To: Joe
Valentine
From: Doug
Koschik
Subject: The
Baldwin Public Library Building: A Positive Move Forward
Date: January
15, 2015
The purpose of my presentation at the long-range planning
session on January 31, 2015, is to update the Birmingham City Commission on the
process the Baldwin Public Library is undertaking to improve its building. The Library’s efforts are currently centered
on making major improvements to one section of the building—the Adult Services
area.
History
At the January 2012 long-range planning session, I gave a
presentation about the Library building, which last went through a comprehensive
renovation and expansion in the early 1980s.
I noted that the Library’s recently adopted strategic plan had called
for the development of a building plan, which the Library had accomplished
after conducting a community-wide survey and statistically comparing Baldwin to
other similar libraries. I said that my
presentation was the start of a conversation with the City of Birmingham about
how to improve the Library building. Note
that this conversation is still going on today.
In my 2012 presentation I listed the following overall goals
for the Library building:
-
Provide enough space for a library of high
caliber to carry out its services
-
Arrange the space in a logical, usable manner
-
Make the building aesthetically pleasing
I also noted specific space needs:
-
More space for Youth Services
-
An increase in study and collaboration space and
a decrease in space for physical collections
Among the improvements I listed as important were:
-
Improved handicapped accessibility
-
Enhanced lighting and acoustics
-
Better layout and “wayfinding” aids, such as
signage
-
Improved layout of shelving to improve
browsability
-
Service desks that are more up-to-date and
functional
Finally, I laid out three options for moving forward:
1.
Continue
the current practice of ongoing maintenance and modest, discrete improvements
2.
Undertake
a comprehensive renovation and repurposing of space within the existing
footprint
3.
Plan
a full-scale building renovation and expansion, based on the needs of the
community
The City Commission did not chose an option at that time,
but established a Joint Building Committee and charged it with determining
“which path is most desirable” based on benchmarking and other research. As
a result, a Joint Library Building Committee was established. It conducted further research, carried out
focus groups and community forums, commissioned a study of the library of the
future, and hired a consultant to develop a “library program” for a renovated
and expanded building. In 2013 the City
Commission agreed to issue an RFP for architectural services to develop a plan
that fulfilled the library program. That
plan ended up calling for the elimination of the Library’s 1960 and 1981
additions; the construction of a new building along Merrill Street, attached to
the original 1927 building; and the renovation of the 1927 building. The plan increased the building’s size by
16,600 square feet and would have cost $21.5 million.
That plan was presented to the
voters in May 2014. While it was a
well-thought-out plan, one that fulfilled the objectives that the Library Board
and City Commission had set in the previous two years, it still got defeated by
a resounding margin—76% to 24%.
Genesis of Current Project
Many reasons have been advanced
for the “no” vote in May, but the Library Board believes the primary cause was
the cost of the project. A secondary
cause was probably the size of the proposed expansion.
The extent of the defeat
definitively rules out any prospect of reviving the idea of a complete building
renovation and expansion in the foreseeable future. It also guarantees that the 1981 Birkerts
Addition will continue to be part of the Library building. We are now left with two viable options:
either to do nothing or to renovate existing space. Doing nothing is even less desirable than it
was three years ago since the building problems we had identified previously
still remain, and in certain cases have become even more pronounced. In addition, we would like to note that at
least some opponents of the $21.5 million plan have come forward to say that
the Library has actually made a good case for improving the building and that
they would not object to a scaled-down project.
Therefore, the Library Board
wishes to proceed with a modified version of the second option listed above:
pursue a renovation and repurposing of the existing space within one section of
the Library—Adult Services. Other
sections of the building will, we hope, be addressed at a later date. Such a plan would reflect Andres Duany’s
advice that we achieve the Library’s building ultimate goals through a series
of small steps.
