11-19-2002 CC RPT 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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People Serving People CITY OF RIVERSIDE CITY COUNCIL MEMORANDUM Riverside ill~Amerfem Cit~ 19!98 HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: November 19, 2002 ITEM NO: 21 SUBJECT: LIBRARY STAFFING AT THE EASTSIDE CYBRARY CONNECTION (ECC) BACKGROUND: The Eastside Cybrary Connection (ECC) is five years old. The program has been successful in introducing thousands of children and their families to computers. It has been recognized by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute as one of twenty-five exemplary programs nation-wide reducing the Digital Divide. It has garnered for the City from the League of California Cities, a Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in Arts and Quality of Life. In September 2001, the Cybrary received one of 147 grants (out of 1,300 grant applications) from the federal Department of Education for Community Technology Centers. This grant provided additional staffing which extended the hours of the Cybrary and assisted the parents of the students at Longfellow Elementary School participating in the RUSD Even Start Program. Because of cutbacks in federal funding, the Library Department received notice in October that the grant funding would cease effective December 31, 2002. The proven effectiveness of this program in providing computer-based learning opportunities to children and their families on the Eastside has prompted Library staff to seek alternative funding for the project. Because this program is a prelude to a full-service library on the Eastside, the Library requests that 2.91 FTE grant-funded positions serving the Cybrary, be added to the Library Department as permanent city positions. Current city positions serving the Cybrary include a 0.80 FTE Library Associate PT position and 0.96 FTE Library Page positions. This request includes increasing the existing 0.80 FTE Library Associate PT position to a 1.0 FTE full time Library Associate position; and adding a 1.0 FTE Library Technician position, a 0.75 FTE Library Technician PT position and 0.96 FTE Technical Intern PT positions to the Library Department budget effective January 1, 2003. FISCAL IMPACT: The addition of 2.91 FTE positions for the period January 1, 2003 through June 30, 2003 will cost $58,236. The Neighborhood Library Services Program (5105000) has sufficient salary savings to cover the cost increase during this fiscal year. For FY 03-04, these new positions will be included in the Library budget request to be funded from Measure C funds. ALTERNATIVES: Not approve the request. The ECC service hours would be reduced from 50 to 30 hours per week and the Even Start Program with RUSD would be concluded. 21-1