Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLib Community Vision for SR Public Libraryorry 01.,�. Agenda Item No: 4. b Meeting Date: April 20, 2015 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Department: Library Prepared by: Sarah Houghton, Library Director City Manager Approval)9 6 ` SUBJECT: Community Vision for the San Rafael Public Library RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council accept the report. BACKGROUND: On February 2, 2015 the Library brought to the City Council an update on the efforts toward building a new library for San Rafael, including a resolution to accept a generous donation of $462,120 from the estate of Kay Corlett. The Library's next step was to conduct a visioning workshop in March 2015, which was funded by a grant for $15,800 administered through a Library Services and Technology Act Grant administered through the California State Library. The visioning workshop for a new library for San Rafael was held March 13 and 14, 2015 at the San Rafael Community Center. The workshop was conducted by ZingTrain, an innovative training group with years of experience in guiding organizations through the process of writing engaging and inclusive visioning statements. Twenty-five people participated in both full-day workshops, including representatives from San Rafael Public Library staff, other Marin and Bay Area librarians, Library Foundation members, Friends of the Library members, Library Board of Trustees members, and community partners. The first day included a review of results from the community survey conducted by the Library about what factors were important (or not important) to the community. The first day also included rapid fire small group brainstorming of what participants were hearing from the survey results as well as our own thoughts about what should be included in a new library for San Rafael. Individuals then voted for the top items and themes from the brainstorming exercise. Next was an iterative small group writing process where each group was assigned one of the key themes seen in the brainstorming. The initial thematic drafts were then revised by two additional small groups. Three participants worked that night after the workshop ended to put the five separate thematic drafts together into one cohesive draft narrative. The morning of the second day we twenty-five members of the community joined the group from the first day, selected from a group of residents to mirror as closely as possible the various demographics of San Rafael. The draft vision from the previous day was shared with the community members, who then voiced their thoughts about what they liked about the draft vision, what was missing, and what should be deleted. The afternoon of the second day the core group from the first day reconvened to integrate the community feedback into one final list of changes to make. FOR CITY CLERK ONLY File No.: 1 -9 — CSI Council Meeting: Lf0 PS Disposition: `C cpp&�CL EQ PoRL " SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Pam 2 Library Director Sarah Houghton and Assistant Library Director Vanessa Christman then revised the draft vision to incorporate the community's feedback. ANALYSIS: The resulting Community Vision for the San Rafael Public Library will serve as a guiding document as the Library continues its efforts to explore the building of a new library in San Rafael. This vision documents what the community has asked for—what they see, what they feel, and what they want—from the San Rafael Public Library. Yet to be determined is the "how," including where will it be built, what will it look like, how big will it be, etc. This document serves as a guidepost for Library staff as we continue our work exploring the options for a new library. FISCAL IMPACT: The acceptance of this report has no fiscal impact. COMMUNITY OUTREACH: To date the City has conducted the following community outreach on this project: • Visioning workshop and community meeting in March 2015 The next community outreach steps will include: • Distributing the vision throughout the community via print and digital means, in English and in Spanish • Community focus groups and other meetings as part of the library services and facilities needs assessment • Numerous future community meetings, focus groups, surveys and City Council reports as the project progresses OPTIONS: Staff recommends option 1. 1. Accept the report. 