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PVLD DIRECTOR’S MONTHLY REPORT – November 2019 A highlight of programs and services of the Palos Verdes Library District from Director Jennifer Addington
- Honoring Veterans - The Peninsula Center Library hosted the premier of a very special program dedicated to collecting audio and
video stories and expereinces of our local military veterans – Veteran’s Voices. Adult Services librarian and
Archivist Monique Sugimoto and Adult Services librarian Tim Parker led this initiative and completed the
creations of ten videos. The collected videos premiered for the community with over 50 people in attendance.
Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office provided certificates for the participating verterans, including our own
dedicated book sale volunteer Gene Roeder, PFL Library Shop Manager and PFL Board member Peter Sweers
and PFL Board member and incoming PVLD Board of Library Trustee Bob Parke. Also featured were Louis
Dominquez, Richard Freeman, Richard Dennen and Daniel Waintraub. Board of Library Trustee Brian
Campbell was on hand to hand out the certificates. Monique and Tim plan on making this wonderful program
an annual event to coincide with Veteran’s Day each November. Thank you to all who participated!
The completed videos are available for viewing at https://pvld.org/celebrate/honoringveterans
The annual Art in Our Library Community Art Show Opening Reception was a great success! The 15th
Anniversary of this fun community event was hosted at the Peninsula Center Library, and featured beautiful
works of art from 96 artists, from painting to sculpture to photography. At the Opening Reception prizes were
awarded for honorable mentions, 3rd, 2nd and 1st place. Thank you to Max Presneill, Director of the Torrance
Art Museum for being our judge this year and to musician Dan Levin for our musical entertainment. Nearly
every department was involved in some aspect of the show including Adult Services, Circulation,
Administration, Finance, and Facilities and ensured not only a successful show, but a meaningful experience
for our community’s artists, many of who were showing their work in public for the very first time. A big
thanks to Adult Services Assistant Manager Lessa Pelayo-Lozada for her coordination of the event and to Adult
National Guard Reserve Officer and PVLD Trustee
Brian Campbell and Army veteran and incoming
PVLD Trustee Bob Parke.
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Services Librarians Deb Ripley and Dennis Piotrowski, Branch Manager Eve Wittenmyer and Assistant Branch
Manager Jennifer Chaffey and Executive Director of the Peninsula Friends of the Library, Colleen Cotter for
their help the night of; and thank you to Executive Assistant Tami Bender, Senior Administrative Assistant
Brenda Sibert Administrative Assistant Shaun Garzon for working with the artist submitting their work.
Everyone working together made this year’s art show such a success!
Our winners this year were:
Honorable mentions: George Chirinian for Capri Harbour, Isabella Dileva for Italia, Guillermo Madrid for Wake Up, McKinley Pieper for Scrimmage, Monique Saul Duinker for Remnants, Monique Saul Duinker for Vibrant Labyrinth, Katherine Sheehan for Trickster Coyote and the Butterflies that Flew Over Walls, Sari Staggs for Young Dancer, Reese Stame by Betta of Blue. Third place winners: Michael Cinnamond for Live on the Edge and Stacy Yoshimitsu for Adventures of the Yoshimitsus. Second place winner: Janelle Cabrera for Eleanor. And a big congratulations to our first place winner, Jared Schwartz for his bold red and black illustration, Pull
My Finger. Congratulations to all of our winners and to all of our participating artists!
The one award not given out just yet is the coveted People’s Choice Award which will be awarded at the
conclusion of the show in early January. Patrons have until December 31 to vote as many times as they want
for the art piece of their choice so make sure you stop by, check out all the art and VOTE!
