HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005 03 14 Awards and Presentations 100 Seminole County Public Library System Presentation
Date: March 14, 2005
The following Documents related to the Library
Presentation held under "Awards &
Presentations" during the March 14, 2005 City
Commission Regular Meeting.
Seminole County Public
Library System
Seminole County Mayors & Managers
Library Expansion Subcommittee
Report to the Board of County Commissioners
January 25, 2005
History of Public Library System
· 1974 Voters approve up to ~ mil for libraries in non-binding
referendum
· 1975 Countywide library service initiated through contract
with Orlando Public Library
· 1978 Creation of Seminole County Public Library System
· 1982 Public Library expansion referendum
. 1986-88 Five libraries constructed
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History of Public Library System
· 1987 Comprehensive Plan level of service 1.0 books per
capita adopted
· 1991 BCC approves Library Impact Fee for books only
· 1998 Libraries open seven days a week
· 2000 Beach Wiley study "Redefining the Future: A
Strategic Plan for the Seminole County Public Library
System"
· 2004 Mayors and Managers Library Expansion
Subcommittee formed. Includes representatives from the
cities of Winter Springs, Sanford, Casselberry, the School
Board and County staff.
I Trends 1988 - 2003
· Population increase 41 %
. Circulation increase 172%
· 73% of population with a library card
(J Orange County 29%
(J Seminole County ranks #3 in State for large urban
counties.
· #1 in State for children's program attendance per
capita among the large urban counties.
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I Current Status
. Annual Circulation 2,626,204
. Annual Attendance 1,172,340
· Registered Borrowers 311,854
. Reference 780,362
(J 25% school support
I Current Status
. Book Collection 534,000
· Building Capacity 500,000 books
. Books per Capita 1.34
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I Benchmarks
Books Square
Library System per Adopted Feet Service
Capita Standard per Capita Population
Seminole 1.34 1.00 0.26 394,900
Brevard 2.26 2.40 0.71 507,810
Lake 1.72 2.00 0.45 240,716
Orange 2.07 N/A 0.47 941 ,404
Osceola 1.64 N/A 0.41 210,438
Volusia 1.70 N/A 0.49 470,770
leMA Standard 0.50
State Standard 2.00 0.60
I State Standards
MEASURE STANDARD 2004 2010
DEFICIT DEFICIT
Books per 2.0 -255,800 -300,836
capita
Sq ft per capita 0.6 -138,940 -175,487
Computers per 132 -65 -85
capita*
Parking 490 -204 -204
spaces**
*1 per 3,000
**1 per 200 sq ft
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I Summary
· Growing demand for library services
. No expansion since 1988
. Buildings exceed capacity
. Support to education
· Lowest library square footage and books per
capita in the region
I Recommendations of Mayors and
Managers Subcommittee
· Adopt State standards for public library service
YEAR POPULATION SQUARE FEET
(.6 sf per capita)
2003 394,900 236,940
2010 455,812 273,487
Current sq ft 98,000
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I Staff Engineering Study 2003
Branch Current Site Capacity
eentral (easselberry) 50,000 50,000
East (Oviedo) 12,000 20,000
North (Sanford) 12,000 13,500
Northwest (Lake Mary) 12,000 12,000
West (Longwood) 12,000 22,000
Total 98,000 117,500
I Recommendations of Mayors and
Managers Subcommittee
· New regional library buildings
o Open 7 days a week
o Multipurpose, conference, group study, tutoring
and youth services program rooms
o In-depth reference and circulating collections
o Extensive information technology configuration
o Audiovisual services
o Computer rooms/laboratories with instructional
services
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I Recommendations of Mayors and
Managers Subcommittee
. Renovate Central Branch
o Expand public service areas to 50,000 sq. ft.
o Relocate centralized support operations
· Relocate North, East, Northwest and West
Branch Libraries to new 40,000 sq. ft.
regional libraries
· New 40,000 sq. ft. regional library in Winter
Springs
I Recommendations of Mayors and
Managers Subcommittee
. Funding
o Currently operated from General Fund
o Library dedicated millage
. Constructionlrenovation
· Operating costs to include additional staff for new and
expanded facilities
· Current operations $5.4 million (1/4mil)
· Proposed additional 1/2 mil increase
o Referendum
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Seminole County Mayors & Managers
Library Expansion Subcommittee Report
January 2005
In March and May of 2004, Seminole County staff presented a history and status of the
Seminole County Public Library System to the Seminole County Mayors and Managers.
