Standards for Kansas Public Libraries

II. Public Library Standards
Chapter I. Structure and Governance
The Functions of the Library Board
The Functions of the Library Director
Structure and Governance Checklist
Library Board
Library Director

Chapter II. Planning and Marketing
Community and Library Analysis, Planning, and Evaluation
Community Relations and Marketing
Services for the Business Community
Service for Children
Services for Those with Disabilities
Services for Older Adult
Checklist for Planning and Marketing

Chapter III. Library Services
Hours of Operation
Access, Registration, Circulation
Reference and Referral
Resources
Standard Service Tools
Checklist for Library Services

Chapter IV. Automation and Technology
Introduction
Standards for Local Automated Systems
Personnel Training Standards
Gateway – Linking
Service Center
Level I Major Service Center
Level II Major Service Center
Level I Major Resource Center
Level II Major Resource Center
Technology Equipment Standards
Gateway
Linking
Service Center
Level I Major Service Center
Level II Major Service Center
Level I Major Resource Center
Level II Major Resource Center
Checklist for Automation and Technology

Chapter V. Library Personnel
Introduction
Personnel Policies
Components of a Written Personnel Policy
Staffing Levels
Salary Schedules and Minimum Salary Standards
Standards for Staffing
Gateway-Linking
Service Center
Level I Major Service Center
Level II Major Service Center
Level I Major Resource Center
Level II Major Resource Center
Continuing Education
Professional Associations
Checklist for Personnel

Chapter VI. Physical Facilities
Introduction
Space Analysis
Collections and Reading Areas
Public Service Areas
Staff Areas
Special Use Areas
Non-Assignable Areas
Interior Environment
Lighting and Acoustics
Signage
Exterior Environment
General Requirements
Checklist for Physical Facilities

Appendices
Appendix A
Compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act
Areas to Review When Studying Your Facility for ADA Compliance
Areas to Review When Studying Your Employment Procedures for Compliance
Appendix B
Physical Facility Summary of Standards Assumptions
User Seating Schedule
Parking Space Formula
Space Needs Worksheet
Library Building Program Checklist
Bibliography
Appendix C
Bibliography
Appendix D: Volunteer Management
Volunteers: You Can Manage Them!
Needs Assessment: Why Do You Want Volunteers?
Planning for Volunteers
Bibliography
Appendix E: New Glossary

Measurements of Quality: Public Library Standards for Kansas, is a tool for measuring the adequacy of library service as librarians and Boards of Trustees determine local needs, as they evaluate the effectiveness of collections and services to meet those needs, and as they plan for the future and set priorities for improvement. The standards have been developed for use in public libraries of all sizes but will also be applied at regional system, state and national levels for comparison and reporting purposes.

The periodic review and development of public library standards for Kansas are undertaken by the Kansas State Library with the assistance of the membership of the Kansas Library Association. Each proposed draft of the Standards is subject to the endorsement of the State Library Advisory Commission prior to the publication and application of the standards. The endorsement of any revision by the Commission will be preceded by an opportunity for review by the library community and the Commission, public hearing at a regular meeting of the Commission, and modification as may be deemed necessary by the Commission.

The Public Library Standards Revision Committee recognizes the need for continuing evaluation of the following areas: library governance, community relations and marketing, library services, library technology, personnel and physical facilities.

The Committee recognizes that the services provided by the regional systems of cooperating libraries and the Kansas State Library have a significant role in assisting local libraries to meet program, collection and information access needs.

The public interest is well served through active cooperation and mutual support among libraries. The need for strengthening major resource libraries is identified in order to facilitate interlibrary cooperation and networking. Cooperative mutual support among all types of libraries will achieve the greatest benefits in service for the public from limited library resources.

Measurements of Quality: Public Library Standards for Kansas, Revised 2000 contains not only quantitative but also qualitative goals toward which libraries should strive. The standards speak to the contributions library services make to the lives or our citizens and the vitality of our communities.

Sue Blechl, Chair
Marilyn Anderson – Overbrook
Peg Anderson – El Dorado
Sam Bennett – Kansas City
Bruce Flanders – Lawrence
Mia Korbelik – Southwest Kansas Library System, Dodge City
Leah Krotz – Belleville
Chris Rippel – Central Kansas Library System, Great Bend
Shannon Roy – Kansas State Library, Topeka
Linda Slack – Kingman

Public libraries are unique among American institutions. They offer access to their collections and services to all members of their communities regardless of age, sex, race, occupation, or physical condition. Access to information and ideas is fundamental to the social, political and cultural systems of the community, the state, and the nation. This access is as fundamental to Kansans as the principles of freedom, equality and individual rights on which the state was founded.

The heritage of public libraries has deep roots in Kansas which was born at the podiums and pulpits of proponents of both Southern rights and abolition. The state's heritage lies in the ideas for which these people fought. Their most important battlegrounds were the books, lectures and political arenas not only in Kansas but also in the East. The commitment to adult education in Kansas' earliest days has lasted to the present. The tradition which began with the literary societies organized in numerous communities lives on in the state's public libraries.

Public libraries are integral parts of over 300 Kansas communities. These libraries provide access to and promote the communication of ideas and information. They have multiple roles: they are community information centers; they provide the opportunity for children, adults, and older Kansans to educate themselves continually; they are places where inquiring minds encounter the rich diversity of concepts necessary for a democratic society which depends upon the free and competitive flow of ideas; and they remain valuable for personal enrichment, recreation, and economic growth.

The library, its staff, and its resources support economic development for business and industry in each community. Today's librarians must be more than just keepers of books, they must be prepared to design and implement information delivery systems that meet the needs of users. Through these information delivery systems and the opportunities for research and learning which they create, the library is an important participant in community economic development. The library should also be an active participant in the development of community information networks.

Public libraries assemble, make available and preserve organized collections of materials and systems in which information and ideas are recorded. Kansas public libraries employ staffs committed to their own continuing education in order to assist library users to locate the ideas, information and materials to meet their diverse needs or interests.

Even as the formats and the delivery systems of ideas and information change, the challenge of making the widest possible range of information accessible to all Kansans remains constant. The ideals which brought our public libraries into existence are as vital today as they were in the days of "bleeding Kansas." Modern public libraries are of enduring importance to the maintenance of our democratic society. No comparable institution exists in American life.

The Measurements of Quality: Public Library Standards for Kansas, 1988 and the updates of 1992 and 1995 identify library service levels based on total service populations. The standard levels do not cover the libraries of reading clubs, book drops or those facilities which serve as access points for service but are not legally established. Standards for those libraries will be defined by the individual system plans for service. The eight library service levels are:

Gateway		Fewer than 500 people
Linking		500 -1,000 people
Service Center		1,000 -2,500 people
Major Service Center I		2,500 -10,000 people
Major Service Center II		10,000 -25,000 people
Major Resource Center I		25,000 -100,000 people
Major Resource Center II		More than 100,000 people

A GATEWAY Library provides a communications access point with trained personnel where users can be linked to information services meeting their personal and professional needs. Emphasis is placed on supplying current purchased and donated materials supplemented by extensive bulk loan and/or rotating collections.

Reference information is provided through a basic ready-reference collection, the Kansas Library Catalog, extensive use of online information services, and extensive use of the regional system of cooperating libraries' reference services and interlibrary loan. Local personnel should plan a program of service based on the identified needs of the service population by utilizing other organizations, agencies and the regional systems of cooperating libraries for assistance and support.

A LINKING Library provides an access point with trained personnel where users can be linked to information services meeting their personal and professional needs. Emphasis is placed on providing a program of service which encourages people to interact with information resources which support identified roles in the community. Information is supplied through a locally owned collection of current materials which is supplemented by an extensive bulk loan collection. Reference information is supplied through a basic ready-reference collection, the Kansas Library Catalog, extensive use of online information services, and extensive use of reference services provided by the local regional system of cooperating libraries and interlibrary loan. Local personnel should plan a program of service based on the identified needs of the service population by utilizing other organizations, agencies and the regional systems of cooperating libraries for assistance and support. Materials in the collection should focus on the contemporary interests of the community with reference assistance provided through major reference service support. It should also meet the identified entertainment needs of the community through several different media.

The mission of a SERVICE CENTER Library is to provide popular, high interest resources to meet the educational, recreational and informational needs of community residents. A Service Center Library's collections should reflect broad subject coverage with materials in a variety of formats including online information services. The library's resources should be supported through the services and resources of the system headquarters, the Kansas State Library and the interlibrary loan system. A Service Center Library should also have an active marketing program and an active program of community information and referral that helps users retrieve information from community resources.

The mission of a LEVEL I MAJOR SERVICE CENTER Library is to provide the modern library resources, services and programs necessary to meet the educational, recreational and informational needs of community residents. A Level I Major Service Center Library should also serve as a support center for Gateway, Linking, and Service Center Libraries and as a back-up for Major Resource Centers and Level II Major Service Center Libraries. A Level I Major Service Center should provide broad subject coverage of informational and popular materials in a variety of formats for persons of all ages. The Level I Major Service Center Library should supplement its resources through the services and resources of the system headquarters, the Kansas State Library and the interlibrary loan system. It should also have active programs in marketing, community relations, information referral and customized library service.

LEVEL II MAJOR SERVICE CENTER Libraries serve their communities as resources for information, entertainment, cultural opportunity, and educational development. They provide broad subject coverage of informational and popular materials in a variety of formats for persons of all ages. Level II Major Service Center libraries provide reference and interlibrary loan services for smaller libraries throughout the state. It should also have active programs in marketing, community relations, information referral and customized library service.

LEVEL I MAJOR RESOURCE CENTER Libraries provide in-depth collections and service on a regional basis. They provide comprehensive reference and interlibrary loan services for smaller Kansas libraries. They have a fully- trained professional staff and provide a broad range of services that are actively marketed to all sequences of the community.

