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Belle Cooledge
Date: February 24, 2000
On February 24 over 20 people participated in a community workshop
at the Belle Cooledge branch library to have input into the library master
planning process. There were participants from three branches including
Belle Cooledge, Martin Luther King and Central. They worked as members
of three planning teams. The teams mapped their communities and the role
of their libraries, imagined the type of services and place the library
would be in 20 years, identified their immediate needs, and potential community
partners.
Workshop Summary
The participants consider their branch libraries in very different ways,
reflecting the needs of the neighborhood - - how the demographics are changing,
need for expanded services, and accessibility. Participants felt needs
for youth and families are expected to grow and this was reflected in the
expansion needs and library hours. The first step towards accomplishing
the community's need for library services is to focus on providing more
services to young people. Their partnerships for their libraries include
schools, local residents and businesses.
Team 1: Belle Cooledge
- Exercise #1: Envisioning the 2020 Community Library
- Imagine the future of library services.
-
- How does your library fit in the community?
- The demographics are changing. The senior population is likely to change
in proportion towards families and children in the next two decades.
-
- What kind of place will it be?
- 1. Children's/School resource
- 2. Technology center
- 3. Social center
-
- What do we need to do in the next five years to move towards your vision?
- 1. Expand children's services, technology access to external info resources,
social services/events, >ID w/BC>$$
- 2. Advertise
- 3. Educate users in technology use
- 4. Funding-business partnerships
- 5. School/after school/pre-school partnership
- 6. Social-classes, investigate BC-NC usage
- 7. Vocational training
- 8. Language acquisition
-
- Exercise #2: Current Library Services
- In your community, what are the three greatest needs for library services?
- 1. Shelf space
- 2. Technology resources-more PCs for catalog & internet
- 3. More work (staff) room
- 4. Children's center (stage-physical location)
- 5. Literature
- 6. Parking
- 7. Hours
- 8. Homework center
- 9. Better public transit
-
- Exercise #3: Community Partners
- Who are potential partners for improving library services in your community?
- 1. Local assessment
- 2. Externally located businesses
- 3. School district
- 4. Sacramento Bee
- 5. New businesses
- 6. Medical-dental practices
- 7. Neighborhood Assn.'s
- 8. Bequests
Team 2: Martin Luther King
- Exercise #1: Envisioning the 2020 Community Library
- Imagine the future of library services.
-
- How does your library fit in the community?
- The library's neighborhood has a lot of vacant land. This land can
be used to expand the library and community facilities to create the "King
Dome" - - a well-lit and spacious library.
-
- What kind of place will it be?
- 1. Diverse staff representing demographics of community
- Recruit library personnel. Train well!
- Library reaches out to young people to study for staff positions
- Salary increase for librarians (immediately)
- 2. Intergenerational
- o Encourage senior volunteers to interact with young people
-
- What do we need to do in the next five years to move towards your vision?
- 1. Accessible by varied means of transportation
- Adequate parking (well lit at all times)
- Lobby regional transit & city planner/city council
- 2. Up to date technology
- o As needed by request
-
- Exercise #2: Current Library Services
- In your community, what are the three greatest needs for library services?
- 1. EXPANSION NOW!
- 2. Diversity of staff-soon!
- 3. Transportation NOW!
- 4. Comprehensive signage NOW! Have youth vie for designs (ownership)
-
- Exercise #3: Community Partners
- Who are potential partners for improving library services in your community?
- 1. Florin Road partnership
- 2. Home Depot (Meadowview/Florin) (for sign materials, publicity, paint,
etc.)
- 3. Women's organizations (Soroptimist, Human Asst., Hmong Women's Ass'n.)
- 4. Churches (surrounding)
- 5. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY (Energy, moral support)
- 6. Kings (specific one to one)
- 7. Grandparents
Team 3: Central
- Exercise #1: Envisioning the 2020 Community Library
- Imagine the future of library services.
-
- How does your library fit in the community?
- The Central serves the community (without boarders) and has terrific
accessibility.
-
- What kind of place will it be?
- 1. Major resource for the area
- 2. Community gathering place
- 3. Open evenings & weekends, 24/day
-
- What do we need to do in the next five years to move towards your vision?
- 1. Allocate resources
- 2. Pass Prop 14
- 3. Promote self-service use
-
- Exercise #2: Current Library Services
- In your community, what are the three greatest needs for library services?
- 1. Open more hours
- 2. More computers-(for everything)
- 3. Improved accessibility to what we offer
- 4. Let people know (publicity)
-
- Exercise #3: Community Partners
- Who are potential partners for improving library services in your community?
- 1. Local government
- 2. Downtown partnership
- 3. Organizations-Rotary, Historical, etc., G.A.S., NPC, SPL Foundation,
AFF Friends
- 4. California State Library
- 5. INTEL/HP/etc., Oracle, Apple
- 6. Corporate partnerships
- -books and others
Other Discussion Regarding the Central Branch
- Specialized Role:
- Important to maintain expert staff (training)
- Location and facilities for special collections
- It will be a regional library
- Potential phone-in reference/research center
-
- The Library will have a "new look" inside in twenty years
- Always be a children's center
- Senior services will expand as we age as a general population
- Greatest change will be from the middle adult group - - the expectations
for access, technology and cultural needs will structure the library
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