Gerard B. McCabe Planning for a New Generation of Public Library Buildings the Greenwood Library Management Collection 2000

PLANNING FOR ANEW GENERATION OF

PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDINGS

Recent Titles inThe Greenwood Library Management Collection

Introducing and Managing Academic Library Automation ProjectsJohn W. Head and Gerard B. McCabe, editorsThe National Electronic Library: A Guide to the Future for Library ManagersGary M. Pitkin, editorStrategic Management for Public Libraries: A HandbookRobert M. Hayes and Virginia A. WalterManaging Business Collections in LibrariesCarolyn A. Sheehy, editorIntroduction to Health Sciences Librarianship: A Management HandbookFrank R. KellermanLibrary Facility Siting and Location HandbookChristine M. KoontzPromoting Preservation Awareness in Libraries: A Sourcebook for Academic, Public,School, and Special CollectionsJeanne M. Drewes and Julie A. Page, editorsSerials Management in Academic Libraries: A Guide to Issues and PracticesJean Walter FarringtonCreating the Agile Library: A Management Guide for LibrariansLorraine J. Haricombe and T. J. Lusher, editorsYoung Adults and Public Libraries: A Handbook of Materials and ServicesMary Anne Nichols and C. Allen Nichols, editorsMoving Library Collections: A Management HandbookElizabeth Chamberlain HabichLeadership and Academic LibrariansTerrence F. Mech and Gerard B. McCabe, editors

Planning for aNew Generation of

Public Library Buildings

Gerard B. McCabe

THE GREENWOOD LIBRARY MANAGEMENT COLLECTION

GREENWOOD PRESSWestport, Connecticut London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McCabe, Gerard B.Planning for a new generation of public library buildings / Gerard

B. McCabe.p. cm.(Greenwood library management collection, ISSN

08942986)Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.ISBN 0313305927 (alk. paper)1. Library buildingsDesign and construction. 2. Public

libraries. 3. Library architecture. 4. Library buildingsUnitedStatesDesign and construction. 5. Public librariesUnitedStates. 6. Library architectureUnited States. 7. LibrarybuildingsAustraliaDesign and construction. 8. Public librariesAustralia. 9. Library architectureAustralia. I. Title.II. Series.Z679.5.M44 2000022'.314dc21 9932004

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.

Copyright 2000 by Gerard B. McCabe

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may bereproduced, by any process or technique, without theexpress written consent of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 9932004ISBN: 0313305927ISSN: 08942986

First published in 2000

Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.www.greenwood.com

Printed in the United States of AmericaTM

The paper used in this book complies with thePermanent Paper Standard issued by the NationalInformation Standards Organization (Z39.481984).10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1. Beginning the Plan 7

2. Data for Planning 21

3. Location: Finding a Site 27

4. Interior Design 35

5. Furnishing and Equipping the Library and Its Environs 41

6. Other Views 57

Using Small College Library Planning Techniques in PublicLibrary Facilities Planning by James R. Kennedy 57

A Place to Call Their Own by Rebecca M. Wenninger 63

7. The Library Building Program 67

8. Reference Services to Special Collections 77

9. Childrens Services to Meeting Space 85

10. Architectural Details 95

vi Contents

Appendix A. Joint-Use Libraries in Australia 113

Appendix B. Management Checklist 116

Appendix C. Furniture and Equipment Options for Public Libraries 119

Appendix D. Drawings 126

Appendix E. Safety Procedures Handbook 128

Appendix F. Conversion or Renovation of Other Types of Buildings 130

Appendix G. Library Building Program, Checklist of Contents 133

Appendix H. Sample Survey Forms 136

Selected Bibliography 151

Index 159

About the Author and Contributors 167

Preface

There are many books available on library design and construction. This onepulls together ideas from many of these sources and merges them with theexpertise of a librarian building consultant. Gerard B. McCabe has many yearsof experience working with architects, contractors, library board members,elected ofcials, and librarians involved in the renovation of older buildings andthe development and planning of new ones. He has been called upon to evaluatesites, analyze communities, and make recommendations leading to the successfulcompletion of a project.

In this book McCabe has organized a variety of comments and referencesinto chapters that could well be used to develop the project outline for the noviceand a checklist for the experienced. He acknowledges the expertise of his col-leagues and draws liberally on their works.

Chapter 1 begins with the decision to do something and the parties who shouldbe involved. In chapter 2 McCabe discusses types of data to be gathered andused in the development of the written program. Formulas, demographics, andpotential service needs are all useful as the consultant begins writing. The thirdchapter discusses site location. McCabe includes some wise commentspro andconas guidance in this early phase.

Chapters 4 and 5 deal with interior design, furniture, and equipment to fulllboth design elements and functional needs. One important but brief paragraphdiscusses assistive equipment. Chapter 6 presents the views of two other librar-ians in two papers: James R. Kennedy, in the rst, discussing transferring small

viii Preface

college library building planning techniques to public library building projects,and Rebecca M. Wenninger, advocating serious consideration of the needs ofyoung adults, in the second.

In chapter 7 McCabe describes the elements of the building program andbegins to dene specic spacesentry way, circulation desk area, workroom,storage areas, and other common spaces. Chapter 8 covers the reference area,functions, and accommodations for special materials and equipment.

Chapter 9 covers the childrens department in some detail. This is followedby adult services, meetings spaces, and collections accommodations. Chapter 10goes into more particular architectural building components: load-bearing cri-teria, safety glass, lighting, climate control, and other building elements.

There are eight appendices; among them are a building program checklist, alist of furniture and equipment, and a few drawings. This is a practical, inclusivevolume. The individual reader will determine how much will be useful in aspecic situation.

A selected bibliography provides titles that can be a purchasing list for thosewho expect to continue to work on library construction projects.

Bernadette Storck, AdministratorPinellas Public Library Cooperative, Inc.

Largo, Florida

Acknowledgments

My thanks are offered to Dr. David R. Dowell of Cuesta College, San LuisObispo, California; James R. Kennedy of Buena Vista University, Storm Lake,Iowa; and Bernadette Storck of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, Inc.,Largo, Florida, for reading the draft manuscript of this book and making manyhelpful suggestions.

Again, much appreciation is extended to James R. Kennedy for also preparinga paper for this book, and to my daughter Rebecca M. Wenninger for her con-tribution of a paper.

PLANNING FOR ANEW GENERATION OF

PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDINGS

Introduction

Preparation for this book has been one of my annual objectives for the lastseveral years. I have read as widely as possible about library buildings and madesite visits to a considerable number. Some of these visits were in concurrencewith attendance at annual and midwinter conferences of the American LibraryAssociation (ALA). Others were done during visits to friends and family mem-bers. Some were the purpose of a driving trip just to see a new or renovatedlibrary building that had come to my attention. In October 1998, I ew toAustralia to attend the 5th Biennial Conference of the Australian Library andInformation Association, Adelaide 98, Pathways to Knowledge. As part of theconference I took a tour of the Adelaide areas public library branch buildingsand the State Library of South Australia/City of Adelaide Lending Library, ajoint-use facility. After the conference I traveled to Sydney.

New and renovated American libraries, mostly public and a few academic,were visited in Arizona, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Flor-ida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,and overseas in Adelaide and Sydney, Australia. The more recent large librariesthat I have visited include the new San Francisco Public Library, the renovatedand expanded Los Angeles Public Library, the Harold Washington Library inChicago, the renovated and breathtaking main reading room of the Library ofCongress,1 and the remarkable new Phoenix Public Library. If you are visitingthe Phoenix area, the several libraries on the Phoenix and Tempe campuses of

2 Introduction

Arizona State University, the Tempe Public Library, and Scottsdale librariesshould be seen.

My most recent visit was to the new Greensboro Central Library in NorthCarolina. This contemporary, state-of-the-art library is well worth a visit for anylibrarian traveling in the southeastern United States. This library opened onOctober 31, 1998; my visit took place on December 15, 1998. A thorough andillustrated description of this new building can be found in an article Your NewPublic Library, by Donald W. Patterson in the November 1, 1998, GreensboroNews & Record, pages D1 and D2, which includes a descriptive text and a listof the building contents, space measurements, and costs.

Among other interesting academic libraries visited was Manseld Universityof Pennsylvanias very progressive and handsome renovation of a latenineteenth-century campus building. Public librarians traveling in or near northcentral Pennsylvania or central New York, will nd it most worthwhile to visitManseld to see the furniture and equipment, which are state-of-the-art andshould be of interest.