LEVEL II MAJOR RESOURCE CENTER Libraries function as progressive civil resources that provide information materials, and services to stimulate ideas, advance knowledge, and enhance the quality of life for major Kansas communities. They provide in-depth collection and comprehensive service development at a central facility to meet the informational, reference, research, recreational, educational, and inspirational needs of individuals, and provide for the extended delivery of many of these services through the use of branch libraries, bookmobiles, and deposit collections. Resource libraries also aid smaller libraries by providing reference assistance, consulting, and training and interlibrary loan support.

PART TWO

PUBLIC LIBRARY STANDARDS

I. STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE LIBRARY BOARD
1.1 Public libraries established in Kansas since July 1, 1951 are by statute governed under city, county, township, district or regional jurisdiction. The Kansas City Kansas Public Library, governed by a school district Board of Education, is the only exception. Cities are classified as first, second or third class. Funding of Kansas public libraries is established at the local level through the municipal government.

1.2 Every Kansas resident should have legally established and readily accessible public library service capable of connecting each individual with the total information resources of the regional systems of cooperating libraries throughout the state and linked with the global society through appropriate technology.

1.3 The Library Boards of Directors (Trustees) of public libraries occupy a unique position in the provision of municipal services to Kansas citizens. Library Boards are the legal entities charged with formulating policy and providing personnel and resources for the operations of the library. Municipal governments are charged with funding operational budgets created and recommended by local library Boards. The unique relationship created by library law in Kansas provides an excellent forum in which library Boards are separated from partisan politics in their formulation and delivery of services.

1.4 The relationship of the municipal government to the library Board must be one of mutual respect and duty. The library Board provides a service facility which, without partisan political belief or censorship, can be used with confidence by all citizens.

1.5 Library Boards of Directors (Trustees) are appointed by a municipality's governing body. The Board of Education of U.S.D. 500 in Kansas City and the Boards of district libraries are elected Boards. Unless exempted by the municipal governing body, Board members must be residents of the taxing district in which they serve. Members of the Board may not assume paid staff positions. The library Board must differentiate its role as a policy making body from the service and policy delivery functions of the library staff. The role of the library Board and the library Director differ as explained in professional sources such as The Kansas Public Library Handbook.

1.6 Each library Board has as its trust the establishment of policy for the maintenance of the library facility and the support of the library's mission to meet the needs of the library's service area. The gravity of the Board's charge is expressed in the following responsibilities:

1.7 It is the Board's responsibility to establish written policies, rules and regulations to govern the library's property, operation, safety and collections. All formal actions of the Board must be in writing and available to the public. Policies should cover at least the following facets of library operation: personnel, resources, weeding of obsolete materials, public services, complaints, continuing education, facilities, use of meeting rooms, confidentiality of patron records and use of technology.

1.8 Board members have the responsibility to be thoroughly familiar with Kansas library laws and any other state or federal laws which affect library operations such as minimum wage, unemployment compensation, Americans with Disabilities Act, criminal theft, Open Meetings Act, etc. The Board may employ legal counsel as necessary.

1.9 Board members should be familiar with the role and function of the Kansas State Library, the State Library Advisory Commission, the Kansas Library Network Board and the regional systems of cooperating libraries.

1.10 It is the responsibility of the Board to provide for an adequately funded library, directing the allocation of funds in the following proportions.

If it is impossible to allocate such proportions and if salaries are not competitive with local school and city salary schedules, the Board should be aware that the library is not adequately funded and work for increased support.

1.11 K.S.A. 12-16,102 gives library Boards the authority to establish a library employee benefit fund. The Board must request the governing body of the municipality to levy an employee benefit levy that is separate from and in addition to the general library levy.

The employee benefit fund may pay for the employer's share of any employee benefits exclusive of salary, such as health insurance, retirement insurance, social security, unemployment and worker's compensation.

1.12 Boards have a responsibility to work for an increase in the tax rate when the existing levy proves inadequate and they have the responsibility to budget up to the maximum permitted by law to support the library's mission. The availability of funding from gifts, endowments, and other citizen support should not be allowed to replace the local taxing effort.

1.13 Every library trustee should be familiar with the Kansas Public Library Handbook and the Handbook for Kansas Library Trustees. Both publications are available from the State Library.

FUNCTIONS OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

1.14 A competent and qualified library Director should assist the Board in reaching and maintaining these standards and fulfilling the established mission of the library.

1.15 It is the library Director's responsibility to act as technical advisor to the Board, recommending needed policies for Board action, employing personnel and supervising and evaluating the work of library staff and volunteers.

1.16 It is the library Director's responsibility to maintain all written policies of the Board, compile reports which assist in evaluating library effectiveness and prepare required reports for the State Library, the regional system and officials of local government.

The library Director must participate in the preparation of the annual budget for the library in consultation with the Board and should prepare a monthly financial statement that includes the following:

1.17 The Director should be aware of and support library legislation in the state and the nation.

1.18 The library Director should attend all Board meetings except when the Director's salary or tenure is under review. It is recommended that an elected secretary or a member of the staff other than the Director should serve as the Board secretary so that the Director can concentrate on library business.

1.19 The library Director should be familiar with all Kansas library publications.

1.20 The library Director should participate and encourage staff, trustees, volunteers and Friends to participate in professional organizations and activities.

1.21 The library Director should participate in continuing education and oversee the continuing education and in-service training of other staff and volunteers.

1.22 The library Director should obtain the MLS degree or complete KPLACE certification.

STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE CHECKLIST

LIBRARY BOARD
1. Board provides adequate funding for cultural, educational, informational and recreational library resources in a variety of formats and actively markets these services to the community.

2. Board maintains the library as an information center and provides optimum access to information systems and services.

3. Board provides adequate funding for space, staff, equipment, online resources and all library materials.

4. Board has a planning process that identifies community needs for programs and services.

5. Board has a financial plan to provide for monies received through wills, trusts, etc. and to use the income to supplement the library's programs and services.

6. Board has a means to evaluate the effectiveness of library programs and services.

7. Board employs a qualified library Director and provides for the continuing education and evaluation of the director.

8. Board provides optimum work conditions and is aware of federal and state employment laws.

9. Board makes provisions to provide continuing education for the entire library staff.

10. Board provides salaries competitive with local professional, school and city salary schedules if education, job description, level of responsibility and experience are comparable.

11. Board provides salary schedule for staff and works to maintain competitive salaries.

12. Board encourages and pays for the participation in professional associations and activities for the trustees and the staff.

13. Board ensures an adequate and trained staff to provide services. This includes support for the MLS degree and KPLACE certification.

14. Board provides adequate space and facilities for resources and programs and monitors the needs of these facilities with a maintenance checklist.

15. Board provides access to library services and programs for all citizens, including those with fragile health and disabilities.

16. Board encourages cooperation between the library and other community organizations, agencies, and institutions.

17. Board works toward the establishment of a Friends of the Library Organization for the support of library programs and services.

18. Board assures that library services are available at a reasonable cost and tries to make sure services are not duplicated by similar activities within the library's jurisdiction.

19. Board maintains and develops an adequate level of library technology to support local library services including interlibrary loan.

20. Board has written policies for personnel, resource selection, withdrawal of obsolete resources, public services, handling of complaints, continuing education, confidentiality of records, library facilities, use of the meeting rooms, disability compliance and applicable technology.

22. Board is familiar with the function of the Kansas State Library, the State Library Advisory Commission, the L.S.T.A. Advisory Council, the Kansas Library Network Board, and the regional systems of cooperating libraries.

24. Board participates in the legislative process and advocates for increased support for Kansas libraries.

25. Board allocates funds for dues to library associations and provides for expenses to attend meetings and workshops.

30. Board has a marketing plan to make the entire community familiar with programs and resources.

31. Board has adopted a disaster plan and has trained the staff to implement this plan.

1. Director advises the Board, recommends new policies and revision of policies, supervises and evaluates the work of staff and volunteers.

3. Director provides regular reports to the Board so they can evaluate the effectiveness of the library programs and files all required reports in a timely manner.

4. Director helps in preparing the annual budget and presents a financial report at each Board meeting.

5. Director is familiar with Kansas and federal laws and local ordinances that affect library operations and makes sure that library practice complies with these laws.

6. Director initiates a planning process and works with the Board to identify community needs for library programs and services. The director works with staff and trustees to implement approved recommendations.

7. Director initiates a planning process and works with the Board to develop a long-range technology plan. Director works with staff and trustees to implement approved recommendations.

8. Director initiates a planning process to develop a long- range financial plan that provides for the library's programs and services. Director works with staff and trustees to implement approved recommendations.

9. Director works with the Board to develop an effective marketing plan and implements approved recommendations.

10. Director prepares the reports required for the State Library, the regional system and officials of local government.

11. Director attends all Board meetings except those where the Director's position is under consideration.

12. Director is encouraged to participate and encourage staff, volunteers, trustees and Friends to participate in professional associations and activities.

13. Director is aware of all services provided by the regional systems and the State Library and uses these services to maintain and improve the library.

14. Director has or is planning to acquire either the MLS degree or KPLACE certification.

Quantitative measurements are extremely important standards of public library service. But quantitative measures alone will not result in excellent public library service because they are not tied to learning the community and having an ongoing plan for library development. Modern library collections should be multi-media and customized to serve the individual service area. This new chapter of the standards is intended to aid in this more qualitative aspect of developing excellent public library service. COMMUMITY AND LIBRARY ANALYSIS, PLANNING, AND EVALUATION

2.1 Library staff should have an ongoing integrated process of community and library analysis, planning, and evaluation. We recommend using the online Strategic Planning Workbook at http://skyways.lib.ks.us/pathway/ and the Public Library Standards for Kansas Libraries for this process.

2.2 Special time and necessary funds in the library's budget should be allocated for this process.

2.3 Members of the library staff and library Board should form a committee to conduct this process.

2.4 Training in community and library analysis, planning, and evaluation should be available to members of this committee.