.The Library Expansion Subcommittee was formed by the Seminole County Mayors and
Managers in May of 2004. Monthly meetings were held from June through November
2004. This report is a summary of committee progress to date and recommendations for
future action.
Background
The Seminole County Public Library System was established in 1974 through a non-
binding referendum in which voters approved the levy of one half (1/2) mil of ad valorem
taxation for countywide public library service. In 1975 countywide library service was
initiated in Seminole County through a contract with the Orlando Public Library to operate
branches in Casselberry and Sanford and to provide bookmobile service. This contract
was terminated in 1978 with the creation of the Seminole County Public Library System.
In 1982 a referendum was held in which voters approved expansion of the Seminole
County Public Library System by issuance of $7,000,000 in Library Bonds. This resulted
.in the construction of five new library facilities from 1986 through 1988. These are the
current branches located in Casselberry (Central), Oviedo (East), Sanford (North), Lake
Mary (Northwest) and Longwood (West).
The library system has been operating under the present collection level of service
.standard of 1.0 books per capita since 1991. However, in FY 1997/98 the Board of
County Commissioners raised the level of service to 1.5 volumes per capita for budgetary
purposes. A phased program to reach this level continued until FY 2002/03 when the
library buildings no longer had the capacity to hold additional volumes.
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The Library System Impact Fee was adopted on April 9, 1991, and became effective in
both the unincorporated area and in the incorporated municipal areas of Seminole County
on June 1, 1991. The impact fee is codified as Chapter 115 of the Land Development
Code.
The fee of $54 per residential dwelling unit is for the purchase of books only and is
calculated on a standard of 1.0 books per capita. Buildings, furnishings and/or equipment
are not included. As currently allowed, expenditures of the fee are limited to new books
added to the library collection to meet future growth needs.
The fee is effective countywide, with provision made for municipal contribution credits in
the event of a city's enactment of its own public library impact fee. Pursuant to this
section, a municipal credit results in no county library impact fee within the City of
Altamonte Springs. However, 90% (38,471 of 42,466) of the Altamonte Springs
population are registered users of the Seminole County Public Library System.
From 1988, when the last library building was constructed, through 2003 the population of
Seminole County has increased by 41 %. Library circulation for the same time period has
increased 172%. The citizen's of Seminole County are heavy library users with 73% of
the population holding library cards. In 2004 Seminole County ranked 3rd highest in the
state for the number of registered borrowers among large, urban counties. In Orange
'County only 29% of the population are registered borrowers. In addition, Seminole
County is first in the state for children's program attendance per capita among the large,
'urban counties.
In 2002, Seminole County staff conducted site surveys of the East, North, Northwest and
West branch libraries to determine the capacity of each of these sites for expansion. The
study determined that expansion of the Northwest and North Branch Libraries beyond
current building footprint and parking spaces is not feasible. The East Branch has the
potential to expand an additional 8,000 square feet for a total building size of 20,000
square feet, with the acquisition of 2 outparcels. The West Branch has the potential to
'expand an additional 1 0,000 square feet.
Branch Current Site Capacity
Central (Casselberry) 50,000 50,000
East (Oviedo) 12,000 20,000
North (Sanford) 12,000 13,500
Northwest (Lake Mary) 12,000 12,000
~est(Longwood) 12,000 22,000
lTotal 98,000 117,500
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Customer Demand
· Library users consistently request services that cannot be accommodated within
the current facilities, such as a video/DVD collection, additional computers, word
processors, quiet study areas, more parking, computer classes and a Books by
Mail program.
· The Seminole County Public Library System serves a population that grew 77,678
or 27% between 1990 and 2000. Libraries are at capacity lacking space for more
materials, equipment, patron seating, and parking.
· From 1988 through 2003 the annual circulation of books and other materials
increased 172% and at the close of FY 2003/04 was over 2.6 million.
· Library branches lack space to accommodate a variety of simultaneous uses and
levels of activity - patrons who want quiet reading space often find themselves in
the middle of groups working on projects, tutor-student literacy teams, a queue of
people waiting for computers or active children waiting for library programming.
· There is limited room to accommodate more books and other materials in the
current buildings. The facilities were constructed to hold 500,000 books.
Presently there are 534,000 in the collection. The current holdings of 1.34 per
capita fall short of the State standard of 2.0 per capita. There is a need for more
materials and the space to house them.
· The Seminole County Public Library System directly supports multiple levels of
education through its programs and services. Twenty five percent of all reference
inquiries are directly related to educational curriculum support. Programs that
encourage reading target specific age groups and related stages of child
development from infants to teenagers.