Community Connections
PVLD librarians were out in the community this month visiting our patrons. Deb and Circulation Clerk Lubna Muttalib visited the Belmont Village Assisted Living facility where they interacted with ten residents, and several staff members, checking out 15 books and magazines. They made one resident’s (birth)day by bringing her special art magazines to enjoy. She was heading out for a birthday lunch but couldn’t wait to dig in. They
Library Director Jennifer Addington, 1St Place Winner
Jared Schwartz and PFL Executive Director Colleen Cotter
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also had the opportunity to share the Books By Mail program and information on the Braille Institute with a resident who is scheduled to be going home in December and her caregiver. Adult Services Librarian Laura Ishizaka and Dennis helped 18 patrons with 35 checkouts this month at The Canterbury. In addition to the regular pop up library service, Laura was asked about other services and information to bring by including DMV booklets, DMV practice questions, and information about upcoming programs. Dennis and Leti visited the Terranea resort to review the collection housed there and discovered it may have been moved from public view so Leti is going to follow up and make sure it’s something the resort still wants. We sure hope so! Leti worked with the LA County Registrar’s office to have a Ballot Marking Device (BMD) demonstration for the new voting procedures that will be implemented all over LA County in 2020. Patrons were able to practice using the new touch screen voting machine during the on-site demonstration. New Voting Information sessions discussing changes with the new voting process also took place at the Malaga Cove Library and Peninsula Center Library in November. Setting up classroom visits at local schools is no small feat, requiring a number of emails and calls but School Outreach Librarian Michael Barb still managed to visit a lot of classrooms in November. He saw 120 students at Dapplegray Elementary and 62 at Lunda Bay Elementary. He’s still working the phones to set up December visits as well! The little ones got some librarian love as well with Young Readers Assistant Manager Marisa Perley hosting 51 at her Hesse Park Storytime and ten at the Nature Center. Young Readers Librarian Emily Ohara had 59 at her Little Fish Tales Storytime at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center. A wonderful community collaboration is coming together as representatives from AAUW, LWV, the PV Democrats, the PV Art Center, the Girl Scouts, PV Land Conservancy and PVLD staff from both the Adult and Young Readers Departments all participated in the planning process for the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration in 2020. Programs for the library and the PV Art Center have been finalized although we are still looking for participants to march in our Suffragette Reenactment Parade in March. If you are interested or want more information, please contact Adult Services Manager Leti Polizzi at [email protected]. Services to our Patrons
Fold3 is a new database offered by the library that provides convenient
access to military records, including the stories, photos, and personal
documents of the men and women who served. The Fold3 name comes
from a traditional flag folding ceremony in which the third fold is made
in honor and remembrance of veterans who served in defense of their
country and in hopes to maintain peace throughout the world. Check it
out at www.pvld.org.
Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration committee!
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We’re super excited to announce that the Kids’ Catalog is now live! Digital Services Manager David Campbell, Digital Services Librarian Erik Adams and Young Readers Manager Laura Henry worked to complete the catalog which will allow patrons to search titles in the Juvenile and Young Adult collections only. As you can see in the image below the site is bright, fun and far more appealing to our younger patrons. Patrons access the new catalog by clicking on the KIDS block graphic on the regular PVLD catalog homepage. It will also serve as the starting page on all library terminals in the young reads area.
Check out the new page at:
https://www.pvld.org/kids
Along with the new kid’s catalog, check out the redesigned KIDS page on the PVLD website. Part time Young
Readers Librarian Kate Rao worked to rebuild the page, updating all the information and adding newly created
booklists. A big task! There are now over 30 booklists to help kids, parents and teachers find books by genre,
themes, reading levels and grade levels. Young Adults Assistant Manager Louise Beebe and Teen Librarian
Megan Durazo not only helped with the Young Readers lists, they also updated ten Young Adult booklists and
carousels on the Teen page. Booklists are invaluable for reader’s advisory and to help kids, teens and parents
navigate our excellent – but extensive – collections! Great job librarians!
The Books By Mail service continues to get wonderfully kind notes thanking the library for giving time and
attention to homebound patrons who would otherwise not have access to library materials. No matter the
number of books sent out, everyone is cherished and I’m so thankful to the staff who make this program
happen!
The Information Technology Department put together new phone charging kits for the circulation desk at the
Peninsula Center Library. These kits allow patrons to check out a phone charger for use in the library. Now you
don’t have to worry if you left your changer at home and that pesky little battery symbol is down to one bar!
I believe that one of the core services we can offer our community is a well trained staff. We send staff of
every level to trainings, webinars and conferences to ensure we are up to date, well informed and able to
assist in every way possible. PVLD has always been very fortunate to have staff in IT and Digital Services with
the skills to handle almost any technology issue, including with the recent transition to a new Integrated
Library System (ILS). Erik attended the SirsiDynix Symphony API: Regional Workshop I course in Washington
D.C. this month where he learned how to access the core programming components of the Symphony system
using the command line. The class is was detailed and opened up a lot of additional opportunities for the
library. Of the 13 in the class, he was the only student to have attended the course once before. Good job Erik!
