Expansion Planning Tabled

The Library Board of Trustees, at a special meeting on November 1, 2011, voted unanimously to table expansion planning for a possible 2012 referendum. With the feedback from Open Forums and comments received online and in person, the Trustees discussed at length the community’s library needs and the current economic situation. The prevailing sentiment from the community of “yes, but not now” on library expansion was the determining factor in this decision to table further planning for now.

In September, four Open Forums elicited feedback from the public on possible library expansion. Results, including online and in-person comments received, were distributed to the Board of Trustees and posted on the Library’s website and here. After an extensive discussion at the October regular meeting, the Board of Library Trustees set a special meeting to address the timeline for expansion planning. At that November 1 special meeting, the Board tabled expansion planning by unanimous vote. At the Board’s instruction, the timeline for an expansion planning process will be re-examined in spring 2012, to respond to any changes in the building or economic situation.

In the 20 years since the current library was built, population of the district increased nearly 400% to more than 75,000 residents. In the same time period, attendance is up over 600%, checkouts 845%, reference questions 2,020% and program attendance 2,241%. Public computer use, not tracked prior to 2004, is up 1,160% in the last five years. This places enormous pressure on the Library, both for service and on the physical facility.

Next, the Board of Library Trustees will comprehensively examine the aging Library facility and mechanical systems, estimating cost and prioritizing the repair and/or replacement of systems necessary to maintaining a functional library for the next 7-10 years. At more than 20 years old, the expected life of many of these systems has been met or exceeded. Ongoing issues with the HVAC system, elevator, windows and roof must be addressed with the limited funds available.

In the meantime, physical space limits providing Library services to meet community needs. With a facility that is 1/3 the recommended size to serve today’s population, there is no relief in sight for the space crunch within the Library. The challenge of balancing the diverse needs of library users, from library materials to program space to study tables to public computers, continues in the foreseeable future.

Board Considers Timeline for Expansion Planning Following Open Forums

At the Wednesday, September 21, 2011 Library Board meeting, Trustees discussed the results of the four Open Forums on Future Expansion Planning. Summaries of the results were sent to each Trustee and posted on the Library's website. Summaries include not only the four formal sessions, but also feedback received through a display of the preliminary options at the Library on Monday, September 19, comments in online news media, verbal feedback to Trustees and staff and emails.

Trustees tabled a decision on the timeline for future expansion planning until the October 19 Board meeting. The current timeline is set to prepare for a possible 2012 or 2013 referendum.

Public Comments Sought!

Make a difference in the Library’s plans for the future! Before the Plainfield Public Library District’s Board of Trustees approves the Strategic Plan 2011-2015, all residents are invited to review and comment on the draft plan, now available on the Library’s web site.

The draft of Strategic Plan 2011-2015 is the result of six months examining the current status of the Library and community, gathering input from residents and creating a plan to guide the Library's programs and services in its efforts to meet the library needs of the community. A summary the February focus group responses held by the Library is included in the draft. The parameters of this plan will allow the Plainfield Public Library District to nimbly respond to community needs and its environment through 2015.

Comments can be made in writing by mail or placed in the Suggestion Box near the Library’s Welcome Desk, by email to jmmilavec@plainfield.lib.il.us, by texting “askppl” to 66746 or by instant message through the Library’s web site. A copy of the plan is also available for viewing at the Library. Public comment is open through June 3.

Admiring Fountaindale's New Library!

The new 96,000 sq ft Fountaindale Public Library is open! The Grand Opening event is Saturday. If you have a chance, head over for a look at this $39.5 million 21st century facility. With the failed $30 million referendum for expanding Plainfield's downtown site to 70,000 sq ft and adding a 30,000 sq ft branch, we can only admire their facility for now while we plan for the future. Fountaindale has given us an example of what IS possible in a modern public library. We can use this example to help our planning process to find what is right for our own community.

Congratulations to the residents, staff and Board of Trustees of the Fountaindale Public Library District.

Tell Us What You Think!

As I posted back in December, 2011 will be a planning year for the Library. The key component that all of our planning processes have in common is YOU! We need community input and participation to guide us, so that your library service continues to fulfill your needs. With your input, the Board of Trustees, staff and I can ensure that the Library's services and priorities reflect what you want and need from your library.