2.5 The results of this process should be used to establish objectives for improving library services and programs for all members of the community including older adults, children, persons with disabilities, and the business community.

This process will reveal different communities for each library, but all libraries should consider the needs of children, older adults, people with disabilities, and the business community. Below are examples of standards for these groups.

2.7 The objectives in programs and services should be evaluated annually for effectiveness and public awareness.

2.8 The Public Library Standards for Kansas Libraries should also be reviewed as part of the annual evaluation.

2.9 Statistics on materials acquired, held or withdrawn from the collection, library programs, databases available to the library and the number of times they are accessed, circulation, and percentage of the operating budget used for materials and resources should be collected and reported to the Library Board, the regional library systems and the Kansas State Library. These statistics should also be used, with community analysis, to improve library services.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND MARKETING

2.10 Library staff should identify library non-users during community analysis and sponsor programs to attract them into the library. The library staff should also plan ways to extend library services out to the community.

2.11 Library staff should implement a public awareness program making library users and non-users more aware of library programs and services.

2.12 Funds in the library's budget should be allocated for public awareness program training and activities.

2.13 A specific individual should be designated to coordinate the public relations program.

2.14 Library staff should recruit and utilize volunteers, including Board members and friends, to assist with library programs and services and community relations.

2.15 Training programs for developing positive public relations skills should be available to public relations coordinator and all staff and volunteers working with the public.

2.16 The library should be evaluated yearly for friendly service, attractive d�cor and comfortable environment.

2.17 Library staff should use some of the following publicity techniques on a regular basis.

2.18 Staff and trustees should develop partnerships with, and even join, other community groups such as schools, home schooling associations, local chambers of commerce, local organizations, local networks, etc.

2.19 Library staff should develop lists of key community leaders, interest groups, and agencies and regularly distribute the promotional materials about the library to them.

2.20 Public awareness of all library programs and services should be evaluated at least every three years, using a selection of the following methods: surveys, community analysis, focus groups, small group discussions, interviews, program presentations.

SERVICES FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY

2.21 The library should be an active (e.g., sponsoring monthly coffees) member of the local Chamber of Commerce.

2.22 The library Director should inform the business community of library materials and library services, such as meeting rooms, that might benefit the business community.

2.23 Library staff should learn more about the information needs of their community business through surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

2.24 Library staff should send quarterly or semi-annual reports on business materials and services at the public library to the Chamber of Commerce, community leaders and local government.

2.25 The library Director, or a designated staff member, should build an appropriate collection for the use of the business community. These may include reference works, monographs, journals or CD- ROM.

2.26 The library Director, or a designated staff member, should identify and bookmark online resources or create a Web page for the business community.

2.27 The library Director, or a designated staff member, should become familiar with the business collection at the regional system headquarters and/or the nearest urban system.

SERVICES FOR CHILDREN

2.28 Each library should have a children's librarian, or designated staff member, responsible for guiding and coordinating a full range of children's services, including the selection and maintenance of a children's collection.

2.29 The library budget should have a separate line for children and n amount of money matching the importance of the children's population in the community, juvenile circulation, the relative cost of the juvenile materials, and the needs of the children's collection, reference service, and programming.

2.30 Children's staff should be given adequate time to support children's reference, reader's advisory, and program planning and implementation.

2.31 Children's staff should participate in professional organizations and continuing education; have time off and necessary funds for attending professional workshops and conferences; take advantage of resources available through regional system consultants and specialists in children's services.

2.32 Each library should have a written library selection policy that includes criteria for selecting children's materials.

2.33 Children's staff should closely coordinate the development of the children's collection and services with the programs of schools, Parent Teacher Organizations, 4-H, scouting, early childhood taskforce, day care, churches, and other agencies in the community offering services to children and parents.

2.34 Reference materials, professional tools, and materials for parents and other adults working with children should be part of the children's collection.

2.35 Children should have full access to all library materials and services including reserves, interlibrary loan, and automated databases. This access should embrace the Library Bill of Rights and the Free Access to Libraries for Minors as adopted by the American Library Association.

SERVICES FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES

2.36 Each library should have a written plan for complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Resources for writing this plan are: "Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act" (Appendix C); regional library system personnel; the Kansas State Library Disability Compliance Coordinator and community residents who have legally protected disabilities.

2.37 All public services areas, collections, and meeting rooms should be barrier-free. At least one restroom must be barrier-free.

If any of these areas are not barrier-free, they should be made barrier-free as soon as possible.

Library staff should make a thorough investigation of all possible resources, including those of the parent government or administrative unit, before determining that an area can not be made barrier free. The inability to make an area barrier-free should be clearly documented. "Undue hardship" can only be justified if there are real cost projections and if efforts to secure funding have not been successful.

2.38 Library staff should make all services, programs, and materials available to everyone with disabilities or covered health conditions.

2.39 Library staff must offer special assistance for the disabled for all programs sponsored in the library.

2.40 Outreach or curbside library services should be available to individuals unable to come inside the library.

2.42 Each library should have large-print signs saying: "If you need special assistance to use any of the library's materials or services, the library staff will be glad to help you."

Flyers and posters advertising programs in the library should contain notices of available signing and other help for the disabled.

2.43 Each library should actively promote materials for those with disabilities including large-print books, talking books, audiocassettes, and magnifiers. Information on the Kansas Talking Book Service should be advertised and available in each library.

SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS

2.44 Each library should analyze its community of older adults to define and develop appropriate programs and services.

2.45 Each library should partner with its sub-regional or regional office of Talking Book Services, its Area Agency on Aging, and local Senior Citizen Centers to develop these programs and services.

2.46 Funds in the library's budget should be allocated for these programs and services.

2.47 Training appropriate for serving older adults should be available to library staff.

2.48 Each library should have available devices for magnifying print and sound for persons with poor eyesight and poor hearing.

2.49 The library's building and technology should be modified for safety and use by older adults.

2.50 The library should market its programs and services for older adults to the intended audience.

2.51 Each library should advertise programs and services, including the Talking Book Service, offered by other agencies to older adults.

2.52 Library programs and services for older adults should be evaluated at least every three years for public awareness and effectiveness.

CHECKLIST FOR PLANNING AND MARKETING

1. Library has a mission statement and an integrated process of community and library analysis, planning, and evaluation that is reviewed on a regular basis.

3. Library has a public awareness program supported by budget funds, adequate staff, and available training.

5. Library sponsors programs and outreach services to attract non-users to library.

6. Library evaluates public awareness of library programs and services at least every three years.

11. Library sends reports on library business materials and services to Chamber of Commerce, community leaders, and local government.

12. A staff member is designated to build a collection of online and offline business materials.

13. Library has a written plan for compliance with the American with Disabilities Act.

16. Library services are available through outreach programs to those who can not come into library.

21. Library has a children's librarian or designated staff member for coordinating children's services.

22. Library has staff, money, and time to adequately provide the children services matching the importance of children in the community.

23. Library has a written selection policy providing criteria for selecting children's materials.

24. Children's staff coordinate with other organizations and programs in the community.

3.1 Excellent public library service can be delivered from any public library, large or small, provided that the library staff is committed to customer service. Smaller libraries have special challenges that they cannot solve in isolation but active participation in regional systems and information networks can facilitate the provision of a wide range of services.

HOURS OF OPERATION

3.2 Each public library should be open as many hours as possible (but not less than the minimum number by type) at fixed times and with a uniform schedule. Community needs should be addressed.

3.3 For the convenience of the users, the library should be open some evening and weekend hours. Sunday afternoon hours have proven to be popular with many libraries and are often the busiest periods of the week.

3.4 People counters (laser/electronic sensors) should be considered for installation at the library entrances to document the number of visitors.

3.5 During the hours when the library is open, all services (such as reference, children's, and Internet) should be maintained. Staffing levels should be relative to the varying service demands throughout the week.

Library Type		Standard

Gateway		15 - 20 per week
Linking		15 - 25
Service Center		20 - 40
Major Service Center Level I		35 - 60
Major Service Center Level II		55 - 75
Major Resource Center Level I		68 - 75
Major Resource Center Level II		68 - 80

3.6 Loan periods and borrowing limits should be based on collection size, demand, and turnover rate. Loan periods should allow sufficient time for reasonable use of circulating materials. Loan periods and limits should be as simple and as standard as possible.

3.7 Staff should actively promote interlibrary loan service. Kansas Interlibrary Loan Protocols should be observed.

3.8 Libraries must make every effort to maintain confidentiality of borrowing and registration records as addressed in the Kansas Public Records Law. (K.S.A. 45-221(a)(23). This policy should be included in the policy manual.

REFERENCE AND REFERRAL

3.9 Library staff should provide reference service and patron assistance whenever the library is open and they should provide this for all library users, regardless of age.

3.10 The reference collection should provide current and correct information, either through printed resources, or through a combination of printed and electronic resources that reflect the information needs of the community.

3.11 Every public library should participate in the creation of and provide access to a database of community information in order to serve the community's local information needs. The database should include basic information:

3.12 Staff should be allocated for the purposes of updating records and contacting agencies on a regular basis if the library is responsible for the maintenance of the database.

3.13 Libraries beginning the creation of a computerized community database should contact the State Library to receive a standard format for future inclusion in a statewide database.

3.14 Library staff members should be trained to provide effective referral from the library to other sources of information and assistance in the community.

3.15 At least one staff person trained to use all reference resources and to provide electronic access to information should be on duty during the library's operating hours. Reference staff in all libraries should be computer literate and trained in reference services, reference interviewing techniques and online information retrieval.

3.16 Information about the library's reference and referral services should be readily visible. Library staff should be trained to offer these services whenever appropriate. ALL requests for information should be answered or referred within 24 hours. Requests that cannot be filled by the local library should be filled through interlibrary loan, via electronic resources or through contact with another library or resource.

