TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Jennifer Patterson, Library Director
DATE:March 14, 2023
SUBJECT: Library Circulating Materials
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Authorize expenditure in an amount not-to-exceed $600,000 in FY 2022-23 for Library circulating materials (books, databases, periodicals, electronic books, audio books, etc.) from A/C #110-7220-673-32-31 (Materials, Circulating Books) for the following vendors: Ingram Library Services LLC (St. Louis, MO), Overdrive Inc. (Cleveland, OH), Gale Cengage Learning Inc. (Farmington Hills, MI), Baker & Taylor Inc. (Atlanta, GA), Midwest Tape (Holland, OH), and CALIFA Group (San Francisco, CA).
2. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Minimal staff time required to prepare the report and $600,000 is included in the Adopted FY 2022-23 Library Fund Budget.
BACKGROUND:
Books are exempt from the City's Purchasing Ordinance as indicated by Thousand Oaks Municipal Code section 3-10.105(b). As a form of transparency to City Council and the public, this report is provided annually to inform City Council of potential purchases with the vendors named above.
The breadth and depth of the Thousand Oaks Library's physical and digital collection is something that patrons have cited as one of its best features. In the library industry, the quality of the public library is judged based on its collection. To provide the wide variety of materials in the Thousand Oaks Library, staff purchase collection materials from a variety of sources: publishers, retailers, and vendors.
These outlets provide several services, from supplying just the item requested to
Library Circulating Materials
March 14, 2023
offering "value-added" features like library cataloging information, spine labeling, and radio frequency identification tagging, making it easier to place the items directly on the shelves from the moment they are delivered. Such additional services help reduce staff time necessary for labor-intensive tasks associated with maintaining the Library's collection.
Ingram, Overdrive, Gale, Baker & Taylor, Midwest Tape, and CALIFA are leading book and online content vendors offering large and diverse selections of print materials, reference, electronic books, and audiovisual items to public libraries and other outlets. For libraries, they also include tools useful to staff in helping to manage the Library's collection and assist librarians in building a robust Library collection.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Library staff routinely evaluates vendors providing collection materials to ensure the City receives the best return on investment. Having multiple vendors allows for flexibility to procure popular, high-demand items, and lesser-known, more niche publications and materials to support a well-rounded collection. The Thousand Oaks Library subscribes to several electronic databases and purchases a substantial portion of physical content from these vendors. These purchases occur throughout the year as materials become available and to meet the community's information and entertainment needs.
By continuing the Library's relationship with such vendors, staff efforts shift from mundane tasks to added-value tasks and enhance the Library's service to the public.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
A. Create a more equitable, accessible, safe, welcoming, and inclusive government and community regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, language, education, and/or socio-economic status.
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
G. Continue City's commitment to community and cultural programs and services (such as Performing Arts/Theatres, Libraries, TOTV, Visual Arts,Youth and Senior Library Circulating Materials
March 14, 2023
Programs).
H. Participate in public-private and multi-jurisdictional opportunities to ensure residents have access to high levels of parks, recreation, education and leisure programs and services.
PREPARED BY: Alina Savulescu, Accounting Specialist
Samantha Yeung, Library Division Manager
LIB:950-10\H:\Common\Administration\StaffReports\031423LibraryCirculatingMaterials.doc