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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10172006 - C.86 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS � E,sE L"'°� Contra FROM: JOHN CULLEN, County Administrator 's e ulna Costa DATE: OCTOBER 17, 2006 �p �PCoU my OS ---- rA couK'� SUBJECT: 2005/06 ANNUAL REPORT FROM BOARD ADVISORY BODY $ to SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: RECEIVE Fiscal Year 2005/06 Annual Report submitted by the Public Law Library Board of Trustees. BACKGROUND: On June 18, 2002, the Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 2002/377, which requires that each regular and ongoing board, commission, or committee shall annually report to the Board of Supervisors on its activities, accomplishments, membership attendance, required training/certification (if any), and proposed work plan or objectives for the following year, on the second Tuesday in December. Annual reports shall follow the following format and shall not exceed two typewritten pages: Advisory Body Name: Advisory Body Meeting Time/Location: Chair (during the reporting period): Staffperson (during the reporting period): Reporting Period: I. Activities (1/2 page) II. Accomplishments (1/2 page) III. Attendance/Representation . (1/4 page) IV. Training/Certification (1/4 page) V. Proposed Work Plan/Objectives for Next Year (1/2 page) CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: ■ YES SIGNATURE: ❑ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ❑ RECOMMEN ATION O B ARD COMMITTEE ❑APPROVE ❑ OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON I ( OCo APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED�OTHER ❑ VOTE OF SUPERVISORS: I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED C UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AYES: NOES: ON THE DATE SHOWN. C ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTESTED: jI �/,� 0 Contact: JANE PENNINGTON(925)335-1900 JOHN CULLEN, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR cc: MACEO TROTTER,COB LAW LIBRARY STAFFPERSON By: Deputy a Annual Report of the 0P�1 Public Law Library Board of Trustees C. County of Contra Costa, State of California Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2006 TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA Pursuant to §6349 and §6350 of the California Business and Professional Code and GASB 34, the Board of Trustees of the Contra Costa County Public Law Library ("CCCPLL") respectfully submits to your Honorable Board its annual report on the condition of its trust for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006. Executive Summary During difficult times the CCCPLL imposed strict measures succeeding in keeping the library in the black. The increase in filing fees authorized by the Board of Supervisors has made it possible to begin to return to more normal operation and management as well as to begin setting aside funds for use in establishing a facility in the new East County Courthouse. Introduction The CCCPLL was organized under statutory provisions of the California State Legislature. The library is located in the A.F. Bray Superior Court Building and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Use of the library's collection is free to all who enter the library. The staff of the library works to provide appropriate resources to meet the legal research and information needs of all library patrons. The goal is to provide current legal materials in a timely manner so everyone may have equal access to justice. The CCCPLL is governed by a Board of Trustees that is responsible for establishing library policy and fiscal budgets. The board meets monthly and the meeting is open to the general public. The library receives its funding by collecting a portion of the civil filing fee. Currently, each civil filing may generate for the library a fee of$32.00, $16.00 or $8.00, depending on the number of parties in a case. A fee of$2.00 is also received from Small Claims filings greater than $5000. Fees, however, can be waived if a litigant meets the appropriate criteria. A small amount of additional revenue is received from copies, faxes, and pooled earnings. The Governor approved the creation of a Task Force to examine the state of county law libraries and to make recommendations regarding funding and facilities (AB1095 2004). The Task Force Report was presented to the Legislature in May 2005. No action has been taken to date. The Trustees are concerned that a future decline in number of civil filings may dramatically impact future revenues. All county law libraries in the state are experiencing similar problems. -1- Board of Trustees The Board of Law Library Trustees was composed of the following members on June 30, 2005: Honorable Barry Goode (President) Judge, Superior Court Honorable Harlan Grossman (Vice President) Judge, Superior Court Honorable Jill Fannin Judge, Superior Court Honorable Joyce Cram Judge, Superior Court Honorable Susanne Fenstermacher Judge, Superior Court David Del Simone (Secretary) Attorney Mark Armstrong Attorney The Honorable Leslie Landau resigned December 31, 2005 and was replaced by the Honorable Susanne Fenstermacher on January 1, 2006. The Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Gail Uilkema, reappointed Mark Armstrong, Esq., as