3.17 The quality of the library's reference service should be reviewed annually based upon the above criteria. Libraries that do not meet these standards for reference should seek additional training and education in order to improve reference services.

3.18 Libraries which cannot meet these standards for reference or who wish to enhance their resources should contract with another library or with a library system for reference service.

RESOURCES

3.19 The library's collections should provide the public with materials that meet the information and recreation needs of the community. Every library should have a written collection development policy that:

The Board of Trustees should formally approve the policy, review it annually, and make it available upon request.

3.20 All library resources should be organized for easy access and retrieval by library users. All print and non-print materials of permanent value should be cataloged and a current catalog maintained. Recognized professional practices should be utilized in cataloging and classifying materials. Catalog records should contain sufficient information to fully identify each individual item, including a standard number such as ISBN or LCCN.

3.21 All library materials should be maintained in presentable condition and marked with an identification of ownership.

3.22 Every public library should have a continuous weeding program. At least 20% of the collection should be evaluated on an annual basis. At minimum, two to three percent should be weeded from the collection in each complete review of the entire collection. The CREW Method is a useful resource for weeding projects and is available from the systems and the State Library.

3.23 Every library should have clearly written procedures for acquiring and processing materials.

3.24 All newly acquired library materials should be listed in the Kansas Library Catalog. Holdings for materials withdrawn from the collection should be deleted from the KLC.

3.25 It is critical to recognize that while in-house library collections should be as comprehensive as possible, they are only a part of the service offered by any effective public library. They must be supplemented by an active interlibrary loan program and by access to remote and/or electronic information. These might include access to CD-ROM products, commercial databases, State of Kansas databases, Internet and other online services. Some of these services might also be offered through the regional library systems for smaller libraries. EVERY public library in Kansas should offer access to the resources of the state and the nation.

3.26 The minimum sizes of cataloged collections are identified in the following table. These figures may include rotating and bulk loan collections but do not include items such as ephemeral paperbacks that are not cataloged.

Library Type		Standard

Gateway		12 items per capita
Linking		12 items per capita
Service Center		10 items per capita
Major Service Center I		7 items per capita
Major Service Center II		5 items per capita
Major Resource Center I		3 items per capita
Major Resource Center II		3 items per capita

3.27 The minimum annual subscriptions to periodicals are identified in the following table. At least 70% of the subscriptions should be indexed in a standard index source. The library should maintain a collection of periodical subscriptions for popular reading. This collection should be supplemented by access to full-text periodical databases for the purpose of reference and research that could include database subscriptions provided statewide.

Library Type		Standard

Gateway		10 - 20
Linking		15 - 30
Service Center		35 per 1,000 population
Major Service Center I		20 per 1,000 population
Major Service Center II		15 per 1,000 population
Major Resource Center I		10 per 1,000 population
Major Resource Center II		10 per 1,000 population

3.28 Back-files in any format, or electronic resources, should enable patrons to access the citations for which they are searching. Adequacy of periodical service provided through the regional system of cooperating libraries should influence the number of back-files and the length of time they are kept. Back-files kept on the premises should reflect community needs. Extensive back- files are usually unnecessary except for larger libraries.

3.29 Public libraries should also provide local, regional, and national newspapers for in-house browsing and via electronic access.

3.30 Access to periodical articles and standard indexes to those articles, in either print or non-print format or via electronic access, should be available for public use.

3.31 Each library should maintain a collection of non-print materials in a variety of formats in response to community needs. Examples include cassettes, compact discs, videotapes, computer software, and microforms.

CHECKLIST FOR LIBRARY SERVICES

1. Library is open as much or more than the minimum number of hours set for that library type.

5. Reference staff is computer literate and trained in reference services, reference interviewing, and online information retrieval.

7. Library has a written collection development policy that includes all elements of item 3.19.

8. Library evaluates at least 20% of its collection annually and withdraws at least 2-3% of the collection in each complete review.

11. All new library materials are placed in the Kansas Library Catalog, and all withdrawn materials are removed from the KLC.

13. Library's cataloged collection contains at least as many items as indicated by library type.

14. Library subscribes to at least the minimum number of periodicals as indicated by library type.

15. At least 70% of all periodical titles are indexed in a standard index source.

16. Back-files or electronic resources enable patrons to access the periodical citations for which they are searching.

18. Library maintains a collection of non-print materials based on community needs and interests.

19. Library participates in the development and maintenance of a database of community information.

20. Library collects statistics according to requirements of regional library systems and Kansas State Library.

4.1 Every public library should ensure each person's access to the information that is needed in a timely manner and appropriate format, by providing trained staff, information resources, up-to- date technology and adequate telecommunications that provide quick, reliable connections.

4.2 Computer literacy is an important standard of service for library staff at all levels. All staff members should work toward a basic level of computer literacy, including familiarity with the operating system(s) of choice in their library. Technology is constantly changing, therefore staff members should continually update their computer literacy skills.

4.3 Library staff members who work with the public should be able to assist patrons in using the electronic information resources available. They should have a working knowledge of the searching techniques used in various online resources, and should be able to assist patrons with basic functions such as printing and saving documents. Every library should have online access to the Kansas Library Catalog.

4.4 All public libraries should provide email for staff use, public access to online databases and Internet access. Every library should have in place adequate policies for computer use and Internet access. These policies should be reviewed each year and updated as new issues arise, others become obsolete and legal decisions are enacted.

4.5 Each public library should develop a flexible technology plan that is frequently reviewed and adjusted to reflect current needs.

4.6 Every public library should provide adequate time and financial support to train staff in the use of the equipment and online information services assigned to their job responsibilities. Training may be conducted in-house by library staff, by regional consultants or by outside instructors.

STANDARDS FOR LOCAL AUTOMATED SYSTEMS

4.7 An integrated library automation system is a computer system designed around a database of machine-readable bibliographic records for all types of library materials. Functions may include acquisitions, cataloging, serials control, circulation and public access catalogs. Libraries should explore the development of web accessible catalogs.

4.8 When a public library is automated, all cataloged materials in its collections should be included in its database.

4.9 Libraries without local automation systems should work toward getting records of their collections into machine-readable form (full MARC). These should be entered on the KLC, either by using the Holdings Update Program or through the regional system.

4.10 The need for a local automation system and its financial feasibility should be evaluated regularly by the library staff and Board in cooperation with regional system personnel.

Library staff should be computer literate and trained to provide access to automated interlibrary loan, either directly or through the regional system; access to CD-ROM and online databases; fax and electronic mail.

Library staff should be computer literate and trained to provide direct access to automated interlibrary loan; access to CD-ROM and online databases; fax and electronic mail. Staff should be trained to provide reference service through Internet searching.

Library staff should be computer literate and able to provide automated interlibrary loan. All staff should be able to participate in electronic mail. Staff should be able to provide reference service through print format and online reference access. Interlibrary loan requests and reference questions that cannot be met at the facility should be referred within 24 hours.

Library staff members should be computer literate and able to use office software, fax, CD-ROM, electronic mail and online services. Reference and information staff should be proficient in the use of electronic information services and databases. One staff member trained in the use of online technology should be on duty whenever the library is open.

The director should provide a training program plan for technology training of all support staff.

Library staff members in every facility should be computer literate and able to use office software, fax, CD-ROM, electronic mail and online services. Reference and information staff in every facility should be proficient in the use of electronic information services and databases. In every facility, one staff member trained in the use of electronic technology should be on duty whenever the library is open.

Department heads and branch directors should provide a comprehensive training program plan for technology training of all support staff that is placed in personnel folders and reviewed during performance appraisal.

Technologically sophisticated staff members should be encouraged to share their expertise with other Kansas libraries through consulting, participation in system programs and participation in statewide programs such as KPLACE.

TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT STANDARDS

The library should have at least one computer workstation with telephone line, high-speed modem, good quality printer and CD- ROM. The library should also have a telefax machine. The library should have Internet service and access to the Kansas Library Catalog.

Bibliographic records for all materials should be created in or converted to full MARC format. The library should periodically review with system personnel the possible need for an integrated library automation system.

The library should have a regularly updated technology plan and keep a written copy on file. The plan should be reviewed with system personnel each year.

The library should have at least one computer workstation with high speed modem, good quality printer, CD-ROM drive and access to a telephone line, plus a fax machine. The library should have Internet service and access to the Kansas Library Catalog.

The library should have a regularly updated technology plan and keep a written copy on file. The plan should be reviewed with system personnel each year.

Library should have at least two computer workstations with high- speed modems, good quality printers and CD-ROM drive, plus a fax machine. One computer should be available for public use. The library should have one phone line or telecommunications line that exclusively supports automated services. The library should have online access to the Kansas Library Catalog and be an active participant in the Kansas Interlibrary Loan System.

Bibliographic records for all materials should be created in or converted to full MARC format and loaded in the Kansas Library Catalog.

The library should have an integrated automation system or review biennially the need for such a system with system personnel.

The library should have a regularly updated technology plan and keep a written copy on file. The plan should be reviewed with system personnel each year.

Library should have at least three computer workstations with high-speed modems or direct access to the Internet, good quality printers and CD-ROM drive, plus a fax machine. At least two computers should be available for public use. The library should have at least one phone line or telecommunications line that exclusively supports automation access. The library should have online access to the Kansas Library Catalog and be an active participant in the Kansas Interlibrary Loan System.

Bibliographic records for all materials should be created in or converted to full MARC format and loaded in the Kansas Library Catalog.

The library should utilize an integrated library automation system to manage circulation and cataloging and to provide a public access catalog.

The library should have a regularly updated technology plan and keep a written copy on file.

Library should have at least four computer workstations with high-speed modems, good quality printers and CD-ROM drive, plus a fax machine. The library should develop a direct high-speed connection to online services.

Public access computers should be available in a quantity sufficient to meet demand.

