SR-12-08-2015-8A
City Council
Report
City Council Regular Meeting: December 8, 2015
Agenda Item: 8.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Maria Carpenter, Director, Library Services Department
Subject: Approval of Santa Monica Public Library's Strategic Plan
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Santa Monica Public Library
Strategic Plan which will guide future development of Library services based on
community input and study of current best practices.
Executive Summary
Following an extensive community input process, Santa Monica Public Library staff
composed a Strategic Plan to guide the future development of the Library for the next
three years. There are four strategic focus areas: Vibrant Learning Center; Wellbeing
Cultivator; Dynamic Third Place and Community and Cultural Connector. The Library
Board approved the Plan in September 2015.
Background
The Santa Monica Public Library is a beloved and valuable community resource serving
the city with a landmark Main Library in downtown and four neighborhood branches.
Yet sweeping changes in how information is accessed will inevitably impact the use and
future of all public libraries. To ensure our system continues to be among the finest
library systems in California, the Santa Monica Public Library embarked on a strategic
planning process in October 2014. The objectives were to discover how best to tailor
Library services to satisfy the evolving needs of Santa Monica residents and to survey
the contemporary public libraries’ scene to ensure that the Library would move forward
in a meaningful and useful way.
Over the past 20 years, the Library Department has replaced the Main Library and
updated and renovated existing branches. The opening of the new Pico Branch Library
in Virginia Avenue Park in 2014 heralded a new chapter in the Library’s story.
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Although a community input process occurred for all these building projects, the Library
has not undergone a formal strategic planning process since 1993. Clearly, a core
function of the public library is to facilitate learning, and books will continue to be central
to that process. At the same time, library technology and learning services have evolved
significantly in the interim, along with the expectations of library customers. Learning
what community members want, and exploring the latest and best practices in the public
library arena seemed essential for sound planning. In light of the Council identifying
lifelong learning and educational partnerships as one of its top five priority Strategic
Goals in August of 2015, the new plan is a timely roadmap for pursuing continued
excellence in library services to the community.
Discussion
Process
A strategic planning process began in October 2014 with the fo rmation of two staff
committees and a preliminary staff session at the November 2014 Library In -Service
Day.
Strategic Planning consultant Maureen Sullivan Associates assisted staff and
community members in conducting the Strategic Plan beginning in March 2015. Ms.
Sullivan’s contract did not require Council approval. It was approved by the City
Manager’s Office (Contract # CT2972). The information-gathering process included a
series of 11 community forums, a month-long city-wide survey, a retreat and meetings
with the Library Board and 14 updating sessions with Library staff. Two hundred one
people attended and gave feedback at community forums held in each neighborhood
library. Special community forums were held at the Boys and Girls Club, with the
Library’s Teen Advisory Committee, with community leaders, with youth at the Pico
Library and middle school students to obtain the thoughts and opinions from students
ages 11 - 18. Well over 2100 people participated in one or more of these opportunities
for input.
A Library Innovation Technology Task Force consisting of entrepreneurs, innovators
and educators from the community was also formed to provide insight, advice and
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support regarding the role of technology and innovation in 21st century library service
and on the technology and learning needs of Santa Monica residents and business. The
Task Force met four times April-July to make strategic planning recommendations to the
Strategic Planning Steering Committee.
The Strategic Planning Steering Committee met regularly throughout this process and
utilized the findings gleaned from these activities and from a survey of current library
literature. In August, a Strategic Plan was completed.
Board Action
On September 10, 2015, the Library Board approved the Strategic Plan by a vote of 3-1,
with 1 member absent.
Next Steps
Upon City Council approval, the Library will proceed with implementation of the
Strategic Plan. The core components of the Strategic Plan are that the Library serve as
a “vibrant learning center,” as a “wellbeing cultivator,” as a dynamic “third place” for the
community, and as a “community & cultural connector”. These concepts, which
emerged through the public process, will continue to inform and shape policy in the next
three years and are congruent with the Council’s Strategic Goal of promoting lifelong
learning and educational partnerships.
