1)Artist renderings of exterior elevations of proposed library design. The top photo suggests a view of the front of the building while facing north from an extended River Street. The lower photo shows the opposite side of the proposed building as seen from near the elevated dykes that follow the twisting course of the Cornwallis River.
2)Artist renderings of a possible interior view of a reading room at the western end of the building, as well as an artist interpretation of a possible front entrance design as seen from the parking lot. No decisions have been made on final design or type of exterior materials.
3)The floor plan schematics show possible use of library spaces, as well as the expandable community commons area on the right side of the complex that might house a cultural centre, volunteer centre or visitor information centre. The library and other community services could share spaces to reduce costs of construction and maintenance. Both drawings show a building oriented towards to the north.
4)The three photos on this page represent both the design references to Kentville’s railway station and its railway heritage, as well as its contemporary equivalent and the cutting edge building technologies that would help make the proposed building extremely cheap to heat, cool or maintain. The top drawing shows various building design features, including: solar hot water heating, rainwater harvesting, passive solar units, a living green roof, ground source heat pumps, zero consumption landscape consumption, and natural cooling for summer months. The lower photo imagines an evening with options of going to the library and/or linked art gallery.
** Please note that illustrations are architectural/artist interpretations of what citizens of Kentville and region have said in public meetings they wanted in design features of a new community multi-use facility. No final decisions have been made in regards to design, size, materials, location, partners for the Library, or naming of the facilities.
The Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre will be constructed in the Bridgewater Industrial Park at a capital cost of approximately $32million. Lunenburg County and Town of Bridgewater will contribute a total of $8.5M while the Feds have promised $10.4M and the Province $10M. A public campaign will seek another $3M. The Centre will feature the area’s first-ever indoor aquatic centre, one NHL size ice arena, a new library, as well as multi-purpose community use and active living spaces.
With Kentville’s Town Square under increasing pressure to preserve automobile parking capacity, a new library site could help maintain both visitors’ and residents’ focus for community celebration
Libraries Aren’t Just Libraries
Regional Public Meetings Help Determine
Community Needs & Multi-Use Design
After 25 Years Of Bitter-Sweet Tenancy
The Kentville area library has enjoyed a bitter-sweet history since being moved to its current location in 1987 -- a mixture of frustration with limited space and safety restrictions, but also pride in building membership and lending volumes beyond levels expected from larger, more modern facilities.
The area library has been located in a converted automotive sales/repair building that is the smallest library facility of any major town in Nova Scotia. Despite this limitation, it has achieved the highest annual lending volumes of any of the 11 branch libraries in the Valley region. The library lends more than 87,400 items annually, more than double its lending rates of 25 years ago.
Despite the library’s problems with quality of working space and building environment, the Kentville facility has built its active membership to the highest level in the Valley. It has almost 5,700 active users from a catchment area of 17,200 potential users in the Kentville, New Minas, Coldbrook and Aldershot areas.
The small Kentville library does not currently have enough space with which to offer the same volume or variety of programs as newer and larger libraries throughout the province, and will have future difficulties in meeting the new demands of technology and divergent needs of youth and seniors. For example, Kentville library now has space for only five public access computers; less than half the number of computers available in most major centre libraries in the province. Despite this limitation, Kentville’s average hourly use-per-computer is well above the provincial average for large branch libraries.
The Kentville Library had shared its current building with the Kentville Police Department for most of the last 25 years. The police operations were moved to a new police building in 2005 after many years of concerns with health and safety environment, structural concerns, building inefficiencies, and poor public access. The library requested but because of safety and environmental issues was unable to use any of the vacated space.
Public Has Its Say on Needs & Design
Between 2008-2010, a series of three well-attended public meetings assessed regional community needs for a library and other community services, as well as options for location and potential partnerships. The subsequent design by an international award-winning Nova Scotian architectural firm, is breath-taking in its strong visual character and its reflection of Kentville’s railway heritage, but also in its unique adaptability to a variety of locations and community uses.
