Council Meeting: May 25, 2005
TO: Mayor
and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Supplemental
Staff Report – Item 1-D
INTRODUCTION
This
report provides supplemental information to the staff report (Item 1-D)
regarding the proposed professional services agreement with Allison &
Partners. Supplementary
information includes additional details describing the scope of work for
Allison & Partners. This additional information does not change the staff’s
recommendation.
DISCUSSION
With the opening
of the new Main Library, staff will be coordinating not one, but a month long
schedule of opening events and tying those in with longer term approaches to
communicating with library users. Current Library staff cannot complete these
plans while preparing for and executing the move to the new building and
providing library patrons with the level of service they have come to expect.
The agreement
with Allison & Partners, a local firm with an emphasis on social/cause
communications, will supply expertise and staff support. Approximately 25% of
this contract ($22,000) is designated for planning, organizing and helping
conduct the opening events and coordinating outreach to local media, schools,
user groups, and others. Print materials (production as well as
creation/design) are approximately another 25% ($21,000). Local advertising and public service
announcements are also included. A marketing
plan is a smaller part of the budget ($3000), but it will serve the library for
years to come.
Allison &
Partners will also be instrumental in assisting the library with partnerships
that can defray other costs associated with introducing and celebrating the new
community asset. The firm is contributing $10,000 of pro-bono consulting to the
effort.
Additional
benefits anticipated from this agreement include: freeing staff time to focus
on programs and services; ensuring that promotional efforts will be more
effective at reaching the intended audiences; guaranteeing that the documents
used to promote programs and to introduce visitors to the Library will be
professionally designed for ease of use, a consistent look and with a unified
theme; and, developing a long-term plan for communicating with the public about
library programs, events and resources.
Prepared by: Greg Mullen,
Judy
Rambeau, Assistant to the City Manager
Rachel Foyt, Administrative Analyst