Grand Forks Public Library The mission of the

Grand Forks Public Library The mission of the Grand Forks Public Library is to CONNECT the community, ENRICH the mind, and INSPIRE the imagination.

Nuts and Bolts Grand Forks Public Library 2015 Facts (2014) 253, 070 (249, 122) Total Library Visits 695, 867 (739, 538) Items circulated 33, 229 (23, 989) E-Books Loaned 16, 341 (14, 384) Program Attendees 677 (629) 1, 801 (1, 476) 89, 177 (88, 111) Library Events Volunteer Hours Computer Logins

Grand Forks Public Library Recent History ! 2008 Death of Library Director Dennis Page. Board establishes Task Force for Revitalization 2009 Wendy Wendt hired as Director. Library Consulting hired by GFPL Board to conduct a GFPL Needs Assessment—recommends new building

More History… ! 2010 Phone and paper surveys of community (1900 responses) report 70% support “favor a new library in GF” 2011 Failed Library referendum in Special Election

Why not just renovate? Cost of renovating items identified by JLG in 2012 • $8 -9 M without expansion (loss of 30 -40% of stacks) • $14 -$15 M with expansion to keep collection and space for technology/events (Cost of New build is ~ $20 -23 M)

Why not just renovate? Because… 2013 Library Working Group: “A new facility is the most cost‐effective, flexible solution to meet the future needs of a growing Grand Forks Region. ” 2015 100+ participants in several GFPL Foundation Focus Groups advocated GFPL pursue new building and bold vision

Where Should It Go? In 2014, an eightmember Library Building Committee began vetting potential corridors for a new GFPL…

Recommendation ! Downtown

Why Downtown? ! • Land acquisition for downtown may be cheaper relative to our midtown • Parking can be managed • 10, 000 fewer cars per day, driving slower. Fed Highway Admin scored downtown intersections safer on average than midtown • Anxiety over loitering may be legitimate, but coordination between the Library, City, County, PD can mitigate many concerns

Why Downtown? Socioeconomics: • Puts programs / services directly closer to a greater percentage of City residents generally, esp. those in middle / low incomes • South End = less density of neighborhoods • City is growing to the northwest also

User Profile: 2015 Vast majority of users live North of 32 nd Ave S.

Why Downtown? ! • Closest to schools w/ highest % of children on free/reduced lunch • Highest “walkability” score in City • Public Transit hub means more GF citizens from across town can access the library via City Bus— all routes go downtown Midtown Downtown

Why Downtown? ! More Subjective Measures: • Greater “capacity”: organized Northside/Southside/Riverside Assns/DDA • Greater potential for “multiuse” if City is looking to maximize space • Traditional home of public libraries—where cities choosing to place their new libraries/reinvesting in downtown libraries to keep them there • Dynamic place where millennials/students want to be • What became a “midtown” option failed 62 -38 in 2011 • Downtown as a district better positioned to add to GFPL functionality, programs, services: close to civic/arts institutions. • Downtown = unrivaled concl. to “flood chapter” in Book of Grand Forks

Grand Forks Public Library A Community Vision • To create a culture of production rather than consumption of information only • To expand the public sphere and facilitate gathering in a robust and versatile commons—a “community living room” • To increase all citizens’ access to information and the technologies that enable such access • To serve as a bridge between institutions and organizations from City Government to UND to the public schools to the arts community to area nonprofits.

Glass and Natural Light

Open, Flexible Spaces

Collaborative Multiuse Space

Maker Space / Innovation Lab

Multimedia Information Production 3 D Printing Self-Publishing Apps/Robotics

Performance Space Recording Studio

Café & Used Book Sales

How Do We Make This Happen?