The proposed library floor plan itself is approximately 7,600 sq. feet, which meets provincial and national recommendations for serving a population and geographic area such as New Minas, Kentville, Coldbrook, and Aldershot and more. The multi-use community section of the design is easily expandable to any size or proportion, depending on size or boundaries of actual property.
A unique roof design reflects the earlier platform roofs of waiting areas outside of Valley rail stations, but also serves a more practical purpose in terms of shade, ventilation requirements, and support for a LEEDS standard of design and construction. The higher LEEDS standards can result in major reductions in power consumption and operating costs. Because a library can be an effective partner to a wide variety of community facilities, the expandable architectural design can become a multi-use community centre and visitor attraction.
There are many community needs within the region that can be incorporated into the proposed design concept, including: a regional heritage/cultural centre; a regional volunteer centre; or, a regional Visitor Information Centre. Outside, a community centre can incorporate a seasonal reading courtyard/gardens, outdoor public performance and public art attractions. The community centre could incorporate facilities for a vibrant farm market site, or shower and change rooms for trail system users such as cyclists and joggers.
There are many socio/economic benefits to a multi-use community centre that also houses key regional non-profit organizations for volunteer, tourism or cultural activities. For example, most heritage and cultural facilities such as museums, community theatre and public art galleries are largely staffed by volunteers. In addition to these, there are large numbers of volunteers needed by the critically important non-profit community groups who deal with regional programs for seniors, youth, literacy or handicapped populations.
Libraries & Imagination Old Partners
According to definitions used in federal stats, the cultural community in Kings County/Kentville is a potential of more than 25,000 persons or close to half its population. It includes those who regularily attend local or regional cultural events, create some form of art or craft, or who have taken some form of art class. This cultural community swells to 76% of population when the definition includes those who view or listen to performing artists on electronic media, visit heritage sites, own original art, or regularly read literature.
The size and shape of a cultural facility can be very flexible, and can fit within or overlap the shared spaces with libraries and other users. Aside from classrooms or an administrative office, exhibition spaces can be incorporated into entrance areas, hallways, common areas, or moveable walls. In Kings County there are a few private art galleries and one public gallery that exhibits work by mostly out-of-province artists. There is no facility that recognizes and encourages younger or emerging artists in the region.
The economic and social impact of cultural attractions has been confirmed by all levels of government and industry as a significant factor in attracting visitors, families and retirement households. Most municipalities in Canada has adapted formal cultural development policies to compete for facilities, people and jobs, and in most cases, have strong working relationships with the regional arts council.
At the same time, the value and need for volunteerism in rural communities is rising. As all levels of government continue to cut budgets or offload programs onto business, individuals or lower levels of government, the role of volunteer becomes more critical in smaller communities.
The Kentville area has a strong belief in volunteerism but requires co-ordination and possible training. A survey of Kentville and area residents in the mid-1990s showed a 50% rate of volunteering. Of these, about 48% are involved in some form of fund raising, 26% in instructing or educational activities, and another 16% in coaching, refereeing or judging. More than 35% give time to organizing or supervising local events, and 15% to providing care, companionship or visitation.
At the time 83% said they agreed or strongly agreed with the idea of a volunteer co-ordination centre. Only 2% disagreed or strongly diagreed. A majority of respondents to the survey agreed with the idea of Kings region working to become known for its volunteerism and community sharing.
A sometimes forgotten social or economic factor is the impact of meetings by volunteer organizations. There are an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 organizations within Kings County of varying membership sizes, but almost all of which have the need for regular or annual meetings. A common problem usually includes a tight meeting budget, although the spin-offs include hospitality service before, during or after a meeting, as well as shopping or professional services.
The new regional multi-use complex could consider those diverse needs while at the same time becoming a significant attraction for other downtown businesses and expanded downtown populations.
The following is a very partial list of libraries/art galleries partnerships that can be found on the Internet by using various search engines.