the ex-officio trustee for the Chair of the Board of Supervisors. David Del Simone was reappointed by the County's Internal Operations Committee by way of a recommendation from the CCCPLL Board of Trustee's Selection Committee. The Contra Costa County Bar Association was represented by Scott Reep, Esq.. Naomi Little has served as Recording Secretary since October 2, 2004 when the Library Director retired. Staff No replacement has yet been hired the for library director. Staff was asked to take on additional duties until a decision could be made regarding the hiring of a Library Director. The Board hired an HR consultant to evaluate this issue and continues to work with the consultant on all staff issues. Law Library Staff VACANT Naomi Little Carol Thompson Robin Moore Judy Gooch Then3sa Ritfs Asst Admin. Lib.Assistant Lib. Assistant Lib. Assistant Loose-leaf Filer (RefJCat.) (Web/Tech.Ser.) (Richmond) (Contract PIT) The library staff is vital to the success of the law library and cannot be replaced by the Internet or bookstores as they are specially trained in legal reference research. The staff also undergoes constant training as technology and laws continuously change. As an ongoing effort to better serve citizens, the law library staff interacts with court staff and other community agencies to offer the patrons additional community resources beyond the basic print collection. -2- Community Resource Adequate and timely legal information is an essential tool for legal research in a convenient and useful format. Because legal information of many sorts is needed, the library must try and provide a well-rounded collection. Members of the local legal community depend on the CCCPLL for legal publications ranging from statutes, case law, learned treatises, practice manuals, and drafting aids. Many expect their county law library will provide them with materials beyond what they themselves can afford. They expect these materials will be conveniently accessible so they may utilize them without undue expense to their offices or their clients. Visiting attorneys expect that the public law library will be able to furnish them with materials that aide in their research while their office or local library is inaccessible. Citizens of Contra Costa County expect their county law library will provide them with general information on the statutory, administrative and case law which impacts their daily lives. The exploding numbers of citizens who wish to represent themselves expect guidance in finding useful information that will help them navigate their way through the court system as they attempt to bring their cases before the court. Condition of Trust As with other California county law libraries, revenue flat-lining is a big concern. During the past few years, the CCCPLL had experienced a drop in its revenue. In the last two years the CCCPLL has seen a small surplus begin to build. This surplus resulted from the $3.00 fee increase approved by the Board of Supervisors effective both January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2006. The Trustees are bracing for increases in book costs, staffing costs, and overall operating costs. Any significant fluctuation in the PERS actuarial rates may create an unexpected drain on the Trust Fund. The CCCPLL has managed to build up a small reserve due to strong cost cutting measures, the fee increases and the fact that a full-time law library director has not been hired since 1999. The CCCPLL hopes to increase awareness in the general public of the main branch in Martinez, the Richmond branch, and additional community resources. Finally, the CCCPLL needs to address the issue of how it continues to operate within its constraints and remain relevant to the legal community and the public. The library is addressing some of these issues through its Strategic Plan's goals and action plan. Revenue In addition to filing fees, the library trust is augmented with interest earnings and miscellaneous revenue received through its photocopy service, fax receipts/transmissions, document delivery, and the selling of used books. This additional income amounts to approximately $30,000 per year. During the 2005/2006 fiscal year, the CCCPLL received total funds of$764,280 and spent $686,077. The continued conservative fiscal policy allowed the library to end the year on a positive note. The Board of Trustees continues to exercise fiscal responsibility by maintaining a six- month reserve for the library's operations. -3-. Expenses Consistent with other years, the main expenses of the library have been the maintenance of the collection and personnel costs. Most of the operational expenditures have been for the resources used to support the collection, e.g., theft protection, signage, computer terminals, etc. and getting caught up on deferred maintenance. The library continues to experience increases in property insurance, liability insurance, health insurance and retirement plan expenses. Subscription costs continue to increase despite the fact the collections are merely being maintained. These costs have escalated substantially due to publisher mergers and the specialization of the material. A breakdown of the CCCPLL's expenditures is presented below: Law Library Expenses: 2004-2005 Equipment Insurance 4% % 11 Personnel