2. Reject the report. ACTION REQUIRED: Accept the report. Encls. Community Vision for the San Rafael Public Library Estoy ansioso por visitar la Biblioteca Publica de San Rafael, la cual abrin recientemente sus puertas y de la que todo el mundo esta hablando. Desde casa, reviso el sitio en Internet de la Biblioteca en mi dispositivo movil y veo que estara abierta hasty bien entrada la noche. consulto los diferentes tipos de transporte que puedo usar para llegar ally y decido usar mi bicicleta. Es fantdstico to facil que es el acceso a los servicios de la biblioteca en todo San Rafael. He visto fotos de la nueva biblioteca en ]a noticias locales, pero nada podria haberme preparado para verla en vivo por primera vez. Es realmente una maravilla arquitectonica y recuerdo que esti certificada en el mas alto nivel de sustentabilidad ambiental y eficiencia energetica. Estoy orgulloso de mi comunidad por su contribucion a la salud de nuestro planeta. Observo un grupo de turistas admirando la he.rmosa arquitectura y las caracteristicas ecologicas de la biblioteca y pienso que yo tambien traere a mis proximos visitantes a conoc. erla. Mientras estoy afuera de la biblioteca veo a gente llegar en todos los modos de transportacion y estaciono mi bicicleta en un lugar seguro y cubierto. Tambien veo que hay una. estacionamiento amplio con muchos espacios disponibles cercanos a la entrada y que son para gente con discapacidades. Entro a la biblioteca por la puerta frontal y un sonriente bibliotecario me da la bienvenida. Me puedo dar cuenta que a la gente le encanta trabajar aqui. Veo a un grupo de ninos en edad escolar que trabajan con sus maestros y padres de familia en el amplio espacio al aire libre que tiene la biblioteca. Al igual que los ninos, me entusiasmo y Reno de curiosidad cuando veo el interior de la biblioteca. La vista es impresionante desde casi todo puntos panordmicos. Me percato de los espacios tranquilos que existen para que la gente pueda leer y relajarse. A pesar de la cantidad de personas que hay en la biblioteca, no se siente que esta Rena. Camino a traves del brillante atria descubierto y me quedo admirando una de las obras en exhibicion de un artista local, el cual esta parado a un lado mientras les ensena a los ninos sobre acuarelas. Los materiales naturales invaden el espacio: piedra, madera, y metal. Senalamientos claros y codificados en colores me permiten saber hacia donde dirigirme. Una serie de pantallas interactivas en la entrada me muestra todo to que esta ocurriendo en la biblioteca hoy y tambien me permite encontrar rdpidamente Io que estoy buscando. Tambien puedo ubicar los banos familiares que existen en el edificio.Sigo caminando y entro a una espaciosa sala de lectura que tiene silla comodas y magnificas obras de arte. Esta sala de lectura esta bellamente iluminada y tiene ventanales que cubren las paredes del techo al piso, exactamente como las que existian en la biblioteca original Carnegie. Estoy rodeado de estantes de Iibros y asientos aun mas comodos que se localizan en los pasillos. La tranquilidad de esta dreg hace que sea obvio que las personas que se encuentran aqui estan concentradas leyendo o estudiando. Tambien veo una amplia coleccion de peliculas, musica y mucho mas -todo al alcance de mi mano. La biblioteca tiene colecciones en los idiomas que habla nuestra comunidad y que reflejan la diversidad de sus intereses. Camino hacia el otro lado de la sala de lectura y descubro mi lugar favorito en la biblioteca: la sala de colecciones especiales. Llena con volumenes historicos, se siente como si esta area fuera el corazon del edificio e irradia un sentimiento de historia local, cultura y una sensacion de paz. I I odo esta paz y tranquilidad me hacen desear encontrar un Lugar que tenga un poco mas de ruido! ConSllltO la pantalla direccional mas cercana y me dirijo hacia la amplia zona infantil. Noto inmediatamente de que hay un grupo de ninos jugando alegremente a disfrazarse. Otros mds estan improvisando un show titeres que los hace merecedores de aplausos por parte de su publico: sus abuelos. Al otro lado de esta adorable presentacion esta un grupo de ninos pequenos jugando. Una senora me comenta que vio a un grupo de adolescentes estudiando on esa misma zona ayer. Esta area tiene muchos asientos comodos asi como un suelo acolchado en donde varios ninos se estan estirando y leyendo. Los estudiantes de secundaria estdn creando y reordenando arte en la pared. Estoy impresionado con la cantidad de salones comunitarios con los que cuenta nuestra biblioteca. Veo que en uno de ellos esta un tutor ayudando a un nino con matematicas, en otro hay una reunion de la Camara de Comercio, en otro se imparte una clase de ciudadania en espanol, y otro mas de los salones