TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Jill Bourne
AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: February 22, 2022
Approved Date
2/24/2022
COUNCIL DISTRICT: 3
SUBJECT: DONOR RECOGNITION IN THE CALIFORNIA ROOM AT THE DR.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. LIBRARY
RECOMMENDATION
Approve specific donor recognition opportunities, located in the California Room at the Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.
OUTCOME
The San José Public Library Foundation (Foundation) will accept a $600,000 gift from Margaret and Phillip Ma to enhance the news resources collections in the California Room.
BACKGROUND
On March 23, 2004, the City Council approved Council Policy #1-17, “Revenue Generating Policy: Fundraising, Sponsorship and Contribution Guidelines.” The Policy requires that departments work with the City Attorney’s Office to develop guidelines for fundraising programs and related donor recognition, and that the City Manager review and approve these guidelines. On October 29, 2004, the City Manager approved the Library Department’s Guidelines for Contributions to the City of San José and Recognition of Donors for the Library Fundraising Campaign. The Guidelines include the recognition opportunities for the Branch Library Fundraising Campaign and state that the City Manager must approve recommendations for specific donor recognition in Library facilities. On December 14, 2004, the City Council authorized the Library to grant donor recognition in libraries for a term longer than one year.
Contributions that exceed the City Manager’s contract authority must be approved by the City Council.
COUNCIL AGENDA: 3/8/22
FILE: 22-259
ITEM: 2.11
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 22, 2022
Subject: Donor Recognition in the California Room at the Dr. Martin Lither King, Jr. Library
The Foundation conducts fundraising and donor stewardship activities on behalf of the Library.
To date, the Foundation has raised $600,253 for the specialized local history collection known as the California Room. The California Room is a publicly accessible archive that maintains documents and materials related to California and San José history, ethnic groups and indigenous peoples, statehood documents, the City’s articles of incorporation, founding bylaws of Silicon Valley companies, historical maps and records, and hundreds of other materials on related topics.
ANALYSIS
The Foundation is prepared to receive a $600,000 gift from Margaret and Phillip Ma, given in loving memory of Susan Renzel Carter.
The contribution will be used to fund both the digitization and ongoing digital rights to more than one million pages of the Mercury News, San Jose's newspaper of record. Library customers will have digital access to editions published between 1950 and 1984 which are currently only accessible by using a single microfilm machine available in the California Room.
The expansion of digitization for San José’s newspaper of record will significantly enhance access to our local history by allowing for more productive research, optimized text search capabilities, and other access and functional needs capabilities for customers with visual impairments or other challenges.
In accordance with the Branch Library Fundraising Campaign and Council Policy #1-17, the donor recognition of $600,000 from Margaret and Phillip Ma is recommended for approval. In the 2021-2022 Mid-Year Budget Review adjustments adopted by the City Council on February 8, 2022, $510,000 of this gift was recognized as grant revenue that would be received by the Library from the Foundation for the purpose of acquiring the digital collection. The Foundation will retain an administrative fee from the gift. Any funds remaining will either be retained by the Foundation for future purchases on behalf of the Library, or transferred to the Library under a separate action.
CONCLUSION
This action allows the Foundation to accept funds on behalf of the Library, specifically to support the purchase of digital rights to the Mercury News and other enhancements to the resources provided by the California Room.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Information about the expansion of digital records in the California Room will be included in future reports on the special collection.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 22, 2022
Subject: Donor Recognition in the California Room at the Dr. Martin Lither King, Jr. Library
CLIMATE SMART SAN JOSE
The recommendation in this memorandum has no effect on Climate Smart San José energy, water, or mobility goals.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City’s Council Agenda website for the March 8, 2022 Council Meeting.
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the City Manager’s Budget Office
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION/INPUT
The Foundation makes annual reports to the Library and Education Commission to review activities undertaken on behalf of the Library. This action has not been reviewed by the Commission.
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-009, Staff Reports, Assessments, Annual Reports, and Informational Memos that involve no approvals of any City action.
/s/
JILL BOURNE
City Librarian
For questions, please contact Michelle Ornat, Deputy Director of Public Services:
[email protected].