A Few Examples Of Partnership
Lambton County Library, Museum & Art Gallery, Squamish Public Library & The Foyer Gallery, Collingwood Public Library/Gallery, Belleville Public Library & John Parrott Art Gallery, New Westminster Public Library/Gallery,
Canmore Public Library & Art Gallery, Sherbrooke Public Library & Art Galleries, Canajogarie Library & Gallery (NYS), Huddersfield Library & Art Gallery (U.K.), Hingham Public Library & Art Galleries (Mass.)
Patterson Library & Octagon Gallery, Merrick Free Art Gallery, Museum & Library, Maitland Gallery & Library, Forbes Library & Hosmer Gallery, Logan City Library and Art Gallery,
Queensland Library & Gallery,
Anthenaeum Library & Art Gallery, Topeka Public Library & Sabatini Art Gallery, South Dublin County Library & Gallery.
Valley Library Spaces Face Pressure
From Program Partners And Customers
During Uncertain Economic Periods
Initial data from authorities in Canada and the United States show spikes in library usage during current economic conditions, with potential increases in annual usage of up to 20% based on previous economic downturns. It may be federal, provincial and municipal agencies that fuel this increase by asking libraries to use their reputations for trustworthiness, innovation and accountability, to assist in delivery of new or expanded public programs.
While the library’s free access to books, music, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet have obvious attractions for families and individuals facing economic difficulty, it is a library’s menu of newer partnerships and services that are expected to face dramatic increases in demand – if the individual library has the space and opportunity to provide expanded programs, that is.
In general terms, hard economic times can be isolating experiences for individuals and families. Libraries offer strong support for early literacy and children’s programs such as story-telling, art and crafts, film and live performance, but also help level the competitive playing field for job seekers by offering free internet access and assistance, skills and literacy development, or special assistance to immigrants.
This dependency by job seekers is particularly important for lower income ranges. A survey of library users within the past decade shows that almost one-third of those with incomes below $10,000 depend on library computer/internet services for job search assistance. Almost 40% of all library users said they depend on library resources for access to Internet for school, business or recreational, while 17% use library computers for their word processing needs.
Library Use Soars As Economy Sinks
In the U.S. where the negative economic impact has hit sooner and deeper than in Canada, officials in states such as Illinois, Utah and Michigan, report increases in library usage of 26% to 33%. In rural Nova Scotia, with its older and smaller inventories, the increases range from 5% to 17%. In the U.S., more than 75% of Americans now have a public library card, the highest level ever. In Canada, the number of citizens with library cards has reached 66%.
In Nova Scotia, libraries can be gateways to various government programs. A few examples would include education, where libraries have become important curriculum supports, specially for home schooling. Libraries have partnered with a major bank to provide province-wide summer reading programs, and with the writers federation to provide authors for inspiration in the classroom. They have partnered with various community support groups for unique services to overcome individual disabilities.
Libraries are a key part of the provincial Broadband strategy of providing high speed internet to all Nova Scotians. They are partners with local and regional health authorities in the development and distribution of health information, as well as with Justice and police departments in Adopt-A-Library Literacy Program aimed at youth. The senior populations benefit from province-library programs specifically designed to break down isolation and improve literacy, education, socialization and safety.
Libraries have become a well identified space for tourists who need internet or wireless access, as well as access to local and national heritage and genealogy collections. Libraries partner with cultural organizations for artist tours, artist-in-residence programs, workshops, and display spaces for visual creation.
In the Annapolis Valley, some libraries offer Teen Lounges or access to public health nurses. Libraries have a range of equipment for loan, including: pedometers, GPSs, Wii, electricity consumption meters, or, computers to visitor information centres. Libraries deliver specialized book services to hospitals, homeschoolers, pre-schoolers and daycares, and seniors facilities. Libraries are open to unique partnerships such as helping create an internet radio station with Katimavik volunteers, or joint programs with Mermaid Theatre, CentreStage Theatre, or Kings Theatre.
Surveys of library users in Nova Scotia place a high priority on public libraries as an important community need, with 88% of respondents rating them as “important” or “very important”. They provide “an important source of entertainment, intellectual stimulation and social contact” said the report.