Personnel ®Operations 39% 11 Collection Collection 0 Equipment Operations 4% ■Insurance 52% 4 Property Added this Fiscal Year Martinez Quantity Property 1 New public computer Richmond Quantity Property N/A No new additions Collection The titles in the library's collection increased slightly this year and the library has been able to keep it current through its online subscriptions. The library does not circulate the books in the collection. Over recent years, the CCCPLL has carefully examined the collection and a number of esoteric titles have been eliminated. There has been a diligent effort to build up the California law collection and ensure its currency. The primary goal of the library is to maintain the titles most commonly used by the patrons. When available, Internet sources supplement the in-print resources in the library. This online solution will continue to be an issue with some patrons due to the computer information gap primarily caused by age, income, and educational level. The library staff continually requires training so that they can assist the public with internet sources and other applications. Four years ago the Judicial Council reported that 4.3 million litigants in the State of California were pro per(self-represented). The library has been working and is continuing to work with the Contra Costa County Courts and the Contra Costa County Bar Association to support their efforts in educating and supporting the public who have chosen to represent themselves. Pro per materials have been added to the library's collection, as well as the addition of personal informational training sessions on how to use the Internet to locate some of the online sources, e.g., forms, self-help centers, etc. Books (This number and includes all reporters as well as treatises) 2831 volumes withdrawn 893 volumgs added 35,390 volumes in collection as of 6/30/06 New Books (New titles, also includes new editions of former titles) 74 volumes (part of the 893 volumes shown above 5 Public Access Terminals (Internet Access) Five (5) terminals available for the public for research — Martinez One (1) additional terminal provides access to the public library Catalog-Martinez One (1) terminal available for the public - Richmond Online (Internet) Services Lexis Shepards Westlaw Fastcase HeinOnline LLMC Court Forms (used with Adobe Acrobat or Word Processing software) Treatises (some of these titles had formerly been available in CD-ROM format) Hard copies for a large number of treatises, that are available online, were cancelled over the past two years, thus the library's dependency on online resources is continuing to increase. Microfiche . The law library now subscribes to LLCM which is in the process of converting, both print and fiche into an online digital format.) 128,924 fiche in the collection CD-ROM (most titles accompany books and contain forms) 205 titles in the collection Current Year Developments Staffing No replacement for the Library Director has been hired. Upgraded Technology The Board of Trustees approved both an upgrade and increase (of 1) in the number of public access computers. Staff computers and the main printer were also upgraded 6 during the 2005/2006 fiscal year. The Board of Trustees also replaced the staff copier and leased two new public copy machines. Online Library Catalog & Web Presence The online catalog usage is on the increase, this allows patrons to review titles in the collection from home as well as at both library locations. The library's web page is updated regularly and provides its users with a convenient list of selective Websites, access to AskNow (virtual legal assistance on the Internet), a list of the library's new books, its monthly agenda, and its minutes. The CCCPLL is seeing a steady increase of users. Richmond Library The Richmond Library is continuing to find a solid user base. A Public Access terminal with access to the Internet and legal databases is now available and is heavily used. Electronic resource use There is an increasing demand in the library for additional terminals for public use. The library added one public computer in 2005/2006 bringing the total number of public access computers to five. The library has had to restrict online access time on the public terminals to 90 minutes per person per day. The library continues to offer wireless access to the Internet with print capabilities. Capital Improvements The Board of Trustees had the walls painted and the carpet replaced in the main body of the library. The library had not performed any capital improvements since it moved into the AF Bray Courts Building some seventeen years ago. Future Plans The Board of Trustees continues to assess the conservative measures they have taken in the recent past to minimize or eliminate any adverse impacts on the effectiveness of the law library within the County. 