In Sydney, Australia, I visited the expanded and renovated State Library ofNew South Wales with its magnicent Mitchell Library, a model of restoration.Among smaller U.S. libraries were two very ne series of new buildings inPinellas County, Florida, and in Las Vegas/Clark County, Nevada. In Nevada,my attention was called to Las Vegas by an article in Architectural Record(March 1997) describing the joint-use Sahara West Library and Fine Arts Mu-seum, one of twenty-three branch libraries.2 Returning to the Phoenix area, therenovated and expanded Scottsdale, Arizona, Civic Center Library with its out-standing childrens library, and Scottsdales Mustang branch library are bothremarkable. In Columbia, Maryland, the East Columbia branch of the ColumbiaPublic Library is another very good prospect.

Buildings to visit can be found in the annual April issues of American Li-braries, the annual December issues of Library Journal, and in various issuesof Todays Librarian. If a recent building is nearby then a visit is simple enough.For those librarians who may travel in the United States, buildings featured inthese magazines may prove worth visiting. For the more fortunate who can traveloverseas, magazines published in other countries may be of assistance. TheSeptember 1997 issue of inCite, News magazine of the Australian Library andInformation Association, describes some recent Australian libraries and one inSarawak, Malaysia. The Australian libraries are the Liverpool City Library nearSydney, the Sunshine Coast University Library at Sippy Downs in the state ofQueensland, the Joondalup Public Library in the city of Wanneroo near Perthin the state of Western Australia, the Midland Public Library in the shire ofSwan, Western Australia, the Mount Barker Community Library (which has thedistinction of being a joint-use library with a technical school) in the state ofSouth Australia, and last, in Logan near Brisbane in Queensland, the LoganHyperdome Library, the fth of a series of new Logan city libraries that werestarted in 1992. My Australian travel plans regretfully did not take me to any

Introduction 3

of these locations. In Sarawak, Malaysia, the new state library is the PustakaNegeri Sarawak, completed in December 1999. Assistance from the AustralianState Library of New South Wales Building and Planning Advisory Service wascritical to the development of this important new building (inCite, September1997, 10).

Among my general observations in the United States, based not only on actualvisits but also on reports and photographs of library buildings in the professionaljournals, is the notice of too many look-a-likes, especially in the 10,000 to15,000square-foot size range. Just as is sometimes the case with other typesof buildings that achieve some notoriety, very similar features appear in newconstruction in other areas. It is for this reason that no photographs appear inthis book. No line-drawing renditions of existing buildings appear. There are noendorsements of any building or any style of building. The development oflibrary building concepts should be evolutionary with new designs and featuresappearing as the needs of the people they serve change. As the technology andlogical infrastructure of the library changes in response to new needs, to newways of providing service, to new material formats, to new developments in thetechnology of online services and communications, and as the climatic and ge-ographic circumstances of the locale may indicate, a particular building willevolve for specic purposes.

Library buildings are always worth visiting, and my visits included somebuildings that were no longer new, and were in fact several or more years old.In these buildings, I could observe how adjustments were made as new servicedemands arose, how furniture and equipment were holding up, how the publicwas using the building. Except for a few instances where the visit was madebefore the building was nished, or as part of an ALA conference activity andthe building was closed to the general public during the evening of the scheduledactivity, the observation of actual use was very instructive. In most cases useof the building was at a very good level. Usually as the librarian reported, serviceactivity was greatly increased over that experienced in the previous facility. Thegeneral public in every community makes very good use of the public libraries.I believe this observation may be extended universally. My observations in theAustralian libraries that I visited were identical. Activity statistics given by theAustralian librarians I met were very high in proportion to the population ofthe areas served. This is another reason why it is important to plan for anybuilding project with as much concentrated energy as possible. The buildingwill be subjected to heavy use once the project is completed, and if there is aplanning failure, it will show up almost immediately.

One of my observations about furniture and equipment in the U.S. librarieswas that all new and renovated buildings were well furnished and well equipped.A few had to make use of some of the older items removed from a replacedbuilding or those that were in use prior to renovation. These items usually in-cluded some steel shelving units, some tables, and chairs. All were in goodcondition. In the buildings of several years existence, the furniture and equip-

4 Introduction

ment appeared to be holding up very well. The quality of library furniture andequipment produced today is quite high. My observations in the Australian li-braries I visited were similar.

In the series of new and renovated buildings that I saw, I did not observe anywith a lighting problem in public areas. All were well lighted and all had ex-cellent illumination of reading surfaces and stack aisles. Lighting has been thesubject of more than one program or preconference of an American LibraryAssociation annual conference. As a member of the Library and AdministrationAssociation division, I think modest credit may be taken by its Building andEquipment Section, the originator of these presentations.

The overall objectives of this book are: to help rst-time planners with basicinformation; to serve as a refresher for those librarians who have had previousplanning experience; to help library board and planning group members knowand understand the many issues and matters they will face when planning evena most modest project; to equip students enrolled in Library and InformationScience programs with a basic core of knowledge and understanding becauseeventually they will become involved in renovation or space-planning projects;and to assist architectural students and interns learning to use computer assisteddesign (CAD) software packages.

The average public librarian needs information that helps in understandingwhat is involved in planning for a public library building project. This applieswhether the subject is a free-standing independent building, a branch library, ora joint-use facility with a museum, a senior academic library, a community orjunior college library, or a school library. Reading this book will not turn areader into a qualied specialist on library buildings. It is to help librarians andothers learn what should be known about a project so that they function effec-tively as part of the planning team. There are basic facets of information thatlibrarians must know. If their projects are to be successful librarians must par-ticipate and to do so should possess this basic core of information. This is theintentnot to replace a skilled building consultant, nor a qualied architect, butto help the librarian in raising the level of information known and so to berecognized as a full partner in the planning.

The concept of modern libraries is moving toward interactive connectionswith information sources far beyond the immediate community. For the contem-porary public library, this means connection to a network, the federally denedNational Information Infrastructure, and a critical role in addressing the infor-mation needs of its community. All of the public libraries in the United Statesand in Australia that I visited were involved in online information services. Thenewest one, Greensboro (NC) Central Library, went so far as to have severalterminals constantly online, connected to the Internet.

In the planning effort for a building project, sometimes basic fundamentalscan be neglected. The librarian may be unaware of the importance of certainfundamentals, or the librarian may be ignored. A building concept may developthat will have operational problems when completed. The librarian will be ex-

Introduction 5

pected to operate library services satisfactorily regardless of the effective func-tionality of the building. It is new, isnt it? In turn, however, the thinking thathelps develop the planning must include realistic evaluation of what has beentraditional practice.

In some geographic areas, and in some other countriesAustralia is oneexampleeconomic factors may require consideration of shared or joint-usefacilities. The Sahara West Library and Fine Arts Museum in Las Vegas pro-vides an educational and cultural opportunity in one large building. The specialrequirements of both types of services are met through the infrastructure of thebuilding. In some instances, public libraries have combined or are consideringcombining with academic libraries.3 The combination of the modern academiclibrary electronic teaching center and the public library electronic informationcenter can be made to work within a common infrastructure dened in a singlebuilding. There are commonalities to the planning of both types of libraries.

Site visits are encouraged. Librarians and their board members should visitother libraries, regardless of their age or condition. Colleagues are willing usu-ally to talk about their buildings, tell about their working experience, and giveadvice and sometimes cautions about what to consider. The end result must bea working building, a pleasant environment for staff and public, and one that isadaptable to the sometimes sudden changes that our rapidly advancing societyrequires.

NOTES1. Andrea Oppenheimer Dean, Library of Congress Washington, D.C., Architectural

Record (February 1997): 10611. This article with some striking photographs describesthe renovation project and the long planning effort required.

2. Karen Stein, Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastles Sahara West Library and Fine ArtsMuseum is a World Apart from the Las Vegas Strip, Architectural Record (March1997): 5561. Stein describes the latest and apparently last addition to the city-countylibrary system in a project spread over eleven years and nanced through a $120 milliondollar bond issue.

3. Three Plans for Shared-Use Libraries in the Works, American Libraries (January1999): 2123. The three projects involve academic and public libraries, one set in Cal-ifornia, the other two in Florida.