What the Library is proposing
at this time would, admittedly, not address some major issues, like the space
needs of the Youth Room, the front entrance, and ADA-accessibility in certain
parts of the building. It would,
however, update and improve the section of the Library that serves all adults,
including seniors. The project would
concentrate on the main floor of the Birkerts Addition, an area where few
physical improvements have occurred in over 30 years. The Library intends to reallocate space
within that area; establish small group study rooms and collaboration spaces; improve
the shelving arrangement so that collections can be browsed more readily; improve
the technological infrastructure; increase technological offerings; and make
the whole area more inviting.
It should be noted that already,
in the past several months, the Library has taken steps, on its own, to improve
its facility. It has ordered a range of
new shelving that will result in a more orderly and attractive Youth Room—an
area that will otherwise not see a major upgrade for several years. In order to improve its technology, the
Library has signed contracts to replace and upgrade its switches and wireless
access points, and also to purchase and install IP phones, which will bring its
telephone system up to date with the City’s.
To improve its virtual presence, the Library has chosen a vendor to
redesign Baldwin’s website. And the
Library is still exploring the possibility of a curbside book drop.
In summary, the plan currently being
proposed by the Library would not increase overall building space, but would, in
one major part of the facility (Adult Services), make it more functional. This will, we hope and expect, help to
establish the Library more firmly as a knowledge center and hub of activity in
the City. If the public receives these
innovations positively, it will be more likely, in the future, to support
additional projects involving the Youth Room and the front entrance, as
described in the Library’s Vision for the Future. Those potential future Library projects would
be coordinated with other City projects.
And the overall cost will be far from the $21.5 million of the full
renovation and expansion.
Vision for the Future of the Building
In preparation for its proposed
new project, the Library Board has developed and approved a “Vision for the
Future of the Baldwin Public Library Building.”
That document immediately follows this narrative.
The vision is summarized in its initial sentence: “The
Baldwin Public Library wishes to undertake a building project that will provide
it with a well-designed, forward-looking, technologically advanced, and
visually exciting space to carry out innovative library services in the 21st
century.” The project consists of three
phases over an undetermined number of years, beginning with the Birkerts
Addition (this project), and then moving on to a renovation of the Youth Room,
and finally a renovation of the public entrance, lobby, and Circulation
Department. Phases 2 and 3 could involve
some external construction.
Scope of Work
The Library is in the process
of developing an RFP for professional services to design and carry out an
interior renovation of the Adult Services section of the Library. The RFP asks for a fixed-fee proposal for a
conceptual/schematic design, as well as a fee-structure quote for the actual
design development, compilation of construction documents, bidding, and
construction administration of the work.
The RFP calls upon the design
professional to provide floor plans and interior concepts, including lighting
and furnishings; assessments of needed mechanical and electrical work; a
project phasing plan and construction timeline; and an estimate of total
project costs, including a line-by-line breakout of all fees, architectural
costs, construction costs, furnishings, technology, and contingencies.
The work might be carried out
in two more stages, based on availability of the funding. The scope of work lists the following project
objectives, but makes clear that they are starting points for discussion, not
prescriptions. The Library is eager to
receive innovative, creative, and cost-effective solutions to designing a
“library of the future” in a cost-effective manner.
Project Objectives:
Unless another other location is mentioned,
all references below are to the main floor of the Birkerts Addition.
Freshen the Interior and Furnishings
1.
Coordinate
the design and colors for all interior features, including walls and carpeting.
2.
Replace
the carpet on the main floor of Birkerts, except in the Teen Area.
3.
Determine
what furniture can be re-used and what should be replaced.
Redesign the Shelving
4.
Calculate
the proper amount and layout of shelving for the physical collection over the
next few years, based on input from Baldwin on the nature and the size of each
part of the collection.
5.
The
shelving should accommodate Baldwin's "neighborhoods" concept in
order to promote browsing.
6.
Design
a shelving configuration that is more logical and aesthetically pleasing than
the current one. Make the shelving work
with, rather than against, the curved wall of the Birkerts Addition.
7.
Integrate
the oversize books into regular shelving.
8.
Use the
existing shelving, but investigate physical changes. See if the shelving
height can be shortened since the top shelves on the current ranges are not
used.
9.
Leave
the current “pull-out” audiovisual shelving along the curved wall.
10.
