70% + more!

Things are very exciting here this week as a lot of things move forward all at once!
- We've now hit 70% of our fundraising goal - thanks to everyone who has already made their gift! If you haven't donated yet then please go to the Branching Out campaign website at www.branchingoutbpl.ca and donate now.
- tonight is an Open House with the project architects: an opportunity for them to meet our community and gather public input on the design of this branch library
- and today the "future home" sign went up on the site selected for the first branch library in Barrie. See the photo!

Everyone here at Barrie Public Library is so excited to be Branching Out for our community!

Field trip

This past week the Branch Library Project Team took a field trip to search out ideas we might want to incorporate into Barrie's first branch library. Library staff, City staff and ZAS Architects visited various libraries in Ontario and came back with some great "nice to haves" and some definite "don't wants".

We're also all looking forward to the public Open House on Thursday, July 23rd from 7pm – 9pm at the South Shore Community Centre. The Open House will introduce the architectural firm, ZAS Architects, and acquire preliminary feedback from the public to move forward with the architectural concept and design stage of the project.

Evereyone here at Barrie Public Library is so excited to be ... Branching Out for our Community

Architects named!

What exciting news this week!
Everybody here at Barrie Public Library (BPL) knows we've moved a step closer toward the creation of a new library branch in Barrie’s south end with the naming of ZAS Architects as the architecture firm for the project.

Paul Stevens, principal architect with ZAS, told me that his company believes "libraries are one of the key building blocks of creating vibrant, sustainable communities”, and that "this project points to a bright future for library users in Barrie". He also said that they are absolutely delighted to be working with Barrie Public Library and the City of Barrie on the design of the new Painswick Branch. In turn, the Branch Library project team are pleased to be working with a company that has such a great view of libraries.

ZAS Architects has been responsible for numerous high-profile public projects across the country and around the world, including several libraries. The firm was recently acknowledged by the Ontario Library Association for its work on the St. James Town Public Library in Toronto. Catherine Virgo, Chair of the Board of Trustees here at BPL, is confident that by working with ZAS and consulting with local residents, we will create a modern, welcoming library space that will make our library services accessible to more Barrie residents than ever before.

To help achieve this an Open House is scheduled on Thursday, July 23rd from 7pm – 9pm at the South Shore Community Centre, 205 Lakeshore Drive, to introduce the architectural firm heading up the project and acquire preliminary feedback from the public to move forward with the architectural concept and design stage of the project. We hope to see you there!

We're so excited to be ... Branching Out for our Community

Just the facts Ma'am!

Hello.
My name is Al Davis, and I’m the CEO And Director of Library Services here at Barrie Public Library.

Earlier this week the Library received a visit from a south Barrie elementary school and one of the teachers commented that she was surprised by the number of students in her class that have not been to the Library before. She was well aware that there is to be a Branch Library in south Barrie and can’t wait for it open.

Our library usage studies and community surveys show that not as many of the people living and moving to south Barrie are able to access the downtown location as people living in the rest of the City. It was gratifying to know that the Branch is not only needed but is important and awaited with anticipation by the citizens in that part of Barrie. However, it also saddens me that these young people have been missing the opportunity to enrich their imagination and literacy skills.

Our transportation studies and demographic studies show us that many of the families have one member who commutes to the GTA and, often, that means that the family’s transportation is not available during the day. With the growth that Barrie has experienced in the last few years, our downtown location is barely adequate to serve those citizens who are managing to get to the Library. Our registered story times are filled within hours of their being available and registrations or attendance at most of our programs are so large, that we cannot use the Library’s program rooms but must use the community meeting rooms. Even then, room capacity limits prevent our allowing all the children to attend the programs. It saddens library staff to turn away expectant children and their parents. The “Library on the Loose” story times held at the Zehrs store near to where the branch library will be located are so well attended that the Library has to provide two sessions each week. Again, room capacity restrictions limit the number of children who can attend. Parents are appreciative of the “off site” programs but never fail to remind us that it is not a library and that is what they really need.

It is not just the children who are affected. Youth and adults too have information needs that can only be met with a library service. Whether it is information to complete a school assignment or a work related project, the Library is the only adequate place where an individual can receive assistance in navigating the world’s information resources either with books, journals or on-line data bases to meet their particular knowledge need. Knowledge needs also exist for adults and seniors looking to enrich their lives or for recreational or cultural development. Many individuals need assistance to access certain services including government services or to participate fully in the civic, provincial or federal democratic processes. The Barrie Public Library provides this informational assistance. As well, the Library provides information to assist citizens with consumer health information and even those either starting or operating a business. The Barrie Public Library has more than 200 partnerships with various community and government organizations to provide information including special workshops or public presentations. The Library is often referred to as the community’s living room. The Library likes to think that it acts as a focus for the local community and provides meeting space for local organizations to meet and link with their community through the Library. South Barrie, the area of largest projected growth, needs this focus and level of library service in their community to become part of the larger Barrie community.

As the CEO of the Barrie Public Library, I am very excited and gratified by City Council’s support as well as the rest of the City of Barrie’s Administration to make the extension of library services to south Barrie a reality. City Council sees how important library services are to our community and how essential it is that everyone growing up or having grown up, living in Barrie, is able to participate in today’s knowledge society with full access to all the important sources for information as well as be able to participate in the opportunities life in Barrie can provide.

The Branch Library will be 15,000 square feet located behind the Zehr’s store off Dean Avenue on the Painswick Town Centre site. Development charges collected from the new homes and business will pay for 90% of the building costs without affecting the property taxes of current residents. The remaining amount of money, $1,000,000 will be raised though a Capital Campaign (Branching Out) by a volunteer team of citizens and library supporters on behalf of the Library. All of the funds will go directly toward the building of the new Branch Library. The City of Barrie has committed to support the operation of this Branch Library and the Branch is expected to open in early 2011 as part of the new Barrie Public Library system. It will be a full service branch with hours and a service profile to meet the specific needs of the south Barrie community. Community input will be sought to discover just what services the community expects.

Let’s hope that anyone living in Barrie can say that they are able to visit their public library and that no one is excluded from all the information necessary to lead a fulfilling and successful life because of a transportation or access issue. Barrie should have one of the best communities and be the place for anyone to choose to live.

Everyone here at the Library can't wait for the Branch to open. We're so excited to be ... Branching Out for our Community.

With a project as important as a new branch library, naturally there are many people involved. From time to time I hope to introduce you to some of those people right here so you can get a peek of our campaign and project progress from different viewpoints.

My first guest blogger will be Al Davis, CEO and Director of Library Services.
Al is doing a great job of leading your Library through times of change and if you're looking for the facts then watch for his first guest spot here.

We're so excited to be ... Branching Out for our Community.

My name is Ann Andrusyszyn and I'm the Manager of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications at Barrie Public Library in Barrie, Ontario. It's a very exciting time right now at our Library as we get ready to build our first Branch Library in the City. Did you know that Barrie is the only city in Canada with more than 100,000 citizens and only one library? Yes indeed - and it's time to start evening up the odds!

Our first Branch Library will be in the southeast corner of the city and our Branching Out Campaign has the goal of raising $1 million to help build that branch. As the co-ordinator of the campaign I get to work with some fantastic volunteers in our community, as well as the great staff of our Library, and I hope to introduce you to some of them here on this blog. There are challenges of course, but a capital campaign is one of the most exciting things a fundraiser can do so it's also very fulfilling. Stay tuned for more info right here, because part of the "new skills to learn in campaign" is this one ... becoming a campaign blogger! Whoo-hoo!

Everyone here at the Library can't wait for the Branch to open. We're so excited to be ... Branching Out for our Community.