REFERENCESLibrary Buildings and Design. 1997. InCite News magazine of the Australian Library

and Information Association (September): 815. The issue cover carries a pho-tograph of part of the new Sunshine Coast University College Library with theoffset caption The design of libraries: A community focus. A series of articleson library planning begins on page 8. The lead article discusses community in-volvement in library planning and the other articles discuss specic buildings.

1Beginning the Plan

Planning begins when authorities recognize that some type of space modicationis necessary: a new building, renovation, or conversion of a building. This mustbe developed into a series of goals and objectives and nally into a plan.

THE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION CENTER

In which direction should the planning effort be going? Is there a new rolefor libraries? Everyone wants up-to-date library services with online servicespreeminent. A great national and international information network is formingbringing information resources to all peoples. This is now: This is the future:The choice is clear.

The electronic information center (EIC) is the latest step in an evolutionaryprocess from the traditional library to the networked library. In the electronicmode, most library service and support is computer based and human dependent.Skilled staff are critical for this objective. High techhigh touch technicalskills are basic for both staff and public. Online services for the general publiccome through a regional or state library-based network and possibly are limitedbecause of local constraints such as space and funding shortages. This conditionmay be what led to the decision to plan for change. Addressing constraints wherethey exist is one planning objective. Another objective is offering services onlinewithout requiring users to visit the library unnecessarily. Every online assistance

8 New Generation of Public Library Buildings

to users off-site saves space and reduces trafc. Libraries may experience highusage levels without incurring higher costs beyond system operational costs.

Extending its inuence and services at home and far aeld, EIC users, un-constrained by their location or library service hours, may access and retrievesome resources immediately, identify some for later delivery, and send refer-ence/information inquiries to the staff for later response. Essentially, electronicinformation resources are always available. Users will access their librarys re-sources and place requests for materials online, from home, the workplace, orin the library itself.

THE LIBRARY STAFF

Success of the planning effort depends upon staff who should be involved inthe development effort, included in the formation loop, and encouraged to con-tribute their ideas. Through training workshops offered by various agencies, staffwill learn improved operational skills and how to update them. Equipment foraccessing electronic resources, gathering and processing data, organizing, andcodifying electronic information resources from various originators requires in-frastructure and space. Skilled and dedicated staff will make the plan work.

COLLECTIONS

During the evolutionary process for libraries, resources accumulated in printand nonprint formats of assured continuing usefulness and substantial value,monetarily in millions of dollars. Most of these havent been subsumed intoonline data banks. The attention these formats require include ease of access forusers, provision for removal and use elsewhere, and adequate storage and pres-ervation. Addressing these needs must be part of the plan.

DESIGN NEEDS

A library building for public use should have certain features and capabilitiessupportive of its mission. Some necessary features are conducive to supportingand preserving electronic equipment and the physical collections.

Environment

Electronic equipment and material collections function and serve effectivelywhen the temperature, humidity, and quality of air are optimal. Preservation ofall types of materials is critical to successful service (Albright 1997; ANSI/AIIM1998; Drewes and Page 1997; Ogden 1998; Saffady 1997; Wilson 1995).

Beginning the Plan 9

Furniture and Equipment

Electronic equipment such as microcomputers, printers, disk drives, modems,photocopiers, microform reader/printers, learning machines, and television de-vices often requires platforms that differ from the traditional table or carrel.Additionally, a wide range of other supporting furniture and equipment is nec-essary.

A LIBRARY CONSULTANT

When the supporting organization authorizes initiation of planning for a li-brary building project, the librarian should recommend (indeed insist on rmlyand politely) the employment of a qualied library consultant. This is essentialfor any type or size of building project. In some states such employment isstrongly recommended or even required by the state library, the usual conduitfor state funding assistance.

The Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), a divisionof the American Library Association (ALA), publishes Library Building Con-sultants List, usually prepared within its Building and Equipment Section. Thisreliable publication is the best current source for identifying consultants whoare experienced and who meet at least minimal standards. Many of these peoplehave multiple qualications and can assist when a joint-use facility is the ob-jective. Some consultants who arent listed rely on word-of-mouth referrals andshould meet the same minimum criteria. A variant is pursuing a complete designproposal through the issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) and requestingbids from architectural rms for a full-service design approach including a li-brary consultant. In this instance, the RFP should state that the consultant shouldmeet the criteria for the Library Building Consultants List cited above.

Whether employed through an RFP response or oral or contractual agreement,the negotiated fee for a qualied library consultant is money well spent. Thisperson is current on trends in library building design and the requirements ofnew technology. Even the smallest project has many aspects, and with profes-sional assistance, errors that may prove costly later will be avoided.

The Head Librarians Responsibility

The planning process requires substantial information. Following are descrip-tions of some of the required information. All of this information should beobtained as early as possible in the plan development process.

Demographics

Critical to planning especially for small buildings, population data serves sev-eral uses. Among these are as a guide in determining an appropriate size for thebuilding but not the nal determinant. Knowing the projected future growth of


the service area, and the potential usage the community may generate, helps inplanning certain service areas. The local governments planning ofce will sup-ply this data, often supported by basic data from the states planning ofce. Thisdata should include population age ranges, distribution by sex, income ranges,number of families, percentage of children living in a home environment, per-centage of elderly living in retirement centers, and a projected growth rate fortwenty years. All of this data is very useful to the planning process. If a geo-graphic information system is used, as discussed in Chapter 3, this informationis critical to the process. In some cases, to more precisely identify the charac-teristics of the proposed service area, a private research rm may be employedto prepare a detailed analysis of the area. The consultant will use this informationeffectively in preparing the project.

The Bureau of the Census will begin issuing The American CommunitySurveyYour Communitys Key to the Future starting in the year 2001. Theplan is to collect the same information as collected by the decennial censusevery year. This information will be useful for many community purposes. Oneof the purposes will be to: Locate facilities in the parts of town where theycan do the most good (U.S. Census Bureau 1999, n.p.). The survey will beginwith larger population areas and each successive year will add another popu-lation grouping: rst year, 250,000 population; second year, 100,000249,999population; etc. This survey will assist in library planning.

Taste and Cultural Interests

Knowing the reading and cultural interests of the areas residents is helpful,and if any doubts exist, a community survey may be useful. For a new branchlibrary, a survey may be very helpful. Capturing service preferences very earlywill assist in dening the scope of services and space requirements. Knowingthe ethnic makeup of the population will inuence material selection and culturaland educational programming.

Services and Annual Report

The full scope of the librarys existing or proposed services to the communityshould be available in written form. Among the inclusions should be a descrip-tion of the extent of services for all age levels or age classications; any outreachservices, such as childrens library services extended to day care centers andbook deposits at retirement centers; frequency of story hour programs with typ-ical attendance; educational and cultural programs offered or wanted; and astatement of community wishes for improvements or expansion in and of libraryservices.

A good manager should have an annual report containing activity and collec-tions data. The consultant uses this information to plan collection space andproject collection growth, and couples it with population data to determine pro-posed space allocations for the service areas.


Roads and Highways

Local highway, road development, and public transportation plans are veryimportant. The city, county, and state highway and transport departments havefuture plans for road and highway construction that will have an impact on thepresent or future location of the library building.

Maps

A map of the area showing existing 100- and 500-year ood plains is criticalto the process. No one would want to place a library on a ood plain. Again,the local governments planning ofce should have this information. A transportmap is another necessity, and especially important is the possible routing of newroads and highways. If a geographic information system is to be used as dis-cussed in chapter 3, this information is pertinent to the process.

The First Meeting

After a consultant is selectednot an easy thing to do because of demand,so scheduling may be a problemthat individual will expect to meet with thelibrary board or planners and librarian several times depending upon the proj-ects scope. Once work begins the consultant will advise on many aspects ofthe project. This initial meeting should be with the full board or the full buildingcommittee. Local ofcials who may have inuence on the project may be in-volved early as well. If any board members or local ofcials have expressedany negative feelings or indicated any serious concerns, these persons shouldbe included at the start of these meetings. The consultant will use this oppor-tunity to address any issues that may be raised. This is important because atsome point one or more of these people will raise an objection and early reso-lution will prove benecial. Many details affecting the projects outcome mustbe known and considered. As implied earlier, the librarian and the planninggroup should have their ideas, and any suggestions gathered from the communityclearly in mind ready for presentation to the consultant.