The library should have online access to the Kansas Library Catalog and be an active participant in the Kansas Interlibrary Loan System.

Bibliographic records for all materials should be created in or converted to full MARC format and loaded in the Kansas Library Catalog. The library should utilize an integrated library automation system to manage circulation and cataloging and to provide a public access catalog.

The library should have a regularly updated technology plan and keep a written copy on file.

The library should have as many computer workstations and fax machines as needed for the efficient delivery of services. All staff workstations should have the capability to access email and online information services. Public access computers with Internet access and connections to online databases and online information services, including email, should be available in a quantity sufficient to meet demand. Public communication between the library and its users who have Internet access should be provided.

All bibliographic records should be available in full MARC. The library should utilize an integrated library automation catalog to manage circulation, cataloging and a public access catalog with enough terminals to meet public demand.

The library should have a comprehensive, regularly updated plan for progressive library development.

4.23 Level II Major Resource Center The library should have as many computer workstations and fax machines as needed for the efficient delivery of services. All staff workstations should have the capability to access email and online information services. Public access computers with Internet access and connections to online databases and online information services, including email, should be available in a quantity sufficient to meet demand. Public communication between the library and its users who have Internet access should be provided.

All bibliographic records should be available in full MARC format. The library should utilize an integrated library automation catalog to manage circulation, cataloging and a public access catalog with enough terminals to meet public demand.

The library should have a comprehensive, regularly updated plan for progressive library development.

1. All staff members are computer literate and familiar with the operating system of choice in their library.

2. Staff members who work with the public are able to assist patrons in the use of the automated information resources available.

7. The library provides adequate time and financial support for staff training in the use of technology.

8. If the library's catalog is automated, all catalogued materials in the collection are included in its database.

9. The library's collection has been converted to machine- readable form (full MARC) and entered into the Kansas Library Catalog.

10. The library staff and Board, in cooperation with regional system personnel, regularly evaluate the need for a local automation system.

5.1 All Kansas residents should expect personnel of the highest competence and integrity, oriented to community service, as an essential element of their library's service objectives. Recruitment of the library Director and development of the library staff is one of the most important tasks of the library Board. Smaller libraries, necessarily operating with a smaller staff, should have access to help from MLS consultants from the regional library systems and the State Library. In each public library, the staff and consultants should have the collective skills to:

5.1.1 Assess community needs, set objectives, evaluate and measure the effectiveness of library programs;

5.1.2 Deliver necessary bibliographic services and deliver the services that are needed by individual library users in a variety of formats.

5.1.3 Be aware of current and emerging technologies and be able to implement those technologies that will provide faster and more effective information transfer to the community.

5.1.5 Work within the political and social structures of the community to market library services to the entire community.

5.1.6 Effectively communicate library policies as formulated by the library Board to library staff and the public;

5.1.8 Make effective use of system consultants, State Library consultants and other library development resources.

5.2 All positions in a public library should be established and organized as part of a career service. Every library should have a written personnel policy with position descriptions, as well as the educational requirements for each position. The personnel policy should also be applied to volunteers.

5.3 To promote continuity of service and policy every library should have a paid regular staff. Library staff members should receive wages or salaries and benefits which are equivalent to those received by other educators and public employees in the community who have similar levels of skill, experience and responsibility.

5.5 The number of staff members should be sufficient to perform the duties involved in selecting, organizing and interpreting library materials and to provide consistently efficient service during hours when the library is open to the public.

5.6 Each public library needs the service of an MLS librarian, either directly employed by the library Board, contracted for through the library system, or jointly employed by two or more libraries.

5.7 Every library serving over 8000 persons should hire a library Director with a graduate degree from an ALA accredited library school, when it is necessary to hire a new administrative librarian.

A competent non-MLS director in a library serving over 8000 persons should receive Board support when pursuing the MLS degree. This support should take the form of administrative leave and complete or partial tuition support.

Every library serving less than 8000 persons should have a library Director that is pursuing or has received KPLACE certification.

5.8 Salaries and benefits should be between 65 and 70% of the library's total operating budget. To insure quality staff, Boards of trustees should adopt salary schedules comparable to and competitive with local municipality and school district salary schedules for positions with similar education, experience and responsibilities. The cost of living in individual Kansas communities should also be considered.

5.9 Salary schedules should be created and should provide for regular increases and provisions for merit increases for superior performance and continuing education recognition.

5.10 All paid library staff should be paid a wage that equals or exceeds the current minimum wage established by law.

All library staff members with the MLS degree should make at least $26,500 for full time work or the equivalent for salary pro-rated for part time work.

5.11 This annual salary recommendation is current as of 1999 and should be adjusted annually through a 3 to 5% increase. Libraries in communities where the cost of living or other factors impact the recruitment and retention of qualified library employees may be required to identify a higher minimum salary.

5.12 Library Directors who have received KPLACE certification should receive an increase, if their salary is not already confirmed as competitive with local municipality and school district salary schedules for positions with similar levels of responsibility.

The library should have one paid librarian and at least one paid substitute. The director should have or pursue KPLACE certification.

The library should have a benefit plan that includes social security, workers compensation, paid vacation and paid sick leave.

The library should have a paid administrative librarian who has or is planning to obtain KPLACE certification. There should be one additional full-time equivalent for every 1500 people in the service area. There should also be one paid substitute.

The library should have an employee benefit plan that includes social security, workers compensation, paid vacation, paid sick leave, KPERS for qualifying employees and unemployment. The library Director and Board should consider the benefits of an employee benefit levy for a benefit package separate from the operating budget, in consultation with system and State Library consultants.

The library should have a paid administrative librarian and, in addition, one full-time equivalent employee for every 1500 people in the service area.

The director should have KPLACE certification. If there are more than 8000 people in the service area, the library should require an MLS, when it is necessary to hire a new director. A competent director without the MLS degree should be encouraged to obtain it and supported with administrative leave and tuition support.

The library should have a benefit plan established under an employee benefit levy that includes social security, workers compensation, paid vacation, paid sick leave, unemployment, health insurance and retirement for employees who qualify under Kansas law.

The library should have one administrative librarian and a full time equivalent position for every 1500 people in the service area. The director should have or be pursuing the MLS degree with support from the Board of trustees through administrative leave and tuition support.

The library should have an administrative librarian, plus an additional .6 full-time equivalent employee for every 1,000 people of the user population. A ratio of three F.T.E. non-MLS staff to one F.T.E. MLS librarian should be maintained. Allocation of professional, paraprofessional and clerical staff needs to be made with system and branch roles and service patterns in mind. Each large library facility should have at minimum an MLS branch manager and an MLS children's librarian, and all branch facilities should have management oversight by MLS librarians. System wide function supervisors should cooperate to provide quality service in a consistent manner throughout the library system.

The library should have a detailed salary schedule and a comprehensive benefit plan for all employees. Benefits should include vacation, sick leave, social security, workers compensation, unemployment, health insurance and retirement.

The library should have an administrative librarian, plus an additional .6 full-time equivalent employee for every 1,000 people of the user population. A ratio of three F.T.E. non- professional staff to one F.T.E. MLS librarian should be maintained. Allocation of professional, paraprofessional and clerical staff needs to be made with system and branch roles and service patterns in mind. Each large library facility should have at minimum an MLS branch manager and an MLS children's librarian. All branch facilities should have the management oversight of MLS librarians. System-wide function supervisors should cooperate to provide quality service in a consistent manner throughout the library system.

5.19 The changes in library services and programs have increased the need for continuing education among persons connected with libraries, including both paid staff and volunteers, trustees and Friends. The proliferation of technology causes a need for more qualified personnel. At the same time, changes in the needs and expectations of library users have expanded dramatically, causing the role of library personnel to grow. Library personnel need to increase their skills in community analysis and long range planning while maintaining an awareness of current trends in society and the library profession.

5.20 Each library Board should adopt a written continuing education policy. Staff at every level of service have the right to continuing education opportunities and a responsibility to participate in them. Library Boards should be committed to the continuous development and improvement of personnel and should include continuing education expenses within library budgets.

5.21 All staff members should have the opportunity to attend workshops provided by the regional system of cooperating libraries which relate to their jobs and to take a minimum of eight hours of continuing education contact hours each year. Staff members should also be encouraged to visit at least one other library each year.

5.22 All paid staff should expect the library policy to include a statement about absence with pay while pursuing continuing education activities.

All members of the library Board should participate in at least one continuing education activity annually. This may be part of a regularly scheduled Board meeting with a presentation provided or attendance at continuing education activities sponsored by the system and/or other continuing education providers. Most or all of the library Board must participate in the activity.

The Board of Trustees of (name of library) supports the continuing education policy of the Kansas State Library. Library staff, trustees, volunteers and friends of the Library are encouraged to participate in learning experiences that contribute directly or indirectly to improved library service to the users of (name of library).

Library staff will be paid their regular salary while participating in continuing education. In addition, library staff will be reimbursed for continuing education expenses as outlined:

When the Board of Trustees asks Friends, volunteers or trustees to participate in continuing education, these participants shall be reimbursed at the same rate as library staff.

5.24 Membership in the Kansas Library Association (KLA) should be maintained by the library for the institution. Memberships in the Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA) and the American Library Association (ALA) are encouraged.

5.25 Directors/head librarians should be actively involved in KLA. Members of ALA and/or MPLA should participate in their organizations' conventions and conferences. Other staff members should attend meetings and workshops related to their jobs.

5.26 Within budget limitations, library Directors/head librarians should request funds from the Board for financial assistance at conferences. At the minimum, time with pay should be allowed to staff members wishing to attend meetings and conferences sponsored by library organizations of which they are members.

CHECKLIST FOR PERSONNEL

1. Staff or consultants have the collective skills to assess needs, set objectives and evaluate library programs.

3. Staff selects and uses all library materials, promotes library services, communicates library policy and maintains familiarity with new technologies.

