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.

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.)

Grand Forks Public Library speaks up: We’re more than books.

All this while, we’ve been asking you to speak up, and now it’s our turn. We’d like to start by making this point:

The Grand Forks Public Library is about more than books.

A library is not a warehouse for books alone. The Grand Forks Public Library should be the heart and brain of our community – a unified hub providing knowledge, connectivity and services for all regardless of age, economic status, location, literacy level, ethnicity or ability.

A library is a central source for information in all formats. A public library should be viewed first and foremost as a community gathering spot – a place where people can get what they need, free of charge, in a trusted setting with experienced, hands-on assistance. In fact, the Grand Forks Public Library has over 800 unique visitors daily. It’s a central location for people who wish to exchange ideas. It is a place for lifelong learning. It’s a technology hub, providing computer and internet access – again, free of charge – as well as a resource for technology training.

In the 1960’s, public library collections contained LP records, which eventually were replaced by 8-track tapes, cassette tapes and compact discs. In the 21^st Century, public libraries are digitalized, and our collection now contains databases and downloadable materials. Of the 2,355 items checked out daily at the Grand Forks Public Library, books continue to be the most popular by far. Books are not dead or dying.

Does anyone know what the popular format will be in 2050? Certainly not any of us! We do know, however, that flexibility is the key to a successful public library collection. The materials must be representative of the public’s wants and needs. Information will always be a sought-after resource at public libraries across the nation.

The Grand Forks Public Library aims to be that library – the heart and brain of our community – now and into the future.

We hope this explanation encourages you to become an informed voter, so that on May 3 you can cast your vote with confidence for the proposed one-cent sales tax to fund construction of a new Grand Forks Public Library.

How did we get to this point? Update on new Grand Forks Public Library

For nearly 120 years, Grand Forks has had a public library. It’s a key community asset. And it’s time for a new one. That much has been determined. Now we’d like your ideas on what this new library ought to include.

First, a bit of history about the Grand Forks Public Library

About 1894, a group of residents started keeping a growing collection of books in various rented spaces and allowing people “of good deportment” to borrow the books, which may have included these page-turners:

>> Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
>> Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book
>> John Muir’s The Mountains of California

By 1903, in part with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, a permanent space for the library was built, where it grew its collections and services and remained until 1972.

By 1972, Library Board members, city government officials and residents obtained land for a new Grand Forks Public Library near Washington Street. At the time, this was the very southernmost part of the city. That’s where the library remains today.

Today, 37 years later, it is again apparent to the Library Board, government officials and residents that it’s time to improve the library’s facilities.

In 2008, a 17-member Task Force, appointed by the Library Board, looked at rejuvenating the library. Their key findings are detailed in the full needs assessment report and include:

>> Increasing pressures of new technology for library patrons
>> Growing collections that are outgrowing available space
>> Expanding services for existing and new populations
>> Inadequate parking space

That’s where we’ve been.

Now it’s time to share your ideas about the new Grand Forks Public Library. Where would you like it to be? What should it offer? When should it be open?

Other ways to be heard:

>> Complete our survey (You could even win an iPad!)
>> Comment here
>> Comment on our Facebook page
>> See upcoming community meetings