One important consideration, particularly for a small community is the matterof work-in-kind. It is not uncommon to plan a project so that local contractorswill have the opportunity to bid on segments of the project or even to donatetheir services. This is a decision to be made at the very beginning of the project.The library board or planning group should make this concern known to theconsultant and subsequently to the architect. These individuals will respond ac-cordingly.

The consultant serves as an information source and as a specialist who willsee the project through to successful completion. If the basic information re-quested as stipulated earlier has been sent to the consultant, a detailed projectanalysis may be presented at the rst meeting. This analysis will include anestimate of the building or project size, possible cost gures, a timetable, and


other items. This serves to put the project into a common perspective for all theinvolved persons.

The library building consultant is the rst of several specialists involved in abuilding project and should be so. The obvious is not always apparent, butshould become clear as this chapter progresses. The succeeding specialists arethe architect(s), an assortment of engineers whose work is behind the scenesand mostly are involved through the architect(s), an interior designer either as-sociated with the architect(s) or as an independent contractor, a fund-raiser whenrequired, construction contractors, and a construction manager (once namedclerk-of-the-works), typically employed by the architect(s), who oversees thecontractors and their adherence to construction specications. Sometimes in thecase of major public works, this person is employed by the governmental body.For large library buildings, additional consultants may provide expertise in en-vironmental control, lighting, signs, and security. The local highway or trafccontrol department may provide valuable assistance in planning for vehicle ac-cess. In the preface to his critical work, Ellsworth Mason comments: There aremore than half a million details in the plans for a library building of a hundredthousand square feet, (Mason 1980, vii). Regardless of the buildings size thereare many details, and the combination of specialists is essential to the projectssuccess.

This opportunity to create something so worthwhile creates great enthusiasm;library projects are exciting and many useful suggestions will come forth fromthe community. Euphoria aside, common sense must prevail, and serious think-ing and much work must happen. The rst meeting is for open discussion,thorough, frank, and full. The discussion should reveal wishes for the project,what must be done, dene its scope, and make basic decisions.

One person, the librarian, or in tandem the librarian and the consultant, shouldbe the communications link through whom all requests for changes, modica-tions, or simply questions from others pass to the architect(s). This arrangementshould be established at the onset of the project. If the project is controlled byan ofcial of local government, there should be a review procedure in place sothat the planning group has a voice in communications. The danger is that anuninformed or poorly informed ofcial may make a decision based on misin-formation that may adversely affect the future service functionality of the proj-ect. If this is not observed and anyone can discuss the project at will with thearchitect(s), confusion and considerable personal unhappiness may result.

To help librarians and their planning groups, a checklist of major items thatshould be described in a building program is used. This may be combined witha time line or a Gantt chart. This assures that nothing of importance is overlookedin the early planning. The content will vary if the building is a renovation. Someoptional items may be of interest while others are not. This planning documentgives the librarian and board a better understanding of the complexity of theproject and the options that may be open to their consideration. There are manyfacets to a library building and different ways of conceptualizing them (Rizzo


1992, 322). The nal document must give the architect(s), no matter how ex-perienced, an understanding of what is expected and how the building will beoperated. With this input from the responsible group, the consultant will writea building program reecting the group consensus. The document need not beexcessively long. Many building programs for small libraries average a lengthof about twenty pages, often including bubble diagrams. These are a series ofconcentric circles or geometric gures that are used to show interrelationshipsof service areas (see Appendix D). For a large building the program will beconsiderably larger.

This document describes in detail the service and spatial needs for the libraryproject. The program is given to the architect(s) who translates its requirementsinto schematics or proximity diagrams showing the arrangement and location ofthe services and other spaces. Preparing this document requires experience,which is why the consultant should write it. In addition to spatial requirements,the consultant will add details that either must be included or considered as partof the construction project. For another statement on the building program seeCurry and Henriquez (1998, 8384).

Sometimes the program may be sent to another consultant for a critique ofits content. For larger projects, this is a good idea. A neutral consultant mayobserve an oversight that could prove difcult later, such as inadequate attentionto local weather conditions. If an architect from outside the area is selected, lackof familiarity with local weather conditions could lead to a design scheme withweather-related deciencies.

When the program is ready, the planning group should review it very carefullyto make certain their wishes were expressed. Copies should be circulated amonglibrary staff for their reactions. If anything is unclear or not stated, that shouldbe made known so that the document will not confuse the architects under-standing of what is wanted. The program may be cause for a second meetingfor further discussion. In most cases this should be automatic, unless the buildingis relatively small and the program has indeed captured the intent of the planninggroup. This review is very important and will serve as a timesaver later whenquestions may arise due to its interpretation by the architect(s). After any revi-sions are made, the next step is to employ an architect.

Selecting the Architect

Means for selecting an architect range from competitions to interviews. Majorurban projects mostly are competitive and the competing designs offer great eyeappeal. The desire for handsome civic architecture and external appearancesoften outweighs concerns for internal functionality. All is not lost, however, solong as the winning architect is willing to listen to the people who will beresponsible for making the building actually work. There are some very neexternally attractive and internally functional buildings that attest to this in keep-ing with the adage Function determines form, or form follows function.


For smaller projects architects may be invited to meet with the planninggroup, or the local governmental authority may have a list with rotation of namesas projects are awarded. The architects may be interviewed in order if the ar-chitect rst on the list is not selected. In the interview process, care should betaken to allow the architect to express concepts and ideas, but also to observethat the architect is willing to listen to the client. Although it may be helpful,it isnt necessary for the architect to have prior experience with library buildings.What is necessary is the aforestated willingness to work with the planning group,consultant included, to listen to their concerns and wishes, and not to super-impose the architects own ideas over those of the group. Bear in mind thatarchitects are gifted, talented individuals not unlike artists. Expect to hear theirideas and encourage their expression; just remember that the building must func-tion effectively. Sometimes in the interview process, architects will present il-lustrated brochures and photographs of other projects, usually very beautiful andstriking buildings. As overwhelming as this may be, no one should succumb toa sales pitch and give an architect free rein simply because of a dazzling displayof talent. The nal outcome will be an externally attractive building and onethat is internally functional, but do not surrender any prerogatives. If an architectbetrays any tendency to defer the groups thinking about the librarys function-ality, move on to another architect. Some architects solve problems by simplymaking space for services but not working out appropriate relationships amongthe services. The end result is a design that lacks imagination. There can bedisagreements. Both architect and librarian must listen to each other fairly andopenly. Experience shows that successful architects always have listened to thepeople involved and worked with them to achieve the nal result, an attractivelibrary that will work and function effectively for decades to come. Fortunately,most architects are receptive to working together with people to bring about asuccessful project (Curry and Henriquez 1998, 80, 89).

After reading the building program and discussion with the consultant, thearchitect prepares two dimensional line drawings, or even better, three-dimensional computer assisted design (CAD) projections, or both, which trans-late the program content into illustrations of what the project will look like interms of layout. An elevation will show how the library may look on the site.With CAD its possible to see how both the exterior and the interior will lookand to show a proposed color scheme. These illustrations will show how thenew building will look inside and outside, the relationship of service areas withother areas, and, for renovations, how changes or alterations may look.

The availability of CAD software will be appreciated when applied commonlyto library projects. CAD is helpful in planning large buildings and will be usefulfor small projects as architects become procient using it. With CAD interiorsmay be elevated, and it will be far easier to visualize trafc ow, potentialeffects of color schemes, and the relationships among the service areas. Theimpression a CAD portrayal makes will be overwhelming, but the objective to


keep is a functional building. Within a short time, many architects will convertto CAD design for their projects (Novitski 1997, 12932).

Once ready for presentation, the consultant and architect should explain thearrangements to the planning group. Merits and shortcomings, if any, should berelated back to the program. The planning group should have additional time toreview and ponder the recommendations for the project and then either maketheir request for changes or accept the presentation.