An Implementation Team consisting of staff from all Library Divisions will take
responsibility for implementing the strategic plan. As part of their duties, they will at
times bring together working groups of other staff tasked with a specific element of the
plan. Many implementation elements will carry no budget impacts. Those that do have
budget impacts will be addressed in dedicated staff reports or may figure in the Capital
Improvements Projects process. Two of the “jump start” projects funded by the Council
on October 27, 2015 in support of the City’s Strategic Initiatives harmonize with the
goals of the Library Strategic Plan. The two projects are the Broadband Improvements
at the Library and the Main Library Multipurpose Room Upgrade. Staff will also
incorporate strategic planning processes into the Library’s administrative workflow with
the objective of keeping the Plan focused and relevant.
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of
recommended action.
Prepared By: Wright Rix, Principal Librarian
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Santa Monica Public Library Strategic Plan
B. Innovation Technology Task Force Recommendations to Library Strategic Plan
C. SMPLPresentation_StrategicPlan
Santa Monica Public Library
Strategic Plan
Santa Monica Public Library is a community, cultural and learning hub.
Its mission is to provide resources, services and a place to read,
connect, relax and learn. The Library supports literacy, life-long
learning, civic engagement, and cultural awareness.
Four strategic focus areas were distilled from community and staff feedback, best practice,
emerging trend information and City data. Over the next three years, the Library will embrace
these themes to accomplish goals through the lens of strategic planning.
Vibrant Learning Center
1. Expand the Library’s role in supporting early literacy
2. Support young adults completing their high school education
3. Create a learning program to support adult and intergenerational literacy
Wellbeing Cultivator
1. Create and maintain connections that build community wellbeing
2. Develop a tool to assess wellbeing aspects of Library programs and services
3. Co-host a Wellbeing Summit in collaboration with other agencies
Dynamic Third Place
1. Make recommendations to improve the customer experience in the Library
2. Upgrade the Library’s connectivity to increase utility of customers’ personal electronic
devices in the Library
3. Improve technology and audiovisual equipment in Library public meeting spaces
Community & Cultural Connector
1. Work with Innovation Technology Task Force to design and plan collaborative working,
technology and creation spaces
2. Collect data to learn about the needs of job seekers and career changers; use the data
to design programs
3. Meet with agencies to explore options for providing services that address homelessness
issues in the Library
SMPL as Vibrant Learning Center
From storytime to digital media space, the Library provides inspiring
learning opportunities grounded in best practices and equipped with
the latest tools and technology to help community members flourish in
today’s knowledge economy.
The Library is the hub of a culturally connected community. It bridges generations and digital
divides while linking diverse languages of learning, from text to code. The Library provides a
wide array of programs, classes and services that offer access and embraces Santa Monica’s
commitment to lifelong learning.
The Library offers the latest tools and technology to support learning for school, career and life
success. SMPL also maintains the quality of core services such as research support, local history
resources, and a commitment to building a community of readers.
In the spotlight: Summer Reading Soars
During fiscal year 2014-15 the Library broke its summer reading records. This included a 20%
increase in summer reading registrations, a total of 2.1 million minutes read and 389 youth
programs with 15,320 in program attendance during a 10-week period.
SMPL as Vibrant Learning Center Launch Goals1
1) Expand the Library’s role in supporting early literacy education with “Reading-2-Go,” a
Library State Technology Act (LSTA) grant-funded program. This program targets early
childcare providers and their students in: English, Spanish and Amharic. Pilot to run
through June 2016.
2) Provide support to young adults at Olympic High School who are finishing high school or
preparing for their GED exam. This is a LSTA grant-funded program called “Second
Chances” to be piloted through June 2016.
3) Create a learning program to support adult and intergenerational literacy, skill-building,
and career development opportunities by December 2016. Planning for a basic adult
literacy component, based on national literacy models, is supported by an Institute for
Museum and Library Services grant administered by the American Library Association.
