670 replies to this topic

[aastra]

Twenty days over the Christmas holidays doesn't seem like a particularly long time to me. What is that, maybe 14 working days, including Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve? At most it's maybe a couple of days longer than a typical small branch move.

 

The Greely branch of the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) will soon move to its new home. The last day of operation at the existing branch will be Saturday, March 5.

The new branch, located at 1448 Meadow Drive, next to the Greely Community Centre on the north side, will open to the public on Monday, March 14. The size of the new branch is approximately 3,000 square feet

 

From http://biblioottawal...ts-new-location

 

The Okanagan Regional Library's branch in Sicamous is getting ready to close the doors on its Parkland Shopping Centre location and move to a new building in the Sicamous Municipal Hall. In order to complete the move, the branch will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. Services will resume in the new location at #2, 446 Main Street at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 2.

 

from http://www.orl.bc.ca...e/sicamous-move

 

Also in the Okanagan, the Vernon branch closed on April 24th, 2012 and was planned to reopen in the new location on May 5.

 

Edmonton:

Major renovations are ready to get underway at Edmonton Public Library’s Idylwylde Branch. To allow these renovations to begin, Idylwylde Branch is relocating to Bonnie Doon Mall this month.

The Branch will be closed from October 7 to 18 as it moves to the new temporary location. It will reopen October 19 on the second floor administrative offices at Bonnie Doon Mall.

 

from http://www.epl.ca/releases/2007-oct-02

 

Colorado:

 

 

The branch will close operations on Grand Avenue Aug. 4. The branch is scheduled to open for regular hours at its temporary location on First Street starting Aug. 13.

 

from http://thebusinessti...orary-quarters/

[aastra]

Also, moving a library collection involves a lot more than simply hiring some labourers to toss books into cardboard boxes. For example:

 

http://www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/moving.pdf

 

http://libraryarchit...rary Collection

 

 

Moving a library—the furnishings, shelving, equipment, and collection—across the hall or across town is a mammoth task that requires precise, long-range planning. Moving the library’s collection is particularly demanding and requires a specialized methodology. This book focuses on moving the library collection and provides a sequential guide and decision path for planning and executing successful relocations and moves.

 

from "Moving Library Collections: A Management Handbook"

http://www.questia.c...gement-handbook

[LocalMom]

Visited the new branch at Uptown today... good facility, although the default stairway up to the second-floor location (there is nothing on the ground floor but a return-location) is VERY narrow if they expect people to take it rather than the elevator (right beside).

 

But it is nice and bright and the increase in parking capacity will allow me to head out with my three kids without worrying about 'parking upset'.

Edited by LocalMom, 08 January 2014 - 05:30 PM.

[sebberry]

CFAX reported that the GVPL had a flood where some servers are kept which threw the whole system offline.  Even their website is down. 

[amor de cosmos]

this could go here or the capital park thread I guess

The Greater Victoria Public Library has begun public consultation to potentially open a new library branch to serve residents in James Bay.

Last week, the library sent out a survey asking residents what type of library branch and services they would like to see.

According to Kevin Murdoch, chair of the GVPL, they’ve had hundreds of responses in the week since the survey came out.

“James Bay is quite underserved. It’s a community of 11,000 plus people who don’t have a direct branch there,” Murdoch said. “But the specifics of what services are best suited for that are yet to be determined. The reality is, there’s a huge pent up demand.”

As part of the 1994 Victoria Accord, the province and the City of Victoria agreed to establish a vision and plan for Capital Park and other small parcels of land located behind the legislature, which would include community amenities such as a library.

An agreement between developer Jawl Properties and the city, allows the city to lease space for the library.

http://www.vicnews.c.../322090131.html

[thundergun]

I'm sure it would be a great library if it went in there but it would be on the border of James Bay and downtown, while the existing central library is on the James Bay side of downtown. Seems like they should be spread out a bit more. That being said, I can't think of a better location in James Bay aside from that shopping center which is old and full.

 

I think the real solution is moving the central library to a new spot. My vote would be somewhere in the new 1515 Douglas development.

[Nparker]

...I think the real solution is moving the central library to a new spot. My vote would be somewhere in the new 1515 Douglas development.

The real estate there will be far too pricey for GVPL. 

[amor de cosmos]

Library options include a 2,000-square-foot express outlet similar to Langford’s Goudy Branch, offering a limited collection focusing on popular material such as bestsellers, DVDs and CDs, with limited seating and workstations. It could include a vending unit for after-hour access to library collections.

Alternatively, the board could request enough funding for a 3,500-square-foot small neighbourhood branch, similar to Saanich’s Emily Carr Branch. It would house a small, but broad, collection focused on popular material, between eight and 10 computer workstations, flexible living-room seating, areas for children and teens and a small study room, but would not have program or meeting space.

A traditional 7,500-square-foot neighbourhood branch such as Esquimalt’s would offer the broadest collection and have between 12 and 20 workstations and a separate space for programs and community meetings, in addition to areas for children and teens and other features.

“James Bay is kind of a geographical enclave, with a high density of population and a predominance of seniors,” Jordon said. “It can be difficult for them to get to the Central Branch” on Broughton Street downtown.

http://www.timescolo...h.ZBs7FfoH.dpuf

[lanforod]

Even for a senior, it shouldn't be more than a 30 minute walk to Broughton?

[vicernie]

I thought the library was going into the new development across from the leg bldgs.

[amor de cosmos]

The City of Victoria has approved a 7,500-square foot neighbourhood library branch in James Bay, in theory.

During budget discussions on Friday, council voted unanimously to approve the branch at the maximum size recommended by the Greater Victoria Public Library Board and the James Bay Community Association based on public feedback received a few months ago.