If anyone has any concerns or negative feelings, this is the time to raise them.It is legitimate to question such things as the trafc ow, functionality andrelationships among the service areas, and any other items that may affect goodservice. Why is this important? The cost of changes at this stage is rather lowwhen compared to costs for adjustments requested after blueprints are made. Ifthe program truly reected the wishes of the planning group and good input tothe planning by the consultant, there should be very little reason for change.If the program was understood and the architect did not override the planninggroup, and site problems or unanticipated factors didnt indicate some deviation,the presentation should be very close to what is wanted. It is the consultantsresponsibility to bring the planning group to a sense of understanding so thatunfair and costly revisions arent requested due to inadequate mental preparationat the projects beginning. This is why the rst program draft should be ex-amined thoroughly. By so doing the planning group will save valuable timelater. Architects costs are high. There is no point in prolonging indecision byasking for many changes. This is not to say that misinterpretation of the programwont occur, or that ideas not considered earlier wont be introduced. It is toemphasize that building projects are costly. Funding should be dedicated toadvancing the project, not to repetitive work redoing what should have beendecided early in the process. The architect also wants the best possible result.

Occasionally, an architect will deviate from the program. If this occurs, it isthe consultants responsibility to point this out. The architect and consultantshould be working together; if they are, broad deviations can be avoided. Agood architect will run by design concepts with the consultant. A good con-sultant will encourage creativity by the architect. If the project depictions aretoo extreme a departure from the program, it is right to tell the architect theyare unsatisfactory. One incentive for consultant and architect to work togethereffectively is the possibility of entering the nished building into the biennialLibrary Buildings Award Program that is sponsored jointly by the Library Ad-ministration and Management Association and the American Institute of Archi-tects.

There are three possibilities that may affect departure from the program. Oneis that the architect has chosen to ignore the document. A second is that creativeinclination ran away with design features. The third is that the project workwas done or is being done by an intern, a student architect working under thesenior architect. The intern, a novice at this work, may not have understood the


program. Although this should have been claried at the interview stage, it isan error to assume that all the project work has been done by the architectinterviewed. Partners in an architectural rm may make a group presentation,but again it may be other members of the rm who do the actual work. For asmall building, an intern doing the work may be the case. For a very largeproject an entire architectural rm may be involved, including interns or ap-prentices. This is why the consultant will state as clearly as possible what isdesired, not so specic that initiative or creativity is stied, but understandableeven to an apprentice. Once the program draft is reviewed and all agree on itscontent, the architect must be held to the program unless there is clearly a needfor change. The building must be functional. Anything that does not appear toaddress functionality must be questioned. Understanding this, there is no reasonnot to question some design feature if it causes any concern.

Even at the drawing stage, CAD or paper based, it is important not to succumbto artistic creativity and accept a design simply because the architect is a talenteddesigner, or the exterior will be beautiful and promises a very striking appear-ance. The building must work well. If indications are that it will not, reject thedesign. If anyone on the planning group has any reservations about design fea-tures, these should be made known and resolved. Changes made later will bevery costly.

Budget and Cost ProjectionsWith an acceptable depiction of the building in hand, the project now proceeds

in other directions. The next important step is determining the budget for con-struction. The architect and consultant should be able to indicate an approximaterange for the project costs. The architect should provide an estimated construc-tion cost, and the consultant can review the estimate and relate it to recent costsfor similar projects. The estimated overall cost will include allowances for fur-niture, equipment, the percentage for art works and plants for the interior, ex-terior plantings, ofcial fees, and the architects and consultants fees. Theannual December issue of Library Journal is a good source for this kind ofinformation.

Costs for a site are treated separately. Sometimes land is donated (more onthis later). Land costs will vary greatly from region to region. Additionally,preparation costs for roads, water and sewer lines, utilities, and clearing of landmay vary.

Community Involvement

The scope of community involvement varies with preferences and time con-straints. Some librarians prefer to survey the community through the mail andobtain written suggestions for the project. Some have used a citizens advisorycommittee to solicit and formulate suggestions from the greater community.


Some have tried the charette approach. This involves a community meetingwith the architect and consultant present. Each of these persons may give ageneral overview of planning requirements to the audience. The architect willrough out on a drawing board a possible footprint, roughly the size of thebuilding on a site. If the site requires the main entry on a certain side, that isshown. After this the audience participates in the building layout. The architectand consultant will point out need for staff space and work areas, and the au-dience will suggest public area layouts. If the audience is understanding, theresults can be very satisfactory.

Dr. David J. Jones, State Library of New South Wales, Australia, makes astrong case for community involvement in library planning. Reviewing bothAustralian and American trends in library planning, he notes the important rolea library may play as a community center as a focal point for community activity(Jones 1997, 8). Certainly making an effort to involve the people the library isto serve is going to reinforce the library as an important asset to the community,one that the people will see as a necessity to their advancement and welfare.

Funding the ProjectIn some communities public library construction is funded entirely from tax

monies. Local government controls these funds and the library board makes itscase for funding. Sometimes funding is obtained through a bond issue. Othersources are a combination of public funds, a fund drive, endowment income,and accumulated savings by the library board. In some instances, additionalfunding is made available through a competitive grant process by state libraries.At least one statePennsylvaniaprovides some funding through a competitiveprocess using revenue from a real estate transfer tax.

As part of this process, a nancial plan with a cash ow projection shouldbe prepared. This is very useful when funding comes from more than one source.If donations and endowment income are included, clearly the cash inow fromthem must be projected and coordinated with cash outow, so that the latter willnot outpace the former.

If the library board proposes to conduct a fund drive, then the services of aprofessional fund-raiser are recommended. Individuals and companies providefee-based services including conducting a feasibility study to estimate the degreeof support and the amount that may be raised, advising on the best time to begina drive, training volunteers to help solicit funds, and preparing campaign liter-ature. The fund-raiser will provide background regarding community informa-tion that is needed, how the initial study will be conducted, and how volunteerworkers will be trained. Fund-raisers may be found in the telephone book yellowpages and through referrals from hospitals, churches, or other public enterprises.

In some circumstances, the library board may be advised to employ a half-time secretary for the tasks of handling mailings, receiving donations, and re-lated work. This person is not the treasurer but receives and records donations


turning the receipts over to the treasurer. The latter is usually a board memberor a community volunteer with money management experience.

Often, the fund-raiser will advise that one-half or more of the target fundsmust come from major contributors. This means corporate or business donors,foundations, and well-to-do private citizens who must be willing to support asignicant portion of the project cost. The importance of this cannot be over-emphasized. Failure to understand this or a misguided zeal that leads a fewpersons unskilled in fund-raising techniques to think they can persuade the com-munity to support the project often leads to the loss of valuable time and evensuspension of the project. The fund-raiser will need information of potentialmajor donors and may obtain this information from board members or otherpersons knowledgeable about the community such as bankers, investment coun-selors, realtors, etc, inclusive of persons who can be said to have their thumbon the communitys economic pulse. These persons will have a rst-handknowledge of potential community, business, and industrial growth; know howrapidly a community is really growing; and in which geographic directions thatgrowth is occurring. Once potential major donors are identied, the fund raiserwill arrange contacts. The balance of the funding should come from the com-munity at large, often through a pledge period covering several years.

Prospect identication is a term used for the process of identifying thepotential major donors in a community. It is more than simply naming people.The information developed must provide for precise identication of the poten-tial donors philanthrophic inclinations, some indication of how to approach theindividual, and an informed estimate of the possible amount of a donation.Librarians also should be aware that very wealthy individuals and families oftenhave a policy statement that describes exactly what sort of charities and com-munity activities will be considered for support. Public libraries may not beincluded in the policy as occasionally happens.

In community fund drives, condentiality often is of utmost importance.Wealthy or well-to-do people may prefer to have their good fortune kept wellin the background. Its not unusual at all for such persons to give a nominaldonation for the record and a larger sum anonymously so as not to attract at-tention. Also important is the way volunteer fund-raisers are trained. They willbe ringing doorbells asking for contributions or pledges for the fund drive. Theymust be sensitive to peoples innate pride. Care should be exercised to makecertain that people are not insulted by being asked to give too little or offendedwhen they honestly are stretching their means to be of assistance.

Large companies with a community presence will make a donation under theterms of their corporate giving policy. This may mean a large single donationat some point during the fund drive. Americans will contribute to libraries be-cause they appreciate the benets that a good library will bring to their com-munities.1 Also, the newly rich will give to wrap themselves in culture.


Grants

If the library is located in a state where supplemental public funding can beobtained through a grant process, then this is the time to begin preparing sup-porting material for a grant application. Sometimes a library board may expressreluctance to do so because of concern for state imposed requirements includingwage levels and restrictions on sites for possible library locations. This type offunding, however, may be seen as a return of tax money. The community mayview the library boards seeking a public grant in a positive light. If there aregood reasons for rejecting such an opportunity, the reasons should be sound andmade known to the community. The fund-raiser and/or the consultant will assistin drafting grant applications to private foundations on behalf of the project.The approach may be to local, regional, and national foundations dependingupon the type of project and other relevant factors. Be forewarned, however,that most foundations only give if they have a local interest or connection.