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Deputy Director Ryan Roy met with representatives of the Peninsula Friends of the Library in order to discuss
plans and best practices for implementing change in the Miraleste Library’s book sale. Every PVLD Library has
an ongoing book sale and while it might be smaller, the Miraleste Library has a great one. Check it out the next
time you are there….the next 2nd Sunday’s at MIR perhaps?
In an effort to enhance customer service and ensure consistent communication at our service desks at the
Peninsula Center Library Leti, Laura H. and Circulation Manager Ketzie Diaz have formed the PC
Communications Cohort. They have just started but they are well on their way to ensuring that all library
public service desks are working in sync to provide the very best customer service to our patrons. I know I’m
looking forward to the good work that is to come.
Reference and Reader’s Advisory
Just a sample of some of the great interactions that happen at the reference desk:
Leti helped a patron make copies of his passport who wanted a specific size, format and definition that our
copy machine could not meet. She introduced him to the Scannx scanner and demonstrated how to use it and
how easy it was to edit and then email the image exactly to his specifications. He was very happy and highly
complementary to the library! He mentioned he was from Europe and while they have some marvelous
libraries, they are stuffy and full of only books where this library in particular is always so nice, open and
welcoming with so many options of magazines. He said he has been living in this community for many years
and each year when he receives his tax breakdown, he never questions the portion that goes to the library
because it was worth it, in his opinion “100% of the taxes should go to the library.” Thank you kind sir!
Dennis and Monique helped a patron find genealogical records digitized within the Family Search website.
When they determined it didn’t have what he needed, they directed him to the local Family History Centers
nearby in Torrance and Palos Verdes that provide access to the exact affiliate records he wanted. He visited
the center and contacted us later to thank us for the referral. He had never heard of the local centers and was
thrilled to save himself further trips to the LA FamilySearch Library in downtown Los Angeles!
Dennis received a challenging question from a doctor researching artificial intelligence and telemedicine. He
demonstrated the various digital and peer-reviewed resources the library has as well as external sources,
including the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The patron was quite satisfied and said that he had no idea all
of this was available through the library and elsewhere. Another reason why you ask a librarian – they know
stuff!
Laura I. received stacks of informational brochures from the Federal Trade Commission on identity theft,
medical identity theft, and Equifax claims to share with our patrons. We also received a very generous amount
of brochures and fans from the LA County Department of Social Services about their CalFresh program. The
more information we can make available to our patrons about benefits and services available to them, the
better!
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Library Programs and Events
The library programs in November were as busy as ever with the ongoing events getting great attendance. The
LA Opera presented a program on The Magic Flute to an engaged crowd earlier in the month and the book
clubs were in full swing.
At the Peninsula Center Library, Laura I. led the Fiction Addiction Book Club participants in an informative and
interesting discussion of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Circulation Clerk Susan Deo hosted the Novel
Ideas group in a discussion on the National Book Award-winning novel/memoir in verse, Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson.
While the Book Club in a Bag sets continue to be popular, some of the sets are not circulating as well as
others. Deb is looking to change out a few titles and see if the new offerings will be more to book clubs liking.
If you are interested in trying a new thing with your groups of friends, why not a book club? With the Book
Club in a Bag – it’s grab and go!
The Classics @ Noon movie showing came back to Peninsula Center this month and had a special Veteran’s
Day screening of the 3 hour The Best Years of our Lives. Congratulations for those who stayed for the whole
thing! The Ciné-Monde film had 66 patrons attending two showings of the Emily Dickenson biopic A Quiet
Passion. The audience was very receptive to the new schedule for films starting January 2020. We will now
show varying titles on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 3pm and 6pm.
This month was chocolate tasting at the 2nd Sunday @ MIR event and, as anticipated, it was a huge hit.
Marsatta Chocolate hosted the workshop with a variety of chocolate blends including cacao nibs, a 100%
cacao bar and everything in between.
A great crowd for chocolate tasting!
The Malaga Cove Library’s monthly Celebrating History program welcomed Milton
Boudov who presented his talk, Home Port San Pedro, The Pacific Fleet in San Pedro
Bay. Branch Senior Page, and program organizer, Kendel Cornwell reported it was
much enjoyed by the crowd of regular patrons.