Many of the issues above can be addressed in the framework of regional versus
neighborhood libraries. The current Seminole County branches are neighborhood
:libraries. They are limited service facilities with a multipurpose room, reference and
circulating collections. There is a minimal audiovisual collection and information
technology configuration.
The services in demand by Seminole County citizens are those found in regional libraries.
These are full service facilities with multipurpose, conference, group study, tutoring and
youth services program rooms. Additionally, there are in-depth reference and circulating
.collections and extensive audiovisual and information technology configuration.
Computer labs/rooms are available with instructional services offered.
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Charae to Mayors and Manaaers Library Expansion Subcommittee
Development
1 . Determine proposed Level of Service (LOS)
The subcommittee voted to adopt the "essential" level of service from the Florida Library
Association (FLA) Standards for Florida Public Libraries 2004 for use in planning. The
FLA standards were developed by the State Library of Florida and have been endorsed
by the Florida League of Cities and the Florida City and County Management Association.
Three levels of service have been established by FLA for use. They are:
Essential: Basic library service which should be offered by every library.
Enhanced: This level starts where essential leaves off and offers expanded services.
Exemplary: Highest and best service offered to the community.
· Books per capita (2)*
· Square feet per capita (.6)*
· Computers per capita (1 per 3,000 population)
· Parking spaces (1 per 200 sq ft or local code, whichever provides more spaces)
· Staffing (.3 per 1,000 population)*
* Considered a "core" standard in that it is vital to providing effective public library
service. This is the basic standard that a public library must meet if it is to effectively
carry out the public library mission.
As is currently the practice, a standard countywide level of service would be utilized.
CENTRAL FLORIDA BENCHMARKS:
Books Sq Ft
per Square per
Library Books Capita Feet Capita
System per Adopted per Adopted Service
Capita Standard Capita Standard Population
Seminole 1.34 1.00 0.26 N/A 394,900
Brevard 2.26 2.40 0.71 N/A 507,810
Lake 1.72 2.00 0.45 0.50 240,716
Oranqe 2.07 N/A 0.47 N/A 941 ,404
Osceola 1.54 N/A 0.41 N/A 210,438
Volusia 1.70 N/A 0.49 0.39 470,770
State
Standard 2.0 0.6
ICMA
Standard 0.5
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The International City/County Management Association has adopted a standard of 0.5
square feet per capita.
2. Determine square footage needed by current and future population density
The square footage standard recommended by the FLA is .6 square feet per capita. The
following is a breakdown of the current and future square footage needs.
YEAR POPULATION SQUARE FEET
(.6 sf per capita)
2003 394,900 236,940
2010 455,812 273,487
Current sq ft 98,000
3. Determine probable locations of expanded facilities
The subcommittee recommends:
· New regional library buildings with increased square footage are needed to meet
standards and service expectations.
o Open 7 days a week
o Full service facilities with multipurpose, conference, group study, tutoring
and youth services program rooms
o In-depth reference and circulating collections
o Extensive information technology configuration
o Audiovisual services
o Computer rooms/laboratories with instructional services
· New 40,000 square foot facilities to replace, and in close vicinity to, the existing
East, North, Northwest and West branch libraries.
· Renovation of the Jean F. Rhein Central Branch Library to increase public service
space.
· Relocation of library centralized support and administration functions.
· New 40,000 square foot library in Winter Springs.
Additional assumptions used:
· Projections are based on 2010 population estimates.
· Service areas are based on 4 mile driving range (5 miles for Casselberry).
· Expansion of existing facilities is not possible in the magnitude needed to obtain
the State square footage standard.
· Provide a standard level of service countywide.
· Absolute minimum parcel size of 3 acres (5 acres preferable) for proposed 40,000
square foot facilities.
· Preference for one story buildings to minimize staffing needs by maximizing the
areas staff can observe from customer service desks.
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4. Determine cost of building/renovation
Preliminary cost estimates for both new construction and renovation total approximately
$53 million. This is based on a construction cost estimate of $132 per square foot and a
furnishings estimate of $48 per square foot. The source for this cost is the December
2004 issue of the Library Journal which highlights library building projects nationwide for
the year 2004. Costs utilized were for Florida building projects with a size between
30,000 and 60,000 square feet.
Operations
1. Based upon current services
a. Determine cost of operation of expanded facilities and services
Preliminary cost estimates for operations vary based upon the staffing level
utilized. Staffing can be determined either based upon the current staffing level at
the Jean F. Rhein Central Branch Library (Option 1) as a standard for a regional
library or by utilizing the FLA standard of .3 employees per 1,000 population
(Option 2).