Managing the Incoming Funds

The treasurer should have authorization to invest surplus income as it accruesso that it will yield interest until it is necessary to pay major bills. Usually,these funds are invested in certicates of deposit, rather than conventional sav-ings accounts. Only a minimal sum is kept in a checking account to pay currentexpenses. This should be part of the nancial plan.

A last source of income that may help with a building project, though notalways, is bequests. More often, bequests made in a persons will are for specicpurposes and are endowments for the purposes stated. Sometimes, if the needis known well in advance that a new building project, even though several yearsaway, is coming, people may be inclined to will funds that may be used towardconstruction costs of specic services areas. This book does not cover endow-ment management but a citation is included in the notes to this chapter.2

NOTES1. Charles R. McClure, and John Carlo Bertot, Public Library Use in Pennsylvania:

Identifying Uses, Benets, and Impacts. Final Report. June 1998. Available at: http:www.cas.psu.edu/docs/pde/lib1.html. This study of public library use in Pennsylvaniaincludes a series of benets that may be useful in other settings.

2. Jo Ann Hankin, Alan G. Seidner, and John T. Zietlow. Financial Management forNon-prot Organizations (New York: Wiley, 1998). Not all public libraries are blessedwith board members who are thoroughly astute in nancial matters, particularly in man-aging endowment funds. This book may prove invaluable to many. The book is writtenfor people who are not experienced with such matters. Its sixteen chapters cover a widerange of subjects such as: chapter 8, Types and Sources of Funding for Your Program,


chapter 9, Cash Management and Banking Relations, and chapter 12, Investing Prin-ciples, Procedures, and Operations for Short-Term and Long-Term Endowment. At 610pages, this book supplies a depth of coverage of useful information to those board mem-bers who manage library funds.

REFERENCESAlbright, Gary. 1997. Care of Photographs. College & Research Libraries News 58

(September): 56163.ANSI/AIIM TR13. 1998 Preservation of Microforms in an Active EnvironmentGuide-

lines. National Information Standards Organization. Oxon Hill, Md.: Niso Press.Curry, Ann, and Zena Henriquez. 1998. Planning Public Libraries: The Views of Ar-

chitects and Librarians. Library Administration & Management 12 (spring): 8090.

Drewes, Jeanne M., and Julie Page, eds. 1997. Promoting Preservation Awareness inLibraries: A Sourcebook for Academic, Public, School, and Special Collections.Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

Jones, David J. 1997. Meeting Point and Community Focus. inCite, News magazineof the Australian Library and Information Association (September): 8.

Mason, Ellsworth. 1980. Mason on Library Buildings. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.Novitski, B. J. 1997. Getting Your Feet Wet in CAD. Architectural Record (July):

12932.. 1998. Exploiting Advances in Computer-Aided Architecture: Five Case Stud-

ies. Architectural Record (September): 15964.Ogden, Sherelyn. 1998. Preservation Planning: Guidelines for Writing a Long-Range

Plan. National Information Standards Organization. Oxon Hill, Md.: Niso Press.Rizzo, Joe. 1992. Ten Ways to Look at a Library. American Libraries 23 (April): 322

24.Saffady, William. 1997. Stability, Care, and Handling of Microforms, Magnetic Media,

and Optical Disks. Library Technology Reports 33 (Nov./Dec.).U.S. Census Bureau. 1999. The American Community SurveyYour Communitys Key

to the Future. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics andStatistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, 6 pp.

Wilson, William K. 1995. Environmental Guidelines for the Storage of Paper Records(Niso TR-01). National Information Standards Organization. Oxon Hill, Md.:Niso Press.

2Data for Planning

In past years libraries were planned in very specic ways. A library could bedescribed as a xed function building. The entire concept depended uponpaper based materials, books, and periodicals. Some libraries collected archivalmaterials, correspondence, photographs, rare books, maps, etc. Each area wasgiven a space allocation. Some of this was open space, but mostly for eachseparate collection it was a room. For libraries with large collections of volumesbeyond the quantity thought sufcient for open oor shelving in a large room,tier stack shelving was part of the plan. An alternative may have been, in amultistoried building, shelving taking up much of the oor space with aislesonly minimally wide enough for passage by mobile persons. For physicallyimpaired persons, there was little if any consideration. Possibly paging servicewas offered, but on very limited terms.

Determining space needs depended upon a strict methodology of mathemat-ical calculations. The amenities and the extent thereof depended upon availablefunding. Some library buildings were very plain but functional for the needs ofthe day. Others with more ample funding would have space for exhibits of somesize, works of art, and decorative trim both on the exterior and interior of thebuilding.

As the national population grew and new material formats appeared, thesebuildings appeared less capable of meeting demand and new means of planningfor libraries were developed. Some of these methods themselves have been re-vised as the evolution of the planning process continues.


FORMULAS

For many years, per capita space formulas were standard guides for deter-mining the size of a public library. A fraction of a square foot per capita ex-pressed decimally was the norm. When space proved insufcient as demand andcollections grew, it was enough to increase the decimal size. These formulascovered the estimated size of the building in square feet, with space allocationsfor the collections, reader accommodations, and staff space. In some places theseformulas still are used as the standard. In a short publication, Planning the SmallPublic Library Building, Dahlgren (1985) provides a very good capsule reviewof these formulas. Today, the movement has been away from the lock step ofusing xed formulas toward a more open planning style, something like thatadvanced in the Brawner and Beck (1996) Dahlgren (1998) books listed in theselected bibliography. Dahlgren, in his 1996 publication, explains the movementaway from xed formulas (5). Some of these formulas are still useful, however,such as for planning shelving capacity and space for the bound volume collec-tion. Dahlgren (1985, 1998) and Brawner and Beck may both be consulted onthis matter. Brawner and Beck advocate using an incremental approach to plan-ning spaces for library needs, as does Dahlgren in his newer publication. Thismethod has distinct advantages over formula approaches. When the space al-locations are completed, compare the total to what would result from applyinga formula. There should be more space. The reasons for the larger total areattributable to the need to increase the average space per seat to give room forworkstations, to provide storage for new material formats, for staff, and forequipment that is now used in libraries as, for example, to make certain materialformats accessible. The old formulas couldnt do this.

In some states, space planning guidelines are supplied by the state library orthe states professional library association. Wisconsin and North Carolina aretwo examples, the former from the state library, the latter from the professionalassociation. If these guidelines have been revised and are current, there shouldbe no problem adapting to an incremental method. If not, the librarian andconsultant will have to point out the potential deciencies to the library board.Too strict an adherence to space formulas will result in a cramped building andhampered exibility.

If the head librarian is aware of state formulae shortcomings, then the libraryboard should be told what the problems may be very early in the process. Asimple example may be the space comparison between what was once consid-ered sufcient space for a library seat, 25 square feet, and what the need is fora workstation, usually 45 square feet. This what Brawner and Beck list as anelectronic workstation (1996, 124). The reason for the difference is the need toprovide for a table top computer and peripheral equipment while allowing spacefor traditional library materials. The work surface must hold books or otherprinted material the workstation patron is using. When service for both highschool and college students is involved as in a joint-use public/academic library,

Data for Planning 23

there will be a great need for workstations. The seating allocation will be farlarger than might have been thought necessary for either group alone whennonstudent adult needs are factored into the calculations. Dahlgren (1998) sug-gests using an average size per seat to arrive at a grand total. In many librariesthe stack aisles were in 32" widths. With the passage of the Americans withDisabilities Act, 36" aisle width was stated as minimal, with a 42" width pre-ferred. Changing the aisle width decreases the shelving capacity. The height ofshelving also affects capacity: 90" ranges will hold more volumes than those at60" or 66" height. In limited funding circumstances, good judgment is essentialin space planning. For the public librarian planning a new building or reequip-ping a renovated building, the ethnic characteristics of the community must beconsidered. In certain ethnic groups the average height of an adult tends to beshort, especially that of women who cannot reach books on 90" shelving. Themajority of users will be women. Realistically, if such factors are known, thereis justication for asking for more oor space than might have been thoughtnecessary on the basis of simply accommodating the obvious needs of the peoplein the community. For reasons such as this, the older population-driven formulaesimply fail.