Milton Boudov at the Malaga Cove Library
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The 2019 PVLDWiMo programs were a great
success with over 230 attendees at the various
events. A total of 8 programs, 4 workshops and
4 write-in sessions were held. Even the write-ins
held at the Miraleste and Malaga Cove libraries,
had 15+ attendees and three patrons actually
attended two writing programs in one day! Now
that’s dedication! As in previous years, we will
be printing an Anthology of everyone’s work to
be available for participants at the anthology
reading on January 18, 2020.
Congratulations to all the participants and to
Deb for all her work in coordinating!
Branch Clerk Christian Gherke shared an update on the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics'
special event at the Malaga Cove library titled, Space Tourism. The one-day space extravaganza drew over 75
visitors and included numerous guest speakers such as Dr. Thomas Spilker, John Spencer and Virgin Galactic
test pilot Dave "Mac" Mackay. The meeting concluded with a panel discussion and a Q&A moderated by Prof.
Madhu Thangavelu. This was the first group to use the brand new audio-visual system in the Gallery to show
videos and do presentations. Many members of the audience commented on the size of the new screen and
the nice setup of the new projector.
In early November Ryan hosted an in-house event demonstrating to staff the capabilities of PVLD’s recently-gifted Lulzbot Mini 3D printer, as well as virtual reality technology as it may be applied to libraries. The VR environments impressed everyone, and PVLD librarians expressed interest in the possibility of incorporating virtual reality into future programming. Exciting new possibilities! Young Readers Librarian Katrena Woodson survives a close encounter with a great white shark during a deep ocean dive in virtual reality.
Local History Center (LHC) Although we don’t always accept donations of furniture, you can never have enough nice metal blueprints and plans flat filing cabinets! The Local History Center accepted a flat filing cabinet to store the architectural plans and drawings accessioned recently and send a big thank you to the Facilities Department for arranging pickup!
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The LHC docents Alison and Anu are continuing the newspaper clipping and copying project and are now up to the 2007 newspapers. A committed daily volunteer, Anu is also helping with cleanup of smaller projects. Thank you Anu and Alison! In addition to continuing the cleanup of the obituary index, volunteer Sue is taking the lead on creating a program for part of our Women Suffrage Centennial Celebration. She will be researching women on the Peninsula who have made an impact on the lives of our community members. It’s wonderful to see how this event is bringing together so many people from so many areas of the library and beyond. The LHC had a visit from Dr. Endo, a retired Sociology and Asian American Studies professor from University of Colorado, Denver. Dr. Endo is researching people who were detained at Tuna Canyon during WWII and came to see if any of the “40 Families” records hold information on the topic.
It should be no surprise that our local newspaper often
comes in handy for the most unlikely of requests. This
month we got a request for a newspaper article from a
former resident looking for an article on the capture of
thieves who stole her bicycle in 1971. The article made the
front page! Thanks to Local History Center volunteer and
Peninsula Center Clerk Ashley Evangelisa-Mendiola for her
detective work.
The officers found the bike 30 minutes after it was
reported missing – wow!
The Local History Center is asking for volunteers who have worked in the aerospace industry to share their
stories. If you know of any friends or family that might fit the bill – please let them know and ask if they might
be willing to participate in this new oral history project. For more information, please contact Monique
Sugimoto in the Peninsula Center Local History room.
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Programs and Services for Kids and Teens
Young Reacher Librarian Katrena Woodson took the helm for the Friday
Afterschool Fun programs in November. She kicked off the month with a
Dia de los Muetres craft, a sugar skull mask, and then moved into Dino
fun. Hard to tell which activity was the most fun, but the kids sure
enjoyed the scavenger hunt and seeing just how long a Triceratops was.
Storytime By the Numbers
Total of 49 sessions with 2103 patrons attending Peninsula Center Library - 25 sessions, 1153 attending
Malaga Cove Library - 16 sessions, 636 attending Miraleste Library - 8 sessions, 314 attending
The students had a great time with Katrena afterschool at the Miraleste Library. She created crafty opportunities for them to make lanyards, geodes and origami stars. Creating geodes at the library!
The kids got a real kick out of this book whose GIANT fold out
pages showed how long a Triceratops was!
