Agenda - 02-17-2005-6c - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orongc County Library Long-Range Facility Planning Joint Use Library Durham Technical Community College has approved the purchase of twenty acres of land in the Waterstone Development for an Orange County Center, The County Commissioners have proposed a joint use library facility for that site. The consultant has identified a number of advantages of this arrangement, but also has discovered that it may not serve well the long- term needs of either institution nor fulfil! Commissioner expectations regarding financial savings. Irr addition to adding abuilt-in user population of faculty and students, the library's location at DTCC's Orange County Center offers these advantages: ^ The County may not have to purchase a separate site for a new library ^ The College could possibly contribute towards the operation of the proposed library (although the amount would require negotiation) ^ The collection required to support the proposed curriculum of the local campus is typically found in public library collections, so the need to duplicate resources would be reduced ^ Students would have direct access to a larger, broader librazy collection than would otherwise be available at the center • Resources purchased specifically to support the curriculum would be available to the general public • Communication between faculty and public library staff could be enhanced ^ The librazy could potentially have access to other resources at the Center (e.g. classroom and meeting space; student internships) A number of significant concerns and questions regarding the co-location proposal have surfaced, however, and would need to be addressed as plans proceed: ^ A major concern for the college is the space that might be required for the public library facility and its impact on availability of ]and for future expansion of the community college ^ Likewise, expansion acreage for the public library would be limited (even if a library facility were to be built that is smaller than the recommended size, land for future expansion should be available) • Tlrere is a possibility that perceived financial benefits and savings of the arrangement will not be fulfilled o A question mark exists as to whether the ]and on which a public library constructed by the County can be considered part of the required County match for the State bond funding for the college, especially considering the suggested size of the library facility o The College is currently using its North Durham Center as the model for determining operational costs it would consider helping to underwrite; this model will need to be reviewed in light of actual needs once the library becomes operational ^ Students will expect resources and services not normally offered in a public library setting so the Library will need to plan for them (e..g. class reserve collections, bibliographic instruction classes, etc.) • The library must be sufficiently staffed to be able to serve the needs of both the genera] population and the college population 15