Monterey Public Library Board Meeting – August 27, 2026

The Monterey Public Library Board met on August 27, 2026, to receive updates on the bookmobile and outreach services, discuss an advocacy guide, set the December meeting date, and hear trustee announcements. The meeting began at approximately 4:00 PM and included a presentation, consent agenda approval, and discussion items.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes and Information Reports (Items 2–6): Approved unanimously without discussion or pull. The consent agenda included approval of minutes and four information reports.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke during the general public comment period. There were no public comments on agenda items.

Discussion Items

• Bookmobile and Outreach Services Update: Melissa, Library Administrator, presented on behalf of the bookmobile team (Micah Whitaker, coordinator, and Esmé, library assistant). Key highlights:

  • Bookmobile Stops: 7,281 visits recorded from August 2025 to July 2026, a 12% increase over the prior year. Items checked out reached 12,000, a 10% increase. The Casanova Knoll stop was moved from 2–3 PM to 4–5 PM after a neighborhood survey, resulting in average visits rising from ~4 to 8–12. A new private stop at the Ohana Center for child and adolescent behavioral health will begin September 3, 2026, on the first and third Thursdays from 3–4 PM.
  • Hold Pickup Lockers: Installed late 2025, lockers at Montecito Park and the Sports Center have processed 306 and 574 checkouts, respectively, from January to July 2026, with monthly usage increasing. Returns are not tracked but are reported as frequent.
  • Outreach Events: 23 events were attended (same as prior year), reaching 4,755 people (23% increase). Events included the MPUSD back-to-school fair, Fourth of July parade, and Monterey Pride.
  • Community Connections: Staff updated marketing materials with a new logo and bilingual guides. A citywide summer reading competition among city departments was initiated, with the Finance Department winning. Board members requested updated web content and explored adding foundation/friends information at outreach events.

• December 2026 Meeting Date: The board discussed scheduling a combined meeting (replacing the late November and December regular meetings) for early December. After reviewing council and commission calendars, the board set the date for Monday, December 7, 2026, at 4:00 PM in the library meeting room. Motion carried unanimously.

• Library Advocacy Guide Update: Melissa presented a draft “zine”-style pocket guide intended for trustees, staff, and foundation members to use when advocating for the library. Feedback included:

  • Renaming it a “Pocket Guide to the Monterey Public Library” rather than an advocacy guide.
  • Clarifying language (e.g., “Be understanding of MPL” deemed vague; suggested replacing with “Learn about MPL”).
  • Adding a QR code or link to the Friends & Foundation website for donations.
  • Updating statistics to use rolling 12-month averages instead of fixed fiscal-year dates to avoid frequent reprinting.
  • Board members requested one week to submit additional feedback via email before finalizing for printing.

• Disbanding the Advocacy Ad Hoc Committee: Trustee Petty moved to disband the ad hoc advocacy committee (originally formed to create an advocacy guide and deploy a strategy). The committee’s initial task (the guide) is nearly complete, and future scheduling of advocacy events (e.g., budget town halls) will be brought as a separate agenda item at a later meeting. Motion passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Bookmobile and lockers: Service statistics and new stop approved for Ohana Center. Staff will update the website and consider adding foundation materials to outreach events.
• December meeting: Scheduled for Monday, December 7, 2026, at 4:00 PM.
• Advocacy guide: Revisions to be submitted by board members within one week; printing to proceed thereafter.
• Ad hoc committee: Dissolved; future advocacy scheduling to be agendized separately.
• Trustee announcement: Trustee Petty announced his intention to resign from the Library Board at the end of 2026, after more than 10 years of service. He cited a desire for rotation and personal burnout. The chair thanked him for his service.
• New library card design: A new library card design was unveiled, to be issued starting September 1, 2026. Stickers designed by staff will also be sold to benefit the library trust fund.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:55 PM.