1 These are initial goals: new and updated goal and objectives will appear in the Library’s annual workplans. As in
all strategic planning processes, these will change over time.
SMPL as Wellbeing Cultivator
The Library helps residents to live their best lives.
The Library has played a vital role in enhancing the welfare of the c ommunity since its founding
in 1890. Many core Library services and new opportunities exist to nurture wellbeing in Santa
Monica. The City of Santa Monica received a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant to assess the state
of wellbeing for the City’s residents and examine options to improve their lives. The result is the
Wellbeing Project and Index. Data from the Index -- particularly about social cohesion, learning
and place – will drive the Library’s community engagement and program design.
In the spotlight: Wellbeing Discovery Hall
A summer 2015 series of Learn Do Share activities included the theme of wellbeing with a
discovery lab and pop-ups that focused on group learning and design. These experiences were
creatively explored ways that the Pico Branch at Virginia Avenue Park can actively support
wellbeing in the Pico neighborhood, including in the areas of education and careers.
Under this strategic area the Library is committed to supporting Santa Monica as a learning
community; providing tools and experiences that stimulate intellectual exploration, emotional
development and relationship building; and creating inventive ways for people and groups to
make meaningful connections with one another.
SMPL as Wellbeing Cultivator Launch Goals
1) Create ways to incorporate social interaction and build community connections across a
selection of Library programs by December 2015.
2) Create a tool to assess the contributions to wellbeing across a range of Library
programs. As this data set grows, use it to guide future development of programming.
Complete initial design process by March 2016.
3) Co-host a summit to advise on the Library’s Wellbeing objectives and measurements by
March 2016. As a lead-in, create three pop-up wellness information centers through
partnerships with other city departments and organizations.
SMPL as Dynamic Third Place
Flexible, creative and intentional Library Spaces attract users to experience
the Library as a third place with a wide range of collections, services,
programs and amenities.
Santa Monica Public Library provides comfortable, engaging and beautiful spaces for people to
read, relax, discover, learn, and participate in social and civic discourse. The Library acts as an
anchor in the community, a third place2 separate from home and work.
The Library team is adapting spaces, technology and services to be flexible and responsive to
new trends and community needs. Library staff and resources are extending beyond the walls
of the Library facilities to meet people where they are. Community festivals, increased usage of
mobile technology, pop-ups and outreach services are each playing a part.
The Library is building a sense of discovery through place. Thoughtful arrangements of
collections, merchandising space, and design elements are creating an enviable user
experience. Ultimately, the Library, whether physical, digital or out in the community, is fueling
learning, wellbeing and social connection.
In the spotlight: SMPL at the Beach
During summer 2015, the Library collaborated with the Department of Community & Cultural
Services to produce a series of pop-up libraries on the beach with the theme “Less shhh… more
surf.” This included seaside story times, beach reads book discussions, marine life
presentations, and hula hooping. Hundreds of beach visitors particip ated.
SMPL as Dynamic Third Place Launch Goals
1) Examine and make recommendations to improve customer movement, flow and
discovery throughout Library buildings and to optimize space usage by August 2016.
2) Working with other City departments, upgrade the Library’s broadband connectivity to
support co-working and technology/creation spaces and learning programs by June
2016.
3) Upgrade tools and technology in meeting rooms at all sites, including the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Auditorium, by June 2017.
2 Ray Oldenburg defined the third place (or third space) as the informal public gathering space where people can
come together on neutral ground separate from of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). The
third place is critical for a well-functioning democracy.
SMPL as Community & Cultural
Connector
The Library forms community partnerships and alliances to bolster
collective impact, build community assets and inspire positive social
change.
No single organization is responsible for any major social problem, nor can any single
organization cure it. –John Kania & Mark Kramer, Stanford Social Innovation Review
Collective impact uses a deliberate, collaborative process to build community assets and
address social change. 3 Successful collective impact results from a shared agenda, vision and
measurements; mutually reinforcing activities; continuous communication; and a steering team
dedicated to achieving shared purpose and vision.4
Library staff members are committed to building community assets and empowering residents
by creating rich, meaningful relationships with community partners. The Library team continues
to forge alliances and collaborate with community experts to enhance programs and services.
