Orange County NC Website
I She reviewed several graphic illustration slides. She said the community showed <br />2 overwhelming support for a centrally located library with easy public access. She said <br />3 respondents wanted to be able to walk, bike, or bus, and the location was considered unique <br />4 because it allows for connection to other activities and businesses. She said there were <br />5 questions raised about whether there would be enough parking and how the traffic would be <br />6 handled. She said there were also questions about the visibility of the library, given where it sits <br />7 on the property. <br />8 Katherine Taylor said the desired activities and services included the following: <br />9 children's space, meeting /gathering spaces, books, technology, and technology training, <br />10 creative spaces, display /exhibit space, and music space. She said there was a heavy focus on <br />11 the desire for creative gathering spaces and children's spaces that encourage interaction and <br />12 learning. She said the need for teen activities also came up repeatedly, as well as outdoor <br />13 spaces and musical spaces. She said the middle school respondents wanted space for <br />14 hanging out, gaming, and interacting with technology. <br />15 She talked about the difference between a community library, branch library, and main <br />16 library. She said the trend is to go away from the term "branch library," and to use the term <br />17 community or neighborhood library, which puts the focus on the community it is serving. She <br />18 said there are standard services that are offered, but there is other programming that is unique <br />19 to the area. She said this community is different due to the diverse areas, such as Carrboro <br />20 and Bingham Township. <br />21 Katherine Taylor said the information was used to develop a conceptual program. She <br />22 said this will give a square footage amount, chunks of space, and program allocations for each <br />23 of those spaces. She said this starts with community size and population demographics, along <br />24 with the public comments and feedback. <br />25 She said the current recommendation, based on the feedback received, is a range of <br />26 15,600 to 18,500 useable square footage, which equates to 19,500 to 23,000 gross square <br />27 footage. <br />28 She said the majority of this space is allocated to traditional program space; gathering <br />29 spaces come in at 15 percent; "marketplace" comes in at 12 percent; creation spaces are 10 <br />30 percent; and 10 percent are non - public spaces. <br />31 Katherine Taylor said the "marketplace" space is the main entry or hub where everything <br />32 happens, and this can include a check in area, cafes, and gallery space. She said this is <br />33 typically a very flexible space. <br />34 She said the traditional space includes the adult, teen and children's space, including <br />35 collections, seating, computers, study space, group space, interactive learning space, and <br />36 gathering spaces. She said the creation spaces include training classes, and multipurpose <br />37 labs. <br />38 She said this library is unique due to its ability to house a "floating" collection, as well as <br />39 its ability to house a teen collection, and children's learning and discovery space. She said this <br />40 differs from a main library, as the main library should house the majority of the collections and <br />41 be focused on administration. She said the Orange County and Chapel Hill libraries provide <br />42 this traditional focus. <br />43 Katherine Taylor said this library is also very unique due to its site location and its close <br />44 proximity to the Chapel Hill Main Library. She said this allows for the ability to share physical <br />45 resources, as well as e- content. She said this also allows the smaller community library to offer <br />46 unique services. <br />47 She said neighborhood libraries average 18,000 and 26,000 square feet. She noted <br />48 that the existing Cybrary and Carrboro branch total 9,000 square feet, and this does not include <br />49 restrooms, meeting space, teen collections, or staff space. <br />