Q+A with Mayor Brown: Location.

Back in February at the state of the city address, Mayor Mike Brown explained he had questions surrounding the library project.

Since then, we’ve had some time to explore his questions and further explain why we’ve made the decisions we’ve made.

Here, we will share a weekly update addressing Mayor Brown’s questions, which are probably your questions, too. (And, if you’re still puzzled, be sure to comment directly on this post or ask us here. We want to be on the same page.)

Questions 1 and 2: When looking for a location for the Grand Forks Public Library, why was the line drawn at 32nd Avenue South, omitting anything further south?  Is the proposed location (the current site) truly the best location and how sure are we that if the vote passes, it should go there?

Answer: There were no restrictions placed on proposed sites at the beginning of the site selection process in January of 2009. A total of 22 possible locations in all areas of the city were considered. Sites were evaluated and ranked according to a standardized evaluation process provided by the library consultants.

In spring of 2010, when the Library Task Force began the process of narrowing down the site options to five finalist locations, it was suggested that three properties south of 32^nd Avenue be removed from the list of considerations. This decision was based on citizen input received via early comments in the Speak Up for Your Library process. Citizens overwhelmingly indicated that their public library should be:  centrally located, in close proximity to the high schools and middle schools, and easily accessed by those who walk or ride bike.

At the request of City Council, the Wellness Center location – situated in the 50^th Avenue area of South Washington Street – was reinserted as one of the three finalist options under consideration in July 2010. That location remained as an option until the final site – the current library site – was unanimously approved by the Building Committee on January 26, 2011.

If you check a map of the city you will see that the library is located smack dab in the middle of the community as it exists in 2011. There was no other possible site with more centralized access for patrons, including pedestrians and bicyclists.

Room for expansion and additional parking are available by purchasing adjacent property. Acquisition of a lot to the east will allow the necessary space to accommodate a city bus stop at the library – something that has not been offered for more than 30 years.

Access to the location is excellent, just a block off of two of the community’s best-traveled arteries:  South Washington Street and 17^th Avenue. Visibility is still a concern, but options exist for additional signage.

After carefully considering the options available at this time, the Library Board and Building Committee members have endorsed the current library site as the best possible location for new construction. Forty years of faithful service to our growing community has reinforced the site as a decidedly familiar location for library patrons – at the intersection of Library Circle and Library Lane – and easily accessible from all four directions.

Process: Picking a location for the new Grand Forks Public Library.

Potential library sites have been recommended for consideration on an ongoing basis throughout the entire three-year process of the library revitalization project.  City staff, Library Board members, Task Force members, library patrons, realtors and interested community members regularly suggest possible sites through a variety of methods, including telephone, email, the suggestion box at GFPL and casual conversation.

From May 2008 through January 2011, more than 20 potential sites have been considered. Site suggestions continue to be received and reviewed as of March 2011.

A formal site evaluation process was integrated into the project in January 2009 at the request of the Library Task Force for Revitalization.  The standardized structure for this process was developed and directed by our consultants, Library Consulting, PA (and specifically by architect, Barry Pettit).  The weighting, criteria and scoring metrics were utilized for sites considered to have potential merit when deciding on an eventual site for the library project.

Proposed sites that have been considered at some point include the following:

• Town and Country Mall (east side of South Washington and 17^th Avenue)
• Senior Citizen Center (620 4^th Avenue South)
• Former FNB Building (322 DeMers Avenue)
• Former Best Building (Columbia Road and 24^th Avenue South)
• Apollo Park (Columbia Road and 17^th Avenue South)
• Cole Paper (2^nd Avenue North and North 8^th Street)
• West of YMCA (4^th Avenue North and North 8^th Street)
• University Village near REA (North Columbia Road and 10^th Avenue North)
• Former Civic Center downtown (North 6^th Street and 2^nd Avenue North)
• Former auto parts store (South Washington and 22^nd Avenue South)
• Ponderosa/Hollywood Video (1800 South Washington)
• Former Target building at Columbia Mall (Columbia Road and 32^nd Avenue South)
• Duke Drive (34^th Street South and 11^th Avenue South)
• East of Alerus Center (42^nd Street)
• South of Alerus Center (42^nd Street South and 17^th Avenue South)
• Center Court Fitness site (1600 32^nd Avenue South)
• Proposed Wellness Center (44^th Avenue South and South 11^th Street)
• Farmland on South Washington south of GF Honda
• Farmland on 32^nd Avenue near Rex
• Former Leevers location (715 South Washington)
• Current site with addition and remodel (Library Lane and Library Circle)
• Current site with demo and new construction (Library Lane and Library Circle)

Criteria for consideration

An evaluation and ranking process was provided by Library Consulting, PA, and sites were considered using a standardized metric that included a weighted scoring system with the following criteria:

• Size of lot (116,428 sf for a two-story structure)
• Configuration of lot
• Adequate on-site parking
• Available off-site/shared parking
• Site topography – flood issues
• Visibility from major streets
• Access to primary streets
• Perception of the site – safety
• Location relative to population
• Proximity to service and retail
• Access by pedestrians and bikers
• Access by public transportation
• Sub-surface soil conditions
• Sun orientation to the entry
• Impact on property taxes
• Land price
• Is property available to purchase
• Availability of required utilities
• Impact of ambient noise pollution
• Potential for landscaping
• Quality of adjacent physical conditions
• Economic trend of adjacent properties
• Relationship to upper/middle schools
• Relationship to civic developments
• Extraordinary site prep/demo
• Zoning issues

Historical  verification for reduction decisions made during site selection process

1. Excerpt from minutes of the March 11, 2010 Library Board meeting:

The Board discussed site locations and it was the consensus of the Board that the Library must have complete ownership of the property rather than entering into a lease agreement. Mike McNamara entertained a motion that ownership be a fundamental part of a new library.  Lila Christensen seconded the motion which passed unanimously.

This resolution effectively eliminated the former Target location at Columbia Mall and the former Hollywood video store location.

2. Excerpt from minutes of the April 29, 2010 meeting of the Library Task Force for Revitalization

5 sites remain under consideration:

• East of the Alerus Center
• Farmland on 32^nd Street, south of Center Court
• Leevers location on Washington
• Duke Drive
• New construction on the current Library site

3. Excerpt from minutes of the May 20, 2010 meeting of the Library Task Force for Revitalization

• Duke Drive property was removed from consideration at the request of the property owner

4. Excerpt from minutes of the June 24, 2010 meeting of the Library Task Force for Revitalization

• City Council has requested that the Wellness Center site be added for consideration
• Property east of the Alerus Center was removed from consideration

5. Excerpt from minutes of the July 8, 2010 meeting of the Library Board

(At the request of City Council,) Susan and Wendy met with the Park District concerning partnering with the Wellness Center. As Susan mentioned, the Board had previously voted not to go any further south than 32^nd Avenue. After some discussion a motion was entertained to remove the restriction of 32^nd Avenue South as a boundary for a new site. (MSC Fiordo, Christensen)

6. Excerpt from presentation materials for the July 19, 2010 meeting with City Council

3 sites under consideration:

• Proposed Wellness Center
• Farmland on 32^nd Street, south of Center Court
• Leevers location on Washington

These three sites were included as the “finalists” when the Speak Up for Your Library online survey was developed in November 2010.

7. Excerpt from presentation materials and research reports used for the December 13, 2010 meeting of City Council

Speak Up for Your Library campaign results

Responses to Online Survey

There were almost 1,300 responses to the online questionnaire. Results indicated:

• 69% of responses were in favor of a new library.
• 55% of responses indicated the “old Leevers grocery store” as their preferred site

Responses to Phone Research Questionnaire

There were 580 participants in the phone research. Results indicated:

• 70.7% of responses were in favor of a new library
• 73% of responses indicated the “old Leevers grocery store” as their preferred site

8. Excerpt from minutes of the December 13, 2010 meeting of City Council

Site Feasibility Study and Traffic Study to be prepared for these 3 sites and 4 scenarios for Council review:

• Proposed Wellness Center
• Leevers location on Washington
• Remodel and addition at current library site
• Demolition of existing building and new construction at current library site

9.  Excerpt from minutes of the January 26, 2011 meeting of the Library Building Committee

A revised draft of the Site Feasibility Study was reviewed, with special attention paid to a site scenario added for consideration following the last Building Committee meeting.  Scenario  #2a features a plan for construction on the property located immediately north of the existing library.  This option allows for continuous operation from the existing library while construction is in progress.   Committee members favored this scenario as the preferred project plan.  Motion by Jeff, seconded by Paul, to approve the Site Feasibility Study as presented, and recommend to the Library Board that Scenario #2a be adopted for the proposed project.  Unanimously carried.

10. From presentation materials at the January 31, 2011 special meeting of the Grand Forks City Council

The Library Board and Building Committee recommend Scenario #2a (GFPL Site Feasibility Study; January 27, 2011) as the preferred site and proposed budget for the Grand Forks Public Library Project. Scenario #2a assumes that the existing library will be demolished and a new structure built in its place. This scenario assumes the purchase of a property to the north as well as one to the east, across Library Circle. This option can allow the library to remain in operation during construction of the new facility, thereby eliminating the difficulty and expense of temporary relocation. Proposed budget for Scenario #2a is $20,828,359.

Grand Forks Public Library Timeline.

All the chatter surrounding the library project might leave you thinking we’ve just started this process.

But that couldn’t be more wrong.

We’ve been busy doing our research since 2008. That’s three years ago!

We hope these decision trees will help you better understand the route of our decision-making process thus far.

If you have any questions about the decisions we’ve made over the past three years, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have.

(If you’re having problems seeing the chart here, be sure to click the image and zoom in.)

Time lapse videos of the Grand Forks Public Library.

Ever wonder what more than 800 visitors per day looks like? Here are two time lapse videos of a day in the life of the Grand Forks Public Library. These should give you a better picture of the library’s daily hustle and bustle.

The main lobby:

And the children’s department:

The 800+ visitors per day check out an average of almost 2,400 items daily. That’s more than any other public library in North Dakota.