Branch Current Option 1 Difference Option 2 Difference
Central 34 34 0 21 -13
East 19 33 +14 21 +2
North 13 33 +20 21 +8
Northwest 18 33 +15 21 +3
West 17 33 +16 21 +4
Winter Springs 0 33 +33 21 +21
Administration 8 8 0 8 0
Technical 7 7 0 7 0
Svcs.
Total 116 214 +98 141 +25
Option 1 assumes current levels of service for circulation (book checkout),
reference/information services and the current exemplary children's programming.
This would provide a staffing level of 1 employee per 1,224 square foot which is in
line with staffing levels at other Central Florida library systems.
· Brevard County 1 per 1,318 sf
· Orange County 1 per 1,392 sf
· Volusia County 1 per 1,298 sf
Option 2 is based upon the "essential" level of service as defined by the FLA
standards for Florida Public Libraries 2004. The current children's programming
offered by all branch libraries exceeds this level. Therefore, the application of this
standard would result in a reduction in children's programming throughout the
library system and allow for the reallocation of staff to alternate assignments.
Department staff does not recommend this option, in that it would reduce the
current level of service. Option 1 is recommended.
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There may be an opportunity to decrease the recommended level of staffing
through the deployment of the new technology of RFID (Radio Frequency
IDentification) the need for additional staff for circulation services would be
reduced. These systems are currently installed in approximately 300 libraries
worldwide. RFID speeds patron self-checkout and collection inventory.
b. Determine funding mechanism for construction/renovation and ongoing
support
Library & Leisure Services has worked with Fiscal Services to identify the most
appropriate funding option. Consideration was given to several funding
mechanisms available to establish a dedicated source for both the capital
expansion/renovation and the ongoing operations element; including the
establishment of a Dependent Special District or a Municipal Services Benefit Unit.
To allow for flexibility in execution, staff recommends that the proposed expansion
be funded through a combination of voted debt service and as a component of the
countywide millage levy. Although only the voted debt service levy requires a voter
referendum, staff is recommending that both components be brought forth through
two referendum questions.
The current library system is funded through general revenues at an equivalent
millage rate of 0.25 mils. Based on a preliminary analysis the estimated millage
rate required to fund both the capital (voted debt service) component and the
operating (general revenue) component is approximately 0.75 mils; a 0.50 mil
increase over the current levy for library services.
Of the total estimated millage rate of 0.75 mils, 0.60 is representative of the
approximate cost of full operations after the expansion is complete, inclusive of
0.12 mils for additional services detailed below (0.04 mils for "full audio/visual",
0.02 mils for "expanded outreach service", and 0.06 mils for books by mail").
2. Determine additional services to be offered and related costs
Additional services recommended include:
Full AudioNisual collection $780,000 annual cost (6 new positions)
· Staffing increase of 1 Staff Assistant per branch ($180,000/6
positions)
· Startup costs of $100,000 per branch ($600,000)
· Annual cost of $100,000 per branch ($600,000)
Expanded outreach services $365,000 annual cost (8 new positions)
· Senior Librarian - Young Adult Services ($53,000/1 position)
· Librarian - School Outreach ($45,000/1 position)
· 1 Young Adult Librarian at each branch ($267,000/6
positions)
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Books by Mail $1.25 million annual cost (6 new positions)
· Staffing increase of 1 Staff Assistant per branch ($180,000/6
positions)
· Courier contract at a per package cost of $2 and a volume of
500,000 items per year (based upon Orange County costs)
· Operating supplies, furniture and equipment
Scheduling of Library Projects
If the library referendum is held prior to September 2005, budgeting of referendum funds
could be available in FY 2005/06. Staff is currently reviewing timetables with the
Supervisor of Elections for the possibility of a referendum in Mayor August 2005 to allow
time for public education as well as maximizing voter turnout while school is in session
and summer travel is either not underway or completed. Scheduling of projects will be
based upon availability of land and/or suitable, existing retail space.
Conclusion
Based upon feedback from current library users, there are expectations for higher service
levels than can be provided in current facilities. Increased service levels require more
and larger facilities.
Seminole County continues to experience rapid growth. Population projections show
60,912 new persons in the County between 2004 and 2010. If the experience of the
:current residents is an indicator, new residents will also expect the higher level of service
that is proposed.
The Mayors and Managers Subcommittee and County staff recommend placing a
referendum on the ballot in 2005 to fund expansion and ongoing operating costs of the
Seminole County Public Library System.
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