Growth is good. For all of us.

Much has been said about how much the Grand Forks Public Library has changed and added programs and services over the years. Here’s a rundown of that growth:

• The library now has 61 computers for public use, 11 of which are used for the online card catalog and databases. Over 50% of their total cost has been provided by grant funding.

• The library provides access to searchable online databases (Ancestry, Auto Repair Center, Ebsco and Gale journal article databases, Mango Languages, NoveList, Proquest Newspapers, etc.) for all library patrons, either within the library or from their home computers. These subscription databases are provided through library consortium funding and are not available from your local Internet provider.

• Computer classes are currently offered on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Topics currently being explored include Computer Basics, various Microsoft applications, Beginning Genealogy and Social Networking.

• Two self checkout stations have been added at the main circulation desk and one in the children’s department, making the check out of materials fast and easy.

• The library purchases the latest fiction and non-fiction books in print, audio, and large-print formats, making reading about your favorite subject an enjoyable experience. They also have downloadable books available through their Library2Go program.

• The library’s Grand Forks Room has area atlases, cemetery books, city directories, farm and plant directories, military records, obituaries, local reference books and yearbooks available in one research location. Local history resources such as these are generally not available online or as downloadable e-books.

• The Myra Collection features books on farming, agricultural practices and horticulture. This collection is partly funded by the Myra Foundation.

• The library has five active book clubs (Great Reads, Leaders Read, Current Affairs, Classic Re-Reads and This & That), with a sixth one starting this month (Poetry). They also have many Book Clubs in a Bag (everything you need for a great discussion in one tote bag).

• The Children’s Department is a very active place, with toddler and preschool story times, summer and winter reading programs, R.E.A.D. dogs and lots of special guests. They also have computers with homework help sites and kid-friendly search engines for their own information hunts.

• Teens will soon have their own space in the library for Young Adult books and activities.

This growth requires a new library. Vote YES.

If you believe in a new library, please share this post with your family and friends, either through email or Facebook. The May 3 vote is quickly approaching! Thank you.

Statistics show need for new library.

 “There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library.”  ~Andrew Carnegie

The Grand Forks Public Library is the cornerstone of our community, a public institution of immeasurable worth to the responsible citizens of Grand Forks and the surrounding area – and it needs your help.

Thanks to all of you, we’ve outgrown our current library and desperately need more space to accommodate your reading, research and relaxation needs. Vote YES for a larger, light-filled, comfortable and safe environment!

 * * *

Like thousands of public libraries across the United States, the first Grand Forks Public Library building was constructed with funding provided by Andrew Carnegie. It was located downtown on the corner of 5^th and Alpha from 1903 until 1972, when a new library was built at 2110 Library Circle.

The new library seemed large at 31,415 sq. ft. but it was soon apparent that more space was needed. In 1984, an expansion project added 4,500 sq. ft. for a new Children’s Department on the second floor, as well as space for the library’s first computer room. It was an exciting place for the growing community of readers.

The library’s collections and services have always kept pace with the needs of its patrons, and never more than in today’s ever-changing electronic world. The statistics below contradict the assertion that the Internet has made the Grand Forks Public Library expendable, showing instead that its use increases with every year:

	1979	2009
Population of Grand Forks County	63,425	66,585
Library visitors per year	175,000	283,956
Library visits per capita	2.76	4.26
Total number of library materials owned	137,514	314,310
Total items checked out (the largest number of any library in North Dakota)	360,128	852,129
Total interlibrary loan materials provided to other libraries	293	3,598
Total interlibrary loan items borrowed from other libraries	381	536
Items checked out per capita	5.68	12.80
Number of internet users served	N/A	52,784

Your public library continues to grow and be a vital part of Grand Forks because its mission is taken very seriously.

But… the building is the same size as it was in 1984 and library service has changed dramatically since then. Not only have we outgrown our current building; it has serious deficiencies. The wiring and the heating system have not been updated since they were installed in 1972 and are limping along with continual repairs. The lighting in the stacks is totally inadequate and there are no windows to provide natural light. The library’s bathrooms and stacks are not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The existing elevator must be replaced. And so forth.

No hype. No exaggeration. We need a new library and these are the facts and statistics to prove it. 

Vote YES.

If you believe in a new library, please share this article with your family and friends. Email or post the link to your Facebook. The vote is only 12 days away! Thank you.

3 clarifications about tax and location.

The hard-working volunteers, who have piloted the GF Public Library Revitalization Project for more than three years, appreciate this opportunity to correct erroneous information that has been distributed and redistributed recently through a very deceiving email thread.

