed
on the value of nurturing reading and
learn.ing in their children.
Though there were a few tense moments
as we waited to see if health clinics
would continue to operate in the funding
crisis, aJJ turned out with a happy ending.
Some programs were forced to relocate,
but the service continued.
HOMEWORK HELP C ENTERS:
Established, thanks largely to grants for
the one-time start up costs, in thirteen
libraries by the end of June, 1996.
Statistics indicating declining academic
achievement and increasing numbers of
school dropouts pointed out that students
needed added support and assistance to
succeed in their educational endeavors.
The rise in the number of working parents
and single parent families resulted in a
reduction of the time available for al.lull
assistance for academic or homework sup­port.
Reduced school budgets, growing
school populations, diminishing resources
and closures of school libraries meant that
the schools were not able to provide after-.
school homework support. Students and
parents turned increasingly to the public
library both as a site for homework assis­tance
and as a place to go after school.
Each Homework Help Center is a library
based after-school service designed to pro­vide
supervised assistance. Each has an
enhanced collection of homework support
materials, computer-based learning
resources, enrichment opportunities in sub­jects
such as science, math, literature and
the arts, and parent support materials.
Volunteers, working with staff, help chil­dren
learn the joy of research.
In early 1995 a Homework Help Center
opened at the Clifton M. Brakensiek
Library in Bellflower thanks to a $25,000
grant from Kaiser Permanente Medical.
The Productivity Investment Fund, an
internal venture capital fund of Los
Angeles County, provided a $120,800
grant which funded five of the thirteen
Homework Help Centers. In just one six
month period, these five centers served
11,687 children.
New FYI Business Lines and
Services Back Economic Growth
The Library's fee-based reference ser­vice,
FYI, generated income of $260,468
over this two-year period. The highly
automated FYI service, together with the
Business Specialty Service Center,
CALL, the Library's ethnic resource cen­ters,
and government publications cen­ters,
also was a strengthening segment of
the total reference fabric of the County of
Los Angeles Public Library.
NEW FY/ PRODUCTS PROVED
POPULAR WITH CUSTOMERS:
D Community Demographic Profiles
D Standard & Poors Research Reports,
thanks to a wholesale arrangement
with Standard & Poors
D Resume Production Service with sup­port
for job seekers.
Homework is made easy at library
Homework Help Centers
Storytimes encourage reading
EXPLORE, DISCOVER, LEARN
Begin at the Begin11ing with Books
17
18
FYI's customer base expanded:
0 Internet access through the County
Library Web page increased customer
awareness of the FYI research ser­vices.
0 Affiliates using FYI's fee-based ser­vices
now include the following:
Azusa, Covina, Downey, El Segundo,
Glendora, Glendale, Long Beach,
Oxnard, Santa Fe Springs, Santa
Monica,Torrance, Whittier Libraries.
Also affiliated are the Pasadena
Library, the Library, UC at Irvine
Library, The Answer Store in Irvine,
and Know It All Technologies in
Mendocino.
0 County of L. A. Department of
Children and Family Services hired
FYI to create and manage their Audio­Video
Training Library. Total income
to FYI was $14,000.
0 TimesLink, the Los Angeles Times
electronic services platform, worked
with FYI to add a database of
Southern California libraries,
award-winning children's books, and
popular titles based on circulation
reports. In exchange, the Times pro­vided
free access to TimesLink in all
County libraries.
Technology Expands Access
for All
INTERNET SERVICES LAUNCHED
Internet sites became very popular with
the public at the 35 library sites estab­lished
thanks to grant funding. The public
enjoyed access to the Internet through a
libraries involved in the test.
Most locations shifted to OPAC, the
online public access catalog of librru·y
materials. Sixty-eight of eighty-eight
librru·ies are now on-line. This was no
easy feat with the budget shortfall.
menu of services and information sources. Grants from the County's Productivity
Investment Fund implemented the eight
The County of Los Angeles Public largest libraries. Six ADA-compliant
Library Web page was launched during library catalog workstations were pur-
N ational Library Week, April 1996. The chased. Dial-in service to access this
extensive site included access to the automated catalog was launched April
Library's fee-based services. 1996.
