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Nov 19: Meeting with Cambridge Community Television Staff

11/19/1996

Cambridge Community Television Staff

Minutes of Meeting, Tuesday, November 19,1996

In attendance: Susan Fleischmann, Ginny Berliowitz, Edwin Ortiz, John Donovan, Philip Chonacky, Rafael Medina, Anneita Agritha, Molly Coslin, Meredith Joy, with 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

  • The branches are the true neighborhood center
  • Community viewing room
  • Big Projector that organizations could borrow like CCTV so they could use it and screenings could be held in many parts of Cambridge
  • Theater productions held at library when I was a child- Shakespeare plays done by local theater groups
  • Artwork of local artists shown
  • Whole gallery of local artists- like Newton
  • Mission of local libraries to support local writers in the community with forums and reading
  • Many more speakers and writers speaking in different branches and around city

B. Community Information Center

  • Yellow pages' of non- profit organizations and what they do
  • Human resources available in Cambridge
  • What is in the library? We need to know what is in it

C. Formal Education Support Center

  • Writers could teach workshops on writing and grammar
  • Does it make sense for branch libraries and school libraries to share resources?
  • Relationship between school libraries and branch libraries not clear
  • Library could be a partner to organization like CCTV who express and access information- could jointly share materials and equipment

D. Independent Learning Center

  • Workshops
  • ESL classes
  • Basic Reading classes
  • Teach people to produce information and videos
  • Should we help people be producers of information?
  • Library should be an educational center
  • Writers could run workshops for people in Cambridge in exchange for library supporting them

E. Popular Materials Lending Library

  • Big Projector to borrow
  • Multimedia equipment and materials
  • Disseminate information :
    • Internet
    • CD ROM
    • Digital video
  • Cambridge content:
    • History
    • Photographic resource
    • Our CCTV programs in library
  • Video library much more extensive
    • Duplicate copies of popular ones like Brain, Civil War, Mind, etc.
    • Update it regularly
    • Partner with WGBH to get access to PBS videos
  • Wish we could ìcheck out peopleî- there are so many great people who could be wonderful resources in Cambridge
    • CD-ROM of oral history of folks from Cambridge
    • Multimedia and dual equipment
  • Video and CD rooms
  • Take home:
    • Video machines
    • CD machines
    • VCRs
    • Portable equipment and tools to borrow
    • Portable turntables to borrow so people can hear vinylís
  • V Live Set- low tech TV studio available for community to express their views
    • good way for community to see what they are interested in seeing
  • Listening rooms
  • Multimedia stations: like the browsers by main branch checkout station-
    • listen to music
    • write on computer own document
  • Place to watch cable for community
  • Books written in another language
  • People should be encouraged to create own material to see and share
  • Computer software programs for kids and adults on every topic
  • Video games for kids and adults to check out like you can get from the video store
  • After school programming for children
  • Diverse Culture presentations
  • Popular music like Joni Mitchell was for me when I was a kid- taking out that record changed my life
  • Contemporary records
  • Connectivity for institutions
  • Library access to internet for non-profits
    • small businesses
  • Repository for software- use it there- no for pirating
  • Reading group on variety of books
    • reading groups on books like Ophra Winfrey recommends which are great

F. Preschoolers Door to Learning

  • Story hours for kids

G. Reference Library

H. Research Center

I. Other- important functions missing from list

  • Not worth it to upgrade the library if you close the branches
  • Make new technologies mobile
  • Multi-lingual staffing
  • Multi-cultural staffing
  • Books on wheels
  • Mobile library- especially for special collections
  • Branches- I am an advocate for the branches
  • Donít even dare close the branches
  • Market the library

J. An Important Civic Building