alberga a un grupo de adultos mayores que juegan Mahjong y almuerzan juntos. El moderno laboratorio multimedios localizado al otro ]ado del pasillo esta lleno de personas de todas las edades. Me impresiona la variedad de tecnologia sofisticada con Ia que cuenta este laboratorio y la sensacion acogedora que emana a pesar de su tamano. La fluidez entre los espacios interiores y exteriores de esta biblioteca la hacen especial e Incluso se pueden reservar sus bellos espacios para eventos especiales y talleres llevados a cabo despues de horas habiles. Mi siguiente parada es el escritorio de ayuda para aprender sobre como descargar materiales de la biblioteca en mi nuevo dispositivo movil. Un trabajador de la biblioteca, a quien puedo identificar facilmente, es muy amable y es experto en el terra. Rdpidamente me muestra el use bdsico de mi dispositivo, como navegar por la gran coleccion de recursos digitales que tiene la biblioteca y como descargarlos en mi dispositivo. Tambien me muestra una lista de los proximos talleres y entrenamientos sobre tecnologia que la biblioteca ofrecera. Mientras platicamos, conecto mi dispositivo a una muy conveniente estacion de carga. Todo este aprendizaje me ha despertado el apetito y la sed, asi que decido comer algo en el puesto de comida ubicado en el area al aire Libre de la biblioteca. Es genial que la biblioteca haya designado un lugar para que los restaurantes locales puedan ofrecer sus productos y alimentar a usuarios hambrientos tomo yo. En el camino me topo con una amiga. Me cuenta de su viaje reciente a Mexico y de las clases de idiomas que la biblioteca ofrece en colaboracion con la Universidad Dominicana. Tambien me tomenta emocionada sobre la reuniones semanales del nuevo club de conversation en Espanol que se refine en la biblioteca. Nos despedimos mientras se apresura a llegar a una reunion que tiene en uno de los salones comunitarios de la biblioteca. Al bajar las escaleras, paso por una exhibition llamativa de libros de misterio y decido llevar uno a casa. Al dar la vuelta veo una exhibition sobre viajes a] espacio y noto que el libro mas .reciente de la NASA sobre fotografias espaciales ya ha sido publicado. Veo que hay una Copia disponible asi que tambien me la llevo a casa. iQue suerte! En mi camino a la salida me topo con una persona que lleva to que parece ser un taladro electrico grande y una pala y le pregunto sobre estos artfculos. Ella me indica que los acaba de pedir prestados de la coleccion de herramientas que tiene Ia.biblioteca. !Que maravilloso es pensar que no tengo que comprar una herramienta para Cada pequeno proyecto de mejoras de mi hogar pues las puedo pedir prestadas en la biblioteca! Finalmente salgo y compro algo para comer. Regreso adentro y diviso gran cartel colgado en el techo que dice "iRegistre aqui su materiales para llevar a casa!" y hacia ally me dirijo con mis libros. Paso por una pared en el atrio que parece ser otra bella pieza de arte, pero entonces noto que el diseno incluye los nombres de generosos donantes de la biblioteca. Hay una plata que indica que .la biblioteca tiene una campana de donantes que no ha perdido fuerza afin despues de que la construction de la nueva biblioteca ha concluido. La biblioteca recibe mucho apoyo de toda la comunidad y obtiene sus fondos financieros de una combination formada por los fondos generates de la Ciudad, un impuesto especial a la propiedad, donaciones, el grupo de los Amigos de la Biblioteca y la Fundacion de la Biblioteca. Esta fundacion tambien esti trabajando en el establecimiento de un fondo de inversion para cubrir las necesidades actuales y futuras de la biblioteca. Toda la comunidad realmente se siente parte de esta biblioteca. Cuando estoy listo, camino hacia ]a estacion de autoservicio para registrar los libros que llevare a casa. Un empleado de la biblioteca se acerca a mi para preguntarme si me gustaria aprender mas sobre estas nuevas estaciones y aprovecho la oportunidad para preguntarle si necesito una nueva tarjeta de la. biblioteca para usarlas. Afortunadamente no la necesito y despues de una lection breve, me doy cuenta que usar estas estaciones es muy sencillo. El sistema incluso me ofrece la oportunidad de hater una donation a la biblioteca, la cual estoy felizmente dispuesto a hater. Noto que detras de las estaciones de autoservicio hay una cuarto de trabajo muy amplio donde el personal de la biblioteca y voluntarios estan trabajando. Mi visita a la biblioteca me ha dejado muy impresionado con la gente que trabaja aqui. Todos son muy amables, estan bien entrenados, y aprecio que reflejen