The majority of the information in the email message was based on conjecture and untruths. The most egregious of the misstatements are corrected here:

1. The amount of public dollars (sales tax revenue) to be spent for all costs needed to construct, furnish and equip a new library will not exceed $20.8 million.
2. Property tax revenue will not be used for the proposed library construction project.
3. The new library will be built at and on property or properties adjacent to the existing building at Library Circle and Library Lane, Grand Forks, N.D.
   (Source:  Minutes of the March 9, 2011, meeting of the Grand Forks Public Library Board.)

It’s important for Grand Forks voters to be correctly informed about the proposed library project. Our library website contains complete information on current usage data, consultant’s reports, feasibility studies/traffic studies authorized by City Council and official meeting minutes from the three years of working through the planning process.

Probably most important: Visit the library and see for yourself. GFPL has 825 visitors per day checking out almost 2,400 items daily. That’s more than any other public library in North Dakota.

The problems at our 40-year-old library will not disappear with a “no” vote on May 3. Total lack of ADA compliance, exploding light fixtures causing fire, antiquated HVAC systems, insufficient space for materials, programming, meetings and parking, as well as total absence of insulating material will continue to render our library inefficient, hazardous and noncompliant.

Let’s rectify the problems by approving a carefully researched, all-encompassing solution paid by a 1-cent sales tax with a hard sunset clause.

Vote “yes” on May 3 to provide the citizens of Grand Forks City and County with a 21^st Century public library.

Q+A with Mayor Brown: Sales tax.

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.) Answers to questions 1 & 2 regarding location can be found here. The answer to question 3 regarding demographics can be found here.

Mayor Brown’s Question 4: I initially questioned the impact of a 1% sales tax increase on our local economy. I have since heard information from sources like the Retail Task Force/Buxton Report that perhaps the impact isn’t a deal breaker. Has there been any other information suggesting this?

Library Board’s A: The Mayor has asked what effect the increased sales tax might have on business in Grand Forks. The answer is that it is likely to have very little impact on shopping habits.

Some of the reasons for this conclusion are as follows:

• In Fargo, consumers pay an additional ½-cent county sales tax recently levied by Cass County. For the first six months, Grand Forks will enjoy a sales tax advantage over Fargo of ¾ cents. For nine months following that, Fargo’s sales tax will be ¼ cent lower than Grand Forks’. Then for 23 months Fargo will be ¾ cents lower than Grand Forks, unless Fargo is forced to raise its sales tax further to pay for the rapidly escalating cost of flood protection.

• However, if you figure in what you spend on gas and depreciation, it would make no economic sense to spend two and a half hours driving 150 miles just to pay a lower sales tax unless you were going to spend over $10,000 in one trip.

• The Buxton retail study found that choice and variety of merchandise are perhaps the most important determinants in making decisions about where one shops.

• A recent study in California by a well-known municipal tax consultant found that sales tax increases in more than two dozen California cities had no measurable effect on sales.

• An economist with Beacon Economics in California said that “in the long run people don’t base their buying decisions on sales tax rates.” They tend to shop in places they enjoy because of the atmosphere and amenities. “One of the highest sales taxes you might pay in Los Angeles County is in the city of Santa Monica, which has a 9.75% sales tax. But people flock there to shop because they like going there.”

• One advantage of the 1-cent sales tax is that we would be finished paying for it much sooner than with a ¾ cent or ½ cent tax. At current collection rates, a 1-cent tax pays off the cost of the new library in about 32 months (a little over 2.5 years). The other two would be with us for about 42 months (3.5 years) or 64 months (5.3 years).

• A new library will enhance the business climate in Grand Forks. It will be one more reason to be proud of what the city has to offer. The greater the attachment to Grand Forks, the more likely one is to shop there. Also, weekend reading events and exhibits at the library are another reason for patrons to stay in the city.

• If the new library were not paid for by the sales tax, we would have to make repairs to the current library’s electrical, air conditioning, heating and roof systems. The current elevator must be replaced by the year 2013, and there is also an urgent need to bring the current library into compliance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards. An approximate estimate for those updates is a cost between $2 and $5 million. This would have to be paid for with property taxes, which most people find more burdensome than sales taxes.

Immediate needs at the Grand Forks Public Library.

The Library Board and Task Force members are very concerned about the immediate needs of the Grand Forks Public Library should the May 3 ballot measure fail for the proposed 1-cent sales tax. We have several issues that will require City Council intervention (in the form of property tax dollars) such as:

A wheelchair user and GFPL patron demonstrates the difficulty of accessing the librarys non-ADA-compliant shelves.