In using the incremental approach, the probability of gaining more space thanthe old formulas would have allowed is a certainty. Is it enough space? Possibly,but judgment must be used. Once a gure for any service area is arrived at, itshould be tested against available data, prior experience, and the projections forfuture activity. If it appears that these factors indicate a future tight situation,then the gure should be increased.

DEMOGRAPHICS

At the beginning of this book, the need to get accurate population data andforecasts is mentioned. Dahlgren (1998) places great emphasis on this; the sizeof the population either to be or being served must be known. The need for thisinformation is to help estimate service requirements as the population grows, orshrinks, and changes in needs for library service arise. This in turn may betranslated into spatial statements. This requires more than taking a decimal for-mula and multiplying it by the increase in population. Other factors come intoplay rather than simply taking a formula gure for more space. Communityneeds may have changed; the population and its characteristics may havechanged. New formats, new technology, and new ways of providing servicemust all be considered.

Some renovation or expansion projects provide more casual reading spacesfor older adults as that segment of the local population increases. In others, thechildrens service area may be too small as the number of children in the servicearea increases. The original plan may not have included a story hour room. Itis no longer feasible to have story hour in the open area because of increasednumbers. Young adults were not considered as a service population. Computer-


based services require more space; this was not foreseen in the original planning.Sometimes the cause for the original space deciency lies with a failure to ndor obtain adequate data to allow for better planning for future needs. For someprojects shortages of space result from inadequate funding for the initial projectand so the library space is decient when the building opens for service.

Per capital income statistics will help the librarian and the consultant decidewhat parts of the collection should be emphasized. Circulation data helps, ofcourse, but knowing the per capita income will assist in planning space formaterials that the community will want to have available but costs of which arebeyond the average income. More encyclopedic materials may be helpful in alow-income area, whereas in a moderate to high-income area, many familiesmay own encyclopedias in CD-ROM format so the need for library coveragemay be less.

If the local population has a signicant proportion of families of non-Englishspeaking origin, there may be a need for adaptation by the library to the needsof these residents (Hayes and Walter 1996, 96). The need for tutorial space willbe higher. The library will need and should have small rooms for instructionalpurposes. Sometimes a local high school or community college will ll the needfor tutoring, but this isnt always possible. Projects in such areas should includeprovision for educational spaces. The further usefulness of demographics infor-mation will be seen as this book continues.

FACTORING FOR AN INCREASE IN SERVICE ACTIVITY

It is difcult to forecast a precise increase in service demand as a result of abuilding renovation or construction of a new building. Experience suggests plan-ning on a minimal increase of at least 20 percent in service activity for a ren-ovation project, and for a new building, an increase as high as 33 percent. Ifthe situation with the previous building was one of very acute severity due tosmall space, overcrowding, etc., the service demands could double. This canoccur in situations where an old building is replaced with a new one. It doesntapply to branch libraries that are not replacements. Activity levels for newbranch libraries are not always predictable.1 A determining factor in these sit-uations is the location of the new building or in access improvements, new roads,street lighting, sidewalks, and parking lots. The operating budget should beincreased to cover the new costs.

In some situations where a community is growing, the increase will be verysudden followed by annual increments as the population grows. Often, the rstyears increase will be right at 20 percent. This may hold for a year or so andthen rise again as community acceptance of the facility grows. After this, annualincremental increases of manageable size might occur. Again, however, this isdependent upon the communitys growth rate.

If a fund drive helped pay for the building, a by-product of the drive may bepublic demand for longer service hours, a not uncommon experience. The li-

Data for Planning 25

brarian and board must be prepared for this. When people donate funds forbetter library service they expect immediate improvement, and one expectationis for longer service hours. The publicity surrounding a fund drive may causemore use even before the new building is occupied.

Another factor affecting activity is the relative attractiveness of a new orrenovated library building. In a geographic area where other libraries are con-sidered decient by their primary clientele, an increase in demand can occur asusers migrate to the newer or improved facility. A new city main library willexperience a similar reaction as better accommodations, improved lighting, andother amenities bring in users who eschewed the old building.

NOTE1. In several recent renovation projects the increase was 20 percent, in some cases

even higher. One new building project experienced a 20 percent increase in the rst yearand 13 percent more in the second.

REFERENCESBrawner, Lee B., and Donald K. Beck Jr. 1996. Determining Your Public Librarys

Future Size, A Needs Assessment and Planning Model. Chicago: American Li-brary Association.

Dahlgren, Anders. 1985. Planning the Small Public Library Building. Small LibrariesPublication, no. 11. Chicago: Library Administration and Management Associa-tion.

. 1996. Planning the Small Library Facility. 2nd ed. Small Libraries Publications,no. 23. Chicago: Library Administration and Management Association.

. 1998. Public Library Space Needs: A Planning Outline/1998. Madison: Stateof Wisconsin, Department of Public Instruction. Public Library Develop-ment. [last modied, June 5, 1998] [23 pp.] http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dlcl/pld/plspace.html.

Hayes, Robert M., and Virginia A. Walter. 1996. Strategic Management for Public Li-braries: A Handbook. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

3Location: Finding a Site

A good location is essential to fulllment of the librarys mission of service toits community. This applies to existing buildings under review for renovation,for conversions of buildings used for other purposes, and for projected newbuildings. Occasionally in the rst two instances, the consultant may recommendabandonment or not making a commitment to convert a building because thelocation no longer meets or fails to meet certain criteria. The building may beserviceable, but its location may appear to have few advantages in terms ofaccessibility or presence of a sizable population. See Appendix F for informationon conversion of another type of building for library service.

One very important consideration is the projected longevity of the building.This forecast of usefulness should be for at least fty years or even longer.Many Carnegie libraries are approaching 100 years and are still in use (Jones1997, 13166). In rural areas Koontz remarks that a county librarys service lifemay reach 100 years (Koontz 1997, 1). More recent buildings of the 1930s and1940s are in use in many urban locales. This longevity factor must be rmly inmind when selecting a site. An error in placement of a library building resultsin lower volumes of service activities than the cost of the facility would mandate(Koontz 1997, 6). At some point, probably around its twenty-fth year, thebuilding may require renovation. If the location is a good one, change will notbe necessary. Upgrading facilities in good locations where use is reasonable issimply protecting a sound investment.

When the decision is made to nd a site it must meet basic necessities. Fol-


lowing is information helpful to understanding how critical a good location isto successful library service.

LOCATION: IN RELATION TO WHERE MOST USERSCOME FROM

The two titles by Dr. Christine M. Koontz (1994, 1997) listed in the selectedbibliography are the best sources for advice on locating a library facility. Thelarger work (1997) is based upon her dissertation and provides much practicaladvice based on research. The chapters progress from early methods of ndinggood locations for library buildings to the most progressive methods now avail-able, geographic information systems (GIS). In chapter ve, she reviews a li-brary facility siting model especially intended for urban library site placement.This model depends upon a very detailed analysis of prospective neighborhoods.The research includes a full breakdown of the population by various character-istics that may be predictive of potential library use. Her conclusions are worthnoting. One of particular interest is the observation that a neighborhood maychange characteristics and this will affect the way the library is used. As aneighborhood changes in type of population, circulation may drop, but in-houseuse, for example, program activity and reference demand, may increase (Koontz1997, 104).

Proceeding to chapter 6, Koontz discusses the advantages of using GIS. Thesesystems are computer-based and costs are decreasing to a reasonable level(Koontz 1997, 111). In summary, Koontz notes the restrictive costs of libraryconstruction and operating budgets, emphasizes making certain that librariesreally meet their clienteles requirements, and compares the needs of the retailingindustry with those of libraries. She notes the clear advantages of using GIS(Koontz 1997, 11112).

An important consideration is to locate a library near or en route to placeswhere people need to go regularly. Koontz notes that it costs money to go to agrocery store, that is, there are travel expenses, not just the cost of groceries(Koontz 1994, 173). It is costly also to visit the public library and so that costmust be reasonable. An isolated location away from normal travel routes willnot attract users, and the library will fail in its mission. William Sannwaldadvises even locating near a fast food outlet for the simple reason that peoplego there (Sannwald 1998, 206). Such advice should not be taken too literally.It may apply to a temporary location where a long-term commitment is notforeseen, for example, a storefront. Many urban landscapes are dotted withboarded up fast food outlets that survived hardly a decade. Apparently, seriouserrors were made in plotting such locations. Fast food outlets also cater to aclientele that is very mobile and that may not be inclined toward library use aspart of a stop in the locale.

