First published in the April 22 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
The South Pasadena Library Board looked at three bids from companies wanting to assist with the library’s review of its strategic plan last week.
Three bids were received, with the first coming from Library IQ and followed by bids from Berry Dunn and Library Solutions.
A review of the library’s strategic plan is conducted every five years.
In looking at the bids, one company immediately didn’t make the cut.
“Library Solutions is a very small company,” Cathy Billings, library director, said, adding that she didn’t find that bid to have the “breadth and depth” needed to handle the project.
She also said the bid read more like a brochure and the proposal relied heavily on library staff.
She added that the other two bids were close in what they proposed, leaning more heavily on engaging the community in the process.
“These two consulting companies clearly did some research about South Pasadena and the surrounding areas,” Billings said, adding that the proposal from Berry Dunn did a considerable amount of research.
She said both proposals did good job of talking about how library staff and people in the community could contribute to efforts, such as focus groups, to help the library on its journey forward with a review of the strategic plan.
“It seems, from looking at this, as if one presentation was head and shoulders above the others,” Dean Serwin, board president, said.
Board member Annie Chang Long said she was impressed that Berry Dunn would use digital tools tied with Social Pinpoint on the internet to provide immediate input from all over the community.
She also liked that Berry Dunn stressed inclusion and diversity in its plans.
“That one just stood out,” she said.
Councilwoman Diana Mahmud, who is the council’s liaison to the library, suggested it may be a good idea to hold Zoom interviews with representatives from both Berry Dunn and Library IQ before making a final decision.
Serwin and the other board members agreed.
“We’re going to be working with the consultant very closely and we want to make sure the chemistry is there,” said Bianca Richards, board vice president.
Change Long said some of the questions she would like to ask, in addition to any already laid out, would be: What are some challenges they’ve faced with recent clients and how did they address them? What went well with their work with recent clients? And how many hours do they expect library staff and the strategic planning committee will be working on the project?
For example, Library IQ would have library staff coordinate all meetings, while it was unclear about how Berry Dunn would handle those responsibilities.
Because renewal of a parcel tax for the library is going to be on the ballot in November, board members agreed that a decision needed to be made before the next scheduled board meeting in May. The review will take several months to complete. Therefore, it was agreed that the final selection of a consultant will be made by library staff and the strategic planning committee.