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After evaluating the floorplan changes from last year here at Peninsula Center, the Young Readers librarians determined that they could make the Young Readers section more user friendly for kids and parents. Picture books are the highest circulating collection at PVLD, but the organization by author makes it tough to find favorite subjects kids might want like dinosaurs or princesses. To assist with this, the librarians will be creating a few smaller sections for such subjects that are easy and quick to locate. They will also be weeding out-of-date issues or copies in poor condition. At the same time they will evaluate titles to ensure the best collection fit and if it seems the book really belongs in a different collection, like Folk Tales, the books will be moved. They hope to finish this very hands-on project by the end of January.
Annex and Teen Programming
Annex Door count: 412 in November
Annex Movie night: 3 sessions with 60 kids attending
The NaNoWriMO teen writing contest was a big success! Nine teens wrote based on prompts Megan and
Louise provided like: “Doom blanketed the town, like silence might have on a more peaceful night.” They
received 25 entries throughout the month! As a finale of the contest, the teens who entered will join Megan
and Louise in a Skype conversation with popular author Jennifer Donnelly. Good job everyone!
Work is continuing on the teen corner at the
Peninsula Center Library. Louise and the
Facilities Department implemented her new,
graphic design for the columns, which looks
fantastic. The IT Department is working on
the tech portion of the project and we are
hoping to have the computer bar up and
running soon.
Branch Manager Eve Wittenmyer took advantage of the quieter period during Thanksgiving week and worked
with IT’s Network Systems Administrator John Jakobsen to set up the new Xbox at the Miraleste Library. It’s
not quite as simple as just plugging it in because the IT Department needs to lock the console down to prevent
access to the internet and downloading of unapproved games and movies. The library has started a new
Video Game Friday program that is already a huge hit! Eve reported it was a great way to end the week with
the teens.
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Technology and Web Services
The IT Department issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the upgrade of the Gallery’s Audio-Visual (A/V)
System at the Malaga Cove Branch in August. Four bids were returned to PVLD and evaluated in September
and the work was awarded to the company GST of Cerritos.
Information Technology Manager Laszlo Latkoczy and his team, the Facilities Department and the vendor all
made very nice progress in October and November with all work being completed outside an additional
request. The request was to install outdoor speakers in the Olmstead Garden, adjacent to the Gallery space.
This required the Facilities Department to core holes through the concrete to run cabling, a project we were
able to do in-house. The whole project should be complete by the end of December. Although we’ve already
had one smaller event with the new equipment, staff will be attending a comprehensive training in December
on the new system. This is wonderful upgrade to the space benefiting future programs and social events like
weddings.
As Laszlo said about the project… “all in all, nice progress, on
schedule, and within budget.” Now, that’s what I like to hear!
The new GIANT screen! Movies at Malaga Cove will never be
the same….
The IT Department also continued to upgrade the Wi-Fi network with full force in November. Some new APs
(Access Points) were installed at the Peninsula Center Library and the new mini IDF (Intermediate Distribution
Frame) was installed on the third floor. Also, cabling, including fiber-optic cabling, was completed in
November. The fiber-optic cabling was not easy and a big thanks to Facilities for significantly assisting with this
task. With Facilities manager Daniel Gutierrez’s guidance, the facilities staff were able to pull most of the cable
themselves, and needed an outside vendor only to finish the fiber terminations and complete the uplink. Now
IT is waiting to receive and set up the new Cisco switch for the mini IDF. Great job everyone!
Mini IDF installed in the stairway by the team.
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PVLD Wi-Fi network
Total number of sessions on network for November 2019 = 11,998
That’s 400 connections per day!
Number of unique devices for November 2019 = 3,788
Library Materials – Check them out!
For all you television and movie buffs out there - it is now possible to renew DVD's and Blu-Ray's online! The
fee will automatically be added to your account and patrons can either pay online or pay the next time they
are in the library. Library policy is to allow up to 30 renewals (as long as there are no holds) so there is plenty
of time to finish that multi-season television series.
The Peninsula Center Circulation pages noticed that the oversize shelving area was unsafe due to the books
being crowded onto only 2 shelves. Because these items are very heavy, it is difficult for a patron to pull
books off the shelf without the rest tipping over and off of the shelf. Circulation Page Carol Mohle shifted and
spread them onto three shelves, with the largest items laid on their side on the bottom shelf. It looks much
better and is now much safer to browse.
