2016.01.13 Parks Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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future planning. A few school districts in Washington County overlap with surrounding counties, which provides opportunities for use of other libraries. Thus, planning for facilities development in Washington County must factor in the use of other libraries and the fact that other libraries may be closer to, or easier to use, for many Washington County residents. Given the current Library facilities, associate and community libraries, and availability of other public libraries in nearby counties, the population centers of the County are reasonably well - served in terms of library facilities and services. In other words, the great majority of the population of Washington County residents has access to a library facility near where they work or live. However, with the population of the County expanding significantly, with demographic shifts, and the changing nature of library services, among other factors, the Washington County Library system needs to address current and long-term facility needs. Facilities Recommendation This report is part of a strategic planning process for the Washington County Library. In this process, facilities were examined in a number of ways and from various viewpoints. These include a brief look at each facility and usage patterns; comparison and benchmarking across the system to peer libraries and national library standards; examination of demographic, population trends and Met Council transit projections; and a host of forums for community input from across the County. However, this process did not include a comprehensive look at current facilities, usage patterns by facility, or detailed community facility needs — that was beyond the scope of this strategic planning process. Thus, Library Strategies' primary recommendation is for the Washington County Library to develop a comprehensive facilities plan for the system within the next 2-3 months. As part of the strategic planning process, and the variety of data and inputs collected, Library Strategies has identified that facilities are indeed a primary strategic direction and concern for the County. What is presented here, then, are factors and considerations for facilities development, and broad categories for the County to examine more closely in a facilities planning process. These recommendations for facilities planning should be considered a starting point for further community discussion, examination, study and consideration before embarking on a long-term facilities plan.