Checked In: Santa Cruz City-County Library System Follow-up Review

Director of Libraries Job Review Process: In February of 2006, the JPA Board adopted an official procedure for appraising the performance of the director of libraries. A standard written job description, which is part of the City of Santa Cruz personnel system, has been established. It has been verified that the director of libraries’ performance evaluations are now current. Response: The Library Joint Powers Authority Board AGREES. Response: The Director of Libraries AGREES. Response: The City of Santa Cruz AGREES.

Staff Rotation: Contrary to previous findings, the Grand Jury found that library staff are happy with rotation practices. The library has been practicing staff rotation for more than ten years. The Central Branch circulation and reference staff is rotated in and out of the headquarters facility on Pacific Avenue. They rotate in four-hour shifts based on established work schedules. Staff rotation is in place to: • Reduce injuries and stress illness. • Cover required workload hours on the reference desk. • Provide cross-training and job backup. • Offer job enrichment. • Improve staff morale. • Reduce staff turnover. • Reduce worker compensation claims. Larger branches practice staff rotation internally while some small branches do not have enough staff to rotate. There is ‘on call’ staff to fill in occasionally if required. Some employees feel that the staff rotation gives most library employees a chance to work directly with customers and understand the public’s needs. Response: The Director of Libraries AGREES.

Alternatives to 1543 Pacific Avenue: The Director of Libraries is aware of the urgency for having a plan in place for this location. The city manager noted that they may extend the lease on Pacific Avenue until 2013 and that more financial analysis must be done. In 2006, the director appointed a Capital Projects Priorities Subcommittee. This committee is responsible for developing a long-range facilities plan. Response: The Library Joint Powers Authority Board AGREES. The City of Santa Cruz has purchased property at 212 Locust/117 Union Street (across from the Central Branch Library) that Library System Services will occupy, sharing the space with the City Water Department. The Library will pay a fixed rent based on its share of the City debt amount, which will cease in twenty - 4 Santa Cruz City-County Library System: years. Tenant improvements are currently underway, and the Library hopes to occupy the space by Spring, 2008. The City of Santa Cruz should be commended for going beyond its contractual obligation to the Library System, thereby enabling the Library to make substantial long term savings in its operating costs. Response: The Director of Libraries AGREES. The City of Santa Cruz has purchased property at 212 Locust/117 Union Street (across from the Central Branch Library) that Library System Services will occupy, sharing the space with the City Water Department. The Library will pay a fixed rent based on its share of the City debt amount, which will cease in twenty years. Tenant improvements are currently underway, and the Library hopes to occupy the space by Spring, 2008. The City of Santa Cruz should be commended for going beyond its contractual obligation to the Library System, thereby enabling the Library to make substantial long term savings in its operating costs. Response: The City of Santa Cruz AGREES. The City of Santa Cruz has purchased property at 212 Locust/117 Union Street (across from the Central Branch) that Library System Services will occupy, sharing the space with the City Water Department. The Library will pay a fixed rent based on its share of the City debt amount, which will cease in twenty years. Tenant improvements are currently underway, and the Library hopes to occupy the space by Spring 2008.

Funding Plans: A five-year budget plan, “Library Strategic Financial Plan” was prepared in 2006. It was developed with the following funding assumptions: • Sales tax revenues will increase 3% per year. • County Library Fund increased 7.5% in FY 2006-07 and will increase 5% each year thereafter. • Fees, fines and miscellaneous revenues will increase 1% per year. • Bequest appropriations will remain at the same level of funding. • The library will receive estimated carry over funds, grants, and gifts. Response: The Library Joint Powers Authority Board AGREES. Response: The Director of Libraries AGREES. Response: The City of Santa Cruz AGREES.