Together, our collective efforts and services will provide the resources necessary for community
members to thrive from birth and to succeed throughout life.
In the spotlight: Innovation Technology Task Force
A dynamic group of entrepreneurs, technology professionals, innovators, educators, funders
and parents convened four times April-June 2015 to advise on the role of technology in 21 st
century Library services and to provide strategic planning recommendations. The Task Force’s
insight has been a critical component in the strategic planning process and all who participated
formed new working relationships and partnership possibilities.
SMPL as Community & Cultural Connector Launch Goals
1) Partner with the Innovation Tech. Task Force to plan and prototype collaborative
workspace, technology and creation spaces that create opportunities for career and
business networking and increase the technical literacy of Library users by Dec. 2017.
2) Gather data through a survey or focus groups to discover what skills and literacies
Library users, job seekers and career ‘pivoters’ would like to learn and in what way by
June 2016. Use data to identify potential partners, collaborators, and recipients.
3) Meet with agencies serving the homeless to explore providing services or connections to
resources such as job skills training and education support by June 2016.
3 In 2011, John Kania & Mark Kramer defined collective impact as the idea that “large-scale social change comes
from better cross-sector coordination rather than from isolated intervention of individual organizations.”
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/collective_impact
4 http://collectiveimpactforum.org/what-collective-impact
Santa Monica Public Library
Strategic Plan Bibliography
Bannon, Brian et al. The Big Shift: Public Library Strategies For Access To Information In Any
Format. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC Research, 2013. Print.
Brown, J.S. in Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries.
http://csreports.aspeninstitute.org/Dialogue-on-Public-Libraries. 2015.
California Department of Education. California Healthy Kids Survey Reports. Sacramento, CA.
https://chks.wested.org/reports. 31 July 2015.
California Department of Education. DataQuest [School Information]. Sacramento, CA.
http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest. 31 July 2015
City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment. Sustainable City Progress
Report: Community Education and Civic Participation. Santa Monica, CA.
http://www.smgov.net/Departments/OSE/Categories/Sustainability/Sustainable_City_Progress
_Report/Community_Education_and_Civic_Participation/Civic_Participation.aspx. 27 August
2015.
City of Santa Monica Wellbeing Project. Wellbeing Findings Data Briefing. Santa Monica, CA.
2015. Print.
Collective Impact Forum. What is Collective Impact. http://collectiveimpactforum.org/what-
collective-impact. 5 September 2015.
Cradle to Career Working Group et al. Youth Wellbeing Report Card: Santa Monica, CA:
2012/2013.
http://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/CCS/Youth_Portal/About/ReportCard.pdf.
31 July 2015.
Edge Initiative, Library Edge Assessment. 2015. http://www.libraryedge.org. 31 July 2015.
Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates. City Of Santa Monica Resident Survey 2013. 2014.
http://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Main/Resident_Survey_2013.pdf . 31 July 2015.
Figueroa, Miguel, ‘Forecasting the Future of Libraries 2015’ American Libraries, March/April
2015, pp. 28-31. Print.
Flora, Cornelia Butler & Flora, Jan L. Rural Communities: Legacy And Change. Boulder, CO:
Westview Press. 2013. Print.
Garmer, Amy Korzick. Rising To The Challenge. Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute,
2014.Print.
Hacker, Karen. Community-Based Participatory Research. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE, 2013.
Print.
Kotter, John P. Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review.
March-April 1995: 59-67. Print.
Kretzmann, Jody, and Susan Rans. The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories Of Community Building.
Chicago, IL: Urban Libraries Council, 2005. http://www.abcdinstitute.org/docs/ULCReport.pdf.