As
demand for physical items diminishes in future, need for shelving space will
diminish also. That will free up space for study and collaboration.
Design a space that is flexible, that will allow shelving space to be
transformed into other kinds of uses in the future.
Improve the
Lighting/Acoustics/Seating/Feeling of Openness
11.
Improve
the lighting.
12.
Improve
the acoustics in order to accommodate the need for both quiet space and active
collaboration space.
13.
Re-configure
the seating in some areas to foster informal discussion and collaboration.
14.
Investigate
raising the ceiling and exposing what is currently above the ceiling tiles.
15.
Investigate
opening up the old windows (perhaps convert some into passages) between the
1927 building and the Birkerts Addition.
Design a Comfortable Interior with Logical
Layout
16.
Improve
the layout of shelving, seating, study rooms, etc., in order to promote
instinctive wayfinding.
17.
Install
effective signage.
18.
Suggest
print and electronic aids to guide people through the building.
19.
Make
all newly designed areas ADA-compliant.
20.
Improve
sight lines, so that staff can easily supervise activities.
21.
Improve
the interior lobby and the stairs to the basement in order to enhance lighting,
aesthetics, and wayfinding.
Improve the Use of Technology and Space
Utilization
22.
Baldwin
will provide the number of computers and other equipment needed.
23.
Investigate
moving the computer lab from the basement to the main floor. The lab
would need to be able to be closed off from the surrounding area when classes
are in session, but the computers in the lab must always remain visible to
staff. The lab computers will be available to the public when the space
is not used as a lab.
24.
If the
computer lab moves to main floor, consider moving the Adult Services office
space from the Grand Hall to the space in the basement currently occupied by the
lab.
25.
Install
a suitable Adult Services desk, with appropriate technology.
26.
Review
the IT/Tech Services office in the basement of Birkerts to see if greater
efficiency can be achieved there.
27.
Install
the technological infrastructure required by space design.
28.
Investigate
the inclusion of maker/creator space elements.
29.
Baldwin
will purchase any needed computers out of its operating budget, rather than out
of the project budget. On the other
hand, technology equipment needed for small group study rooms and for
maker/creator spaces will come from the project budget.
Install Suitable Seating and Small Group
Study Rooms
30.
In
space left over after accommodating the above, install an appropriate mixture
of general seating and study space. Put in as many small group study
rooms as possible.
31.
Small
group study rooms/collaboration spaces might go in any of the following areas:
a.
the
northwest portion of the Birkerts curve
b.
across
from the Circulation Desk
c.
in
expanded closets at the north end of the Grand Hall
d.
in
space currently occupied by the Gryphon Quiet Study Room and the Adult Services
Office
32.
Equip
the study rooms with state-of-the-art technology and presentation equipment.
33.
The
Gryphon Quiet Study Room and the current Adult Services Office might remain as
two rooms, or else might be turned into one room, becoming an alcove off of the
Grand Hall. The two spaces might keep their current functions or else be
changed to other functions. For example, they might be small group study
rooms or else house a combination of seating and shelving (say, for large print
or non-fiction literature). Baldwin
seeks advice on the best use of this space.
Design Flexible Spaces
34. Since libraries and library use will
continue to change, design spaces that are flexible and adaptable. For example,
create open floor plans, use moveable walls where possible, and spread the technological
infrastructure as far as possible throughout the building.
Leave Largely or Completely Unchanged the
Following:
1.
The
“Teen Scene” at the southeast corner of the main floor of the Birkerts Addition
2.
The
Rotary Room in the basement of the Birkerts Addition
3.
The Grand
Hall
4.
The
Youth Room
5.
The
Circulation Services area
6.
Outside
entrances to the Library
Baldwin realizes that it might wish to address other building projects
in the future—especially the Youth Room, the Circulation Services area, the
lobby, and the Library’s entrances.
There are, however, no definite plans for such work at this time. Any
work done in this currently proposed project must be carried out in such a way
that possible future building modifications will not be significantly
compromised.
Timeline
The Library envisions issuing
its RFP by the end of February, selecting a design professional by the end of
April, presenting a preliminary plan to the public by the end of August, and
having a final plan approved by the end of October.
