This is something I should do every year … ask you, the library users (and owners), what the library needs to be doing today and in the future. It’s a necessity for long-range planning.
Here is the basic scenario. The library district population is now approximately 35,000. It will probably approach 60,000 within 20 years. The library was built to accommodate the needs of 30,000 or so and is already getting quite “tight” as we’ve added extra shelving to accommodate a growing collection.
We do, of course, weed the collection of unused titles, but it continues to grow. Moreover, much of the growth is due to the popularity of DVDs and such … formats that were very limited when the library was expanded 10 years ago.
There are many unknowns. Will people continue to read paper books instead of their electronic versions? Will high-speed internet service make DVDs obsolete? Will more people mean more groups needing meeting room space?
There’s no new library in the immediate future, especially as we’re caught up in a recession. But it’s always a good time to ask questions.
You can reach me by phone (847-356-7711 x210) or by e-mail (bwatson@lvdl.org).