31 July 2015.
Lankes, R. David. Expect More. Syracuse, N.Y.: R. David Lankes, 2012. Print.
Levien, Roger E. Confronting The Future: Strategic Visions For The 21st Century Public Library.
Chicago, IL: ALA Office for Information Technology Policy, 2011. Print.
Libraries Transforming Communities: A Step-By-Step Guide To "Turning Outward" To Your
Community.. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
http://www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/sites/ala.org.transforminglibraries/files/content/LTC
GettingStarted_DigitalWorkbook_final010915.pdf. 31 July 2015.
IMLS Office of Strategic Partnerships. Museums, Libraries and 21St Century Skills. Washington,
DC: Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2009. Print.
Oldenburg, Ray. The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and
Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. New York, NY: Marlowe & Company: 1999. Print.
Powell, W. and Snellman, K. The Knowledge Economy. Annu. Rev. Socio. 30:199–220.
http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/kaisa/files/powell_snellman.pdf . 2004.
Queenan, Joe. 'In Praise Of Libraries'. The Rotarian March 2015: 37-39. Print.
The Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America. About Social Capital.
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/programs/saguaro/about-social-capital
Kania, John & Kramer, Mark. Stanford Social Innovation Review
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/collective_impact. 2011.
S ANTA MONICA PUBLIC L IBRARY
INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY T ASK F ORCE
S TRATEGIC P LANNING RECOMMENDATIONS
AUGUST 19, 2015
INTRODUCTION
“People may go to the library looking mainly for information,” writes sociologist Robert D.
Putnam, “but they find each other there.”1 An unexpected focus for an innovation
technology task force, but the Santa Monica Public Library is an unexpected kind of place. As
the purveyor of our community culture, it is a vessel for Santa Monica to define and express
itself and its aspirations.
Public libraries serve the entire public, from the already-connected to the not-yet-
connected, to those who do not yet know what connection could mean for them. Inspired by
the burgeoning creative economy--in technology, new media, and other ways for people to
find one another--we write to inform and enrich the Santa Monica Public Library’s strategic
planning process with policy, program, and process recommendations that, to paraphrase
City Manager Rick Cole, might further open the door to learning and advancement and
personal growth and community civic capital.2
1 Robert Putnam, Better Together: Restoring the American Community (New York: Simon and
Schuster, 2003), 49.
2 http://www.santamonicanext.org/2015/07/courage-tenacity-and-imagination-an-interview-with-
santa-monica-city-manager-rick-cole-part-ii/
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BACKGROUND
The purpose of the Innovation Technology Task Force is to provide insight, advice and
support to the Library regarding: (1) the role of technology and other forms of innovation in
21st century library services; (2) the technology needs of Santa Monica residents and
businesses -- especially students, adult learners and startup enterprise leaders -- that can be
met through innovative Library Services and 3) social innovation and technology-related
elements in the Library’s strategic plan.
The Task Force identified and considered a series of overarching questions during the period
April-June 2015, and in answering them has adopted, by consensus, the following set of
recommendations. It is hoped that the Library’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee will
consider them and integrate them into a bold new vision and plan for Library Services.
In addition to attending community forums and hearing from key stakeholders (including
members of the Library Board and the new Library Foundation of Santa Monica), Task Force
members reviewed the results of the Library’s 2015 Community Survey. Key technology-
related findings informing these recommendations included:
• Potential Services: 50-60% of respondents rated “collaborative working spaces” and
“maker spaces” as extremely important or important. Such services would mirror the
working and learning patterns of many technology users, at all ages and across
professions.
• Respondents under 50 and/or under 35, respondents who are infrequent Library visitors,
and respondents who do not have a library card all gave much higher ratings for potential
technology-related services, including “collaborative working spaces,” “maker spaces,”
and “hackathons.” Even though the rank ordering remained similar to that by
respondents overall, there was much more enthusiasm among these groups for such
services, including “smart boards” and audio visual production facilities.
