Some Library Cost Comparisons

In light of some of the comments that have been raised over the past few weeks by a few Carol Stream residents in letters to The Examiner, we think it is time to look more closely at the issue of the projected cost per square foot of the proposed new library. One writer has maintained in more than one letter that a projected cost of just over $300 per square foot is far too high and that a cheaper alternative would be to remodel an existing space at an estimated “$44-$78 per square foot.” It should be clear to all readers that such estimates cannot be accurately calculated unless a specific piece of property is identified and a detailed project cost analysis is completed. Still, the underlying question of the cost of building a library structure is a critical one for village residents, and so we have assembled some facts that help to explain the inescapable reality that library facilities are more complex than many other types of buildings and therefore cost more to build.

Each year, the editors of a professional trade publication called the Library Journal analyze all of the new academic and public library construction projects across the country, and the data from their 2006 report sheds some interesting light on this discussion. According to the information in this annual report which was published in December, 2006, six new library buildings were built in Illinois last year. All were branch libraries—five in Chicago and one in Hanover Park. The table below shows the cost per square foot of each of these new library construction projects.

Library Construction Projects in Illinois (2006)

As you can see, the cheapest project came in at $254.78 per square foot, and one of the Chicago libraries totaled $341.94 per square foot. Remember that the actual cost of the proposed Carol Stream Library cannot be accurately determined until the referendum is passed and bids are let out to contractors, and it is our hope that the competitive bid process will drive the estimated cost down below the $300 level. Given that our project is a main library building and not merely a smaller branch facility, the estimated cost seems to be well in line and consistent with other projects in Illinois.

As we have pointed out in other posts on this CSPL Friends blog, library construction tends to be more expensive than typical industrial or retail spaces. Large and open reading spaces require building materials that are engineered to support the structural weight demands of these larger spans. In order to fully meet the needs of the community, a modern library must also include special purpose meeting rooms, areas for processing a wide variety of print and digital media, and complex electrical and data cabling installations for computers and work stations. Just as it is does not make sense to compare construction projects in Illinois to similar projects in other states like Arkansas or Wyoming, it does not serve the interests of the community to compare the cost of this new library project with libraries built a decade ago or with storefront “satellite” branches which are almost always viewed as temporary fixes and not permanent solutions to an overcrowded community library crisis.

Take a Library Tour

If you have visited the Carol Stream Public Library in recent days, you have probably noticed posters like the one shown here. The staff members at the library have announced that they will conduct a series of tours of the library over the next several weeks so that interested residents can learn more about the facilities and the programs that are offered to the public. According to information on the Library web site, these tours will give residents a chance to see some areas of the building that are not generally open to the public. Given the discussion in the local papers about the adequacy of the current facility, we encourage all interested residents to join one of the tours and see first-hand the space limitations that challenge library employees and patrons.

Tour Information: The Carol Stream Public Library web site lists five building tours, and so we have included all of the dates and starting times below:

Sunday, February 25 (2:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, March 6 (7:00 p.m.)
Saturday, March 17 (3:00 p.m.)
Monday, March 19 (7:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, April 4 (7:00 p.m.)

The tours will start in the lobby area where you enter the building. As you wait for other residents to arrive, please take some time to look at the referendum information and architectural renderings of the proposed new library that are on view in the display cases.


Whether you are a regular library user or a resident who has not looked around the building for some time, these special tours will give you an opportunity to see for yourself how crowded the facilities have become over the past several years and how little physical space remains for workers to catalog and process new materials, assist patrons, and offer special programs for the community. Take the tour and be an informed voter when you cast your ballot on April 17.

Calculating Your Library Investment

We noticed a new feature on the Carol Stream Public Library web site that helps residents to assess the value of the services that they receive from the library each month. It is called a Library Use Value Calculator and it is a simple tool to help illustrate how much a family might be obligated to spend out-of-pocket for the materials and assistance they depend on throughout the year that are available at the local public library. As we examine the key issues that face us in the upcoming referendum, we can gain some important information with the use of this specal calculator.

The project was initiated by professionals at the Massachusetts Library Association and the spreadsheet that they developed was then modified as a web-based module by staff members at the Chelmsford Public Library in Massachusetts. Average monetary values for items such as books, magazines, videos, computer access time, and professional services have been built into the calculator so that when library patrons type in the number of materials that members of their family use in a typical month, they are able to see the dollar value of those resources and services.