CATALOGS CONNECTED
Links to other library jurisdictions were
made possible by connections using
Z39.50 software. Thanks to the County
Library's share of the $43,000 South State
Cooperative Library System grant
received from the State Library, the pro­ject
improved resource shru·ing, library
services, and public access to library
materials in the County Library (DRA),
the Pasadena Library (Geac), and the
Palmdale Library (Dynix). Using Z39.50
software, the National Standard approved
in 1988 by the National Information
Standards Organization enabled one com­puter
to seru·ch and retrieve information
from another computer. Administrative
Headquruters, Lancaster, La.Canada
Flintridge, Norwalk, West Covina, Carson,
and Montebello Libraries were the County
MTA BLUELINE TELEVILLAGE IN COMP·
TON offers telecommuting and telecom­puting
services to the public riding the
Blue Line train of the MTA, launched in
March 1996. Video conferencing equip­ment
available with public education and
training classes offering distant learning
on such topics as computer use.
Equipment was financed by MTA.
Communications lines provided by
PacBell were installed thanks to a grant
to the County Library.
COJ'vlPUTER DATABASES incorporated into
reference services grew in number:
♦ The UMI, periodical and newspaper
indexes were converted from CD
Rom to database access in 65
libraries via the Library's DRA
I-.~ .11·
I ~
Wefcoine lo I he
Counf_y of Bos 7/ngefes
71,£J;c Bibrar_y
The County of Los Angeles Public Library offers a
variety of services, programs and collections.
Follow the links to find out more.
Information on County Libra!)' locations and services is available on the Library's Web page
http://www.colapublib.org
Information Gateway. A Business
Index was also added at the same
time.
♦ Additionally, full text access to
UMis general periodicals and ABI
Inform Business database was made
available in the 8 largest libraries
and any requested articles, if not
SELF-CHECK OUT STATIONS
Installed in the West Covina and Culver
City Libraries, the customer-operated cir­culation
equipment allowed customers
who were in good standing to check out
their own library materials and avoid long
ljnes. These were funded by a loan from
the County Productivity Investment Fund
whose Board recognized the stations as
available on site, could be opportunities to increase customer satis-quickly
retrieved and faxed to cus- faction while releasing desk staff to handle
tamers via the County Library's more customers or do alternate tasks.
Document and Information Service Even in the first weeks following installa-
Center (DISC), a centralized service tion, 16.4% of the Culver City circulation
of imaged magazine articles. was conducted on the automated check-out
station and 1 l. 7% of West Covina 's circu-
♦ Health Index catalogs over 150 lation was conducted on the equipment.
medical and health journals indexed
with full text coverage of 100 title VOTER INFORMATION
was offered at the 8 largest libraries. The March, 1996 election provided the
first electronic opportunity for the Library
to assist the Los Angeles County
Registrar Recorder in providing infom1a­tion
to voters. Libraries with public
Staff receives training on internet
access at community libraries
Internet stations were advertised as
sources of information about voter poll
locations.
TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT U PGRADES
New telephone systems and universal
wiring were installed at Library
Headquarters and the Calabasas,
Diamond Bar, El Monte, La Mirada, Las
Virgenes (in Agoura Hills), Manhattan
Beach, San Dimas, and Sorensen
Libraries. In a few years these reliable
and cost effective telephone systems will
generate a savings of over $550,000 by
eliminating higher monthly lease costs
and reducing maintenance costs. In addi­tion,
the wiring that is installed in con­junction
with these provides the
infrastructure essential to support high
speed data communications required for
online public access catalogs, local area
networks, and Internet access. The
Internal Services Department equipment
installed at Library Headquarters pro-
19
vides the capability for high-speed dial-in Copyright laws are strictly followed in
access for customers. this process.
LOCAL AND WIDE AREA NETWORKS INSTALLED 543 COMPUTERS
A prioritized component of the Library's
Strategic Information Systems Plan
(SISP) was establishment of local area
networks (LANS). As a leap forward,
LANS were installed at FYI fee based
reference hub, Library Headquarters, and
the five regional administrative offices
.located in Carson, Norwalk, Montebello,
Santa Clarita, and West Covina. The aim
was to improve communication with less
travel, enable online data sharing, and to
improve productivity. These local area
networks were also intra-connected by a
high speed wide area network which
allowed cost savings by allowing the
New equipment was secured and installed
along with 156 older generation comput­ers
refurbished with parts from an
inventory of 210 units. Older model
computers, given to the Library by the
County Department of Human Resources,
were made available for staff use. This
began a very deliberate implementation
of the Library's Strategic Information
Systems Plan. It was considered critical,
despite the tight financial times, that the
County Library keep current with the
emerging, automated systems of delivering
information service. While this is but a
beginning of what is needed, it was a
Library's automated circulation system to strong start. Staff kept their eyes on
share a communications system used for desired results and raised dollars th.rough
business functions.