• Demography: nearly all respondents to the Survey were existing Library card holders, and
a majority of respondents were over 50. Since the Task Force’s charge has been to
identify ways to expand the Library’s stakeholder base, the recommendations below are
intended to broaden the Library’s appeal beyond the core survey respondent group.
Overarching questions considered by the Task Force included:
• What are the community’s aspirations and core issues?
• How can we help to re-imagine the Library’s future?
• How can the Library become more relevant to young professionals?
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• How can the Library meet its users where they are, beyond existing built and online
facilities - how do we extend the Library outward?
• Who is coming to the Library? Who is being connected at the Library and who can we
additionally connect? Who can we bring here? How can we attract new users?
• What is the impact of the public’s perception as to who is working out of the Library and
what is the work that they are doing?
• What are the unique needs of various age groups and how can the Library simultaneously
address those needs?
• How can the Library harness resources from its surrounding community’s vibrant and
diverse creative economy?
• How do we leverage innovation and technology in Library services to address community
members’ needs? What does success look like in a year? Three years?
• How do we ultimately connect technology, innovation, community and learning?
• In addition to these questions, we explored human-centered design as a methodology,
design and planning tool that engages a cross-section of product and service users to
imagine and improve upon new possibilities for the library. “Design thinking,” as IDEO’s
Tim Brown has observed, “draws from the designer's toolkit to integrate the needs of
people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.”3
3 Tim Brown, President & CEO at IDEO, http://www.ideo.com/about/
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STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
1. As part of its commitment to community wellbeing (Strategic Focus Area 2), the
Library is the hub of a socioeconomically and culturally connected community,
bridging generations, addressing digital divides, and linking diverse languages of
learning, from text to code.
As a “third space” dedicated to accessibility and service to all, the Library is uniquely
situated to address equity issues related to technology and access to city services. It is a
natural agency for bridging the digital divide and improving digital inclusion. In so
doing, the Library can serve as a catalyst for grassroots social innovation by bringing
together a cross-sector of groups to create social good and build different forms of
community capital.
2. The Library’s physical and virtual technological infrastructure (Strategic Focus Area
3) meets Santa Monicans where they are, helps them achieve their goals, and shows
them new possibilities they hadn’t yet imagined.
The rapid pace, development, and adoption of technology, places a special demand on
the public library. More than just books and banks of computers, libraries are still
places where individuals gather to explore, imagine, interact, and produce. To stay
current, while also maintaining a tradition that dates back to Benjamin Franklin (whose
own library lent out scientific instruments), the Library must not only provide content
and access to expertise; it must also enable its users to develop and create their own
content, products and services, while having the access, the means and the
understanding of ever-shifting content distribution channels.
3. The Library is a center for lifelong, experiential and technology-driven learning
helping all Santa Monicans to flourish, especially people who live, work, and/or study
here (Strategic Focus Area 1).
The Library has always served as the “people’s university,” particularly for lifelong
learners, older residents, and career pivoters. In a time when education has become
increasingly expensive, public libraries provide information and educational
opportunities free for all people, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Libraries also
have a long history of serving the needs of students, local artists, entrepreneurs and
businesses. The Santa Monica Public Library can offer access to current technologies
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(primarily cost-prohibitive software), mentors and teachers, and thus continue to be a
source of learning and growth, especially for small local businesses, entrepreneurs and
career pivoters.
4. As an information & networking clearinghouse and gateway for Silicon Beach, the
Library has the infrastructure and capacity to create and sustain relationships
(Strategic Focus Area 4) with external stakeholders interested in developing
technology, connectivity, and pathways for a local, community-driven workforce,
while also bridging the digital divide.
At their best, libraries are hubs not only for residents but also for businesses and
community organizations. Citywide scale makes possible the democratization of access
to technology, information resources, and shared capacity (such as videoconferencing,
meeting space, and other tools). The Library can contribute to Santa Monica’s emerging
culture of civic philanthropy by endorsing partnerships with the Library Foundation of
Santa Monica, the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, the SMC Foundation, the
Santa Monica Arts Foundation, the Santa Monica Parks Foundation, and other civic-
minded groups.