Cost and Funding
The Library intends to pay, out
of its own funds, the cost of hiring a design professional to develop a
conceptual/schematic design for an interior renovation of the Adult Services
section of the Library.
In the building plan presented
at the 2012 long-range planning session, the cost of carrying out a renovation
of the Birkerts Addition alone was estimated at $1.35 million. Given that construction costs have risen in
the past three years and the scope of work has slightly changed as well, the
total cost of the proposed renovation project will probably fall in the $1.5 to
$1.75 million range--somewhat higher than the 2012 estimate. The Library intends to be resolute about
controlling the scope of the project so that its costs are contained.
The options for funding this
project include:
·
Spending down part of the Library’s fund balance
and part of the Library Trust’s unrestricted funds
·
Increasing the Library’s millage rate temporarily
above its current 1.1 mills, but within its present voter-approved limit
·
Obtaining a temporary loan from the City
Conclusion
The Library wishes to be
practical. An “ideal” project was turned
down at the polls by a large margin. Yet
serious building needs remain. Instead
of addressing all of these needs at one time, the Library feels that it would
be best to address them incrementally, in phases that cause relatively little
financial pain and minimize disruption to patrons. Baldwin would like to start with the Adult
Services area, a part of the building that has seen few upgrades in over three
decades. Such a project involves no
exterior construction and no increase in square footage. But it would result in a rejuvenated space,
better laid out, with more emphasis on 21st century technology, but
still accommodating the traditional library services that Birmingham’s large
senior population expects and deserves.
Such a project would help cement the Baldwin Library’s role as a civic
center in downtown Birmingham and lay the groundwork for further work on the
building at a suitable time in the future.
Adult Services
section of the Baldwin Public Library
The section highlighted in yellow shows the section of the
main floor of the Library that would be the focus of the proposed project.
VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE BALDWIN PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDING
The Baldwin Public Library wishes to undertake a building
project that will provide it with a well-designed, forward-looking,
technologically advanced, and visually exciting space to carry out innovative
library services in the 21st century.
History and Future
In early 2014, the Baldwin Public Library and the City of
Birmingham proposed a comprehensive renovation and expansion of the Library
building, a proposal that was rejected at the polls. Now, the Baldwin Library is proposing to
continue to live, for the most part, within the footprint of its current
physical structure. Since Baldwin will
continue to use that structure, Baldwin needs to update it so that it can
better accommodate current and future library services. In general, the Library wishes to play to the
building’s strengths, centering traditional, quiet, reflective activities in
the Tudor arts and crafts structure designed by Marcus Burrowes in 1927, and
using the modernist Gunnar Birkerts Addition, designed in 1981, to house active
and collaborative activities.
We see the work proceeding in three phases:
·
Phase 1: A renovation of the Adult Services
section of the Library, concentrating on the main floor of the Birkerts
Addition, but including some modifications to the 1927 building. This phase will involve no external
construction. We will reallocate space;
improve the layout of shelving and seating; create activity and collaboration
hubs; establish small group study rooms; and promote technological access to
information.
·
Phase 2: A renovation of the Youth Room, which
might involve external construction.
·
Phase 3: A renovation of the public entrance,
lobby, and Circulation Department, which might involve external construction.
We hope to complete Phase 1 within two to three years. Then we will consider the future of Phases 2
and 3.
Vision of the
public library over the next five years
The Baldwin Library has always attempted to be in the
forefront of new library services.
Through a series of focus groups, community forums, community surveys,
library benchmark studies, and research studies of the professional literature,
Baldwin has identified many community needs and wants and has envisioned what
the library of the future will be like.
Among the documents that Baldwin has examined is the Aspen Institute
report Rising to the Challenge:
Re-Envisioning Public Libraries, which is a distillation of current
thinking about the library of the future: http://csreports.aspeninstitute.org/documents/AspenLibrariesReport.pdf
Public libraries need to align their services, as well as
their buildings, to the goals of their communities. In Baldwin’s case, this
means serving a well-educated, fairly affluent, technologically savvy
clientele, demographically somewhat older than the average American community.
