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San Rafael library trustees hear plan to restructure staff, fill roughly one-third of vacancies
Summary
Library staff told the Board of Library Trustees that about a third of positions are vacant and presented a reorganization to split public-facing and support services, create mid-level supervisors and begin recruitment for manager roles next week; city funding and Measure D will cover much of the hires.
Daniel, a library staff member, told the Board of Library Trustees of the City of San Rafael on March 11 that roughly a third of the library’s positions are vacant and outlined a planned reorganization and hiring timeline.
The plan divides operations into two service areas — Public Services and Support Services — creates new mid-level supervisory classifications (a library services supervisor and supervising senior librarians), and aims to spread supervisory responsibility so managers can focus on strategy and staff development. "Currently, we have about a third of our positions are vacant," Daniel said.
Why it matters: trustees and staff said the reorganization is intended to reduce role confusion, restore specialization (children, teens, adults), improve supervisory support for a large part-time and temporary workforce, and prepare the system to scale if new facilities open. The board was told the change follows an operational assessment conducted with consultant Jane Light and interviews with current staff.
Key details - Structure: Public Services will concentrate on programming, outreach and specialized adult/teen/children services under a supervising librarian and senior librarians. Support Services will cover circulation, technical services, facilities and collection maintenance, overseen by a new library services supervisor. Staff will retain flexibility to work across sites. - Recruitment: Managers (library services supervisor and supervising librarian) were scheduled to be posted for recruitment the week after the meeting, with senior librarian recruitments to follow, a staffing plan aimed to create promotion pathways. - Qualifications: Librarian classifications prefer an MLIS but do not require it; the job statements allow for equivalent experience in lieu of a degree. - Funding: The library budget is funded from a mix of the general fund and Measure D; trustees were told roughly one-third of the library budget comes from Measure D and two-thirds from the general fund. Salary savings from vacancies and some Measure D funds are being used to support temporary staffing and the pop-up service model while recruitments proceed.
Trustees asked about communication when staffing or personnel items go to City Council and whether former staff were interviewed for the operational assessment. Staff said outreach to the library board ahead of council items is possible and that the assessment focused on current employees, with some former-staff input collected before departures.
Staff said the new structure had been presented to the City Council as part of a midyear budget packet; staff also acknowledged some press coverage had mischaracterized elements of the plan. Tom, identified in the meeting as assistant director, and other staff said they would brief trustees ahead of future council presentations.
Votes at a glance - Motion: Approve minutes of the regular meeting of January 14, 2025 (motion and second not specified in the record). Vote: Trustee Cortez — yes; Trustee Kyle — yes; Trustee Lee — yes; Trustee Vedat — abstain; Chair Ando — yes. Outcome: approved.
Ending Staff said managers’ recruitments will be the immediate next step, followed by senior librarian recruitments intended to create internal promotion opportunities. The board had no further business on the restructuring at the March 11 meeting.
