Minutes

Library Citizens Advisory Committee

Final Minutes

Wednesday, December 13, 2006 6:00PM

San Francisco City Hall

Room 278

I. Call to Order and Roll Call

Attending: Sue Cauthen, Lucille Cuttler, Ann Dalton, Maryam Daryabegi-Farhang, Nanette Duffy, Richard Mason, Douglas Ryan, Janis Seeman, Gladys Soto, Peter Warfield, Daniel Weaver

Absent: Enne Braun, Booh Edouardo, Roger Kallen, Carol Kocivar, Jenny Situ, Mark Vogel

II. Volunteer to take minutes: Nanette Duffy

III. Public Comment: None

IV. Library resource presentation of books and materials acquisition by Pat Fahrenthold, Laura Lent, Christine Harris. Discussion of where materials come from, major and secondary vendors.

Motion brought by Sue Cauthen regarding Book Acquisition Process: Draft Resolution. Cauthen presented her motion and discussion ensued. After a series of changes, the revised motion that was voted on states:

San Francisco Public Library’s book acquisition team consists of hard-working staff endeavoring to provide the public with a plentiful supply of up-to-date and historically important books. However, the process has sometimes been stymied by backlogs and consequent inability to meet demand quickly and efficiently.

The Library Citizens Advisory Committee recommends the following changes to the book acquisition and replacement process:

1.  Develop a written procedure for ordering when a new or replacement book is unavailable from primary vendors.

2.  Strive for enhanced communication between the book selection office (Collection Development Office/CDO) and the book ordering/processing office (Technical Services).

3. Regularly monitor the collection for lost or damaged books, utilizing standardized criteria to determine which books to replace. When replacing lost, damaged or out-of-print books, evaluate the book’s importance to the collection and its borrowing record. Popular books should be replaced.

Motion failed by a vote of 7 to 4 because a quorum minimum of 9 members must vote yes. Yes: Cauthen, Cuttler, Daryabegi-Farhang, Duffy, Mason, Ryan, Weaver. No: Dalton, Seeman, Soto, Warfield.

Instead of continuing discussion of this motion, the Chair moved to old business in view of the limited meeting time available.

VI. Old Business: SFPL policies on replacement of out-of-print books and materials. Motion originally brought by Peter Warfield in September 2006. Warfield read the entirety of his motion to the committee. Discussion ensued. Warfield agreed to “friendly amendments” to resolution removing references to the Sunshine Ordinance and removing all whereas clauses. Resolution voted on reads:

Resolved, that the LCAC recommends that the Supervisors send a Letter of Inquiry to the City Librarian asking for clarification of the Library’s policies and practices on (1) acquisition/non-acquisition of out-of-print materials; and (2) monitoring the collection for losses and potential replacements.

With friendly amendment revisions, motion passed by a vote of 9-1. Yes: Cauthen, Cuttler, Duffy, Mason, Ryan, Seeman, Soto, Warfield, Weaver. No: Dalton.

Meeting adjourned at 8:00pm

The following statement was submitted by Peter Warfield

The text of this resolution was not adopted by the LCAC.

Draft Recommendation on Out-of-Print Materials

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WHEREAS, Maintaining the quality of library collections is a vitally important job that is core to a library’s value and usefulness to those who use it; and

WHEREAS, One aspect of this job is to MONITOR the collection to ensure that any books damaged beyond repair, or that go missing for other reasons, are identified and considered for replacement; and

WHEREAS, Another aspect is to REPLACE such books, as appropriate to maintain the quality and usefulness of the collection (not necessarily replacing every single lost book); and

WHEREAS, The Library Citizens Advisory Committee found that (a) the San Francisco Public Library does not have a program for systematically monitoring lost books; and (b) LCAC also found that it was unclear whether a previous long-standing policy of not purchasing books that are out of print to replace books lost or to enhance the collection, is still in effect; and (c) LCAC found that the Library’s practices and procedures with regard to provision of requested information have blocked, delayed, and reduced the quality of responses to requested information, and violate the City’s Sunshine Ordinance – for example, a policy and practice of preventing employees from responding to information requests and requiring instead that requests and responses go through a single, designated information provider;

RESOLVED, That the LCAC recommends that the Supervisors send a Letter of Inquiry to the City Librarian asking for clarification of the Library’s policies and practices on (1) acquisition/non-acquisition of out-of-print materials; (2) monitoring the collection for losses and potential replacements; and (3) complying with the Sunshine Ordinance, particularly Sections 67.21(a) and 67.21(b) which require every person having custody of any public record to permit it to be examined promptly; Section 67.21(c) which requires every custodian of a public record to provide assistance regarding public information and records; and Section 67.22(e) which says “public employees shall not be discouraged from … disclosing any … public information ….”

We note that monitoring collections has become much easier over the years with the use of computerized integrated library systems, and the Internet has made it much easier to find and obtain out-of-print books and materials, compared with the pre-computer and pre-Internet days when obtaining such materials, as the Library did do at one time, was a much more arduous effort.