Location: Finding a Site 29

EVALUATING OPEN LAND

This section addresses some matters relating to suitability of a particular sitefor placement of a new library building. First, as noted earlier, the site shouldnot be on a ood plain and should be high and well drained. Readers may recallthat several midwestern libraries were damaged by ood waters in 1997 (TheFlood of 97 Wreaks Havoc 1997, 1516; Red River Flood Takes Toll 1997,1617).

In the United States, not all land areas are suitable for construction. Similarconditions may exist in parts of other countries. The information provided heremay apply in several geographic zones. There are many reasons why somelocations are poor choices for construction. To understand this, the rst factorto consider is the loaded weight of a library building. As Dahlgren points out,the load-bearing capability of a library building foundation and successive oorsin a multistory building must be a minimal 150 pounds per square foot (Dahlgren1985, 21; 1996, 26). This is very heavy. The land must hold this weight; notall land will. In a section on soil mechanics, Metcalf provides more detail andalso provides the metric equivalent 7.324kN/m2 (Metcalf 1986, 327). Metcalfalso discusses the need for testing land prior to nal selection of a constructionsite noting soils tests (102) and unstable land (77).

Specically to the point of insistence, test borings are mandatory. The sitemust be capable of supporting the stated weight, and if not, another site shouldbe chosen. If this requirement is ignored the risk is that the foundation will sink.Library buildings do sink because of placement on sites incapable of supportingtheir weight.1 In this regard Koontz also advocates the use of geographic infor-mation systems. She notes that early uses of such systems were for evaluatingcharacteristics of various sites (Koontz 1997, 11415). She specically com-ments on the load-bearing capability of land and advises caution and reinforcesthe preceding remarks (Koontz 1997, 115).

Land may have been lled in. For example, a strip mine may have been activeon the site some years in the past. If the land was lled and a sufcient lengthof time, more than thirty years, has elapsed the land may be acceptable but onlya test boring will tell. Land may have Fullers earth beneath it and so be veryunsuitable, because this soil is not weight supporting. Other factors include suchthings as mild tremors and underground streams. There may be other causes ofinstability and only a qualied soil engineer will be able to advise on the use-fulness of any particular location. Drilling companies routinely provide this ser-vice to architects and engineers. Determining the proper foundation required isessential for all buildings. For a library building with extreme weight supportrequirements, it is critical.

Other obvious areas for concern are slide areas in hilly or mountainous terrain,re zones in wooded areas, and places where earthquakes are possible. Con-struction in earthquake prone areas requires costly seismic construction.


Archeological Sites

Sites containing prehistoric fossils, early settlements and historical artifacts,and ancient and not so ancient burial places seemingly may be found anywherein the world.2 Such discoveries may be found even on or in land previouslyused for construction in urban areas. The deeper excavation required for a largelibrary foundation may uncover fossils or other signicant material. It is advis-able to have any such contingencies covered in the construction contract. Withthis precaution in writing and so forewarned when such cases arise, the con-tractor will stop the excavation with no fanfare, notify the proper authorities,and arrange for quick removal of the material. Work resumes with a minimumof lost time. In the same urban environment, however, land on which an indus-trial building once stood may have some contamination requiring special han-dling. An abandoned gasoline station site is another possibility for contaminationcaused by leaking gasoline tanks. Such sites are referred to as brownelds. Inrural areas, native ora and fauna may cause concern, especially if a species isthought to be endangered. A knowledgeable architect will know how to handleany of these situations and what type of studies may be necessary before workbegins on a site.3

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN A SHOPPING CENTEROR MALL

It isnt unusual to nd a branch library occupying store space in a strip shop-ping center, known as storefronts in the United States and shopfronts in Aus-tralia, or in adjunct buildings to a central closed mall. The relationship betweenthe library and the shopping center can last for many years, but a contract isadvisable. There have been instances where the library was told the lease wouldbe canceled. Shopping demand had increased so the space was needed for acommercial entity, that is, an income-generating activity. The library must pro-tect itself against the shopping center becoming run-down, or the neighborhoodchanging, or undesirable tenants moving into vacant stores. A quit clause isessential in any lease.

When the area population is in a growth mode, locating branch libraries inshopping centers can be ideal. People can access them easily, a trip to the libraryprovides the economy of allowing some shopping on the same trip and thereverse is true as well. When a populated area stabilizes, a permanent branchlibrary can be constructed. Koontz (1997) can be consulted for other advantages.

THE LIBRARY IN A PUBLIC PARK

Occasionally an opportunity arises for locating a new public library in a largepublic park. (Commonly, the subject is large suburban city parks and ruralcounty parks.) The source of this issue may be the fact that local government

Location: Finding a Site 31

owns a park of some size (Curry and Henriquez 1998, 82), or coincidental withthe recognition of the need for a new library, by happenstance the heirs to awell-managed estate of considerable acreage elect to donate some of the landto a local government entity for the tax advantages relating thereto. In any casewhat is sometimes called the free land syndrome comes into play. This syn-drome may prove quite harmful to what otherwise is a well-conceived proposaland, equated with a human health condition, would be described as terminal,in a long, slow, and agonizing way. In brief, such a possibility is not recom-mended for all too obvious reasons. This is not to say that it hasnt been done,because it has. Logic, therefore, would indicate that the negative recommenda-tion must be based on practical experience. In short, public library buildingslocated in public parks have not been considered successful. Why not?

First, to deal with the syndrome. The cost of land is always a factor whenattempting to locate a new library building. In populous areas the cost of landis high, usually because of demand by developers of housing projects, shoppingcenters, malls, and other enterprises. In less populated areas, and so with lesstax revenue abundance, land may cost less, but still be an inhibiting factor inthe development of a new library. So library boards or local governing bodiescan nd offers of free land for the site of a new library, or any public building,quite tempting.4

Earlier in this chapter, the criteria that land must meet for use as a librarysite is described. This section assumes that the land meets all essential criteriaexcept for the fact that it is in a public park. There is no acquisition cost, andthe authorities, sensing a considerable savings, wish to move ahead with theproject. Persuading them to seek another alternative will require very signicantand well founded reasons for turning away from a park location. In differentpublications, ve leading authorities recommend against such a location. An-other authority lists questions that should be answered for any project.

Dr. Christine Koontz (1994, 1997) proposes criteria for the location of newpublic libraries. Both of these works should be read or perused by the librarian.In Retail Location Theory (1994) she points out that customers absorb a travelcost in traveling to stores, libraries, and other necessary places. She also dis-cusses the use of retail location theory for locating sites for public libraries andreports studies that bear out the usefulness of this technique (Koontz 1994, 173).In her book she covers more complex methods for locating library buildings,including geographic information system software. The combination of soundinvestigation of a site and the reasoning that people must have cause for trav-eling to that site should lead to a satisfactory result.

Brawner and Beck (1996) advise avoiding parks for reasons of low peopletrafc and the obvious cautions about nighttime behavior of individuals intenton doing harm (143). Dahlgren notes the potential for poor service to the com-munity because of an inappropriate location (1996, 8). Holt and Dahlgren, intwo short summary paragraphs, advise against park locations for much the samereasons as stated here (Holt 1990, 101). Brawner, Dahlgren, and Holt are known


nationally as leading consultants, and their advice is based soundly on practicalexperience.

In his very helpful checklist, Sannwald (1997), under Safety and Security,lists several questions for consideration for any library location. In this instance,these can be applied to possible park locations (150). The possibility of fencingoff the library can be an option, security lighting of sufcient brightness andarea coverage is another concern, and an alarm system is also an issue. Review-ing the comments of these ve authorities leads to the conclusion that a park isnot the best site for locating a new library.

From Koontzs comments readers can deduce that people plan their trips withthe cost in mind probably both in money and time, and can further deduce thatlibrary buildings are expensive and location should be based on sound principles.If a library building serving a populated area is located along a route to ashopping center or some other place where frequent necessary services are sit-uat

Documents

Gerard B. McCabe Planning for a New Generation of Public Library Buildings the Greenwood Library Management Collection 2000