la diversidad de mi comunidad. Esto me hate sentir muy comodo y que soy bienvenido. Algo que me encanta es que el personal sabe to que hay disponible en la biblioteca y en toda la comunidad. Mi visita a la biblioteca estd llegando a su fin y me doy cuenta que ha sido to mds destacado de mi d1a. Pude encontrar cosas que ni siquiera sabia que queri a. Realmente la biblioteca ofrece algo para cads miembro de mi familia, ya sea por separado o juntos. Nuestra biblioteca es un recurso comunitario fabuloso y me encanta tomo me tratan alli:. Me emociona la idea de volver y descubrir algo nuevo cads vez. Everyone in town is talking about the recently opened San Rafael Public Library and I can't wait to get there. From home, I pull up the website on my mobile device and see that the library is open well into the evening. The website prompts me with various modes of transportation to the library and I decided to ride my bike. It's fantastic that library services are easily accessible to all San Rafael neighborhoods. I've seen pictures of the new library in local media stories, but nothing could have prepared me for seeing it in person for the first time. It's truly an architectural marvel and I remember that the library is certified at the highest level of ecological sustainability and energy efficiency. I'm proud of my community for contributing to the health of our planet. I observe a group of tourists admiring the beautiful architecture and green features of the library and I remind myself to bring my next out--of-- town visitors here too. Outside the library, I see people arriving by all modes of transportation and I park my bike in a covered, secured spot. I also notice the large parking structure and many disabled parking spaces close to the library's entrance. As I walk in the front door, a librarian with a smile immediately greets me. You can tell that people love working here. I see a group of school -aged children working with teachers and parents in the library's expansive outdoor space. Much like the children, I am filled with excitement and curiosity when I see the library's interior. There are stunning views from nearly all vantage points in the library. I notice peaceful spaces for people to read and relax. Even though there are tons of people in the library, it doesn't feel crowded. I walk through the bright, open atrium and spend a moment admiring one of the rotating installations from a local artist -in -residence. I also spot the library's artist -in -residence standing by her installation and teaching kids about watercolors. Natural materials permeate the space—stone, wood, and metal. I can tell where I'm going as soon as I walk in thanks to clear, color -coded signs. A series of interactive displays at the entrance shows me everything that is going on at the library today and also lets me find what I'm looking for quickly. I also note the locations of the family -friendly restrooms throughout the building. I continue into a spacious reading room with comfortable chairs and gorgeous artwork. The reading room offers beautiful lighting and floor -to -ceiling windows, just like in the original Carnegie library. All around the reading room, I am surrounded by shelves of books and more comfortable seating in between the stacks. The quiet in this area makes it obvious that people are lost in stories or hard at work studying. I also spot large collections of movies, music, and more --all within reach. The library provides collections in the languages of our community and the collection reflects the diversity of our community's interests. 1 walk to the other side of the reading room and discover my new favorite place in the library— the special collections room. Lined with historical volumes, this feels like the heart of the building and radiates a sense of local history, culture, and a feeling of peace. All this peace and quiet makes me want to find someplace a little noisier! I consult the nearby directional display and head toward the expansive youth area. I immediately notice a group of children happily playing dress -up. Another group of kids is putting on an impromptu puppet show and gets a round of applause from their audience of grandparents. On the other side of that adorable performance is a group of toddlers playing. A mother remarks to me that she saw a group of teens studying in that same area yesterday. There are lots of bean bag chairs and a cushioned floor with several kids stretched out and reading books. Middle schoolers are creating and rearranging art on the wall. I'm impressed that there are so many community