The first focus group session for the Strategic Planning process included 12 participants from around the community. Their opinions and thoughts will be used in the development of a plan that will guide the service and budget decisions for the Library for the next 3-5 years. You can still participate - on Thursday, February 24 at 7:00pm or Saturday, February 26 at 1:00pm, in the Large Meeting Room. You only need to attend one session. Childcare will be offered by volunteers in the Storytime Room during the Thursday evening session only.

In reviewing and revising expansion plans to go on the ballot in 2012, the Library is seeking volunteers to participate on a committee to provide feedback on the revisions early in the process. Later this year, this committee will assist by giving opinions on expansion options, from size to location to cost, to ensure that the final expansion plan package reflects today's community need and challenges.

Your willingness to help gives your Library an invaluable resource for planning: your opinions! Join us for a focus group. Volunteer for the expansion planning committee. Give us your ideas for the future of the Library in an email, phone call, text or letter. Tell us what you think!

Focus Groups to Help the Library Plan for the Future

The Plainfield Public Library District wants your input on the future of the Library. Using a streamlined planning process outlined in the American Library Association’s publication, “Planning for Results”, four focus groups will gather information from residents on community needs. Your opinions and ideas will help the Library Board of Trustees and staff make decisions about budgets and services for the next 3-5 years. All it takes to join the conversation is a willingness to participate and a commitment to attend one Strategic Planning session.

Focus group sessions will be held on:
• Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 7:00pm
• Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 10:00am
• Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 7:00pm
• Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 1:00pm

All sessions will take place in the Library’s Large Meeting Room with a volunteer facilitator. The focus groups are open to all residents of the Library District. Refreshments will be served. Visit our web site at www.plainfield.lib.il.us to register for one of the Strategic Plan Focus Groups. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required.

Childcare will be available during the Thursday, February 3 and Thursday, February 24 focus group sessions for the Plainfield Public Library. Volunteers will supervise age-appropriate crafts, stories and games with the kids in the Storytime Room from 7-8pm to allow parents and caregivers to attend the focus group session. Childcare will not be available for the Saturday sessions.

Come share your thoughts, opinions and ideas for the future of library service in Plainfield!

Engaging Our Community

I had an opportunity to sit down with a former employee, now PhD student to talk about community engagement and what that means to the Plainfield Library. In subsequent letter to the Library Board of Trustees, she quoted me:

“A successful library lives beyond its walls. It engages people in ways that are meaningful in their lives.”

This concept has driven the development of services at our Library. You can see it in the programming and Outreach to the community. As the Library enters into a strategic planning process to set goals and objectives for the next several years, engaging you, our community members, in a dialogue about services and what is meaningful and useful to you, is imperative to ensure responsive service.

As a part of the strategic planning process, the Library will be seeking community input, to engage you in a dialogue about what you want and need from your Library. Look for those coming up in the new year, as we plan some focus groups to inform the planning process!

Plans, Plans and More Plans!

Whew! Lots going on with our Library and the regional library systems!

The merging of the five northern Illinois regional library systems and the four southern Illinois library systems is proceeding apace. If you're interested in this process, you can follow along at the web sites: Merger 2011 and Cooperation Today. I am serving on the Future of Systems Sub-Committee for the northern Illinois merger group. This sub-committee is working toward a vision and plan of action to guide the evolution of regional library systems. It is building on the work of the Illinois Library Association's Future of Illinois Library Cooperation Task Force.

Meanwhile, back in Plainfield, we have three big planning projects going on simultaneously: strategic, expansion and internal space. The new Strategic Planning process will update the long range plan for our Library, setting goals for the next 4-5 years. The expansion planning process will examine options for a future expansion referendum, for approval by the voters no sooner than 2012. The internal space planning is yet one more look at space use within the current building and possible reallocation of space in order to allow collection and service growth over the next 4-5 years. Through a "design-on-a-dime" concept, the Library's architect will help the Library Board and staff determine if there are any remaining options for allocation of space that would net additional collection shelving and workstations.

As we continue in these planning processes, I'm sure I will be blogging more about them. For now, we are gearing up for planning, gathering and reviewing background information and making decisions on the planning processes and timelines.