Washington County Library System Planning Retreat

Planning Process  Stakeholder Committee – 17 members  Research: Assessment & SWOT Analysis w/ staff Environmental Scan & Benchmarking Library Trends

Planning Process  Community Input: Community Survey (1500 households) 3 Community Forums Elected Official Questionnaire (33 communities) Meetings with school officials City Administrator meeting Community Voices

Planning Process  Plan Development: County Board workshops 2 Planning Retreats (Sept./Oct.) Stakeholder Committee (Nov.)  Reporting & Implementation Planning: County Board Workshops (Nov.) Final Report Presentation (Dec./Jan.) Implementation Plan with Library Staff (Dec.) Final Community Capstone Event (Feb.)

Retreat Outcomes 1.Framework for a Strategic Plan for the Library 2.Relationships and engagement of county citizens in defining and supporting the Library

Community Forums Save print collection Increase eBook collection More open hours Enhance website Improve teen spaces Offer more lifelong learning programs* Provide more meeting spaces

Survey: Frequency of Types of Use

Survey: Patterns of Use By Age

Survey: Projected Use in 5 Years

Survey: Overall Perceptions Nearly 75% strongly agree that they felt welcomed at their library. Respondents thought the library was an important place for the community to gather and that physical location mattered. Nearly 40% agreed or strongly agreed that they were willing to pay additional taxes for expanded services and hours.

Washington County Profile Washington County will see significant population growth in the next 25 years. Much of that growth will occur in Hugo and Lake Elmo.

Washington County Profile Based on current trends, by 2030 we can expect the population of Washington County to include: Significantly more seniors Similar number of teens Significantly more diversity (20% non-white) More educated citizens More under-resourced households Yet higher households incomes

Library Assessment Metrics Revenue Staffing Cardholder Penetration Circulation Library Visits Program Attendance

Library Trends HIGHLIGHTS Programming Outreach Creative Spaces

Trend # 1 Making and Creativity

Arlington Heights Memorial Library: Studio

Madison Public Library: Bubbler

Hennepin County Library: Best Buy Teen Tech Center

YouMedia

Makerspaces

Trend #2 Programming and Learning Experiences

Teen Programming at Washington County Library

Teen Programming at Ramsey County Library

All Programming WCL

All Programming at St Johns County Library

It’s Not all Fun and Games

Trend #3 Outreach

Outreach Services

Space & Location No best practices regarding large vs. small Best to build near major transportation and retail We know that patrons often go to the library as a part of a multi-destination trip

Space & Location Literature is divided about joint-use spaces Travel distance - and more so, time - impact library usage References: Park, S. J. (2012). Measuring travel time and distance in library use. Library Hi Tech, 30(1) Donnelly, F. P. (2014). The geographic distribution of United States public libraries: An analysis of locations and service areas. Journal of Library and Information Science, 46(2) Wheeler, J.L. (1958). The Effective Location of Public Library Buildings.

Regional v. Local REGIONAL Economy of scale (cheaper and more efficient) Longer hours Large collections More diverse programming LOCAL Closer to your home Greater ability to serve unique nature of your community More embedded in the “neighborhood”

Spaces