7/24 community meeting re library moving to Ed Roberts Campus
Robert Lauriston
Community Relations Librarian:
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
• Do you use the library? If not, why not?
• If you do use the library, what works for
you and what doesn’t?
• Tell us what you want from your
Berkeley Public Library.
Berkeley Public Library
Invites You to a Community Meeting
When: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 @ 7pm
Where: LifeLong Medical Care
3260 Sacramento Street
(& Alcatraz) Berkeley
Upstairs Conference Room –
2nd floor
For more info, call 981-6195, 548-1240 (TTY), or go to
berkeleypubliclibrary.org/
Wheelchair accessible. To request a sign language interpreter, real-
time
captioning, materials in large print or Braille, or other
accommodations for this
event, please call (510) 981-6107 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at
least five
working days will ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing
scented
products to public meetings.
***
Library Service Needs in
South and Southwest Berkeley Communities
UPDATE (7/2/07)
Since being invited to join the proposed Ed Roberts Campus (ERC)
project, the Board of
Library Trustees has been discussing the possibility of Berkeley
Public Library’s
participation. The project, which will be located at the east side of
the Ashby BART station
parking lot, is scheduled to break ground in 2008. To ensure all
aspects of the opportunity
were fully considered the Board appointed two Trustees to continue to
study, along with
library staff, the library service needs of the South and Southwest
Berkeley communities
and the opportunities and the issues associated with a move of the
South Branch Library
to ERC.
Current Situation
South Branch, 1901 Russell Street (at Martin Luther King, Jr., Way)
FORMER LOCATIONS:
3200 block of Adeline (early 1900s); then,
1839 Woolsey (at Grove, now MLK, Jr., Way)
Current South Branch built in 1962; the meeting room was added in
1973.
Size: 5629 square feet (including 645 square feet for Tool Lending
Library)
Collection size has tripled since the library opened, including new
media formats
which did not exist previously – DVDs, CDs, and books on CD.
The number of public seats has declined to make space for
collections and
computers.
Serving teens and providing home work assistance is a priority but
there is no room
for a designated study/computer area for this age group.
The branch has six public computers located in the entryway; more
are needed.
The program/community meeting room is crowded and used for storage
and by staff
as work area.
West Branch, 1125 University Avenue (near San Pablo Avenue)
Built in 1923 and expanded in 1973.
Size: 5500 square feet
In 2004 the Library applied for State library bond funds for a
major renovation and
expansion. While rated "very good," it was not funded.
The collection size has almost doubled in the last 13 years.
The Library’s Berkeley Reads adult literacy program offices are in
the branch; more
space for tutoring and intake is needed.
The program/community meeting room also functions as a computer lab
for the
literacy program.
- OVER -
Opportunities
The Ed Roberts Campus (ERC), a collaboration of disability
organizations, has
invited the Berkeley Public Library to consider opening a branch in
the building. For
more information on ERC, go to www.edrobertscampus.org.
In May 2007 the Library contracted with Noll & Tam Architects to
investigate
possible spaces for a branch library at ERC. They will develop three
space options
and a kiosk. For more information on Noll & Tam Architects, go to
http://www.nollandtam.com/
Studies
Hatchuel Tabernik & Associates (HTA) completed its “South Berkeley
Community
Assessment of Library Needs” in October 2006. This assessment pointed
to severe
programmatic limitations at the South Branch, built in 1961.
Survey respondents said:
1. There was a lack of space for library materials (books, DVDs, and
etc,),
computers, meeting space, an area for teens, and seating.
2. They prefer that the Tool Library remain at its present location
and be
allocated additional space.
The report is posted on the Library’s website:
http://berkeleypubliclibrary.org/weblog/files/SBL%20Community%20Assessment%2
0Complete.pdf
Berkeley Branch Libraries Feasibility Study, January 1996 by Bull
Stockwell Allen &
Ripley Architects. Available at West Branch, South Branch, and Central
Library
Reference Desk.
Next Steps
July 25, 2007, Board of Library Trustees, at 5:00 PM at the South
Branch Library –
Noll & Tam Architects will present their findings to the Board.
July 2007, HTA will launch a Southwest Berkeley Community Library
Needs
Assessment study. To participate or find out more check the library’s
website,
http://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org
On July 24, 2007, at 7pm, there will be a community meeting to
begin to get public
input for Southwest Berkeley Community Library Needs Assessment study:
LifeLong Medical Care -- Parking on the street
3260 Sacramento St. (& Alcatraz) Berkeley
Upstairs Conference Room - 2nd floor
For more info, call 981-6195, 548-1240 (TTY), or go to
berkeleypubliclibrary.org/
Wheelchair accessible. To request a sign language interpreter, real-
time captioning,
materials in large print or Braille, or other accommodations for this
event, please call (510)
981-6107 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days
will ensure
availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public
meetings.
Upcoming community meetings will be posted at all branches and on
the library’s
website, http://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org
For more information, call 510-981-6195, 510-548-1240 (TTY). Send
comments to
dire...@berkeleypubliclibrary.org or by mail to Berkeley Public
Library, Board of Library
Trustees, 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley, California 94704.