UPDATE: Bakersfield and Frazier Park, CA (Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 12:10)—The Kern County Board of Supervisors has asked County Administrative Officer John Nilon, who submitted the plan below, to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new and better plan for securing public input regarding libraries and possible privatizing of management. For the time being, the scheduled outreach meetings are shelved. It appears at this time that County Administrator John Nilon will not be here at the Frazier Park Library on May 8. See this week’s issue of The Mountain Enterprise newspaper for more about the debate raging around these issues.

One of the groups protesting privatization, Advocates for Library Enhancement (ALE) is holding a panel discussion and organizing meeting at the Beale Memorial Library in Bakersfield (on Truxtun Avenue) on Monday, at 5:15 p.m.

_________________

Process for Public Input on Library Privatization Released

Bakersfield and Frazier Park, CA (Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 2 p.m.)—Privatization of the Kern County Library management has become controversial for many who are concerned about the role of the library in the life of the community. This is a first look at a report given to the Kern County Board of Supervisors by the county administrative officer regarding how they plan to seek input from Kern County residents regarding the privatization plan. A public meeting will be held at the Frazier Park Branch Library on Friday, May 8 at 6 p.m.  The document is reproduced here.

Kern County Administrative Office
County Administrative Center
1115 Truxtun Avenue, Fifth Floor • Bakersfield, CA 93301-4639
Telephone 661-868-3198 • FAX 661-868-3190 • TIY Relay 800-735-2929
Board of Supervisors
Kern County Administrative Center
1115 Truxtun A venue
Bakersfield, CA 93301

REPORT ON PLAN FOR SOLICITING
PUBLIC INPUT ON KERN COUNTY LIBRARY SERVICES

Fiscal Impact: None
jOHN NILON
County Administrative Officer
April 21, 2013

The following report is a plan developed by the County Administrative Office for soliciting public input on Kern County Library services. As discussed by your Board during the March 17, 2015 meeting, the County will engage residents through a community survey and a series of community meetings. Also planned, is an important collaboration with Library staff. The County Administrative Office is seeking guidance not only from your Board, but participation from the public regarding approaches to gathering information and feedback.
In order to have productive collaboration with Kern County citizens and employees, the purpose of this partnership should be clear. After a thorough review of the comments, letters and initial feedback concerning Kern County Library services, the purpose of this collaboration has been defined accordingly:

To facilitate a partnership between Kern County government, its communities and Library employees in sharing ideas and responsibility for improving Library services in Kern County. It is hopeful the focus will remain on what programs and services best serve Kern County’s communities and identifying potential solutions to maintain and increase those programs and services.
Community Survey
The purpose of the survey is to collect as much information as possible from a broad sampling of our
community. The intent is to gather feedback from not only regular library users, but those who use the
library less frequently or not at all. The goal is to provide a framework for what services and programs
Kern County communities would like to see from their local Library branch. It is not to advocate a
specific idea, program or policy, but to gain a better understanding of the community’s needs. This can
serve as a valuable tool to help guide the development of programs and services. Kern County Library
staff greatly assisted in drafting the survey, which is included as Attachment A.
Employee Collaboration
Collaborating with Kern County Library employees is an important step in identifying gaps in programs
and services and discovering potential solutions. As the front line to patrons of the Kern County Library
system, employees can provide valuable input and feedback related to programs and services through
their contact with citizens to supplement the survey data. Employees can also form work groups to help
develop solutions to specific issues brought up by citizens, and help determine options for meeting the
Board of Supervisors demands of the community. The meetings with employees will be informal with an open dialogue. The County Administrative Office is working with Library management to schedule m~etings that are
accommodating and flexible to ensure all staff have an opportunity to attend and provide input.
Community Meetings
The third critical step is to conduct meetings with community residents. The objective for these meetings
is to establish a collaborative effort, foster an open conversation for the quality of Libraries in their
communities and to allow time for constructive input without seeking “a single solution”. This will allow
for County staff to synthesize survey data and feedback from community meetings and provide the Board
with a more fully informed perspective on the options moving forward. Below is a draft schedule for
community meetings over the next four (4) weeks. More communities can and likely will be scheduled
based on your Board’s direction and demand from the public. Translation services will also be available
at these meetings

