Recommendation to request City Manager to establish a one month Long Beach Public Library Overdue Fines Amnesty Program from April 1, 2016 to April 30, 2016 that will support the recovery of circulation materials and provide the opportunity for patrons to return overdue books, thus restoring their library borrowing privileges at the twelve branches of the Long Beach Public Library system.
Next item. Communication from Councilmember Dunga, Councilwoman Gonzalez, Vice Mayor Lowenthal, Council and Council Member Richardson. Recommendation to request the city manager to establish a one month Long Beach Public Library Overdue Fines Amnesty program from April 1st, 2016 to April 30th, 2016, that will support the recovery of circulation materials and provide the opportunity for patrons to return overdue books. Councilman Turanga Yeah, I would like to have a staff report on this. Please show us. Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council, council member, Urunga, this is something that we've been in discussion with your office about. This is something that has happened and an amnesty program has been done at other libraries, including the county library system. We do have a number of books that are outstanding, that are materials that we would like to recover. And so we're prepared to move forward with this. We've been looking at the numbers and we believe if we target those books and the fines that are having to do with books that are actually going to be returned, that this would be a very good thing for the city and we could recover our property and then we would waive those fines. That maximum is about $5.60, I believe. So we think this is a good thing and we're prepared to implement it if the council agrees. Thank you. Councilmember Richardson. It's customary, Ringo. Thank you. First of all, I want to thank Glenda Williams for the the staff report and for working with us on getting this to to pass it back to my staff just right now gave me a book that was just returned today, and it was first checked out of February 1st, 1983. So imagine the lines on this. So it's going to work? I'm sure it is. Oh. Well, you know, my wife has I just got a notice in a letter today. My wife has some books overdue, so there is a vested interest in this. But other amnesty programs across the US have been very successful. For example, the city of Chicago earlier this month had 20,000 books returned during their amnesty program, and the city of Berkeley last November netted over $30,000 in weight fees and returned city property. We are looking for similar successes here in Long Beach that the story that needs to be told is that an overdue library book suspends your borrowing privileges. So returning the library book also restores your library privileges. The Long Beach Public Library has undergone a tremendous amount of modernization and programing for its patrons. The Overdue Fines Amnesty program provides our residents with the opportunity to return to the library. Of the almost 16,000 items that are overdue, approximately 65% are from teen and juvenile items items that are needed back in circulation for our young people. And this book is called Box in Love. So I'm guessing it's a teenage book. But then again, I don't know, I have an R rating on it, so I'm going to guess it's rated G. So I'm hoping that residents will take the time to participate in this program and return to enjoying the services that a great library system provides. And I hope that I could have the support of my colleagues on the site. Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. Actually, Councilman Richardson. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Councilmember Arango, for bringing up this item. I think it's really timely. I think, you know, folks know we're really excited about our new library that's going to be opening in North Long Beach. So anything anything that gives us an opportunity to encourage people to go out and get their library cards or update their library cards in advance of that, I support it. And I would say that if anybody wants to join, we have a challenge going on in North Long Beach three with RECs challenge where we want to increase readership. Right now, on average, we do about 5000 books a month. Books are items checked out of our library and we want to, over the course of 100 days, increase our readership by 10,000 books or items checked out. So sorry for jumping on your item and saying that, but it was too, too close for me. For me, not it was too tempting. Councilmember Thank you so much. And I'll be voting in support. Councilwoman Gonzalez So I had the pleasure of being at the library for the last two days, helping run our DG camps and teaching these kids how to code. And then many of them said, you know, I asked them, raise your hand if you have a library book and or a library card, and most of them raise their hand. But one of them said, I do have a library card, but it has a ton of fines on it. And I'm really embarrassed to to come back to the library. I'm here, but I'm embarrassed to come and bring my books back. And so I said, don't worry, I think we have a solution for you if it passes. And so it's you know, these are middle schoolers that work. You know, they live about ten blocks away from the main library. And so his issue was that it was too far, you know, for him normally to come back and drop off the books. And now, you know, he has an opportunity to do that. And I know a lot of places have a day or a week. I'm glad we're looking at one full month for residents. And I think Glenda, for all of her amazing work at the library and all of your staff is just incredible working with them for two full days. It's just been really amazing. But I think this will be a great program. Now, as far as outreach, so many of our residents know these information will be in different languages because I know that, you know, in the Washington neighborhood and other neighborhoods, I'm sure, you know, those parents would like to know whether it's my or Spanish that they can do this . Thank you. Any public comment on the item? That was my question. I'm sure it's going to sound like a question, but they had a question mark. Great. Thank you. Councilmember Gonzalez. Yes. We will have this in different languages. It's going to coincide with a national library month. And we're just about ready for that. So we'll be able to add this information to all of our promotion. So it's just very timely and very happy to do it. Wonderful. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you. Public comment. Are you too quick as the address? I think it was a great idea. Chicago has done that before. I was there in 1972 when they did it. And the response was so big they had to shut down the library system for three days. So many books had been cut that come up, so forth, or we're overdue. A suggestion in terms of the outraged has just hit me now and I can understand a situation where a library is several blocks from many blocks, and particularly if they have to go through shooting fields to get there. Maybe a an arrangement can also be made with the local schools, like where that person where they go to school every day and they then can take that book to their library where our library can make the requisite arrangements to pick it up and so forth. That might be a solution. But overall, I think it's a great program should be done. But think about having the kids that are don't want them tracked down to their library because they feel is too much of a distance or whatever. They have to go to school, take it there and do their school library and interface with ours and take care of it that way. Thank you. Senior, the public comment please cast your votes. Motion carries.