“It is a 20-year-old promise for some sort of community amenity in James Bay,” said Marg Gardiner, president of the James Bay Community Association. “This would provide more of a public realm place.”

http://www.vicnews.c.../353748381.html

[nagel]

http://www.cfax1070....ry-in-James-Bay

 

 

A committee of Victoria council has approved one and a half million dollars in funding to lease space for a public library in James Bay.

 

The library will be part of the Capital Park development, just south of the BC Legislature grounds. It will operate out of a 75-hundred square foot building at the corner of Menzies and Superior, and it's expected to open in 2018.

[Bernard]

I have thought that any public library in that development should have been done as joint venture with the Legislative Library.   They ran out of space years ago and have to store a lot of their books off site.   They really need a new modern space

[VicHockeyFan]

I'm not into this library thing.

 

http://www.vicnews.c.../383969851.html

 

The budget has three components: one-time capital costs, including tenant improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, and net of contributions from the landlord, which are estimated at $1.5 million and required in 2017; on-going lease costs are estimated at $232,000; and the city’s share of on-going operating costs, including library staffing, which is estimated at $110,000 and required in 2018. The remainder of the library’s operating budget would be shared between the 10 municipalities that are currently part of the library service.

 

“Each branch enhances the system as a whole. We’re learning as we go in terms of what people need in their libraries,” said Coun. Pam Madoff, noting the success of the Westhills branch that recently opened. “It’s an exciting day for the library system, residents of James Bay, any library users and folks who are not using the library who will find this much more accessible.”

 

As part of the 1994 Victoria Accord, the province and the City of Victoria agreed to establish a vision and plan for Capital Park and other small parcels of land located behind the legislature, which would include community amenities such as a library.

 

 

Look, first of all, less people borrow books and other stuff these days.  

 

In 1994 when the Accord was drawn up, we did not even have the internet.  In 2010, only one in 5 people had a smart phone (a potential book reader).  Now 3/4 of us do.  The first iPad was not even released until 2010.  

 

If anything, libraries are being kept busy with programming.  But that can be done at the recreation or community centre, it does not have to be at the library.

[AllseeingEye]

I'm not into this library thing.

 

http://www.vicnews.c.../383969851.html

 

 

Look, first of all, less people borrow books and other stuff these days.  

 

In 1994 when the Accord was drawn up, we did not even have the internet.  In 2010, only one in 5 people had a smart phone (a potential book reader).  Now 3/4 of us do.  The first iPad was not even released until 2010.  

 

If anything, libraries are being kept busy with programming.  But that can be done at the recreation or community centre, it does not have to be at the library.

Gotta do your research sport before making broad statements like your very first sentence - which is factually incorrect as this report cataloging library use in Canada from 2000-09 clearly shows: 

 

http://www.culc.ca/c...y Trends-es.pdf

 

Second and purely as a professional point of interest I don't know when you think the Internet was born but rest assured it certainly existed in 1994, witnessed by the fact the first graphical browser, Mosaic, was actually released in the fall of 1993, preceded by other purely text-based browsers. As a personal aside I was then (from early 1992) working with Canada's first broad-based provider of commercial services, based here in Victoria, specifically developing and building the infrastructure to support on-line job seekers, real estate transactions and automobile purchases: and I'm pretty certain that was all happening on the Internet....

 

The earliest commercial variant of what we know as the web can be said to have arisen with the retirement of the ARPANet in 1989-90, coinciding not surprsingly with the rise of private ISP's in the late 1980's - the ARPANet was the US military's exclusive domain for utilizing interconnected computers using the TCP/IP packet switching protocol since at least 1969 if not earlier. The Internet rest assured was not devised yesterday by some millennial geek but rather is squarely and happily gliding into middle age......

[VicHockeyFan]

Well hold on.

The internet was available in only 6% of Canadian homes in 1996.

And that report is biased.

But more importantly in was based on figures only until 2009. Again, when only 10% of us had smart phones. And almost nobody had a tablet.

It was 2011 before Kindle downloads surpassed paperback book sales at Amazon. After this report came out and more than 5 years ago.

[Jill]

I'm into this library thing. I use mine regularly to borrow books and DVDs. I also buy a lot of books. When I was in Halifax recently I visited the amazing new library and have come with a serious case of envy. I went to see it on a sunny Sunday afternoon and it was hopping -- and lots of people were borrowing or returning books.

[Greg]

Until iPads and downloaded books are free, Public Libraries will continue to serve a purpose IMHO.

[Jason-L]

Looking at the Toronto Public Library Library Usage Stats (2005-2014) the overall usage of the library is growing.  It looks like their circulation (physical items) bounces between 28K-33K, but there's definitely a huge bump in electronic usage.

 

Which seems to fit the reported patterns over the last decade or so from nearly all libraries -- hey, you could Google that info up on a free library workstation, even.
 

[VicHockeyFan]

Looking at the Toronto Public Library Library Usage Stats (2005-2014) the overall usage of the library is growing.  It looks like their circulation (physical items) bounces between 28K-33K, but there's definitely a huge bump in electronic usage.

 

Which seems to fit the reported patterns over the last decade or so from nearly all libraries -- hey, you could Google that info up on a free library workstation, even.
 

 

Yes, because borrowing has become much easier now.  Order/reserve online, have the piece delivered to your local library, get an e-mail when it's ready to pick up.  You can do that all that preliminary work without going into a huge building with rows and rows of books.

 

We do not need to be adding square footage onto the system at great expense.

 

Go into the Central Library.  On any one day, you might find 200 people there at one time.  100 to 150 are using computers or doing work at laptops.  We have other decentralized places we could do that nicely, and often with better hours.  Rec centres, community centres, government buildings, UVic, Camosun campuses, Royal Roads, even small kiosks leased in shopping malls or deals with banks and other institutions etc.