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POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
Our recommendations carry policy implications, which cut across our recommendations. If
recommended by the Strategic Planning Committee and Library leadership, these policies
would be reviewed and considered for approval by the Library Board or, in the case of fees
and fines and budget requests, by the Santa Monica City Council.
1. In order to ensure the ongoing capacity of the Library to meet community needs and take
advantage of growth opportunities, seek (1) additional capital funding and (2) biennial
operational funding to bring the Library technology infrastructure up to date and
thereafter to maintain currency with developing technology equipment and practices.
This includes digital audio/video display and broadcast/streaming capacity in the Martin
Luther King, Jr., Auditorium, community and multipurpose rooms, and in co-
working/maker/digital media spaces, as well as adequate fiber to support these
purposes.
2. In order to ensure that Library constituents have equitable access to the Library and its
facilities to advance our purposes, review existing fee structures to the extent that
they may inhibit or privilege such access.
a) Reconsider library card fees, especially for non-residents, to ensure equitable
accessibility, especially for full-time students who go to school in Santa Monica
(preschool-college) and who are employees, partners, or contractors for Santa Monica
businesses.
b) Manage usage of Library study rooms as de facto free workplaces (e.g., college
examination tutoring) and consider implementing fee/permit structure similar to
those for commercial fitness trainers in Santa Monica parks. A model policy and basis
for an ordinance could provide as follows: “If you train, instruct, or lead a tutorial or
class for compensation - financial or in exchange for goods or services - in Santa
Monica's libraries, you are required to obtain a permit and follow the City's rules in
addition to obtaining a business license and police permit as applicable.”
c) Consider enabling Library facility rentals for private purposes consistent with the
Library’s mission and values, irrespective of the legal status of the renting entity, and
consider allowing renting entity to charge attendees under appropriate conditions.
3. To increase the appeal and competitiveness of Library facilities for community events
and tech meetups, consider relaxing alcohol restrictions to enable beer and wine to be
served under appropriate conditions (such as a book club with wine, or the Library’s
125th Anniversary Gala).
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M EMBERS OF THE I NNOVATION T ECHNOLOGY T ASK F ORCE
Gary Carter
Brent Cohen
Shawn Landres, Chair
Magalis Martinez
Wright Rix
Erin Tanenbaum
Viktor Venson
Winnie Wechsler
Justin Wedell
Matty Wilder
Kat Yalung
Marina Zdobnova
Paul Zhou
Staff Liaison: Maria Carpenter
Library Board: Marc Morgenstern
Library Foundation of Santa Monica: Antonio Spears
SANTA MONICA PUBLIC LIBRARY
STRATEGIC PLAN
Photo by Gina Clyne Photography
OUR TEAM
§Staff
§Innovation Tec h Task Force
§Exper t Guides
§Library Board
§Comm unity Members
COMMUNITY & STAFF INPUT
§11 Comm unity For ums –201
par ticipants
§Sur vey –1,983 par ticipants
§14 Staff Sessions
KEY FINDINGS & RECOMMENDAT IONS
§Library is a life-long lear ning and comm unity hub for all.
§Books are prized.
§Collaborative wor k & meeting spaces, improved
tec hnology,maker spaces & ar t exhibits are desired.
§Par tnerships with tec h comm unity, sc hools & comm unity
organizations are vital.
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS
§Vibrant Lear ning Center
§We llbeing Cultivator
§Dynamic Third Place
§Comm unity & Cultural Connector
Strategic
Fo cus
AreasBest
Practices
& Trends
Community
Feedback
Staff
Insights
NEXT STEPS
§Implementation Team
§Jump Star t Projects
§CIP Planning
Photo credit: Learn Do Share
HOPES FOR OUR FUTURE:
A LIBRARY TEEN COUNCIL VIDEO
TO LEARN & THRIVE, WE WILL WORK TOGETHER