Nov 14: Meeting with Department of Planning Development Human Services
11/14/1996
City of Cambridge Department of Planning & Development, Human Services
Minutes of Meeting, Thursday, November 14, 1996
In attendance: Stephanie Ackert, Fred Berman, Aelia Parker-Kelleher, Len Thomas, Gaston Poufong, Nancy Daniels, Margaret Lauritson-Lada, Cynthia Abalt, Mario Morency, Ken Barnes, Susan Mintz, Ellen Davis, Kitty Jerome, Jack Vondras and Karen Carmean of Library 21
To provide access to all the people of Cambridge and to insure that we manage our resources well, Library 21 is gathering information from as many groups as possible about what the people want.
What would you like in the library?
A. Community Activity Center
- Cyberkids programs for lots of kids one at Cambridgeport School was well oversubscribed
- Programs so parents can interact with kids
- How to read to kids- program for parentsí needs
- How to pick out appropriate materials for kids
- Lots of events and activities to call attention to the library and help people to think about it and bring them there so they understand that it is for them- need activities especially at the branch library
- Events to tie into books available in the library
- Afterschool programs at branch libraries so more formal function of after school use of branches and main library
- Structured activities after school
- No games allowed
- No playing around in library because it disturbs others
- We need community centers all over but they donít have to be at the library
B. Community Information Center
- Careers, Resources and materials for other things besides colleges so there are other choices
C. Formal Education Support Center
- Packages of materials are available for a month for teachers to use- need same service for ESL
- Branch libraries all available for after school homework help in local neighborhoods all over city- doesnít have to be in library but needs to be somewhere
- Students need to do homework
- Librarians need to help kids with homework
- Cambridgeport School has no library- just about 200 books and they need a link to the library and greater access to books
- Homework help after school
D. Independent Learning Center
- Training room with computers
- Computers not terminals
- Classroom with computer teachers
- Use MIS folks to teach, not outside contract teachers
- Teach kids Macs and PCs
E. Popular Materials Lending Library
- Packages of materials are available for a month for teachers to use- need same service for older people
- Computer use available after school
- Video collection of resources for health, for learning
- Download video programs through cable to home or city departments so can learn important programs at home or work
- Collect videos of programs held so that can be used again
- Printed books- lots of printed books
- Library should reflect the community
- Haitian population should be reflected in books and resources
- Other groups should also have groups
- Some librarians should be trained to work with people with special needs
- Materials in ESL, adult and older children are degrading- we need materials to learn to read which are not first grade materials
- We need developmentally low literacy materials
- Culturally appropriate materials- not all for white kids with just pictures of white kids
- Be mobile and go out to people and bring them books
- Gay & Lesbian materials are needed- there are about 20,000 (?) kids of lesbians and gays in Cambridge and we need books that are appropriate for them.
- Catalogs have materials and books for gays and lesbians- library should have them available to all
- Donít get rid of old books after 10 years- it is important to keep those resources for use even if they havenít been checked out.
- Quiet room to think and read
- User friendly computer system
- Local history collection should include all the surveys and research done by the city so it can be archived and reused- this was done at another city
- Collect gay and lesbian materials ( and other groups of materials) and rotate the collection around to various branches
- Ask CPL. to get books
F. Preschoolers Door to Learning
- Help people learn to read: kids and adults
G. Reference Library
- Computerized periodical system with expert staff available to answer questions- this was at Cambridge Hospital
- Use computerized system which record stores and book stores use to find information by topic, author, etc. so can find out where the information is
- Have a printer to print out a list of books on topics you request
- Higher Education resource room
H. Research Center
- Students need after school research help
I. Other- important functions missing from list
- Libraries canít do everything
- Computerized catalog so that when book or author comes up it lets you know if book is currently available at the branch you are at or in the main library and you donít have to keep going further into the system
- Libraries should have quiet places to read
- Renew books over the phone 24 hours a day without a person answering
- Nurture reading throughout life
J. An Important Civic Building