TELEFAX IMPROVED AT ALL LOCATIONS
Ninety-six plain paper telefax machines
replaced outmoded units which enabled
improved public reference service. The
fax machines provide an essential means
of speeding reference materials among
the 88 libraries at increased customer
convenience and reduced shipping costs.
grants and thoughtful prioritizing of avail­able
budget. Staff productivity and cus­tomer
services were enhanced.
Literacy Services Respond to
Increased Needs
Non-partisan voter training sessions were
held for new readers. The County Library
used curriculum and materials developed
by the Santa Clara County Library
Reading Program, the Center for Civic
Literacy, and Bay Area New Readers'
Council. Training session materials were
printed in quantity by the Los Angeles
Times.
Business Indicators Strong
The use of library services has steadily
increased over this two-year period.
♦ 1994-5
This was a time when service hours
were reduced due to insufficient rev­enue
and book purchases were very
Limited for more than half of the
year. Despite these realities, service
transactions remained high:
Reference questions 7,324,266
Circulation 11,875,807
Cardholders 1,760,222
(178,424 were new)
♦ 1995-6
During this time CFD income of
$8.8 milLion normalized service
hours at 42 of 88 libraries during the
last half of the year.
Reference questions 8,092,421
Circulation 14,152,507
Cardholders 1,929,564
(196,236 were new)
NOT MUNDANE IN TOUGH FINANCIAL
TIMES
Roofs Repaired
The Library managed to re-roof eleven
libraries in 1995: San Dimas, Duarte,
Holly Park, Hacienda Heights, Rowland
Heights, El Camino Real, City Terrace,
El Monte, Paramount, Florence, and
Victoria Park.
Building Facelifts
Cities helped finance needed building
improvements: Bell, Cudahy,
Calabasas, Lakewood, Maywood, Pico
Rivera, South El Monte, West
Hollywood, and Westlake Village.
PERSONALS - - FAREWELL TO
RETIREE'S
Retirements in 1995-96 included veteran
managers:
Bookmobiles Restored Margaret Wong, Assistant Director for
The Library rebuilt aging bookmobiles to Public Services; Edward Asawa,
as-new condition at less than the cost of Acquisitions Head; Rosalie Relieve, Area
purchasing one new one. Manager in South Region; Evelyn
MacMorres, Regional Administrator for
Shipping Service Contract North Region.
The Library's transportation service was
contracted to a private sector firm as a
result of Board approvaJ on January 30,
1996. This resulted in an annual cost
savings of $250,000 (45%) as well as
shifting liability and reliability responsi­bilities
to the private company. Daily
service deliveries improved with service
up to 5 days. Cost avoided will be chan­neled
to direct service.
KEY MILESTONES AND DATES
1994
FEBRUARY
♦ The annual African American History
Tribute, sponsored by the Second
Supervisorial District and the Library,
honored author Terry McMillan.
NOT MUNDANE IN TOUGH
FINANCIAL TIMES
MARCH
♦ Library Commission established
(advisory, 15 members) Reconfigured
advisory group to replace the 90 member
Regional Library Council.
OCTOBER
♦ A Quality and Productivity
Commission plaque commended Library
staff for implementation of the on line
public access catalog despite very chal­lenging
financial times. Productivity
certificates aJso recognized the efforts of
the Human and Cultural Diversity
Training series which was spearheaded by
the Library's Affirmative Action
Committee and a grant from the
Productivity Investment Fund.
21
22
Author
Joyce Burdett
addresses
library staff
at the 1996
National
Library
Week
Breakfast
NOVEMBER ]995
♦ Fonnal re-opening of the Valencia JANUARY
Library following a 10 month closure due ♦ Forum for Entrepreneurial
to the Northridge Earthquake. Volunteers
honored for their many hours enabling
the library to re-open so swiftly.
DECEMBER
♦ Literacy celebration of 10 years of
the County Public Library in the
California Literacy Campaign. "Literacy
Brings People Together."
Libraries ... we participated in this Orange
County workshop in which ideas for
delivering cost effective library service
were shared.
FEBRUARY
♦ 16th annual African American Living
History Tribute honored actor Le Var
Burton, Dr. James Comer, author, and
Mel Carter, singer and composer.
MARCH
♦ Dedication of the Compton
Library's Multi-Cultural Collection.
