George Lawson
Library Space Planning
Meeting Schedule, January 24-25, 2006
Updated 12/20/05
January 24
- 10:45 a.m. (approx) – flight arrives
- Noon – 1:00 p.m. – lunch meeting with the Foundation Board
- 2:00- 3:00 – Friends of the library
- 3:30-4:30 – Reference department
January 25
- 8:00-9:00 – Circulation department
- 9:30-10:30 – Technical Services department, with Network Services and Facilities
- 1:30-2:30 – Youth Services department
- 4:00-5:00 – Library Board
January 26 – depart RC
Planning
Progress Notes
Rapid City
Space
Utilization Project
Meetings
of December 5 and 6, 2005
December
5, 2005
11:30
AM – 1:00 PM
Strategic Plan Review
Participants
Dennis Sharp
George Lawson
The group reviewed the Strategic Plan to identify elements to be addressed in space utilization project and to gain additional information about those issues.
- Public
Service Points: Develop plan to eliminate single, stationary service
desks with more accessible, modular public service points.
- Self-service and Self-check Methods: Consider intermingling of staffed and self-service circulation stations. Need one additional self-check station on ground floor, and one in youth services. They are interested in self-serve reserves and public reshelving areas.
- Quiet Zone(s) Use layout of collections and furnishings to create seating areas more conducive to reflective reading and study. Leave existing study rooms as they stand, no pressing need for more study rooms. Look to retail model for distributed seating a la Borders.
- Popular Material Formats: Shelving style and location is more the issue than quantity. Need to create more engaging venue for new books, media collections, and other collections considered to be popular. Much of the media formats will be moving to a down-load environment so greater capacities for media may not be an issue. VHS will be cut in half soon, that space taken by DVDs.
- Coffee Shop: Original concept was a cart venue but now a shop is the preferred solution. Consider converting the solarium, local history room, or another location to that use. Will not have hours outside of the library’s hours. Would like an early solution if possible – perhaps February.
- Comfortable Furnishings: Want furnishings that “encourage relaxation and quiet reading”. Satisfactory solution also highly dependent on schematic plan. Integrate seating with collections.
- User Friendly Signage: Establish an overall direction for signage, especially directional signage, rather than a specific signage plan. Also explore display options.
- Archives:
- Community needs to put a higher value on its history and library should play the central role in gathering and preserving that history. Want to see a virtual collection, digitized documents and images, rather than hard copy. Will mean providing space for the digitization equipment and work space that is required.
- Existing Research Room is too full. Consider how to allocate space for various aspects of that room. Re-program this space.
- Additional Computer Workstations: The number currently on the floor is the number to plan for.
- Internet Access in Quiet Zones: Existing wireless network provides this access.
- Friends’
Book
- Oral History: Consider location for this activity – not highest priority. Similar to NPR sound booth project.
Strategic Plan Elements with No Specific Impact on Space
Utilization Project:
- Drive-through window service hours
- Library services teamed / co-located with other community service providers
- Remote return boxes
- 24 / 7 reference / reader’s advisory service
- Community education about library services
- Information literacy outreach
- State-wide digitization task force
- Homebound program
- Spanish and Lakota language / culture instruction for staff
- Higher ED marketing
- RA strategies
December
5, 2005
1:00
AM – 3:00 PM
Building Tour
Participants
Dennis Sharp
George Lawson
Miscellaneous
Notes:
- Collection Sizes: Current capacities are generally OK. Media collection distribution will shift among formats and be influenced by downloading of content.
- Lines of Sight: consider visual span in laying-out furnishings, service points, collections, and services.
- Collection Shelving: New shelving has been ordered for media collections, but retaining CD browser. Reference adding Foundation Directory materials – index table?
- Meeting Room B: Acoustics and sunlight are issues.
- Not Part of Project: Technical Services, Outreach, Garage, Youth Services, Administrative Offices.
- Periodicals: Magazines held current year plus 1 year, newspapers current month plus 1 month or until film arrives for local papers.
December 5, 2005
3:00
AM – 4:15 PM
Management / Supervisor Meeting
Participants
Dennis
Sharp
George
Lawson
Jeanie McCallister
Lawson/Sharp Query: What are Unique Aspects of the Rapid City
- Close proximity to middle school – lots of kids after school.
- Some patrons still want traditional methods – they wonder why can’t we still have a card catalog.
- Large contingent of Internet users - Library might benefit from a defined area for computer use, check-out laptops, wireless network throughout building.
- Many of the library’s customers are working class and the library is their primary access to information and technology.
- RCPL is second largest public library in the state.
- Wide range of customer ages.
Lawson/Sharp Query: What needs Fixing at the Library?
- Shelving ranges are too long, break them up and add visual interest – but don’t block lines of sight. Consider lowering shelving, maybe add shelving to perimeter walls.
- Consider a “no click” zone where there are no clicking computer keys.
- Acoustics are still an issue but a fix has been identified. This project needs to tie-in with the acoustical remedy.
- Cell phones are currently allowed in lobby.
- Ineffective signage to indicate youth area is upstairs.
- Need a staff position at entry to youth services.
- Reference work area is too small.
- Need mobile Service Points out in the collection areas with work space, computer, power, telecom. But don’t forget staff personal space.
- Children’s desk must accommodate many ages and sizes of customers.
- Native Americans are a significant customer base at the library – up to 60% on a daily basis. They use the library often in extended family groupings, this reflects their culture.
- Library layout should create an intuitive sense for customer wayfinding.
- Need more special feature areas and displays.
- Have more promotional / display shelving.
- Circ workroom should more like Crispy Crème’s with windowed wall.
December 5, 2005
4:15
AM – 5:00 PM
Librarian I Meeting
Participants Dennis Sharp
George Lawson
Jason Walker
Jared Likness
Chris Getz
Lawson/Sharp Query: What are Unique Aspects of the Rapid City
- Library
is the primary public facility in
- Many of the library’s customers are lower income residents, this affects how they might use more technology-based collections like MP3 downloads, etc.
- Lots of space in the children’s department.
- Large after-school student customer base.
- Good joint program after school with the YMCA.
- Lots of kids don’t really want to be at the library - they have to come here because of working parents who feel library is safe.
Lawson/Sharp Query: What needs Fixing at the Library?
- Need another meeting room to meet community demand.
- Lobby arrangement doesn’t allow for patrons to flow through when there are lines at the Circ desk and at the selfchecks.
- Narrow hallway with drinking fountain by door is a problem with traffic to meeting room and restrooms.
- Lobby is always cold.
December 6, 2005
7:45
AM – 10:00 AM
Benchmark Observations
Participants Dennis Sharp
George Lawson
Please forward any corrections to:
George Lawson Library Planning
515-232-5679