To illustrate, we have entered some rather modest numbers in the example below and yet the estimated value of materials and services totals $152 per month. Many of our patrons regularly borrow more items every month than the numbers used in our example:


Residents who frequently check out more materials, make regular use of the free high-speed Internet access in the library, order books through inter-library loan, or enroll members of their families in the many special programs realize even greater value each month. Click here to try out the calculator on the Carol Stream Library web site.

Investing in a Library: The fact is, it is often easy to take the services and materials offered by a public library for granted and many residents may not realize that the cost of maintaining a modern, well-equipped library is not just a line item on their annual tax bill—it is an investment in the quality of life for members of their families, in the value of their homes, and in the community as a whole. In Carol Stream, the library tax rate has not gone up in over 21 years and our residents pay one of the lowest library rates in the suburban area. As we have pointed out in other messages on this site, the referendum on April 17 to build a new library will add an additional 30 cents a day to the average tax bill for village households or about $10 a month. Try out the “Library Use Value Calculator” and we think you will agree that the library proposal is a wise investment for the future of Carol Stream.

Building a Library: Special Considerations

There has been an interesting exchange of ideas in the “Letters to the Editor” section of The Examiner regarding the proposal for a new library in Carol Stream. Over the past few weeks, two residents have questioned the estimated cost of the proposed new building and wondered why the Library Board doesn’t simply expand the present facility or purchase one of the available warehouse spaces in the industrial section of the village and convert it for library use. The writers suggest that their plans could be completed at a lower cost per square foot.

It is an important discussion because it addresses some valuable ideas that many residents may have about the process of planning and building a modern library that, unfortunately, are not viable options. First, we have to dispel once again the notion that simply adding on to the existing library structure is a practical or economical strategy. As outlined in a previous article on this site, this will not work due to the size of the property and the fact that it is on a flood plain.

While it might be wonderful to be able to build a library at the same cost of a large storage facility or industrial warehouse, the reality is that library construction presents a number of special circumstances and issues that must be taken into account during the planning and construction stages. The American Library Association has published a series of books devoted specifically to this topic, and the Carol Stream Library Board has reviewed these issues as well as the recommendations of architects, library professionals, and interested residents.

Consider some of the special considerations that have helped to shape the current proposal to build a new library:

New Demands for Modern Resources: In years past, planning for libraries was a more predictable and straightforward process since most materials—books, magazines, and tapes—were all items that could be housed on shelves. Once the planners determined the number of linear feet of shelving that would be required, they could simply calculate the number of shelving units to purchase and locate them on the floor plans. Planning for modern libraries is far more complex since attention must be paid to all of the new electronic and computer resources that current users require as well as to predictions of the ways that information technology may evolve in years to come.

Special Engineering: Since libraries typically feature large open spaces in the central public areas, architects and structural engineers must specify building materials that will meet the demands of the larger spans and weight considerations. Creating these inviting open spaces is a more complex and costly process than designing warehouse or commercial structures.

Location: Residents expect that community libraries are conveniently located in central locations so that all patrons can reach the facilities easily and safely. Since a large number of library patrons are school-aged childen who often walk or ride their bikes, it is not feasible or advisable to situate a new library in an industrial area far removed from homes and schools. One of the appealing aspects of the site of the proposed library is the fact that it is conveniently located on Kuhn Road and could help to anchor an educational corridor that incudes Glenbard North High School to the north and the Community Education Center next door.

American Disabilities Act: Like all other public buildings, a new library must conform to all of the local codes as well as access standards required by the ADA. These are important measures that address the physical needs of all patrons, but the structural issues that must be dealt with to be in compliance with these codes and regulations add to the cost of public buildings.

Remember also that we are not suggesting that the current building be torn down. Several other Carol Stream village agencies have already expressed an interest in the building, and the proceeds of the sale of the facility would be used to operate the new library. As the residents who have written to The Examiner have pointed out, the structure is still sound and will be for many years—it is just too small to serve the library needs of a community that has outgrown a facility that was designed to serve a community of less than 10,000 residents and not the current population of more than 40,000 people.

Do you have an opinion about the need or the features of our proposed new library? If so, please leave a comment by clicking on the link below. If you would like to respond in print to the residents who have already written to The Examiner, just click here to reach the newspaper contact page to write your letter.