APRIL
♦ The American Library Association
and the County of Los Angeles Public
Library were featured on a half-hour
radio program. The purpose of the visit
to our Library by the ALA President
was to increase public awareness and
understanding about libraries and their
role on the information highway, to
increase contacts between library advo­cates
and legislators, and to secure pas­sage
of key federal legislation.
♦ National Library Week Breakfast
honored "Eyes of a Child" author
Richard North Patterson and "Little
Women" screenwriter Robin Swicord.
MAY
♦ Dedication and opening of the
Edmund D. Edelman Public Policy
CoJlection at the Norwalk Library. This
collection honors 35 years of County
service by the retired Supervisor and
reflects a topic of great interest to him.
1994-95
Size-Square Miles 3,061.9
Total Budget 64.3
Population Served 3,280,020
Annual Circulation 11,875,807
In-Library Use of Materials 4,316,000
Registered Borrowers 1,760,222
Reference Questions 7,324,266
Staff Full & Part-Time 1,496
Volunteers 1,044
Friends of the Library Groups 61
Service Facilities
Regional & Community Libraries 84
Institutional Libraries 1
Bookmobiles 3
Literacy Centers 14
Gifts
Friends of the Libraries $362,352
Cities 578,571
Foundation 119,310
Organizations 701,187
Individuals 562,972
PERSPECTIVES
1995-96
3,060.0
57.7
3,324,500
14,152,507
4,054,718
1,929,564
8,092,421
1,549
1,151
65
85
1
3
20
$428,131
282,891
71 ,748
243,495
465,008
Services & Supplies
31.9%
Salaries & Employee Benefits
63.4%
Other Charges
2.3%
Equipment
0.2%
Structures
2.1%
Other Financing Uses
0.1%
24
JUNE
♦ Second annual Jim Thorpe 5K
Run/Fun Walk in Lomita which raised
$5,971 to benefit the local County library.
AUGUST
Canada Flintridge, South El Monte and NOVEMBER
Diamond Bar Libraries participated in the ♦ The West Covina Library sponsored
National Open House for National Arts
and Humanities Month. Concerts, etc.
offered to the festive occasion.
many events to celebrate 80 years of ser­vice.
Included was a special postage can­cellation
honoring the library.
♦ New Audio Express catalog released ♦ Barbara Taylor Bradford, best-selling ♦- The San Fernando Library celebrated
for avid users of audiobooks by mail. author best known for "A Woman of 80 years of service. This was the County
Substance," spoke at the Culver City Library's first library in the San Fernando
♦ Calls during KCET pledge drive were Library. VaHey.
matched with gift of books from that PBS
station to the Le11no.x. Library.
SEPTEMBER
♦- Board bearing after which spell out
to Community Facilities District was
levied for first time.
♦- Weekly service hours were trimmed
by 10-14 hours in each library. The 42
libraries in the Community Facilities
District were assisted by
these revenues which
gradually returned
their hours to nor­mal.
OCTOBER
♦ Carson,
Paramount, La
♦ Good Reads, the Library's readers' ♦- Children Book Week the1ne was
advisory data base, placed among the top "Bound for Discovery." The County
ten (of a field of hundreds) County pro- Library marked its 16th year of partner-jects
in the 9th annual Los Angeles ing with Pentel of America, Ltd. to spon-
County Quality and Productivity Awards sor children's contest for designing book-
Ceremony. marks.
1996
JANUARY
♦ Relocated, larger
Calabasas Library opened
with a dedication ceremony.
♦- Isabel Allende Day
in Los Angeles County.
(/- r) Dorothy Donnegan and James Earl Jones are congratulated by Counry
Librarian Sandra Reuben at the 17th Annual African-American Living Legends
evenr.
Press conference and gala luncheon at
the restored Los Angeles Union Station
kicked off the second
year of funding from Miller Brewing
Company for the Read About Me
Program.
♦ Sorensen Library, closed in 1994
due to State tax shift, was reopened
thanks to financing from CFD charges
collected in the area. Celebrated by rib­bon
cutting ceremony featuring County
Supervisor Gloria Molina. Brought
number of libraries to 88 (including 3
mobiles) and number of "CFO financed"
libraries to 42. This is one of 29 in the
County Library's unincorporated areas.
FEBRUARY
♦ Wiseburn Library (in Hawthorne)
celebrated its 30 years of service.