Ketzie is exploring a new feature in our catalog that allows groups of patrons to link their accounts
together. Many of our patrons like to pick up their family members holds or pay their bills and this feature will
formalize that process. She is hoping to have this go-live in January. She’s also working with the social media
team to create a marketing campaign to promote all of the features patrons can access related to their
accounts. This includes signing up for an online account, receiving emails and text message notifications, using
our app, and linking accounts. We know many patrons don’t realize how much functionality they really have
and it’s our job to fix that. Be on the lookout for more information on how to fully manage your library
account soon!
Easier to access and safer for everyone. Thanks all!
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Ensuring patrons are informed on the details of their accounts is always a challenge but sometimes the
process of informing them is a great one. Circulation Clerk Hannah Miller shared how she gets a real kick out
of patron reactions when they ask how many books they can check out and she says 100. They usually start
laughing and then ask, "Has anyone ever checked out 100 books?" Or, they'll say, "Oh, I guess I'm good, then!"
And YES, patrons have taken 100 books all at one time!
Technical Services Clerk Adan Becerra is working with some of the PFL Internet Sales volunteers to train them
on the disc cleaning machine. With the increase in audio visual materials going to Internet Sales the staff
needs help keeping up with cleaning the discs. A high school volunteer Gloriana has been doing a great job at
this but as she’s a senior this year, it’s time to train more folks! Thanks Adan for stepping up and to the Friends
for managing such an active online sales storefront!
Technical Services Serials Clerk Tobin Stevens is working with regular morning volunteer Ed Vasquez to input
data into our catalog to track and monitor magazine subscriptions. This data will help with electronic claiming
of missing issues, but it will take some time to enter the information. Thankfully Ed is here a few days a week
but it’s a long and somewhat tiring process. Thanks to both of them for making it possible to have the amazing
magazine collection we do.
Earlier in the year, Laura I. met with Reed Strege, Director of Library Services at the Braille Institute and invited
him to attend the November Adult Services Department meeting to share resources and services available at
the Braille Institute. The Adult Services Department decided to formally partner with the Braille Institute and
will now be receiving one book on tape reading machine and a collection of 20 books on cassette to circulate
to our patrons. While patrons who sign up to be a part of the Braille Institute program can receive their books
on cassette in the mail, we thought it would be good customer service to have some on hand for the patrons
who would like to browse and take something home the same day. It’s a wonderful service and one I look
forward to seeing in practice.
Managing the library collection is a huge task that every librarian has a part in and we look for tools to assist
all the time. Thankfully, a product called Collection HQ is now back up and running. All our material data is
now in the catalog system and properly programmed. The librarians can run lists of titles needing attention
from old items, items to be deleted, titles not circulating and more. To ensure our collections are the best we
can make them – it takes a village!
Library Facilities
While assisting IT with the new audio/visual equipment project, Daniel found that our district was out of
compliance with the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). Being a public funded organization we should
have been registered and reporting all projects being performed that are in excess of $30,000. The DIR records
the work and makes sure that employees of contractors are being paid the proper rate for public works jobs.
Thanks to Daniel, we are now registered with the DIR and can supply the proper registration numbers to our
vendors and contractors on large jobs. This helps to have an overview of our partners and make sure they are
fallowing the proper labor laws for the work they are performing for our District.
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The Facilities team noticed that there was a foul smell at the Silver Spur driveway entryway and some sign of
rodents. After investigating they found that it was coming from the berries growing on the palm trees in the
planter. They removed them and both the smell and rodents have disappeared from the area.
The smells continued and when visiting the Malaga Cove Library, Daniel reported smelling a bit of gas in the
small closet located in the staff kitchen holding the furnace for the Community Room. After investigating and
calling out an HVAC vendor, they were able to find the leak located inside the furnace and repair it.
After the last rain, Facilities found that one of our drainage pipes that goes to the roof was broken. Thankfully,
the crew was able to fix it in-house at a minimal expense. The team refurbished and rebuilt new book shelves
in the book sale area for our volunteers and repaired cap stones on a planter that must have been hit by a car
while no staff was on site. Unfortunately, we have had many incidents of vehicles hitting walls, pipes, stations
and even lights in the second level parking garage, causing varying degrees of damage. More than not, they
simply drive away, leaving us to discover the damage later. Most of the time we can repair it ourselves, but it
can be expensive. We recently had a vehicle hit a light fixture that cost hundreds of dollars to replace!