Contingency Planning: In 2005, the JPA Board adopted a policy that keeping branches open was the “cornerstone” of the budget process and that closing branches should not be considered in contingency planning. Response: The Library Joint Powers Authority Board AGREES. Response: The Director of Libraries AGREES. Response: The City of Santa Cruz AGREES. Santa Cruz City-County Library System: - 5

Worker Safety: An outside consultant prepared a safety recommendations report for the JPA. The Director of Libraries was asked to come back with an action plan on the safety recommendations that were made. Upon review of this report entitled “Promoting Worker Safety at the Library — An Action Plan,” the JPA Board accepted it unanimously. In addition: • The library added a “Safe/Ergonomic Practices” section to the standard employee appraisal form to raise the safety awareness of the employees. • The library has a safety committee which issues an annual report and periodic updates. • According to management, training the staff in ergonomics has reduced the workers compensation claims. Most work-groups have someone in charge of stretch breaks where three or more people use the same circulation desk. Response: The Library Joint Powers Authority Board AGREES. The Library has made significant progress in reducing the number of worker injuries by training, evaluation of work sites, purchase of equipment, and on- going work with the Staff Safety Committee. Response: The Director of Libraries AGREES. The Library has made significant progress in reducing the number of worker injuries by training, evaluation of work sites, purchase of equipment, and on- going work with the Staff Safety Committee. Response: The City of Santa Cruz AGREES. The Library has made significant progress in reducing the number of worker injuries by training, evaluation of work sites, purchase of equipment, and ongoing work with the Staff Safety Committee.

Hiring Practices: The library does considerable hiring from outside the county library system for higher-level positions. This practice has caused morale problems and has increased costs to the system. Many of the current staff have attended college to get their Masters in Library Science with the sole purpose of advancing their careers but have not found it helpful in getting promoted. Other Hiring Practice Issues: • The practice of hiring half-time employees enables the library to stay open more hours to serve the public. It also has some cost-savings benefits. Many of the branches are understaffed, based on the number of customers they serve. However, hiring half-time employees also limits opportunities for full-time staff to be promoted. • The branches would like to have more frequent staff meetings, but find it hard to balance this need with the priority of keeping the library open for the public. - 6 Santa Cruz City-County Library System: • In April 2006, the library had a meeting for all staff system-wide. The focus of this meeting was on the Central Branch. As a result of the meeting, work groups were formed to address issues. In December 2006, a summary report was sent to all staff system-wide. The employees reported that there was not adequate follow-up in the areas of communication and the update of job classifications. Library employees sometimes stay with their jobs because they like the Santa Cruz community and wish to make a career and home here, not because they feel there are equitable hiring practices or opportunities for job advancement. Response: The Library Joint Powers Authority Board DISAGREES. The Library System follows the mandated procedures of the City of Santa Cruz Human Resources Department in its hiring practices. Every vacant position is advertised to all internal staff. Over the fifteen month period from March 2006 though June 2007, 45 positions were filled. Of these, fifteen went to “outsiders” and 30 were filled by current or former library employees. The Library’s practice is to hire the person who is the best “fit” for the opening available, which is not always a current staff person. Not every employee may agree with the decisions made, but then not every employee knows the full details about any particular hire. Other Issues: Half-time staff: no comment More frequent branch staff meetings: no comment April 2006 Staff Day The topic of the day was not the Central Branch, but rather an all-staff discussion of how the library could improve the way it is providing services in a 2lst Century environment. One hundred and eleven suggestions made. These were organized and assigned to Work Groups for further discussion. One suggestion was a reclassification study in order to bring library job descriptions and classifications up to date. A Work Group composed of representatives all of non-professional classes and each Branch level was appointed. The group worked for five months to develop a plan, which was presented as an information item to the Library Joint Powers Authority Board and all staff. SEIU, the union representing most of the workers, rejected the plan and requested that further study take place. In the Spring of 2007 The City of Santa Cruz management was unwilling to undertake a study for the Library because of the implications for other City workers. Library management has done all it can on this issue until collective bargaining negotiations are completed. A second Work Group on Communications was appointed. Each of the

Branch Findings: In at least one branch, emergency lock boxes were not easily accessible. Response: The Director of Libraries DISAGREES. The Director has polled each Branch Manager regarding the location of an emergency lock box in an inaccessible place. Each Manager reports that the lock boxes are accessible and the padlocks with which they are secured work well. Conclusions

During an emergency, staff at one location could not easily access the lock box key or operate it.