4. Library has a written personnel policy which includes unbiased employment, initial and periodic evaluation, benefits, continuing education, and schedules of days the library is closed.

5. Staff is sufficient to provide efficient library service during all hours when the library is open.

9. Library has a written continuing education policy and staff participates in continuing education activities.

10. Library staff has appropriate levels of education for the size of the community.

11. Library staff that have the MLS degree are paid at least $26,500 or the equivalent salary pro-rated for part time work.

12. Library staff members with KPLACE certification are paid salaries competitive with other professional salaries in the community.

13. Membership in the Kansas Library Association for institution, trustees, and supervisory staff is maintained.

6.1 The library building should be efficient in organization for use by users and library staff, flexible in design to allow for changing needs and expandable. The most important consideration in facility design would be to plan for the future, keeping in mind your specific community. A long-range plan with a clearly articulated mission statement, goals, objectives and an action plan provides a basis for evaluating whether a library has a facility that adequately meets community needs. No single, standard library building could be duplicated for every situation. Local service needs differ and the nature of the library service required in each community will determine the type of physical facility required. For this reason, an analysis of the library's functional needs is as important as the identification of quantitative standards. Building plans should begin with a careful evaluation of the particular community, its environment, its current and future needs and its current and future services.

6.2 An attractive facility is an important way to bring the benefits of library service to the community's attention. To provide modern, comprehensive library service there must be a welcoming atmosphere of freedom and openness that will encourage a wide segment of the population to use the library and regard it as an essential component of community life.

6.3 When it is determined that an existing facility restricts the delivery of needed services, improvement of the physical facility must be considered. The improvement and maintenance of the physical facilities should be planned as a part of a long-range library development program, anticipating needs for a twenty year period, with minimum five-year updates. A planning and needs evaluation process should be conducted for a totally new facility or for any significant renovation project.

6.4 Planning a new library building, renovating or expanding an existing structure, or considering the adaptation of a building in another location as a library facility all start with a methodology of informed and thoughtful programming which should result in a carefully written building program statement. This should be developed by the librarian, the library staff and the Board of Trustees, with the assistance of a qualified architect and/or building consultant. Further information about developing a building program statement is contained in Appendix B.

6.5 The building program statement should state in detail the type and quality of library service desired. It can serve as written instruction to the design architect. A major facility expansion will allow collection development and programming improvements that can significantly increase library use.

6.6 This potential increase in activity should be accommodated. Each of the considerations detailed in the physical facilities section should be included in the building program statement.

6.7 Regular maintenance, and prompt repair as needed, will extend the usable life of the library building and its components. Thus, the development and implementation of a building maintenance plan is recommended. A building maintenance plan will identify a schedule for maintenance of components of the structure, the exterior building envelope (roof, etc.), mechanical equipment, etc. The building maintenance plan will also serve as a budgetary planning tool so that major replacement expenses can be better predicted, and funding secured.

6.8 The space analysis refers to the study of those things directly related to fulfilling the library's role in the community. The analysis is not limited to the interior of the facility, and includes consideration of site activities such as parking, service, and vehicular and pedestrian access. The appendix, Physical Facility Summary of Standards Assumptions, defines library space types and describes a process for estimating space needs.

Library Type		Total Space (square feet)

Gateway		2,000 - 2,800
Linking		2,800 - 4,450
Service Center		4,450 - 6,600
Major Service Center I		6,600 - 12,600
Major Service Center II		12,600 - 21,200
Major Resource Center I		21,200 - 58,300
Major Resource Center II		58,300 or more

To analyze the space requirements for the library, the library building committee should employ the following three-step procedure:

6.8.1 Identify each activity function and list the occupant and/or fixture requirements. For example, if the activity is checking out books, the committee should determine the number of work spaces necessary to do the task, and also any special needs such as computer terminals or file drawers.

6.8.2 Identify the relative location of activity areas to each other so that different activities that can give mutual support are together and activities that are less compatible are separated. For example, should the young adult reading area be near the juvenile materials or the adult materials? How close should the workroom be to the circulation desk? Should staff parking be separated from public parking?

6.8.3 Identify any special requirements for each activity such as lighting, acoustics, security, supervision, equipment, electrical circuits and outlets, etc. Special emphasis should be placed on including a generous number of data ports and electrical outlets.

6.9 At least the following should be considered when analyzing the activities of the library: collections and reading areas, staff areas, public service areas, special use areas, storage areas, non-assignable areas (see 6.22-6.24), interior environment, exterior environment, and general requirements.

6.10 Materials and reading areas should be easily accessible to users upon entering the building. Shelves should be moveable, and low enough for an adult of average height to easily reach.

Library Type		User Seating (chairs)

Gateway		10 - 20
Linking		15 - 18
Service Center		18 - 30
Major Service Center I		30 - 60
Major Service Center II		60 - 100
Major Resource Center I		100 - 200
Major Resource Center II		200 or more

Includes seats for both children and adults in reading areas, but does not include chairs necessary for group activities. See the appendix, Physical Facility Summary of Standards Assumptions.

Library Type		User Seating Space (sq. ft.)

Gateway		300 - 450
Linking		450 - 550
Service Center		550 - 900
Major Service Center I		900 - 1,800
Major Service Center II		1,800 - 3,000
Major Resource Center I		3,000 - 6,000
Major Resource Center II		6,000 or more

Library Type		Collection Space (sq. ft.)

Gateway		600 - 700
Linking		700 - 1,000
Service Center		1,300 - 2,000
Major Service Center I		2,000 - 6,000
Major Service Center II		6,000 - 10,000
Major Resource Center I		10,000 - 30,000
Major Resource Center II		30,000 or more

6.11 Adequate space should be allowed for the adult collection with areas for non-fiction, fiction, videos, periodicals, books on tape, reference and other collections. Future growth of these collections must be accommodated. Expansion room should also be provided for future collections that may be developed.

6.12 Space should be allocated for materials and services to children. Shelving and furniture intended for use by children should be sized appropriately. Story hour space may be separate or may be merged with multi-purpose meeting rooms. These areas should be visible from adjacent public areas. Acoustical treatment of the children's area and/or a separate children's room is important.

6.13 Accommodations for a Kansas room and a local history area should be considered. The area should have adequate electrical and data outlets to support computer technology.

6.14 Accommodations for materials in non-book formats must be considered. Plans should be flexible to allow for changes as dictated by technology and changing community needs.

6.15 The catalog should be located in a central area easily accessible to the user, the staff, and to the materials.

6.16 Make sure that adequate storage for materials and supplies is included in the plans.

6.17 Circulation desk, entrance area, drinking fountain and public phone, room for patrons to greet each other without blocking service areas are considerations when designing these areas. Room for public access catalogs, public use typewriter and computer areas are based on the assessed community needs and the library's roles and function.

6.18 Circulation, reference and technical service areas should be designed to accommodate supporting technologies.

6.19 The building committee must plan for the needs of the staff to ensure that staff members can perform their daily tasks effectively. This includes decisions about separate or shared work areas, equipment needs, numbers of stations in each work area, immediate access to sinks, etc. Make sure that adequate storage is included in the plans.

Library Type		Staff Work Space (sq. ft.)

Gateway		300 - 450
Linking		450 - 600
Service Center		600 - 900
Major Service Center I		900 - 1,200
Major Service Center II		1,200 - 1,500
Major Resource Center I		1,500 - 3,000
Major Resource Center II		3,000 or more

6.20 Facilities should be provided for the personal needs of the library staff, such as a lounge, kitchen, lockers, and restrooms.

6.21 Space designed for group activities is an asset to the library, especially if the space can accommodate children's or adult programming. A multi-purpose room can be an even greater asset to the library. If a multi-purpose room is included, a separate entrance to the room should be included so that it may be used after library hours while ensuring the security of the rest of the library. Auxiliary space for chairs, folding tables, coats, audio and exhibit equipment, restrooms and a kitchenette should also be provided. Exhibit space and a bulletin Board should be provided for use by the library and the community.

Library Type		Meeting room space (sq. ft.)

Gateway		200 - 300
Linking		300 - 500
Service Center		500 - 700
Major Service Center I		700 - 900
Major Service Center II		900 - 1,200
Major Resource Center I		1,500 - 3,000
Major Resource Center II		2,400 or more

Library Type		Special Use Space (sq. ft.)

Gateway		200 - 300 (10% of Total Space)
Linking		300 - 500 (10% of Total Space)
Service Center		500 - 700 (10% of Total Space)
Major Service Center I		700 - 900 (10% of Total Space)
Major Service Center II		900 - 1,200 (7% of Total Space)
Major Resource Center I		1,200 - 2,400 (6% of Total Space)
Major Resource Center II		2,400 or more (5% of Total Space)

6.22 Restrooms for staff and the public should be provided. They should be located to permit adequate supervision. Restrooms must meet the specifications required by the Americans With Disabilities Act.

6.23 Stairways, corridors, restrooms, elevators, book lifts, and spaces for mechanical, electrical and communications equipment should be located so as not to interfere with flexibility in arrangement of future alterations. If the building occupies more than one level, an elevator or ramp must be included.

6.24 Space should be provided to permit adequate storage of maintenance and cleaning supplies, decorations and craft materials, and building and lawn maintenance equipment. Include adequate, conveniently located janitor closets.

Library Type		Non-Assignable Space (sq. ft.)

Gateway		400 - 600 (20% of Total Space)
Linking		600 - 1,000 (20% of Total Space)
Service Center		1,000 - 1,400 (20% of Total Space)
Major Service Center I		1,400 - 1,800 (20% of Total Space)
Major Service Center II		1,800 - 4,300 (20% of Total Space)
Major Resource Center I		4,300 - 14,500 (25% of Total Space)
Major Resource Center II		14,500 plus (25% of Total Space)

INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT 6.25 Building layout should be designed to maintain ease of traffic flow. Future growth, flexibility, and the need for adequate visual supervision must be considered when placing interior walls. The needs of the disabled and people of all ages must be considered when planning aisles, shelving, stairs, elevators, restrooms, telephones, cabinets, furniture, computers, etc.