30 Cents a Day

Whenever residents of a community vote on a local referendum issue, the decisions they make are usually based on their perceptions of the value of the proposed initiative as it relates to the estimated cost. So it is that when you go to vote on the library referendum on April 17, you may well have one important question on your mind—how much will a vote for a new library cost me and my family? It may surprise you to learn that for the average resident of the village, the cost per household will be as little as 30 cents a day or about $9 a month. We have collected some information here to help you to see how tax rates in Carol Stream compare to those in neighboring communities and to illustrate the financial impact that the referendum will have on an average family.

Equalized Assessed Value: As you know, the operating budgets of each of the public entities in the village are determined by tax revenues, and each has a specific tax rate. The current tax rate for the Carol Stream Public Library is .25 %. That means that village taxpayers pay 25 cents for each $100 of the equalized assessed value of their homes or properties. It is important to point out that this rate has not gone up for 21 years. The members of the Library Board and management staff have been extremely frugal stewards of taxpayer money, but it should seem clear to all that no business or public agency can continue to offer quality services if the source of available funds does not keep pace with the rest of the economy.

Here is a chart showing the current tax rates for the libraries in several neighboring communities. You can see that Carol Stream is at the bottom of the chart:

Cost of a New Library: The referendum asks taxpayers to approve a total of $25 million, a figure that may be overwhelming at first glance until you begin to examine it at a personal level. Remember first that this total will be financed over a twenty year period. If the referendum is approved, the library tax rate will be increased by 14 cents for each $100 of assessed value. Analysts have told us that the average home value in the village is $250,000, and so, as noted above, the increase for a typical family would be about 30 cents a day or about $9 a month—the cost of one small cheese pizza or a ticket to a movie or a lunch at a fast food restaurant each month.

The important thing to remember is that a modern and well-equipped library brings tremendous value to a community that more than compensates for construction and operating expenses. Parents with school children have daily access to all of the books and materials that may not be available in the school libraries, and they have the opportunity to enroll their children in a variety of reading programs and activities. Residents without children also see tremendous advantages since the values of their homes and properties are generally enhanced and the economic prospects for the entire village become stronger. That's a lot of value for 30 cents a day.

Referendum Committee Meetings

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at the upcoming meetings of the Library Referendum Committee. Over the next several weeks, we plan to meet every other Monday to discuss issues relating to the campaign and to make plans for all of the promotions and initiatives that we feel are necessary to win the referendum in April. The meetings are short and we will need the support of people from all parts of the village, so we hope you can find some time to join us to learn how you can help. Here is the information for the next three meetings:

Dates: February 5, February 19, and March 5
Place: Heritage Presbyterian Church
Address: 965 N. Kuhn Road
Time: 6:00 p.m.

The meetings generally last about an hour. If you would like to help but cannot attend the meetings, please contact the members of the committee at the following address:

CSLibraryyes@yahoo.com

We hope to see you on Monday!

Defining the Need: Facility Space

Earlier this month, we reminded readers that the existing library building was designed to hold an estimated 120,000 volumes when it was built in the 1970’s, but we now find ourselves in 2007 with current holdings of over 182,000 items. Without doubt, the most pressing need for our library as we look to the future is additional facility space to house new and existing materials as well as provide adequate room for reading programs, children’s activities, and special community events.

To illustrate the need for a larger facility, consider the data contained in the comparison chart below. Several nearby suburban communities are included in the chart along with the size of their respective public libraries as measured in square footage. As you can see at a glance, the existing Carol Stream Library is smaller than every other library in the comparison. Several nearby facilities have two to three times as much floor space as we currently have available, even though the populations they serve are similar in size to the current population of Carol Stream.

Visual evidence is the best way to assess this critical space shortage. Take a few minutes to walk through the stacks and you will see immediately why more space is needed now and in the future. The images below show a very common problem--patrons and staff workers unable to see or reach books that must be kept high on the top shelves because no other room is available. Shelves in both the adult and children’s section of the Library are packed to capacity, including the top and bottom shelves that are very difficult for some patrons to reach.

The cover article of the recent “Between the Lines” library newsletter offers some bleak prospects for the future of materials and services that many patrons have come to expect. “Some collections, such as VHS tapes and CD-ROMS will be eliminated…other collections will be housed in areas not accessible to the public…The Community Room may be closed and Library programming curtailed.”

The need for additional space has reached critical proportions already, and the issues relating to the overcrowded conditions will become more difficult to manage in years to come if more library space is not created. Carol Stream residents can show their support on April 17. We encourage all residents to visit the Library, become familiar with the current space needs, and vote “yes” on the referendum question in April.