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION

On March 17, 2015, your Board directed the CAO to solicit public input on Kern County Library
services; this letter provides a three phase approach and timeline to achieve this objective. We expect a
summary letter to be submitted to your Board for consideration in June 2015.
Therefore, IT IS RECOMMENDED that your Board receive and file the report, discuss the identified
strategy and provide direction.
County Administrative Officer
JNIJW: AD~I Lilnrin Public lnput_20U
Attachment A
LIBRARY SURVEY QUESTIONS
Section 1: Demographic Profile
1. What is your zip code?
2. Please indicate your age group:
10-14 15-19 20-24 25-34
45-54 55-64 Over 65
3. Do you have children under the age of 18 living in your home?
Yes
No
4. Where do you have access to a computer?
Home School Work
Section II: Library User Profile
Library
35-44
Other
1. Have you visited a public library or bookmobile in the past month?
Yes
No
No Access
2. How frequently have you physically visited a public library or bookmobile in the past year?
Every day
Several times a week
Once a week
Several times a month
Once a month
Several times a year
Once a year or less
3. How frequently have you visited the Library’s website?
At least weekly
Several times a month
Once a month
Several times a year
Never
4. If you don’t visit a public library regularly, please tell us why (circle all the reasons below that apply to you)
I.n adequate parking
Library’s appearance
Inconvenient location
Use school library
Unfriendly staff
Purchase books online
· Not enough new books
No transportation
Use college library
Too formal
Please specify other reasons why you don’t visit the library.
Visit bookstores instead
Inconvenient hours
Not enough time
Use home computer or device
Adds no value to my existing resources .
5. People have many different reasons for visiting a public library. Some of these reasons are listed below. (Please
circle all that apply to you)
Books for adults
Pick up held items
Materials in Spanish
DVDs
Read or relax
Use wireless internet
Ask for research help
Attend and Adult program
Summer Reading
Books for young adults
Audiobooks for adults
Genealogy/Local History
Magazines and newspapers
Check e-mail
Look for jobs/apply for jobs
Ask for computer assistance
Attend a children’s program
Meet with tutor/Tutor students
Please suggest additional reasons why you visit your library.
Books for children
Audiobooks for children
e-books or e-audiobooks
Buy books from book sales
Use library computer/internet
Quiet place to work
Homework
Attend a story time
6. Which public libraries have you visited in the past year (circle all that apply)?
Arvin
Baker
Beale
Bookmobile
Boron
Bryce Rathbun in Oildale
Buttonwillow
California City
Clara M. Jackson (McFarland)
Delano
Eleanor Wilson’
Frazier Park
Holloway-Gonzalez on Brundage Lane
Kern River Valley
Kern River Valley Bookmobile
Lamont
Mojave
Northeast
7. How do you usually get to the library? (Please circle all that apply)
Car Bicycle Bus Dropped off
Other (please specify)
Walk
Ridgecrest
Shafter
Southwest on Ming Ave.
Taft
Tehachapi
Wanda Kirk (Rosamond)
Wofford Heights
Library not in Kern County
==
·—————————
8. Do you read books or use materials in language(s) other than English?
Yes
No
9. If yes to question 8, in which language? Which languages would you like to see represented at the Library?
10. What library hours would you like to see? Please specify. For example, “Evenings until 8 PM, Sunday
afternoons”
11. If you are not currently an active user ofthe Kern County Library syste~ (2 times a year or less), please identify
any other area(s) of interest not identified in this survey that would increase your usage:
12. Rank in order of importance what might make you want to visit the Library more often:
Tablet/Laptop Checkout
Check out video games
Donate money for specific items on a wish list
A cafe in the library that sells soft drinks and snacks
More meeting rooms/study areas to do homework or other work
Wifi accessibility and charging stations for smart phones/tablets
13. Do you have any further comments or recommendations for the County concerning the Kern County Library
programs and services?
Books for children
Audiobooks for children
e-books or e-audiobooks
Buy books from book sales
Use library computer/internet
Quiet place to work
Homework
Attend a story time
6. Which public libraries have you visited in the past year (circle all that apply)?
Arvin
Baker
Beale
Bookmobile
Boron
Bryce Rathbun in Oildale
Buttonwillow
California City
Clara M. Jackson (McFarland)
Delano
Eleanor Wilson
Frazier Park
Holloway-Gonzalez on Brundage Lane
Kern River Valley
Kern River Valley Bookmobile
Lamont
Mojave
Northeast
7. How do you usually get to the library? (Please circle all that apply)
Car Bicycle Bus Dropped off
Other (please specify)
Walk
Ridgecrest
Shafter
Southwest on Ming Ave.
Taft
Tehachapi
Wanda Kirk (Rosamond)
Wofford Heights
Library not in Kern County
,
·—————————
8. Do you read books or use materials in language(s) other than English?
Yes
No
9. If yes to question 8, in which language? Which languages would you like to see represented at the Library?
10. What library hours would you like to see? Please specify. For example, “Evenings until 8 PM, Sunday
afternoons”
11. If you are not currently an active user of the Kern County Library system (2 times a year or less), please identify
any other area(s) of interest not identified in this survey that would increase your usage:
12. Rank in order of importance what might make you want to visit the Library more often:
Tablet/Laptop Checkout
Check out video games
Donate money for specific items on a wish list
A cafe in the library that sells soft drinks and snacks
More meeting rooms/study areas to do homework or other work
Wifi accessibility and charging stations for smart phones/tablets
13. Do you have any further comments or recommendations for the County concerning the Kern County Library
programs and services?

This is part of the April 17, 2015 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.