Surviving Technological Thunderstorm
And as libraries emerge from an intense couple of decades of rethinking roles within a social and technological thunderstorm, the continued support of city, town and municipal councils, and community organizations has been critical in maintaining public confidence.
“Some library programs elsewhere have suffered unnecessary setbacks because public confidence was undermined by comments from public officials who prematurely pronounced the demise of public libraries, specially in rural communities,” says Andrew Montgomery, Chair of the Friends of the Kentville Library.
The Town of Kentville many years ago asked the Friends to spearhead a campaign to design, locate and build a new library facility.
“But as the age of information continues to sweep over us, guess what? Libraries have changed and are becoming really important providers of information through new technologies, new partners and better locations,” says Mongomery.
The continued support of city, town or municipal councils has been important during this time of uncertain public opinion, he says. In Nova Scotia, the towns and cities are responsible for providing sufficient spaces for their respective libraries, while the county councils provide per capita grants to the regional umbrella library association general budget, and the province provides additional operating dollars for staff and purchases.
“We have worked well with our partners at Town Hall,” says the chair of Friends, “and thank them for their commitment to building a new library.” The town and County of Kings have each pledged $250,000 to the new library that serves an area double the size of Kentville.
He also paid tribute to the service clubs in the area and other parts of the Maritimes who have contributed time, money or leadership to making libraries more relevant within each community.
Montgomery noted the involvement of Rotary, Lions and Kinsmen clubs in different Valley library programs, and singled out several clubs outside the province for mention.
For example, the Summerside Rotary Library in Prince Edward Island was the result of the club’s focused efforts for many years. Other examples include the
Rotary Club of Slave Lake Public Library, or, Port Perry Rotary Club library project, or, Blackwood Rotary Library in Blackwood, NJ, or, the Rotary Reading Garden in London, ON, Botwood Kinsmen Public Library in Newfoundland, the Kinsmen Red Lake Public Library, or Lions Club programs in Ingersoll, ON, Tumbler Ridge, BC, or Porch Cove, NFLD.
The head of the Friends of the Kentville Library suggested a public debt of gratitude to the many councilors and appointed citizens who have labored on behalf of the Kentville library for more than 75 years. Montgomery mentioned former councilor and deputy Mayor Larry Honey, who served the library board for 20 years while continuing his professional practice of agriculture engineer. Town councilor Toney Bentley, a former professional soccer player and area businessman, is the current representative to the Annapolis Valley Regional Library board which oversees all 11 valley branch libraries, including Kentville.
Community Leaders Worked Hard
Over the past 50 years, other Kentville reps have included former police officer and councilor Bernie Cooper and Kentville’s first female mayor, Gladys Porter who later went on to become MLA for the region. Doreen Taylor, the town’s second female mayor, also served the library board, as did councilors Gordie Lowe, a former chairman of the regional school board, A.E. Calkin, well-known within the Canadian horticultural industry, and Duncan Smith, well-known valley vet and a co-founder of ACA co-operative. Popular newspaper editor Harold “Woody” Woodman was another long-time board member.
Many well-known area businessmen who served the library included Doug Morrison, A. Webster MacDonald, Willard Anderson, Jack Lockhart, Cyril White, Ralph Sandford, Donald Hamilton, Jack Redfern, or Cyril MacEachern. The legal and medical professions have been well represented in library development over the years, including Dr. Percy Best, Eric Kinsman or Webbie Macdonald.
Examples Of What Other Towns & Cities
Have Done With Their Library Opportunities
Despite Difficult Economies & Fund Raising
New or renovated libraries have become the perfect puzzle piece for communities looking to create imaginative multi-use spaces for diverse populations of seniors through to youth. As the examples below illustrate, library spaces across North America are quickly fitting in with other community needs in recreation, culture, volunteerism or adult education. These new community partnerships are showing strong social and economic benefits.