Baldwin strives not only to provide the services its citizens want, but also to
enhance their user experience, both in the library building and online.
Baldwin’s vision aligns with two goals established in the
Library’s 2010 strategic plan:
·
Focus on fresh, dynamic services and
programs that meet Library users’ changing needs.
·
Adapt the existing facility for more flexible
use and employ technology more effectively in order to improve internal
operating efficiency and better serve Library patrons.
It also aligns with three goals set by the Birmingham City
Commission in 2010:
- Be innovative and responsive
in how services are provided to the community.
- Support the vitality of both
the residential and business communities.
- Continue to be proactive with
infrastructure maintenance programs and reinvestment in cost-effective
improvements to roads, sewers, water mains, and public facilities.
As daily experience shows us clearly, public libraries are
no longer primarily storehouses of physical artifacts, but rather:
·
Gateways to information in all formats
·
Laboratories—places to experiment and innovate
As such, public library buildings should include zones that
encourage different types of learning.
Among these zones are:
·
Quiet, reflective spaces
·
Active areas, conducive to collaboration and
sharing
·
Small group meeting and study rooms, with
presentation capabilities
·
Social spaces—such as a commons, an exhibit
space, and a café
·
“Touch points,” where users come into direct
contact with library services—for example, a staff service desk or a touch
screen with library event and location information
The Aspen Institute report envisions a number of roles for
the library of the future. Public libraries must strive to encourage
entrepreneurial learners, the creators of knowledge. The buildings in which
libraries are housed need to foster an environment that promotes learning and
the access of information, no matter how the information is stored. Staff is responsible for curating the
Library’s collections and for being prepared to guide, as needed, the learning
experience, thereby helping the public achieve useful and productive outcomes.
The Baldwin Library requires a blended design, one that
accommodates traditional stacks and quiet spaces, as well as vibrant
collaboration spaces. The building must be sufficiently flexible to accommodate
the changes that will inevitably come over the years. In this rapidly changing
world, it is, in fact, impossible to know for sure what will happen more than
five years out, but Baldwin needs to make sure that it can at least accommodate
how people are using technology at the current time and how we believe they
will use it in the near future.
Translating that
vision into Baldwin’s physical structure
To achieve the goals mentioned
above, Baldwin wishes to focus its proposed building improvements, throughout
all phases of the project, in the following categories. While Baldwin is providing a list of specific objectives,
that list should not be considered prescriptive. Baldwin is eager to entertain any and all
innovative and creative solutions to the challenge of designing a “library of
the future” in a cost-effective manner. Baldwin is also eager to see environmentally
friendly materials and methods used in any building project.
·
Freshen the interior (new carpeting, updated
furniture, coordinated color and design).
·
Redesign the shelving (if possible, lower the
height of existing shelving; determine the correct size of the physical
collection; change the configuration of the shelving to allow easier browsing).
·
Improve lighting, acoustics, seating, and the
feeling of openness in order to foster discussion and collaboration.
·
Design an interior where users feel comfortable
and can easily find their way around (improve the layout; install effective
signage; use print and electronic aids to guide people; make all newly designed
areas ADA-accessible).
·
Expand and update technology (determine the
correct number of public computers; move the computer lab to a more visible and
usable area; install a suitable Adult Services Desk; offer up-to-date
technology; consider a digital creation space).
·
Install as many small group study/collaboration
rooms as possible, equipped with appropriate technology and presentation
equipment.
·
Design flexible spaces since libraries and
library use will inevitably continue to change.
In Phase 1, specifically, Baldwin
intends to:
·
Focus primarily on the main floor of the
Birkerts Addition.
·
Ensure that any work done in Phase 1 will be
consistent with future building plans.
·
Leave largely intact those areas of the Adult
Services section which have been recently renovated and work well, such as the
Teen Area and the Rotary Room. The Grand
Hall—a pleasant and functional space—but one that has gone largely untouched
for 12 years, will probably require some minor modifications.
Vision
Approved by Library Board 12/15/2014
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