City Council Study Session Agenda and Packet 2008 04 08

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CHAPTER Executive Summary The past five years have been a tune of intense and exciting change for the Louisville Public Library. As the Library's 2003 Strategic Plan recommended, the need for a larger space for the library collections and services was of paramount importance. Due to the collaborative efforts and dedication of City Council members, Library Trustees, City administration, Library staff, Library patrons, and Louisville voters, the new Library was funded, designed, and constructed. With much anticipation and community excitement, the new Library opened to the public on August 7, 2006. The goals set forth in the `Service Responses' from the Library's 2003 Strategic Plan have been fulfilled. The Library's staff accomplished the objectives linked to each goal as outlined in the set of four service responses: Enrichment for Youth, General Information, Current Topics and Titles, and Community Commons. The Library upgraded its online public access catalog, added advanced keyword searching, and provided patrons with access to and the convenience of placing "holds" online for library books and audiovisual materials from "Prospector," a statewide consortium that includes 23 public and academic libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. The Library also continued its efforts to make services more efficient and convenient for patrons. New shelving, displays, and gallery space have increased the visibility Hof library materials and artwork. Four self-checkout workstations are now used heavily by patrons, and by mid-2007, the percentage of self-checkout transactions exceeded 60%. An emphasis was placed on increasing community awareness of the Library's collections, programs, and services. As a result, Library marketing materials improved in quality of informational content and in artistic appearance. The planning committee analyzed the gap between current Library services and community needs. It then identified three service responses ghat are intended to address current and anticipated needs in the library community {see Chapter 7 for detailed descriptions of these service responses}: 1. Know How to Find, Evaluate, and Use Information: Information Fluency 2. Satisfy Curiosity: Lifelong Learning 3. Stimulate Imagination: Reading, Viewing, and Listening for Pleasure While the Library will continue to offer resources in other areas of interest as well, the service responses will be the primary focus for the Library staff in serving the community. Most of the Library's current funding comes from the City's general fund. A major component of general fund revenues is obtained fr-orri sales taxes, and those taxes have declined in recent years. While the Library's budget has increased somewhat in the past year, it has not ina'eased proportionally to its expanded size and serrvice requirements. In order to maintain and preserve the 2