6.26 Proper climate control must be provided for the comfort of the public and the staff, as well as the preservation of library materials.

6.27 Special attention must be paid to the energy efficiency of the entire facility. Adequate building insulation and insulated window glazing should be included in all new or renovated buildings.

6.28 Lighting should be maintained at adequate levels to achieve visual comfort and effectiveness, in accordance with current Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) standards.

Lighting should be glare-free and uniform. Special care should be taken to position lighting and book stacks relative to each other so that all shelving is evenly illuminated. Accommodation for future book stack arrangements should be made.

6.29 Construction materials, equipment and furnishings should be selected considering aesthetics, commercial-grade durability, comfort, ease of maintenance, and applicable local and state building and fire codes.

6.30 Acoustical treatment should be used to control sound as needed in each of the spaces in the building. Also consider noise from external sources.

6.31 Adequate and appropriate signs should identify the library's service areas as well as the library collection; i.e., Adult Service, Reference, Children's Room, as well as computer workstations, elevators, exits, and restrooms.

6.32 legal requirements for libraries under the Americans With Disabilities Act. They should be large and have excellent contrast.

6.33 The exterior of the library should be aesthetically pleasing and functional. The architecture should meet the requirements of the library's program needs. Landscaping should be planned to enhance the architectural design of the building and building security, to require minimal maintenance and to allow for possible exterior uses.

Library Type		User parking (spaces)

Gateway		7-9
Linking		9-15
Service Center		15 - 22
Major Service Center I		22 - 42
Major Service Center II		45 - 71
Major Resource Center I		75 - 190
Major Resource Center II		190 or more

Library Type		Staff parking (spaces)

Gateway		1 - 2
Linking		2
Service Center		2
Major Service Center I		2 - 5
Major Service Center II		5 - 12
Major Resource Center I		12 - 45
Major Resource Center II		45 or more

6.34 A conveniently located exterior book return should provide for after-hour access. The book return should be designed for ease of maintenance by the library staff and should fireproof and protected from vandalism.

6.35 Lighting should be sufficient to provide ease of access, security, and personal safety to and from parking areas and along all walkways around the exterior of the building. Sufficient exterior lighting provides an additional measure of security for the building. A flagpole with lighting should be considered.

6.36 A highly visible exterior sign placed at eye level should identify the library from adjacent public roadways. The municipality should provide directional signs to the library from major thoroughfares.

6.37 The library must ensure accessibility for all persons according to requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

6.38 All public libraries should comply with safety, fire, sanitary, and other local building codes. Libraries in cities without local building code jurisdiction should request that the architect employ a national building code such as the Uniform Building Code (UBC) or the Building Officials and Code Administrators, International (BOCA) code.

6.40 Avoid north entrances. Roofs should be designed to drain properly. Access should be provided to the roof for maintenance and service of roof-top equipment.

CHECKLIST FOR PHYSICAL FACILITIES

6. If the library facility restricts the delivery of needed services, a building program is planned or in process.

7. The present facility, or the facility being planned, meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

8. If there is a building program, the advice of system consultants, automation consultants and/or building consultants has been included in the planning.

9. If there is a building program, the building project has enlisted the services of a professional architect.

This document is intended to serve as an aid to the early stages of ADA compliance planning. It is not a substitute for legal advice or expert arbitration in dealing with complaints alleging non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

1. Make your Board members aware of the concerns connected with ADA compliance. Obtain a motion of approval for the staff to study the facility and prepare a plan documenting the steps the library can and cannot take to comply with the requirements.

2. Make sure your staff is aware of proper procedures for helping disabled patrons. Extra levels of courtesy are sometimes necessary for equal service. Make sure that all library staff members have the same information about the library's plans to study ADA compliance.

3. Conduct a thorough review of your library facility, noting every condition that could prevent a disabled person or a person in fragile health from using the library services comfortably. Every barrier should be described, whether you have the ability to remove it or not. If you know citizens with covered disabilities ask them to come in and move through the building with you.

4. Consider holding a well-publicized library forum for citizens dealing with or interested in disabilities covered by the ADA. Encourage open discussion on what the library can do to meet the needs of the disabled. But make it clear that the trustees and the director will make final decisions based on all available factors, including budget constraints.

5. Draft a plan that indicates what action you will be able to take for each barrier identified and when you will plan to take this action.

6. If a barrier cannot be removed, document the unreasonable expense or hardship that prevents the library from removing it. It is not sufficient to simply state that the library cannot afford to solve the problem. Actual costs and their relationship to the library budget should be part of the documentation.

7. If you have not already prepared one, draft a written plan for ADA compliance with a proposed timeline and with preliminary costs for implementation. The plan should be formally accepted by the Board and reviewed by the staff so they will be familiar with the library's plans. This plan should be kept on file and reviewed annually to see if additional barriers should be removed or additional services offered by the library.

8. If a person with a disability, or any other citizen, lodges a complaint about a barrier in the library, or about available library services, they should be referred to the director or to a specifically designated department head. The best weapons for defusing complaints are documented evidence of good faith effort or documented evidence of unreasonable expense; both delivered with impeccable courtesy. If a person making a complaint is not satisfied and threatens further action, the library should seek outside assistance as soon as possible. But keep in mind that most citizens with disabilities do not want to resort to legal action, they simply want their needs met.

AREAS TO REVIEW WHEN STUDYING YOUR FACILITY FOR ADA COMPLIANCE

PARKING:

Does the library have handicapped parking spaces on a level, hard surface? Is the path between handicapped parking and the main entrance barrier free, with no curbs? If you have less than 25 parking spaces, one must be accessible. If you have over 25 but less than 50, two need to be accessible. For all libraries, one parking space must be van-accessible, defined as a parking space 8 feet wide plus an aisle 8 feet wide. However, two parking spaces may share a common access aisle.

EXTERIOR SIGNAGE:

Does the library have clear, large exterior signs that can be read even by people with poor eyesight? Is one of these signs at eye level?

MAIN ENTRANCE:

Can patrons enter your library easily if they are in a wheel- chair, on crutches, or plagued by a bad back? The accessible path to the main entrance should be a minimum of 36" wide with no slope greater than 1 in 20(a one inch rise to a 20 inch run). The door should have a minimum clear opening of 32". Automatic doors are not necessary. Excessively heavy doors should be considered a barrier. Exterior steps are a serious barrier that should not be lightly dismissed. Doorway thresholds should be no more than _" high.

RAMPS:

If a ramp is necessary to access the building, it should have a maximum rise of 1 in 12 (a one inch rise to a twelve inch run). There can be no run greater than 30 feet without a level platform. A level platform at the doorway is required and it must be a minimum of five feet by five feet. Ramps should be equipped with both railings and guard curbs.

MULTI-LEVELS:

Can patrons access all levels of the library? If not, can non-public services be transferred to non-accessible areas? If an elevator is too expensive, has a lift been investigated? Has the staff been well trained in helping patrons retrieve materials from non-accessible collections? Are there backup services such as books-by-mail, deposit collections, service to care facilities, service to the homebound?

STAIRS:

Stairs should be at least 36" wide with risers no more than 11" high and with handrails on both sides. Few small libraries can afford the correction of staircases (other than the addition of handrails) but guidelines should be kept in mind for renovations. Stairs should be only a backup to elevators or lifts in all public libraries.

RESTROOMS:

The entrance to the restroom should be a minimum of 36" wide with a clear space of five feet inside the door. The entrance to the handicapped stall, if there is one, should be at least 36" wide.

The handicapped stall should be five feet by five feet. Five feet by eight feet is preferred. The toilet should be equipped with grab bars at the side and back; these should be 33 to 36" from the floor. The back grab bar should be 36" long and the side bar 42" long. The paper dispenser should have continuous paper delivery. All fixtures should be less than 48" off the floor, including mirror, soap dispenser and towel rack. The sink faucet should be operated with a pushing rather than a twisting motion. The sink pipes should be either covered or wrapped to prevent burns. The restroom should be well lighted. The restroom should be equipped with both verbal and pictorial signs.

MEETING ROOMS:

The meeting room should have a large sign. The door should be at least 36" wide. Side and center aisles should be 40" wide when the seating is in place. There should be one wheelchair accessible space for every twenty five seats and these should be located with a clear view of the front of the room.

INTERIOR SIGNAGE:

The library should have clear, large signs with maximum contrast directing people to departments, restrooms, elevators, meeting rooms, public service desks and specific stack areas. Stack signs should be large enough and clear enough for people with poor eyesight to read.

FLOORS:

Ripples, edges, worn or loose places in the library carpet should be regarded as a hazard and repaired or eliminated if possible.

FURNITURE:

Is there a clear passage of at least 40" between one set of study tables and chairs and another? Does the library provide comfortable chairs in addition to hardback study chairs? In order for a person in a wheelchair to use reading/study seating, it must have at least a 27" high knee clearance, a 19" deep knee clearance and a surface height of 28-34". Not all study areas need to be wheelchair accessible but part of them should be.

PUBLIC ACCESS CATALOGS:

An accessible catalog should be considered a top priority since it is essential to using library services. The top of the card catalog should be no more than 48" inches off the floor. There should be a clear space of 36" around the catalog. If the library uses public access terminals, one in five of these should be at half height so it can be used in a seated position. If there are only one or two, they should be used in the seated position.

CIRCULATION DESK:

Ideally, the circulation desk should include a lower section for the use of children and disabled patrons. If a tall circulation desk cannot be restructured, a small table nearby should be used for supplementary service when needed.

