Comments on: Committee Formed Against Library Millage

By: John Floyd

John Floyd — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 00:41:37 +0000

The “Evolving library” line of thinking gives me the impression that we have a board in search of a mission, e.g. “People don’t read books any more, so we will go into the business of providing meeting space.”

You can update an awful lot of mechanicals, and install a lot of fiber optic cable, for $10 million or so. As others have pointed out, the full cost of the library will not be the $65 million construction cost, but the $130 million of construction plus interest.

If the library board believes that its mission is becoming obsolete, that sounds more like an argument for scaling back, not doubling down to enter a new line of business that is, in the end, really not at all related to providing books and periodicals, in what ever form.

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By: Emily Puckett Rodgers

Emily Puckett Rodgers — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 23:00:35 +0000

I just opened the latest issue of Library Journal and the cover article starts with: “From collecting in an era of scarce resources to curation in an era of overabundant ones, some libraries are moving to incorporate co-creation…”. Libraries, whether we realize it or not, are about serving the longstanding AND emergent needs of their communities. AADL has been a consistent leader in the public library world, providing access to a range of collections (music instruments, housing the library for the blind and physically disabled, etc.) and developing effective, targeted services. I’m fully in support of a new building to serve as the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, especially as a citizen who uses the West branch and the downtown branch on a weekly basis.

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By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:19:35 +0000

@46: “While items circulated per sq ft may not, by itself, be the most compelling datapoint, in concert with the other figures there is an indication to me that people prefer going to the branches rather than the Downtown Library.”

That would be *some* people, not all, and whether it’s a matter of preference, simple convenience (e.g., proximity), or something else is unclear. You’re generalizing beyond usefulness, David.

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By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:12:35 +0000

Yes, the downtown library is a treasure. It still has the reference desk and many special sections. What I like about the West Branch is its convenience for checking out materials in the course of my daily rounds. (Going downtown requires either a complicated bus schedule or ever more expensive parking.) If I had any specialized task at all, I’d definitely go downtown. But I use the AADL’s excellent online catalog and reservation system for the everyday items I want to check out, and the West Branch fits in nicely between Nicola’s, Barry Bagels, Mast Shoes, and Kroger.

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By: A2Person

A2Person — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:07:44 +0000

Ugh. I love the downtown branch. I am not at all crazy about the West branch (I’m between the two). When I want to browse on a topic, help my kid with research, check out the music selections, find something new to be inspired by, etc etc…. I go downtown. Having a large, busy downtown library is a huge boost to the quality of life in A2, IMHO. Kiosks? Yuck.

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By: Lyn Davidge

Lyn Davidge — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 21:36:16 +0000

Believe it or not, I’ve heard of drive-thru book pickups in (an)other public library(libraries). I’ll try to find the link again.

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By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:49:49 +0000

@45: (Wow, 45 already) Ed, the Pittsfield branch is “testing out a new service” in which outdoor lockers allow for after-hours pickup of pre-checked-out, reserved materials. The kiosks you suggest wouldn’t even need to be staffed. Potentially, public school buildings (public, widely dispersed, and within walking distance for many AADL district residents) could have a small space added on to serve that purpose, possibly in conjunction with their own school libraries.

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By: David Diephuis

David Diephuis — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:39:26 +0000

Edward—

Actually, your kiosk idea sounds kinda cool—except for the drive thru part and the attendant. But wouldn’t if great if there were library kiosks similar to those red DVD dispensers, where, within easy walkling distance you could pick up reserved library material with a swipe of the library card and drop off returns?

By evaluating the available data I’m trying to understand where library patrons prefer to get materials and services. What is the efficacy of each branch in providing those materials and services? While items circulated per sq ft may not, by itself, be the most compelling datapoint, in concert with the other figures there is an indication to me that people prefer going to the branches rather than the Downtown Library.

Are there metrics you would suggest using in evaluating the relative usage and effectiveness of the AADL’s branches, including downtown?

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By: Edward Vielmetti

Edward Vielmetti — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:26:48 +0000

David -

I don’t find the circulation per square foot numbers compelling. If I did, then I’d be advocating for library kiosks scattered throughout the city where one person in a drive-through hands out books on hold and takes book returns. Just think of the circ per square foot you could get if you minimized the square footage of the library.

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By: David Diephuis

David Diephuis — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:03:21 +0000

@43

1) The AADL”s own facts and figures info sheet says that the Downtown Library has 56% of total items available for checkout. I would not consider that the “vast bulk” of the collection. If you take into account the square footage of the various branches in the system, 56% for Downtown is an average to low figure.

2) One of the points being made in support of the Library millage is that the Downtown Library is heavily used, near capacity, and numbers like 600,000 visitors or 30% of total internet sessions, etc. are being used to support that claim. But as the data shows, if you take into account the space available for “customers”, the Downtown Library is, by far, the least busy in the system.

3)EVEN IF a large number of items are being brought from downtown to the branches isn’t that indicative that people prefer doing their “business” at the branches? For me, that’s one of my underlying points—-people appear to love the Branch Libraries, they visit and use them with a much greater frequency than the Downtown library. Since branches seem to be where the action is, I think they should be the first focus of any future capital investment.

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