♦ 17th annual African-American Living
History Tribute honored actor James Earl
Jones and jazz pianist Dorothy Donegan
at A C Bilbrew Library.
♦ Topping off ceremony marking the
AWARDS
SPARK PRIDE
1996 County Library Productivity Award recipients.
completion of framing of the new 49,000
sq. ft. Lancaster Regional Library con­struction.
MARCH
♦ Festival to celebrate the 20th anniver­sary
of the Friends of the Library at the
Marina del Rey Library.
♦ Dedication and opening of the city-financed
Diamond Bar Library computer
service center.
APRIL
♦ The Library launched with pride its
first Internet Web page.
♦ Market survey conducted in all
county libraries showed high satisfaction
with service.
25
♦ Library booth provided at the first
annual Los Angeles Times Festival of
Books held on the UCLA campus .
Event attracted tens of thousands of peo­ple.
♦ County Library's annual National
Library Week Awards Breakfast.
Honorees were author Margo Kauffman
and author Joyce Burditt.
MAY
♦ 3M underwrote science-related
events in the Manhattan Beach and
Compton Libraries. The host of the PBS
series "Newton's Apple" hosted theses­sions,
which were spotlighted on local
TV on "Good Morning L.A.". In addi­tion,
3M donated a computer and soft­ware
to each library.
♦ Norwalk benefit for the Norwalk
Library. "Night of 1,000 Stars.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Norwalk
Library, the Norwalk Coordinating
Council, and the City of Norwalk.
Raised nearly $70,000.
JUNE
♦ Woodcrest Library celebrated
2 years of learning achievement
at its Homework Center (PIF
financed).
♦ Library literacy program fea­tured
on KTLA Pacesetter program.
♦ Lynwood Homework and Study
Center opened.
♦ Annual Jim Thorpe 5K Walk/Run
brought $6,603 to the Lomita Library
AWARDS SPARK PRIDE
Good Reads, an automated readers' advi­sory
program, received a National
Association of Counties (NACO) Award
in 1995. A Distinguished Commission
Plaque also recognized the Brakensiek
Library Homework Center enabled
through a private grant from Kaiser
Permanente.
Marilee Marrero, Community Library
Manager of the Norwalk Library, was
recognized by ICAN (lnteragency
Council on Child Abuse and Neglect) for
special efforts to support children at risk.
She had developed an effective program
with Head Start, giving programs in sign
language for the deaf.
Penny Markey, Youth Services
Coordinator received the 1995 Dorothy
C. McKenzie Award for her distin­guished
career as Youth Services
Coordinator for the County of Los
Angeles Public Library and in particular
for her efforts to connect children and
books through innovative programs such
\
County staff singing
group "The Messengers"
with County Librarian
1-r Carol Ross,
Pazricia Bell,
County Librarian,
Sandra Reuben,
Doris Robinson, and
Barbara Norman-Reese
Jessica House, 15-year-old Youth
Volunteer of the Year for the Library, has
volunteered since fourth grade and the
as Begin at the Beginning With Books. summer of 1993 at the Angelo M.
Adrian and Rose Shields, library activists Iacoboni Library in Lakewood. She gives
and literacy tutors were honored as the great assistance in children's services and
Library's Citizens of tbe Year at the 1995 also is one of 8 volunteers in the Readers
National Library Week Breakfast and also Theatre Group.
by the County Board of Supervisors.
Volunteers of the year were honored in
the County of Los Angeles Volunteer
Awards Ceremony at the Music Center:
♦ 1995 Henry Ochoa, Jr., a significant
contributor to the Library's literacy pro­gram
began tutoring at the Duarte Library
in 1993 and has recruited many others to
also tutor in English literacy.
♦ 1996 Joan Yacavone, activist in the
Friends of the Las Virgenes Library which
benefits from the weekly sale of the boom­ing
Agoura Hill's Farmer's Market.
Youth Volunteer, Steve Zhou who has been
a valued help at the Temple City Library
since 1994.
LIBRARY AWARD WINNERS:
Awards 1995 & 1996
Support Services
Suzanne Alziebler
Mike Harman
Productivity
Isaac Antoine
Processing Unit/LHQ
Customer Service
Janine Eli zarra.raz
Carol Reisinger
Citizens
Adrian and Rose Shields
Save-the-Lomita-Library Committee
Charlotte
Audrey Thomas
Lehtia Tan
Librarian of the Year
Rafael Gonzales
Julie Fu
Special Award
Valencia Library Earthquake
Recovery Team
27