rooms in our library. I notice a tutor helping a young child with math in one room, a Chamber of Commerce meeting in another, a citizenship class being taught in Spanish in another, and yet another room hosts a group of seniors playing Mahjong and eating lunch together. The state-of-the-art multimedia lab across the hall is bustling with people of all ages. I'm impressed with the variety of sleek technology I see and the feeling of coziness despite the expansive facility. There is fluidity between the indoor and outdoor spaces that makes this library something special. The library even offers its beautiful spaces for special events and workshops after hours. My next destination is the help desk to learn more about how I can check out library materials on my new mobile device. The easily -identifiable staff member is welcoming and knowledgeable. He quickly shows me the basics of my device and how to browse the library's large collection of digital resources and check them out to my device. He also points out a list of upcoming technology trainings and workshops. While we chat, I charge my device at the convenient charging station. All this learning has made me hungry and thirsty, so I decide to get a snack at the new pop-up food vendor in the library's outdoor space. I think it's great that the library has carved out a place for local restaurants to showcase themselves and feed hungry library customers like me. On the way down I run into a friend. She mentions her recent trip to Mexico and tells me about the language classes at the library in partnership with Dominican University. She excitedly mentions the new Spanish language conversation club meet -ups every week in the library. We bid each other goodbye as she rushes off to a meeting in one of the library's community rooms. I continue downstairs and pass by an eye-catching display of paperback mystery books, and decide to take one home. Turning around I see a display on space travel and notice that the latest book of NASA deep space photographs has been released and there's a copy available, so I grab that too! Score! On my way out I pass by a person carrying what looks like a large electric drill and shovel and ask her about them. She tells me that she has just checked them out from the library's tool collection, and I marvel at the idea of not having to buy a tool for every little home improvement project if I can just check them out from the library! I finally make it outside and buy my snack. I walk back inside and spot a large sign hanging from the ceiling that says "Check out here!" and head that way with my books. I pass by a wall in the atrium that looks like another beautiful art installation, but notice that it has the names of generous donors to the library worked into the design. I learn from the accompanying plaque that the library has a donor campaign that has continued its momentum even after the new library was built. The library is well -supported by the entire community and gets its funding from a combination of the City's general fund, the special library parcel tax, donations, the Friends of the Library, and the Library Foundation. The Foundation is also building an endowment fund for the library's ongoing and future needs. The entire community feels ownership of our library. When I'm ready to check out my books I make my way to the self-service checkout station. A library employee approaches me to ask if I'd like to learn more about the new checkout stations, and I take the opportunity to ask about whether or not I need a new library card. Thankfully I don't, and after a short lesson I find that checking out is a breeze and the system even presents me with an opportunity to make a donation to the library, which I'm happy to do. Behind the checkout stations I notice librarians, other staff, and volunteers working in a spacious workroom. Throughout this visit I've been really impressed with the people who work here. They are approachable, well-trained, and. I like that they reflect the diversity of .my community. It makes me feel welcome and comfortable and I especially like that they always know what is available in the library and throughout the community. My visit is drawing to a close and I realize that visiting the library has been the highlight of my day. I'm able to find things I didn't even know I wanted. There's truly something at the library for everyone in my family, separately and together. Our library is a fabulous community resource and I'm treated like I'm special here. I'm excited to come back and discover something new, again and again.