Many Ways to Help

The Library Referendum Committee met on Monday, January 22, and it was good to see a nice turnout of volunteers willing to devote their time and energy to help to inform the residents of Carol Stream about the need for a new library. Several topics were discussed, but one of the most important issues on the agenda was a discussion about the ways that interested residents can help the cause. Here is a list of some of the ways that you can join our effort if you would like to see the April 17 referendum passed:

Make a Contribution: The committee will need funds to print brochures and flyers, distribute lawn signs, mail letters, and possibly insert informative advertisements in local newspapers. If you would like to make a donation, be sure to make your check out to “07 Library Referendum Committee,” and contact one of the two people listed below for information as to how to deliver your contribution.

Host a Coffee Meeting: We hope to schedule a series of informational meetings in homes around the village so that residents can meet in an informal way to raise questions and share ideas about the new library. If you are willing to host such a meeting, please let us know and we will work with you to finalize the details.

Join the Neighborhood Corps: We will be needing volunteers to join us as we go door-to-door speaking with residents and distributing informational flyers. This is an important part of our effort because it provides opportunities to explain the details of the referendum issue and to get feedback from members of the community.

Pass the Word: This CSPL Friends blog was created so that we have a place on the Internet where any interested person can go to read the facts about the proposed new library, share comments, or raise issues that may be important to other readers. It will only be an effective tool, however, if we build a strong base of readers. Subscribe to the blog so that you are alerted when new messages are posted, and pass along the web address to all of your friends in Carol Stream.

Display a Yard Sign: As we get closer to election day, we hope to put out yard signs across the village to remind people to vote on this important issue. Please let us know if you are willing to have a sign in your yard and we will be sure to get one to you.

Remember that if have any questions about the referendum or would like to volunteer your services, just send a message by e-mail to the address below:

CSLibraryyes@yahoo.com

-or contact by phone:

Referendum Committee Chair:
Lynn O’Dell (665-2546)

Library Liaison:
Ann Kennedy (344-6101)

New Building or Renovation Project?

When Carol Stream residents cast votes for the library referendum on April 17, many will undoubtedly recognize the need for more space to house books, videos, and other resources, but they may also have one larger question on their minds—does it make more sense to build the proposed new building pictured here or would it be cheaper to simply renovate or expand the existing building? It is an important question that has been put to the architects and members of the planning committee, and it turns out there are several crucial conditions that must be considered:

Flood Plain: Any Carol Stream resident who was here in 1987 will remember the extensive flooding that occurred when Klein Creek overflowed its banks and turned Armstrong Park and the parking lot and streets around the Library into a huge temporary lake. The property on the north side of the building is the land that many have argued would be a good place to build an addition to the Library, but the elevation is several feet lower than the current building. It is literally at the same level as the nearby creek, and would be subject to frequent flooding. Special engineering would be required to prepare this section of the property for building, and the process would be extremely expensive.

Adding On: Critics have argued that if the land behind the Library is unsuitable for an addition, it would still be cheaper to add a second story to the current structure than to build a new building. There is one fundamental flaw with that plan, however—the pilings that were driven into the ground to create the foundation for the existing structure were not designed to support a second story and are not capable of bearing the additional weight that such an addition would create.

Parking Considerations: The number of spaces in the existing parking lot meets the needs and the legal requirements for the size of the existing building, but the lot is not large enough to serve a larger building. There is not enough land on the current site to create a parking lot that would accommodate the growing number of patrons and still meet legal requirements.

Remodeling Costs: Remember that the process of remodeling existing buildings is often more expensive than new construction, particularly when renovations involve extensive wiring and data cabling considerations. One of the most pressing needs is for additional Internet research and computer work stations, but they require new wiring to deliver both power and data. It is an expensive process and one that would create noisy conditions and other inconveniences in the Library for many months.

On top of all of this is one inescapable fact—even if residents were prepared to overcome all of the issues and obstacles that would accompany a project to expand the current building, they would still have to pass a referendum to authorize such costly renovation projects. Given these issues, the inevitable conclusion is that the most efficient and economical way to provide necessary and modern library services is to build a new building that will serve Carol Stream residents for generations to come.

January 22 Committee Meeting

Date: January 22
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: 965 N. Kuhn Road

The next meeting of the 2007 Library Referendum Committee will be held at Heritage Presbyterian Church at 6:00 p.m. on January 22. The church is located at 965 N. Kuhn Road. A light meal will be served.

