|
|
| Preliminary Findings |  |
|
Prepared by Dallas Shaffer, Library Building Consultant
Three community focus groups were held in the library meeting room August 24, 2004. Thirty-five community members, representing a wide range of interests and ages were involved. Three city council members and three library trustees were present. Dallas Young Shaffer, library consultant, facilitated and Christine Perkins, Burlington library director, recorded.
The evaluations indicated a very positive response to the focus group method of gathering information as a couple of quotations indicate. "A good start" "Great place to really give our opinion on what we want Burlington and the surrounding area to look like." "This is a very important process for the library and city. I am pleased you have involved so many interested citizens."
Burlington Public Library service and collection strengths?
- Staff is excellent, very friendly, service oriented, professional, create welcoming atmosphere, provide book recommendations, flexible
- Library's prominent role in community; respected
- Outreach to service clubs is a positive
- Up-to-date technology/Internet access/on-line databases
- Collection strengths – new books, fiction, Northwest collection, genealogy collection, audio books
- Interlibrary loan services; ability to request new titles
- Friendly, welcoming to children, children's programming
- STAR reader program of free books for children outside of city limits
- Efforts to reach Spanish-speaking/friendly, welcoming to this community group
- Location downtown, pedestrian friendly
- Clean, orderly
- Display cart by desk
- Outside landscaping
Burlington Public Library needs/issues?
- Adequate space for books, borrowers, staff
- Adequate technology/keeping up with technology
- Multiple information formats
- Non-fiction collection limited; lacks depth for research
- Special collection rooms; separate room and computer for genealogy work
- No countywide system
- Population growth is outside city limits/do not contribute to the tax base/funding opposition
- Societal de-emphasis on reading
- Raise awareness of need for donations
- Increase city financial support
- Forming relationships with other government entities, especially school/library connections
Burlington community needs/issues?
- Downtown civic presence/preservation of core/beautify and revitalize core
- More civic spaces other than sports fields; open spaces for passive recreation
- Accessibility/getting around
- Public amenities to attract new residents and businesses
- Burlington will continue to grow
- Community is becoming more retail based; less agricultural based
- Growing ethnic diversity, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian speakers
- Growing bilingual community
- Opportunities for interactions between Spanish-speakers and English language community
- Bilingualism/English language instruction
- Multi-dimensional meeting rooms/flexible spaces
- Opportunities for public art display
- Places for teens
- Partnership with the school
- Serving Burlington-Edison school District area; partnership with the schools; no certified librarians in schools; support for formal education
- City resource allocation, funding
What services, collections and spaces do you want to see included in the future library?
- Adequate library and parking space for now through 2025; room to expand
- Destination place, Burlington showpiece
- Functional, practical and architecturally beautiful; architectural street appeal; functionality for maximum use
- Sense of space, airiness, openness, light, quest for knowledge; perhaps stained glass; spirit of Carnegie library; flexibility
- Lead way in country for environmentally friendly construction – LEED certification; warm, natural building materials, fireplace
- Accessible location; not necessary to be by other city services
- Ability to expand into outdoors, children/teen garden, landscaping
- Make it inviting for the disabled; meet Americans for Disability Act standards
- Coffee shop, espresso stand, Internet café, retail food court – provided by subcontractor
- Place you want to stay without having to spend money
- Public art; display areas; entranceway could be local art gallery with benches
- Information desk just inside door, human contact upon entering
- Technology, wireless Internet, upgradeability, flexibility to meet future needs
- More computers so there would be no waiting to use them, huge emphasis needed
- Larger community meeting spaces, perhaps top floor that could be divisible, available for rent
- Flexible meeting rooms, group study rooms, teaching labs, performance space, space for home-schoolers and tutoring
- Computer lab for training; language learning center
- Audio-visual lab, film/video/sound recording transfer equipment
- Flexible, welcoming, comfortable furnishings
- Reading areas with comfortable seating
- Room to sit, read, do homework
- Study tables, research space
- Space for genealogy and Northwest collections, local archives, digitized local newspapers
- Friends store and storage
- Spanish-speaking staff
- Larger space for children, room to spend time, space for strollers, gear, storytelling focus
- Soundproofed children's section with play area, dress up corner, etc – visible from other parts of the library
- Teen area/student homework area with computers, quiet zone, study carrels by nonfictions, separate YA area where teens will not disturb others
- Covered unloading zone and book drop
- Library open to people outside the city limits without a user fee
- Larger staff areas for workspace and storage
- Atrium garden within library space
- Collections – more Spanish language materials, multiple languages, map collection, vocational materials, more magazines, large print, audio, cd's, new formats
- Remote access to library resources including electronic books
- Restrooms within library including family restroom with changing table
- Longer open hours, early morning, until 9 pm, Sundays
- No overdue fees
- New library completed in two years
- Book discussion groups for teens, etc.
- Senior outreach
- Paperback exchange/pocket collections outside of the library
- Entrance with donor bricks to raise funds
What issues are important in the location for the future library?
- Space large enough to meet needs in 2025 including parking
- Flexibility for future growth
- Proximity to residential areas – sense of belonging, reduce traffic congestion
- Accessibility – kids, disabled, pedestrians, public transportation
- Near Maiben Park – tie-in to open spaces
- Don't sacrifice open space for parking, build parking garage/use open space for parking
- Downtown – where people are, homey feel, seniors don't want busy roads, central, kids on bikes
- The library is part of Burlington's history/should remain in downtown corridor
- If economically best, go with another site
- Architecturally interesting, having character, like feel of Carnegie libraries
- Near schools
- Out of flood plan or built above ground level
- Old downtown area/Fairhaven
- Court district
- Big trees, view of hill
Anything else you would like us to know?
- Possibility of a capital improvement district congruent with the Burlington-Edison School District – strong identification with the district, services for all children/students, structured in a manner that is fair to farmers
- City's retail sales tax is strong – City Council's decision to build a bigger library is smart and forward-thinking.
- Make sure that new library remains a city priority and doesn't take a backseat to the new city hall; make sure that library does not remain in the same building just because the location is popular and there is no money left after building a new city hall; make sure that the library gets space that is ideal for a library
- Adequate operating budget
- Library is a priority, can be viewed as a trade-off for the increasing traffic and growth
- A new library is a statement about how Burlington values education and learning
- Reach out to the Latino community as part of the planning process
Suggestions for additional ways to involve the community - Send flyers to people with active library cards
- We should probably do this at each step
- Library day at the mall; flyers at the mall
- Meetings headed by City Planning Director Margaret Fleek to inform community might be valuable venue
- Reach out to Latino community as part of process
- Radio, newspaper announcements of meetings
- If elections include the county access idea, do similar meetings at that time
- Provide information on current library collections, usage and space prior to the meetings
|
|