To catch up, we need a building almost twice the size of our current one. It’s a $20.8 million project, funded by enough “Yes” votes,  by a 1-cent sales tax for 30 months.

We hope these videos further convince you of the need to vote “Yes” on May 3.

We love our Grand Forks Public Library!

Listen to everyday patrons share their love for the current Grand Forks Public Library, as well as their dreams for a new library.

Video: Books as Dominos.

This video comes all the way from Ireland, but we stumbled upon it and found it worth sharing. The Huffington Post says, “Play dominos with books and you can bring down a whole library.” It’s an interesting way to show the connection between libraries of the past and libraries of the future.

Your thoughts?

5 reasons why the Grand Forks Public Library won’t become obsolete in your lifetime.

#5 – Library usage increases with the addition of new formats.

Public libraries are constantly adapting to meet the needs of their users. Grand Forks Public Library is structured to provide materials in the format that is most desirable. Communication formats have changed dramatically since the current library opened its doors 40 years ago. Although hardcover books have remained constant, many formats have come and gone throughout the decades. For instance:

1960s – LP phonograph records
1970s – Cassette tapes
1980s – VHS videos
1990s – Compact discs
2000s – DVDs
2010 – eReaders

Each time a new format is introduced, patrons have responded with growing interest and expanded usage. Paperbacks became a part of the GFPL holdings in the 1970s, and their portability soon became very popular. Because a paperback’s production cost is much less than a hardcover, overall cost of acquisitions was reduced. The end result was more budget dollars to purchase additional materials (and formats) for GFPL patrons.

Ultimately, introducing paperbacks increased demand for all Grand Forks Public Library materials. The same is true of digital formats. By adding new formats and offering downloadable books, the library is attracting more users and increasing existing patrons’ usage levels.

Downloadable books represent a small percentage of the current holdings at GFPL. As usage and demand increase, portions of the collection will expand while others decrease. Necessary adjustments will be made in the storage and display of the library’s collection. Rest assured that a new library will be designed to flexibly accommodate the next popular format—whatever it may be.

#4 – Most books are not yet available in electronic format.

In 2011, a very small percentage of the total books in print are available in digital format. A vast majority are not available from downloadable sources. Because of this disparity in format availability, patron’s today are more likely to request library books in traditional format. Certainly digital availability will increase, but it’s going to take many years before books drop out of the #1 spot for preferred patron usage at GFPL.

Digital formats are currently available at the Grand Forks Public Library. As user demands change, materials will adjust accordingly—just as they have for the past 100 years.

#3 – A public library’s primary mission is to provide information.

As long as we continue to nurture a society that seeks information, the need for a public library in Grand Forks County will never diminish.

Our public library is not only a warehouse for books. It is a source for knowledge, a community gathering space and a hub for exchanging ideas. Program events at the library provide connectivity, social interaction and inspiration, as well as information—positioning the library as a center for lifelong learning.

Public libraries serve as crucial technology hubs, not merely for free internet access, but for those who need computer training and assistance. Perhaps most important of all, a public library is a testimonial to the community’s values—demonstrating our belief in universal access to literature and knowledge.

In 2010, program offerings at the GFPL expanded significantly to include children’s reading events, youth activities, computer training and adult book clubs. All programs have been very well received. Daily library visits have increased by 4 percent, from 827 in 2009 to 864 per day through February 2011.

#2 – Usage at the Grand Forks Public Library is at an all-time high.

For the past 25 years, circulation numbers have increased steadily, from 360,128 in 1980 to 789,983 in 2010. Books continue to be the most requested format, representing 56 percent of circulated materials in 2010 (up from 49 percent in 2009). The second most popular format in 2010 was DVDs/videos, representing 33 percent of circulated materials.

The number of Grand Forks Public Library users is also increasing. More than 3,600 new GFPL cards were issued in 2010, and 3,800 in 2009.

We are a community that loves our library! Unfortunately, we have “loved” the current building to death.

Five-year-old Claire uses a library book to demonstrate her recently acquired reading skills.

#1 – Six-year-olds are still learning to read… on books.

Young children today are technologically savvy. In most cases, they are computer literate before they start kindergarten, and many have access to their own personal computer. Some elementary schools now provide all textbooks in digital format. Introducing new classroom technology is ongoing, and electronic reading devices are often available at home.

But check out a first grade classroom, and you will find that six-year-olds are still learning to read the “old-fashioned” way—with books. These youngsters are developing a learning pattern that will last for a lifetime. With life expectancy in the U.S. approaching 80 years, it’s safe to say libraries will be lending books well into the future.

Our library is well-used and valued, and we have exhausted the viable options for making do with what we have. We are no longer able to provide some programs due to space issues, the physical plant services are woefully in need of upgrade and the technology capacity has been maxed out. Perhaps most horrifying, the Grand Forks Public Library is out of compliance with nearly all ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements, as mandated in 1990.

The proposal for a new building is long overdue. A new, updated and enlarged library will serve all current and future citizens of our region. We cannot put this off any longer.

(Note: All usage numbers for GFPL are electronically tracked and documented in the library’s circulation department.)