Friday, March 23, 2007

Public will help influence design

Visions of a new library are taking shape.
A series of forums will help gather public opinion that will help influence design options for a new library. The Library Board visited other communities last year and heard that a successful project needs the creativity, concerns, and excitement of people who will use the building. How else will the new facility reflect the unique needs of the Nampa community?
I will gather public comments at some community forums over the next several weeks and I invite you to attend or sound off in the blog. All comments will be considered in a final report for the architects. Please attend if you can:
Noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, March 27, (Library basement)
Noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 3, (Library basement)
Noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 10, (Library basement)
Noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, (Library basement)
7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, April 17 (City Hall)
Noon to 1 p.m., Saturday, April 21. (Library basement)
- Dan Black, Nampa Public Library Community Relations Coordinator

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm interested in a report of what people suggest in these forums. Will you mention the popular suggestions in the blog?

Background said...

Sure,
I'll put some updates on what people say at the forums. I'm also accumulating comments from the suggestion boxes found at Flying M, Nampa Rec Center, the Library, and the Civic Center. There are loads of comments and some unusual requests. Look for a report on this Web site soon.
Dan

Anonymous said...

I have been reading many different articles in the news paper that concern the Library. So far not a single one has said anything of value. We don't know where the new Library will be. We don't know how it will be paid for..etc.
Here is my opinion about the new Library and the changing times that will drastically change how a library is used, not only here, but all over the country.

I already have friends much older than I that download books onto ipods from the internet and listen to the books rather than read them.

Our children are very computer oriented these days and do a lot of research on the internet for school projects.

A library is not a "drop in" as someone walks past it. The library is a destination today but not tomorrow if the library changes with the times.

Our society lives on latte's and mocha's every working day. Even the "soccer mom's" meet for coffee downtown.

All that being said, my recommendations for the library of today and tomorrow are as follows:

1. Fifty computers in a building wired for high speed access.

2. Quiet rooms for those that still read paper books and do research the long way.

3. Help pay for the library by doing what Barnes & Noble, and Border's are doing. It only takes one employee to run a coffee and sweet shop, plus have many of the new best seller books and magazines for sale. That puts money into an account to fund new computers, fix or buy new computers, pay for employee salaries, buy books and or CD's for other sections of the library. Tables in the coffee shop bring in lots of people that buy something to drink while they read or play chess, some even play computer games against each other on line, and small book clubs gather there also. All in all it means more cash flow for the changing library.

4. Quit thinking of the library of yesterday, it is moving quickly to electronic media. Don't be left behind with a multi million dollar building that is not being used.

5. Don't use ground floor, prime retail space, for an obsolete library. Retail businesses bring people down town and after they shop the first thing on there minds is to sit down to a nice cup of coffee or tea, an interesting book or magazine to buy and take home to read and relax.

6. Retail book stores have many projects on weekends to get children involved in reading programs, writing, and have over all fun learning experiences. Make the new library's children programs better than retail book stores offer. Children that don't have access to computers at home have a disadvantage in learning. The library can fill that gap.

Look to the future not the past. Retail business brings people down town, put the library in the middle of it. Be aware of today's trends and CASH in on them to make your library better every day. The library should be responsible for it's monetary needs. All of the community pays for the services, be it different fees at the library or by taxes. The new library should step up to the plate and add in their fare share.
Thanks for listening.
- Cathy Klimes-Garcia, native Nampa person

Anonymous said...

I agree the new library needs computers . . . a lot. Sure more people are listening to books on their ipods but reading books in print will never die. As for a coffee/sweet shop...maybe in a large entry way before they enter the library that way they are responsible for any damage that might happen to the books they have checked out.

NPL Staff said...

Regarding a few of Cathy's comments:
The city has a planned site for the new library but the exact location has not been released to the public because the city is still involved in land and contract negotiations. It was developed using a market study that measured the best use of various city and other parcels.
The bulk of funding for a new library is provided by urban renewal funds.
I appreciate your comments.
- Dan Black

Anonymous said...

New library suggestions:

Access to Family History/Genealogy research databases...Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest Online.