The organizers will present information on a variety of topics relating to the upcoming April 17 referendum, and members of the following committees will give updates:

- Brochures
- Fundraising
- Neighborhood Corps
- Speakers Bureau
- Letters to the Editor
- Newspaper Articles
- Yard Signs

If you would like to serve on any of these committees or help the Referendum Committee in any other way, please contact us to receive more information:

CSLibraryyes@yahoo.com

Please join us on Monday!

Map of the New Library Site

If you have heard of the plans to build a new library in Carol Stream but are not sure where it would be located, we are including a simple map to help you. As you can see, the property is on Kuhn Road between Lies Road and North Avenue, and it is directly adjacent to the new College of DuPage Carol Stream Community Education Center.

For those of you who have lived in Carol Stream for many years, you will recognize the site as the Kammes Farm, pictured here in an old photograph from the library archive. This piece of property has been owned by the Kammes family for generations, and it seems fitting that a new community library be built on a location that has played a big role in the history of our community. The school buses pictured here were a common sight several years ago, but they are gone now and much of the Kammes farm land has already been converted into housing developments.

The site of the existing Carol Stream Library was more or less centrally located in the main residential sections of the village when it was built in 1978, but with so much new construction west of County Farm Road in recent years, this new location on Kuhn Road commands a more central location within our village today. With the new Carol Stream Community Education Center right next door, the new Carol Stream Library can help to anchor this section of the community as a center for learning and professional growth.

Defining the Need for a New Building

When the subject of building a new library In Carol Stream comes up, one of the most common questions we hear from residents is why we need to build a new and larger structure. Any resident who has visited the current library in recent years would be able to answer the question after a short tour of the building—shelves loaded to capacity with books and other materials and public reading spaces often filled to overflowing with patrons trying to find places to work and study. The existing building, shown above as it looked when it opened in 1978, served a community of less than 9,700 residents well, but it lacks the space and facilities to adequately serve our village which has grown to over 40,000 residents.

If you have not come in and looked around the current library recently, you might not be aware of some other critical issues that we feel would be resolved with a new and larger building:

Collection Space: The current library building was designed to house a collection of 120,000 books and other materials. In 2007, the collection has grown to over 182,000 items. The shelves are filled to capacity with no space for new books, videos, CDs, or children’s resources. What that means, of course, is that the library staff will have to put restrictions on the purchase of new materials or discard previously purchased materials to make room for new items. Neither option is very appealing or sensible to the large number of patrons who rely on the library for these materials.

Computer Access: When the existing building was constructed in 1978, personal computers were just becoming available to the public and the Internet was a tiny network that connected a few military and university computers in a very rudimentary way. Our library was not designed to house the large numbers of computers with Internet access that current patrons need and expect, and so the number of computer work stations does not come close to matching the needs or demands of our residents. This shortage is especially critical in the Youth Services Department.

Seating and Study Space: If you have visited the library during the after-school hours, evenings, or weekends, you have seen the overcrowded conditions in the main reading areas when available seating is often very limited. Further, the quiet study rooms that were a part of the original library facilities had to be removed several years ago to make room for additional offices and other essential library services.

For more information on this topic and many other pertinent issues, click on the link labeled “Referendum FAQ Page” in the list of options to the right.

Proposed Building Plans

Many people have been interested in seeing the architect's drawings for the proposed new library building, so we have included several below. The two-story plan will provide much needed space for the growing collection and the new building would also create added space for quiet study, computer workstations, and separate areas for children and young adults.

Front View Looking Northwest

Aerial View Looking Northwest

Aerial View Looking Northwest

Aerial View Looking Southeast

Aerial View Looking Southwest

Aerial View Looking West

Site Plan

Library Referendum Committee Meeting

The first meeting of the Carol Stream Library Referendum Committee in 2007 was held on January 9. Library Director Ann Kennedy presented an overview of the proposed building plans and reminded everyone that the plans are also posted on the CSPL website. Several referendum campaign committees have been formed to create informative brochures, a Speaker's Bureau, yard signs, and a variety of writing and fundraising initiatives.

The next meeting of the Referendum Committee will be held at Heritage Presbyterian Church located at 965 N. Kuhn Road.on Monday, January 22, from 6:00-7:00 p.m.. For more information about the meeting or to find out how you can help, just use the e-mail contact: below:

CSLibraryyes@yahoo.com

or by phone:

Ann Kennedy (344-6101)
Lynn O'Dell (665-2546)