7 Staffing The Board of Trustees continues to consult with a Human Resource firm to address staffing issues. Collection The Board has begun reinstating some of the more popular titles that were previously cancelled. Upgraded Technology It is expected that the fax machine and the server will have to be replaced in the next fiscal year. The replacement cost is estimated to be $10,000. Deferred Maintenance The Board of Trustees would like to replace the carpet and paint in the areas that were not done in 2005/2006. These spaces have not been addressed since moving into the AF Bray Courts Building some seventeen years ago. It is expected that these capital improvements will cost approximately $20,000. Workshops The Board of Trustees and its Strategic Plan Committee hope to offer workshops on popular legal procedures as well as informational workshops on legal issues. The Strategic Plan Committee is hoping to collaborate with other county agencies and local non-profit agencies in offering relevant legal information and workshops to the general public. This is being done to help support and educate the self represented litigant. In order to accomplish this goal, the Board of Trustees would again find it necessary to seek an increase in its share of the civil filing fee. Possible Branch Library in East County The Board of Trustees is hopeful that the new East County court house will accommodate a branch library or self-help center. Due to the growth in East County, this library would provide citizens with current legal materials in a timely manner, so everyone may have equal access to justice. Concurrent with the anticipated increase in the library's share of the civil filing fee, the Trustees have started to accumulate reserves to assist with this possible expansion. 1 8 Conclusion During the 2006/07 fiscal year, the CCCPLL will continue to monitor revenue trends and limit expenditures. The Board has established a Strategic Planning Committee that will continue to conduct a needs assessment and ensure that the library meets the needs of the community. Strong efforts have already been put into place to increase the library's service level and to market these services. The vision of the CCCPLL is to be "a significant county law library that commits itself to excellence in service." In keeping with that vision: The Contra Costa County Public Law Library strives to provide an environment that is conducive to learning and research; provides knowledgeable service to our users; promotes the use of progressive and innovative technologies to provide best access to information and resources; develops steadfastly a committed staff that applies high professional standards in the continuous improvement of service quality. 9 Annual Report of the Board of Law Library Trustees County of Contra Costa, State of California Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2006 TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA The undersigned, Recording Secretary of the Board of Law Library Trustees, County of Contra Costa, State of California, respectfully submits this report of the finances of the said trust and other information as might be of interest, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, based upon information provided her by the Auditor-Controller of said County and Arlene K. Mose, CPA hired by the Board of Trustees of the Law Library, all information she believes to be true. Signed Naomi Little Recording Secretary Contra Costa County Public Law Library Board of Trustees STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA Naomi Little, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: That she is Recording Secretary of the Board of the Public Law Library Trustees, County of Contra Costa, State of California, that she has read the attached report and knows the contents thereof, and that she believes it to be true. Subscribed and sworn to before me this /4tday f Z�✓- 2006. Signed Judge Barry Goode President Contra Costa County Public Law Library Board of Trustees Annual Report of the Board of Law Library Trustees County of Contra Costa, State of California Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2006 TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA Pursuant to §6349 and §6350 of the California Business and Professional Code, the Board of Law Library Trustees respectfully submits to the Honorable Board its annual report of the condition of its trust, with full statements of all property and money received, the number of books, periodicals and other publications on hand, the number added by purchase, gift, or otherwise, and other information as might be of interest for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006. Respectfully submitted this 10 day of "�— 12006. Ud2-� Judge Barry Goode, President Public Law Library Board of Trustees County of Contra Costa, State of California Annual Report of the Board of Law Library Trustees County of Contra Costa, State of California Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2006 TO STEPHEN YBARRA, AUDITOR-CONTROLLER COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA Pursuant to §6349 and §6350 of the California Business and Professional Code, the Board of the Public Law Library Trustees respectfully submits to the auditor of the county its annual report of the condition of its trust, with full statements of all property and money received, the number of books, periodicals and other publications on hand, the number added by purchase, gift, or otherwise, and other information as might be of interest for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006 Respectfully submitted this day of azri,,r a 2006. Naomi Little Recording Secretary Contra Costa County Public Law Library Board of Trustees