Incidents
We had nine incidents in the month of November. One was a medical emergency that required us to call 911
and resulted in the patron being taken to the hospital. We had two patron falls, neither of which required
medical attention and were relatively small occurrences. The other six had to do with patron behavior and
disturbances mostly involving teens and middle schoolers. Our Incident Response Team is investigating and
working to follow up with counselling and reinforcement of our Code of Conduct.
Franklin Portillo getting down and dirty with some old palms.
Saul Cerda fixing the cap stone.
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Administration
A great group of people gathered to say good bye to Board of Library Trustee President Debby Stegura, whose
term expired this month. Debby is stepping off the board and transitioning into a fascinating (and busy!) role
as Alumni Regent for the University of California. Debby will be greatly missed by the entire Peninsula
community and we wish her all the best in her new adventures! Good luck Debby!
In early November Passport Agents from all 3 locations were invited to gather together for a team lunch. In
addition to gathering for games and conversation they had an opportunity to discuss changes, answer agent
questions, and to recognize Finance Director and former Passport Manager Julie Mattix for her amazing work
with developing and cultivating Passport Services here at PVLD. Thank you Julie - we appreciate you!
PVLD had back to back visits from representatives of the Passport Agency at all three of our locations to
ensure that our processes and procedures are in line with their requirements. We had a very successful visit
and are pleased to report that we passed inspection at all three locations! Thank you to Jennifer C. and Branch
Clerk Jesse Wolfe for serving as Passport Agents during these visits and for assisting with this process at
Malaga Cove and Miraleste. And a huge thank you to Administrative Assistant and Passport Supervisor Brenda
Sibert for ensuring that all three of our passport locations remain inspection ready each and every day! Great
job team!
Passports were very busy the Monday-Wednesday before Thanksgiving as local districts were off of school.
We are anticipating a similar rush next month with winter breaks.
This month’s totals:
Passport Services Revenue- $14,525 (415 appointments)
Passport Photos Revenue- $5,205 (347 photos)
Proctored Exams Revenue- $450 (9 exams)
Consistent issues with the Poynt payment machine we use for credit card transactions were causing problems
at all locations, from freezing in the middle of transactions to loading for a ridiculously long time to beeping
for no reason. The machine is similar to a smartphone and so we think they are starting to show their age, like
phones often do. Senior Accountant Panhchapoa Phay ordered new ones for all branches and with the help of
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IT, set them up and delivered them across the District. All departments will be keeping an eye on how they
work.
Staff Kudos and Updates
We were very pleased to welcome new Finance Manager Will Liu to our team
on November 21. Will is working closely with outgoing Finance Director Julie
Mattix over the next few weeks to soak up her knowledge and prep to take over
the role officially after her retirement at the end of December.
Welcome Will!
The librarians were out sharing our professional community in a variety of ways. Lessa spoke to UCLA’s Public Libraries class about Adult Services and participation in professional associations and reported they were an eager group with lots of great questions! Monique continued her monthly attendance with the California Digital Library Exhibits Board. The Board recently approved an exhibit of World War I military hospitals which will be posted in early 2020, and is finalizing guidelines for exhibit suggestions. Lessa attended the APALA Executive Board meeting, the ALA Executive Board meeting, and chaired the Steering Committee on Organizational Effectiveness meeting. Ryan spent few hours with Melissa Potter, the Assistant Director of the Burbank Public Library, to share ideas and experiences as part of a networking assignment from her management team.
In late November we held our 3rd annual Staff Appreciation Breakfast. Staff from all 3 branches are invited to
this once a year event for breakfast dished out by our Management Team. This early morning gathering has
become a November/December tradition and a great way to bring together staff from each and every
department for a wonderful meal and an opportunity to get to know each other. We are so thankful to our
PVLD staff for their service to our library community!
Library managers working the line – Laura H., Jennifer A., Leti, Laszlo, Daniel, David and Mary
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Staff Pay It Forward Award Winner
Franklin Portillo
Coming up!
