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Planning the New Scotts Valley Library
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Planning the New Scotts Valley Library
By Linda Fridy
The library consultant and architects who will transform a skate rink into Scotts Valley's new library branch spent two hours Oct. 26 listening to what the community would like to see fill the 13,000-square-foot space.
The attendees unanimously agreed that they do not want merely a larger version of what they have now. They do want a large selection of books and other materials, plenty of computers and flexible-use meeting space.
Consultant Kathy Page and architect David Schnee of Group 4 led the workshop, sharing photos of options from other libraries and asking the crowd what's important.
The photos included a separate glass-walled space for teens and a variety of seating options – both very popular – and a café-vending option, which received mixed response.
Page explained that these choices are among recent trends in library design.
"Books are staying in libraries and more things are joining them," she said, addressing the common criticism that books are outdated. "Libraries are a place people come to be together."
She also noted that libraries are taking a page from retail marketing by making it easier to browse through the collections. Shelving resembles that of bookstores, with space to display books and not just line them up.
Those in attendance liked that approach, with many of them noting that the current 5,300-square-foot branch in a storefront feels crowded and noisy.
Self-checkout and after-hours reserve pickups are gaining popularity, freeing staff to help patrons in other ways, Page added.
Community Suggestions
What would locals like to see? The city's arts commission asked for space to display art, and other audience members expanded that request to collections and other items of interest. The arts commission also would like to see a mural on the outside of the building.
Community members want flexible meeting space, and suggested it could host speakers as well.
They asked for a variety of seating, including multiple cozy spots that allow parents to read aloud to their children. Separation of space and use proved very appealing, especially to control sound.
Natural light – but minimal glare — and appealing views were requested.
Currently about two-thirds of the building will be used for the library, but an audience member asked that the space be designed to allow future expansion should money and staffing become available.
Earlier in the day, Page met with a group of middle school students to get their feedback.
"They had lots of opinions and ideas," she said.
The students liked the idea of a separate space as much as the adults did, but took the idea further. They asked for a quiet area for studying and computer research plus space more amenable to group work and socializing.
"They want to have a place they can be comfortable," she said.
Page got to see first-hand how many students from nearby Scotts Valley Middle School come in after school.
"The place just simply fills up and runs out of space. Some students were sitting on the floor working," she said.
The kids also liked the idea of an outdoor spot to read.
Setting Priorities
Schnee asked for ideas in designing the space. Requests included solar power, space and power to accommodate emergency preparedness, more magazines, color-coding collections to make it easier to find subject areas and bilingual signage.
Some audience members asked for a way to preview audio items, which would allow them to avoid checking out recordings they don't like or audio books with a hard-to-understand narrator.
After the discussion, Schnee and his staff asked participants to help rank the importance of nine features: collections (materials), computers, seating, meeting space, computer training space, after-hours pick-up, café-vending, exterior makeover and outside plaza space.
Each audience member put a dot on a range for each item, indicating whether it was a higher or lower priority.
Some items got all high-priority votes: collections, computers, seating and meeting space.
Training, a café, outside appearance and outdoor space got a range of responses. After-hours pick-up scored the lowest response, although there was interest.
What's Next?
The architects will make a presentation to the city council Dec. 16, and Page will prepare her formal report on use for the city and library system to review.
She has worked with Group 4 before on library projects in other communities, and said given the tight deadline she'll be feeding information as she gets it.
Part of her responsibility is to direct the allocation of space, giving the architects the amount of square footage for each different use. She will also recommend locations, specifically which uses should be adjacent to each other or separated.
At the same time that Scotts Valley is designing its library, the county's 10-branch system is conducting town hall meetings to discuss its future. The Scotts Valley meeting has been set for Jan. 7.
Page noted that the Oct. 26 meeting was only the beginning of the planning process and that the public has other opportunities to weigh in on design and use.
"We really want to hear what they want to say," she said. Meetings such as the December presentation will start to offer drawings to help people visualize the plan.
"The fun is just beginning," she said.
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