• The elevator MUST be replaced in 2012 (mandated by manufacturer).
• The bathrooms have to be made ADA-compliant – entrances and stalls.
• The stacks need to be made ADA-compliant – get rid of about 1/3 of the existing shelving, maybe more.
• The HVAC system needs to be replaced.
• The lighting system needs to be replaced (they’re extremely dangerous and have caused two fires).

With no long-term plan to rectify these deficiencies, immediate stop-gap corrections must be put in place. The Grand Forks City Council would be the appropriate governing body to make decisions regarding the inadequacies at the public library. Depending on how comprehensively the problems are addressed, our best guess for an initial cost estimate is between $2 and $5 million. It’s going to cost tax dollars, one way or another.

With stop-gap corrections, the space shortages at GFPL are completely ignored. Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy way to arrive at a cost-effective solution for the lack of square footage. One of the proposed construction options during the three-year Library Revitalization Process was a remodel and addition to the existing building. The total budget for that option came in at $17,815,000 – nearly as much as for totally new construction.

There are several structural challenges with the existing building that create significant issues for a remodel/expand. The 1972 building, although originally intended for second-floor expansion, was not constructed with sufficient ceiling height to accommodate the HVAC and lighting requirements of a 21^st Century Public Library.

Read more about these issues in the GF Library Site Feasibility Study prepared for City Council in January 2011. See pages 12-14 for budget specifics on the remodel/add option.

The Grand Forks Public Library needs more space.

The biggest problem at the current Grand Forks Public Library is the lack of space.

Additional space is needed for:

• Shelving
• Displaying materials
• Programming for children’s story time
• IT hardware
• Power outlets
• Parking
• Civic meetings
• Presentations and exhibits
• Study rooms
• Staff work processing areas
• ADA compliance

Physical space can no longer be carved out of the existing floor plan in our 1972 building. Based on the Needs Assessment prepared by Library Consulting, PA, and comparisons with other communities of similar size and usage patterns, here’s how the current GFPL stacks up:

• 36,556 sq. ft.
• 75 parking spaces
• 50 Internet access computers
• 125 reader seats
• Large meeting room capacity: 80
• Conference room capacity: 0
• Number of small study rooms: 0
• Computer lab: renovated in 2010 with grant money from Knight Foundation & Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Proposed needs based on current usage:

• 62,267 sq. ft.
• 178 parking spaces
• 107 Internet access computers
• 232 reader seats
• Large meeting room capacity: 150
• Conference room capacity: 30+
• Number of small study rooms: 9
• Computer lab: expanded and updated for additional group training sessions and ongoing technology classes

See photos of the current library spaces issues in this Grand Forks Public Library slideshow, which is available for presentation to civic groups and organizations (updated 2/10/11).

Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy way to arrive at a cost-effective solution for the lack of square footage at GFPL. One of the proposed construction options during the three-year Library Revitalization Process was a remodel and addition to the existing building. The total budget for that option came in at $17,815,000 – nearly as much as for total new construction.

There are several structural challenges with the existing building that create significant issues for a remodel/expand. The 1972 building, although originally intended for second floor expansion, was not constructed with sufficient ceiling height to accommodate the HVAC and lighting requirements of a 21st Century Public Library.

Read more about these issues in the Grand Forks Library Site Feasibility Study prepared for City Council in January 2011. See pages 12-14 for budget specifics on the remodel/add option.

Q+A with Mayor Brown: Demographics.

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.) Answers to questions 1 & 2 regarding location can be found here.

Question 3: What demographic(s) of our community does the library uniquely serve? Are others able to serve these particular groups of people?

Library Board’s Answer: The mission of the Grand Forks Public Library (GFPL) is to connect the community, enrich the mind and inspire the imagination. To be truly successful in accomplishing this mission, all demographic categories within the city of Grand Forks must be impacted. At GFPL, we strive to provide “something for everyone.”

According to our most recent library user survey, most patrons came to the Grand Forks Public Library to (1) check out books, (2) check out DVDs and (3) use the computers. The complete breakdown of reasons people go to our library (click chart to expand):

Slightly more females (58%) than males (42%) used the GFPL. The breakdown by age is as follows:

November 2010 scientific research conducted by DMD Consulting verified that users of the Grand Forks Public Library are dispersed evenly across the community. People who live on the north side of town use the library the same amount as those living on the far south side. East and west of Washington also have very similar usage numbers.