Peninsula Friends of the Library Murder Mystery Night, Till Death Do Us Part, on February 14, 2020 is already
SOLD OUT! Add your name to the waiting list at the PFL website at https://www.pvldfriends.org/
Young Reader’s preschool storytimes and activities continue through the December holidays but the
department will take a short break from Friday Afterschool Fun to offer programs at better times for families
during Winter break.
The Peek into The Past Fashion Show will take place at the Peninsula Center Library on December 14th at
11:00am and then again at 2:00pm. Built around the American Girl historical dolls, this annual event
demonstrates how girls dressed, played, and grew up throughout American History. Participants (kids and
their favorite adults) make a craft, enjoy lemonade and cookies and socialize too.
Puppetry Workshop on December 27. Renowned puppeteer Allison De Frees will mentor kids as they make
puppets from everyday items and then write and perform their own puppet shows. A great winter break
activity!
Happy Noon Year program on December 31st. Adult Services and Young Readers are hosting an all-ages party
to celebrate the New Year.... at 12 noon instead of midnight!
Legomania program on January 3. On the last Friday of winter break, kids will be ready for some creative fun
with the library’s Lego Blocks and Lincoln logs.
PTAC has some fun things in the works for 2020 including two great events: A Spelling Bee and a Tiny Food
Party. Also Louise and Laura H. spoke with PVPUSD Coordinator of Student Mental Health and Support, Dr.
Last month's recipient, Deb Ripley, has this to say about Franklin: Franklin is always so helpful, going out of his way to make sure things are set up for our programs on top of all his other duties. We often work together Thursday evenings when I'm showing a film. He's there making sure things are ok at the start and then checks in at the end to make sure folks are leaving, so I can too, even though he has a lot to do so he can get out of here at a reasonable time.
Congratulations Franklin!
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Trista Ramirez, who shared information on PVPUSD’s Positive Behavior programs and other resources and
support. They got some great ideas and insight and are hoping to look more closely at ways PVLD can parallel
and utilize the techniques.
Eve and her team have already booked the 2nd Sunday’s at Miraleste programs for January – October 2020
with a great lineup of presenters.
The Malaga Cove Library has an art class coming up in January to go along with the PADA exhibit going up in
December. Paul Blieden, an experienced photographer and curator, will give a presentation about digital
photography. He will touch on composition, shooting techniques, equipment and post manipulation of images
as well as share his photos.
The Women’s Suffrage Centennial group is hard at work planning a whole array of
programming for 2020 including an author talk from Susan Ware, author of “Why
They Marched”; a Suffrage Reenactment Parade at the Peninsula Center library;
special exhibits at the PV Art Center and a free concert by the PennyRoyal Players
courtesy of the AAUW. There will also be a kid’s obstacle course and scavenger
hunt. Young Adults will also be hosting a sash making event before the parade.
Friday Afterschool Fun resumes in January with Marisa taking the lead role: crafts with foil, Chinese New Year, the science of windmills, and a Superheroes event (conducted by part time librarian Antonio Walker) Our K-5th grade crowd are going have a lots of fun! Healthy Screen Habits - Marisa and part time librarian Kathleen Johnson are working with speaker Amy Adams from Healthy Screen Habits on an event on January 29, 2020. They will answer questions and support parents on issues like introducing screens, creating limits and considering the quality of screen time for children. Summer Reading 2020 Planning is underway! The Young Readers Department is changing vendors for graphics
this year from iRead to the Cooperative Summer Library Program (CSLP). CSLP seems to offer more options
and they like their theme of Imagine Your Story. Megan is already designing the patches and Adult Services
and Young Readers are working on plans for the kick-off and weekly programming. Young Readers is going to
use stickers for Riddle of the Week prizes, which will be fun for the kids and will decrease the library’s use of
plastic toys and trinkets. Yeah!
The Young Adults librarians are hosting a series of book groups in January 2020 for
super reader teens interested in being reading influencers for their fellow teens.
Sessions will be held on January 27, 28 and 29 in the Peninsula Center conference
room at 4:00pm.
Living History Museum- PVLD and its partners are getting ready for our 2nd decade of The Living History of African American Heroes. This program supports the research process, promotes diversity, encourages social justice and awareness for children of all backgrounds and unites us all to understand American History.
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Planning for the Winter Concert Series featuring a variety of musical performances is underway.
……and more!!
~ Check out the online calendar for more information on all upcoming events! www.pvld.org/calendar ~
