Commission defers decision on library printing fees, seeks vendor options and equity review

The Pleasanton Library Commission discussed Aug. 7 a staff proposal to formalize fees for printing, photocopying and scanning but voted to defer adopting printing charges until staff could provide more vendor detail and evaluate equity and payment options. Leah, the library presenter, said the library has implemented software that gives logged-in patrons 10 free pages per day and that the vendor can add credit-card vending to allow patrons to pay for additional pages at 25 cents per page. Leah said one-time setup costs for card-vending equipment are roughly $3,000 and that the library's current vendor is EnvisionWare; she also said coin-and-bill payment units are problematic and create significant staff intervention when jammed or run out of change. Commissioners raised equity concerns for patrons without credit cards, asked whether mobile/digital payment (Apple Pay, etc.) is available, and whether the vendor can offer weekly or monthly reset options instead of a daily allowance. Leah said staff can pursue alternatives with the vendor and suggested returning to the commission once the vendor confirms supported payment-reset intervals and payment methods. A motion to add a future agenda item to bring back the printing, photocopying and scanning policy and fee proposal passed unanimously.