With the Commons' fundraising mission winding down, board asks: who pays for the new library?

Board member Scott used Monday's meeting to press a question nobody in the room could answer: when the Commons Foundation's fundraising mission — originally raising money for the building and landscaping — winds down around the end of the year, who picks up ongoing fundraising for a new library with a bigger operating budget than the Magnolia branch has ever had?

“I had this conversation... I finally looked at Mayor Wei and I said we've got to change the narrative. Stop the conversation of saying it's so confusing because it's not.”— Board member Scott, on coordination among the library's fundraising groups

His larger complaint was about coordination. The Commons Foundation, the Friends of the Library, the Library Foundation and the city are all working on the same opening, he said, but in silos, with no central planning point for opening events, branding and a logo, or fundraising. He rejected the idea that the arrangement is inherently muddled, arguing the groups have very specific swim lanes: the Friends handle programming, the Commons was formed to raise the building money.

Other board members were blunt about the advisory board's own limits — it doesn't see the library budget or the numbers, and the silos long predate this board. The consensus was that the City Council has more authority to convene the groups and confront the funding gap. Scott volunteered to talk to Ann Morrison about next steps.

Separately, a board member flagged a reported proposal for the Commons Foundation to be absorbed into the Library Foundation and asked how the board would track it. Director Damon offered to act as a clearinghouse for updates, and the standing agenda item was renamed to cover coordination of the library's support groups generally. The board next meets Monday, Nov. 3, moved off the first Monday because of the Veterans Day observance closure.

A 'book brigade' from Magnolia to Rose Lane, and a long list of rules for a building that doesn't have any yet

A community group led by Rose Lane resident Karen Leenhard, working with the Friends of the Library, the Library Foundation and other Rose Lane neighbors, is planning a ceremonial 'book brigade' — a human chain passing books from the old Magnolia library to the new Rose Lane building. Movers will do the actual hauling; the brigade is for pomp and circumstance, and for giving residents a way to take part. It would likely land around the opening, tentatively early May, and would be paired with a 'farewell to the old library' event collecting love letters and photos.

“I've already had, I bet, five to six requests to reserve the meeting room. That does not exist.”— Library Director Damon, on the need for a meeting room booking policy

Director Damon put a date on the building — with heavy qualifiers. 'Right now it's March 11th will be there,' he told the board. 'But it's very, very, very tentative.' Board members Jonathan and Susan will attend the group's next planning meeting on Oct. 28; attendance was capped at two to stay clear of the Brown Act, with minutes shared back to the full board.

The board also worked through a list of policies the new building will need and the current one largely doesn't have: internet use, patron behavior, child safety and unattended adults, a teen room policy covering ages and noise, programming, meeting room and study room booking, WiFi terms of use, the archive room, outdoor space rules for events and dogs and food, parking, smoking and signage. Damon suggested consulting middle schoolers and the teen advisory board on teen room rules.

The board agreed to take two or three policies per meeting, starting with programming next month because it needs community input; Damon will circulate other libraries' programming policies beforehand. A mission statement review was tabled.

Book distributor's collapse scrambles Larkspur's ordering

The library's primary book distributor, Baker & Taylor, 'is on the verge of bankruptcy and they're not able to fulfill their orders,' Director Damon told the board. 'This is a big issue in libraries as you can imagine.'

The failure breaks Larkspur's 'shelf-ready' workflow, in which books arrive cataloged and processed. Staff are looking at Ingram and Brodart, but both carry minimum order requirements and slower processing. In the meantime the library is shifting some purchases to Amazon, and is unlikely to renew Baker & Taylor's $4,200-a-year licensing fee.

Damon said the effect will fall hardest on heavy borrowers, and that it's too early for patrons to feel it yet. A board member noted the disruption reaches beyond Larkspur to libraries across Marin.