PERIODICALS:

The top row of periodicals should be no more than 50" off the floor. Most library periodical shelving is higher than this. Even if complete new shelving cannot be purchased, it is strongly recommended that the top shelf not be used since this is an essential and popular service.

REFERENCE:

It is preferable, although not legally specified, that ready reference materials be in half height shelving. If the reference collection is in full height shelving, the reference staff needs to be fully aware of their responsibilities to disabled citizens.

STACK AREAS:

Stack areas should have aisles of at least 36". The perimeter around the stacks should be 40". If there is no stack perimeter and one cannot be created, the stacks should be a minimum of 42" apart. Stack signs should be large enough to read easily. There is no legal limit on stack height but if the library must use extra tall shelving, there should be plenty of stools.

WATER FOUNTAIN:

If the library has a full height water fountain, a cup dispenser should be placed at shelf height. The addition of a water cooler is considered fuller compliance.

TELEPHONE:

The top of a public service telephone should be no more than 48" off the floor.

COPIER:

The copy plate of a copier should be no more than 36" off the floor. Most library copiers are in compliance.

LIBRARY MATERIALS:

Smaller libraries will have to judge very carefully what they can afford to purchase in the way of alternative format materials. Such decisions should be made after consultation with disabled citizens, since they often know best what they need in the way of library service.

Small libraries should have collections of large print materials, although in many cases they do not own these but are served through rotating collections.

Few small libraries can afford braille materials but they still have an obligation to provide these materials through inter-library loan if requested. Patrons should also be placed in touch with the Kansas Library Service to the Blind and Physically Handicapped when these services are needed. If the library offers telephone reference service, the purchase of a TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) should be considered.

Sign language interpreters should be provided upon request for library programs and this service should be announced with the program.

Outreach service to those in resident institutions and to the homebound should be offered or undue hardship should be documented. Generally, the rule is that the less accessible your library is to the public, the more you should work on outreach.

AREAS TO REVIEW WHEN STUDYING YOUR EMPLOYMENT PROCEDURES FOR COMPLIANCE.

Make sure that the library has individual position descriptions and that these describe only essential duties.

Make sure that the library's application forms contain no questions that would target race, sex, age, religion or disabilities.

Make sure that all applicants for a position receive essentially the same interview and the same tests, if tests are necessary.

Physical facility standards for the various library service levels were largely developed by applying the principles contained in Public Library Space Needs: A Planning Outline, by Anders C. Dahlgren, Bulletin No. 8210, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 1988. This document defines six broad types of library space: collection space, user seating space, staff work space, meeting space, special-use space, and nonassignable (including mechanical) space. It describes the process for estimating space needs as involving the following steps:

1. Identify the library's projected service population, known as the design population. Determine projected population figures using a 20- year planning timeframe.

2. Estimate the number of items the library will need in its collection to meet future service requirements and identify how much floor space is needed to house that projected collection.

3. Estimate the number of seats the library will need to accommodate in- house use of the collection and how much floor space these seats will require.

4. Estimate the number of staff work stations that will be necessary to support the staff's projected routines and how much floor space they will require.

5. Estimate the type and capacity of meeting rooms that the library will need and how much floor space these will require.

7. Calculate an allocation for vestibules, furnace rooms, restrooms, and other types of nonassignable space.

8. Assemble the estimates for the six types of space into an overall estimate of space need.

Dahlgren notes that projected space needs design and allocation is important in physical facilities planning, but is by no means the only consideration. One should also look at energy efficiency and the condition of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, accessibility for those with disabilities, adaptability to meet the electrical and telecommunications needs for emerging technologies, and the general effectiveness of work flow.

Below are reproduced the user seating schedule and space needs worksheet from Public Library Space Needs: A Planning Outline. These tools will help with the calculation of a library's projected overall space need.

USER SEATING SCHEDULE
Population		Seats per 1,000 population

2,000		12.5
4,000		10.0
8,000		7.0
15,000		5.0
25,000		4.0
50,000		3.0
100,000		2.0
500,000		1.0

ADA Parking Requirements - see Department of Justice, Code off Federal Regulations, 28 CFR Part 36, revised as of July 1, 1994.

SPACE NEEDS WORKSHEET (adapted from Dahlgren, Anders C., Public Library Space Needs: A Planning Outline, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 1998)

	a. Current local population (for comparison only)	______
	b. Projected local population	______
	c. Projected nonresident population	______
	d. Design population (b+c)	______

[Relate the design population (from l.d) to collection standards by library service levels to identify collection size figures for step 2 below.]

Step 2. Collection Space

		Sq. ft.
	a. Books ______volumes ÷ 10 ______	______
	b. Recordings ______ items ÷ 10 ______	______
	c. Periodical display ______ titles ÷ 10 ______	______
	d. Periodical storage ______ titles x 0.5 x 5 ______ years retained	______
	e. Total (a+b+c+d)	______

[Consult the User Seating Schedule (above) to identify the appropriate number of user seats.]

[To determine the appropriate number of work spaces and appropriate staffing levels at each space, examine present staff assignments and workloads. A work space frequently is shared by more than one staff member. On occasion, a staff member may have more than one work space.]

	a. General meeting space ______ seats x 10	______
	b. Conference room space ______ seats x 25	______
	c. Children's programming space ______ seats x 10	______
	d. Total (a+b+c)	______

[The number and size of meeting rooms should be determined by the library's anticipated programming activities and by the availability of similar rooms elsewhere in the community for use by local groups.]

	a. Collection space (from 2.e)	______
	User seating space (from 3.e)	______
	Staff work space (from 4.e)	______
	Meeting room space (from S.d)	______
	b. Subtotal 1	______
	c. Multiply subtotal 1 by 0.1	______

[Include in this area the public card catalog or group of terminals to access an automated catalog, index tables, newspaper racks, AV shelving, photocopiers, etc. Special use space typically constitutes approximately 10 percent of the overall total area in the building. This percentage declines in larger buildings.]

	a. Subtotal 1 (from 6.b)	______
	b. Special use space (from 6.c)	______
	c. Subtotal 2 (a + b)	______
	c. Multiply subtotal 2 by 0.25	______

[Some representative types of nonassignable space are furnace rooms, janitor's closets, storage rooms, vestibules, corridors, stairwells, elevator shafts, and restrooms. Such space is necessary to support the operation of the building, but cannot be used directly for library service. Nonassignable space typically constitutes approximately 20-30 percent of the overall total area in the building. This percentage is higher for libraries with more than one floor level and more open space. This percentage tends to increase in larger buildings.]

	a. Collection space (from 2.e)	______
	b. User seating space (from 3.a)	______
	c. Staff work space (from 4.a)	______
	d. Meeting room space (from S.d)	______
	e. Special use space (from 6.c)	______
	f. Nonassignable space (from 7.d)	______
	g. GROSS AREA NEEDED (a+b+c+d+e+f)	______

When reviewing the physical facilities space, shelving, seating and parking recommendations by library service levels, it is important to note that these are only guidelines of the most general nature. The careful calculation of space needs guidelines using Dahlgren's worksheet above must take into account the local library's design population figures.

LIBRARY BUILDING PROGRAM CHECKLIST

Before a library Board employs an architect, it must determine if there are sufficient funds to complete the program and maintain the new facility. This includes an accurate accounting of cash on hand, requirements for federal assistance and the availability of local funding.

The site of the public library should be chosen to provide maximum convenience for library users. It should be located on or close to a major thoroughfare, convenient to any local transportation and in an area that attracts a large number of people in the course of their daily activities. The determination of the location should be based on authoritative predictions of community growth and expansion. Space for adequate parking should be available.

The building committee must have a definite plan for obtaining the site: by purchase, lease, donation, etc. There should be clear and specific identification of title and ownership to the site and the library facility.

The library Board should have contractual agreements reviewed by an attorney to ensure that the interests of the Board are adequately represented.

_____ Hire library consultant
_____ Undertake survey of community
_____ Delegate specific responsibilities to individuals or groups
_____ Work out time schedule for building program. The time frame should be reviewed monthly and revised as necessary.

III. Survey of community needs

_____ General characteristics
_____ Projected population growth
_____ Relationship to educational community
_____ Relationship to cultural community
_____ Relationship to region
_____ Relationship to recreational community
_____ Future needs and general trends
_____ Special community needs

IV. Written building program

_____ Statement of the library's history
_____ General library philosophy
_____ Future needs. Growth for at least 20 years should be planned for.
_____ Specifications for complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. All libraries must plan for full compliance if a new library, expansion or major renovation is planned.
_____ Specifications for future automation. All building designs should include maximum flexibility for future automation needs. There should be a generous allotment of electrical outlets, phone jacks and data outlets; some of these should be floor outlets. It should be assumed that extensive future automation will occur.
_____ Library functions to be included and a description of each
_____ Square footage necessary for each function
_____ List of special features and built in equipment
_____ Relationship of departments

V. Hiring of the architect

_____ Interview architects
_____ Become familiar with architect's work
_____ Check on references by contacting recent clients, with an emphasis on libraries

? Experience with library building design
? Willingness to listen to library staff and to respond to the unique needs of the building program
? Willingness to specify how they will handle potential trouble spots such as roofs, heating and air conditioning, windows, carpets, storage and acoustics
? Willingness to specify how they will administer and oversee the construction
? Review of the credentials of the firm and their willingness to specify the exact personnel that will be working with the project
? Design approach of the project personnel and the firm
? Compatibility of the project personnel and the building committee

It is strongly suggested that the building consultant be present when architects are interviewed. One member of the library staff, usually the library Director, should be assigned by the Library Board of Trustees to serve as the major liaison with the architect during the entire design and construction period. Available trustee experience should be utilized.

Salaries and Benefits		65-70%
Operations		15-20%
Resources		15-20%

STANDARDS FOR KANSAS PUBLIC LIBRARIES 2000 REVISION

STANDARDS FOR
KANSAS PUBLIC LIBRARIES

2000 REVISION