The research results also revealed there is widespread support for building a new library. Regardless of whether or not they actually used the library, 74.2% of a random sample of Grand Forks residents was in favor of a new library. This holds true across wards as well. From the highest support (Ward 3 at 75.6%) to the lowest support (Ward 6 at 64.2%), the majority of people are in favor of a new library. The support holds true regardless of income level.

Usage of the Grand Forks Public Library continues to increase, both in checkout of materials and in usage of computers. This data is consistent with the findings of several national studies. A January 2010 Harris Interactive Poll provides compelling evidence that a decade-long trend of increasing library use is continuing – and even accelerating – during these difficult economic times. According to the study, two-thirds (65%) of Americans indicated they have used their public library in the past year. Eighty percent (80%) of those ages 18-24, 70% ages 25-34 and 73% ages 35-44 have used their library in the past year.

When asked about services used at the public library in the past year, 77% of Harris Poll respondents reported taking out books (print, e-books, or audio books), which is the number one use. Second was consulting a librarian (67%), followed by connecting to the internet (41%) and checking email (25%).

These materials, services and library events are not offered in quite the same way anywhere else in our community. The Grand Forks Public Library serves the entire population without regard to status; young and old, rich and poor, north end and south end residents – all receive unique niche services, free of charge, from the helpful and caring staff at our public library.

Support family reading time.

Below is a guest blog post from Jami Schumacher, mother of three book-loving boys. She was kind enough to share her perspective and support of a new library. Thanks, Jami!

My family is a family of readers. I have to say that my husband Matt and I take great pride in the fact that our three boys all enjoy reading. I believe we have helped them develop this love of reading and that it will serve them well in their lives.

On March 29, my boys and I attended the public session to listen to the architect share some ideas for our new library. To say that they were excited to hear what has been done at other libraries is an understatement.

My boys’ first exposure to the Grand Forks Public Library came through the Tuesday morning story time program. I was a stay-at-home mom for 12 years and this was a much-loved weekly outing. That they could check out any books they wanted week after week was such a treasure, especially during those years when we were living on a very tight budget. Eight-year-old Eliot said recently that the library “needs to get a bigger and better place for story time.” For many years the story time room was packed, especially in the summers when the Summer Reading Program was in session.

Now that all of my boys are in school, we do not attend story time but we still frequent the library throughout the year. My son Sam, 10 years old, gets hooked on reading books by certain authors and has said, “One of my favorite things to do at the library is check out books from series I’ve been reading, but don’t want to buy.” He has grand visions for a new library, “I hope our new library will have a 24-hour media pick-up center and a full cafe so I can spend the day there.”

My oldest, Max, is a teenager and has a more limited interest in what is currently available at the library. While he stills likes to go occasionally to check out books on particular topics of interest, Max has said, “In the new library I would like to see a teen multi-media area like I saw the architect show from other libraries.”

The needs of a 21st century library are very different from a library which was built almost 40 years ago. There is no doubt in my mind that a new library would enhance our community. We need this new library so it can reshape the role that it plays in the community, we need sufficient parking, and we need public support. My husband and I will be voting YES on May 3, and we would invite others to as well.

Yard signs & window clings available!

Are you getting behind a new Grand Forks Public Library? Show your support with a yard sign or window cling!

How to get yours:

We will be distributing yard signs across the street from the entrance to the Grand Forks Public Library at the following dates and times:

• Friday, April 7 – 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, April 7 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, April 8 – 12 noon to 5 p.m.
• Monday through Thursday, April 11 through 14 – 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Friday, April 15 – 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Additionally, signs are available at SimmonsFlint (downtown Grand Forks – 33 S 3rd St. Ste. D) or at the Widseth Smith Nolting office (intersection of Washington St. and 28th Ave. S), both during business hours (8-5). Consider taking a box of 50 to distribute in your workplace or neighborhood.

Two important things to remember when displaying campaign materials:

1. Yard signs must be on private property only. Do not display on the berms, alleys, public parks, school or university property.
2. All campaign material must be removed before election day: May 3, 2011.

Here’s the yard sign – Vote Yes to the Hobbit.

And the window cling options:

• Vote Yes to Mark Twain
• Vote Yes to Wizard of Oz
• Vote Yes to Shakespeare

Remember to vote yes to the library on May 3. Thanks for your help!

Who are the friends of the Grand Forks Public Library?

Who are we?

Well, for one, we’re old. Our organization has been around for over 30 years.

Every great library needs great friends, and that’s why we exist.

We’re dedicated community members. We’re just like you.

We believe in what a library does for the community, and just like any friend would do, we’re here to support and encourage the library.

We’ll leave you with this thought:

A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you just the way you are.

We do all the above for the Grand Forks Public Library.