In many towns and cities, libraries have become the new “anchor attraction” for developers wanting to build new or re-energized commercial centres and apartments or condos. Libraries can replace the “big store” as a method of creating people traffic or community identity.
A survey of recent library projects across Canada and the U.S. provide thousands of examples of new library partnerships, but also surprising examples of how libraries, themselves, are changing their dusty, muted images and finding unique solutions for unique community situations. In downtown Toronto, for example, the reference library has a bar for wine and spirits service to compete for audiences -- in particular attracting better crowds for its series of celebrity speakers from opera, baseball, business, publishing, or famous restaurants.
One of the best comparisons for the Kentville region is Elliott Lake Multiuse Rec Complex, located in a major retirement community in northwest Ontario. The 8,000 sq. ft. library serves a regional population of 11,600 persons, and is part of a complex that includes a 6-lane indoor pool, therapy pool, 5,000 sq. ft. gym and track, 500-seat arena, cultural program and meeting rooms, and shared lobby and food service area.
Construction cost of the Elliott Lake facility was expected to total almost $30million, with annual net operating expenses expected to be about $435,000 annually.
Attracting The Retirement Crowd
The library and rec complex serves an older population because of the area’s strong marketing efforts as a retirement destination, and relatively few residents self-identify as a visible minority, immigrant, or unemployed. This, in turn, influences the programming needs of the library.
But whether small town library or large urban branch library, surveys of library users show that a properly located library can mean economic benefits for surrounding properties. A 2002 survey of Nova Scotia library users suggested that 58% like to combine their library trip with shopping. Almost 48% like to do their banking before or after a trip to the library, while 24% like to combine library and their recreation/fitness programs.
And of those who said they like to combine their travel schedules with library and other family or personal chores, up to 36% would bypass or ignore the library community for the second part of the trip if not for the local library.
An informal survey of new libraries in the U.S. over the past decade suggests that community art galleries are a favorite partner in new multi-purpose projects. The same can be said in Canadian centres such as Sarnia, ON, Squamish, B.C., Collingwood, ON, Canmore, AB, or, Sherbrook, Quebec. In Canada, community meeting space and education facilities, heritage centers and recreation facilities are equally strong in new library partnerships.
In Nova Scotia, the trend is similar and growing.
A new library will be a key component of Phase Two of the Appledome in Berwick, as well as the new $32 million pool/arena/library/apartment lifestyles centre in Bridgewater. The brand new $5.0 million, multi-use People’s Place in Antigonish was designed around public gallery space and new library, as were multi-million dollar, multi-use community centres in the HRM areas of Alderly Gate/Alderly Landing, Cole Harbour Place, or Captain William Spry Centre.
In rural Nova Scotia, the property where the library is located is almost always owned by the town and/or municipality. That ownership has not resulted in dominance of stand-alone libraries, but rather the reverse. In Barrington, for example, the library shares space with the regional RDA, the Youth Services Centre, Chamber of Commerce and a private professional firm. The visitor information centre and library share space at Town Hall in Clarke’s Harbour. In New Glasgow, the library is partnered with the fire department, health authority, and adult literacy group.
The new library in North Sydney is part of the new seniors centre and heritage centre, while in Elmsdale and Amherst, the new libraries were partnered with new public health space and a new adult learning centre.
Willing But Unable To Serve
In addition to the physical partnership of space-sharing, libraries have been changing their business model of being more relevant in changing times and new user demographics. However, their abilities to offer new or expanded services are most often dictated by size of library space and location. In the case of Kentville area library, the potential for meeting new community needs and program growth has been restricted by one of the smallest working spaces of any public library in the province.
Below are examples of multi-use centres in Nova Scotia and other parts of North America.
The People’s Place in Antigonish is a $5.2million county/town project that opened in 2011, with the 15,000 sq.ft. library as the anchor activity-attraction. The regional Health Connection Antigonish, the Antigonish County Adult Learning group, and a community kitchen and meeting rooms are also part of the new centre. Space for regional artists’ work is incorporated into both the interior and exterior spaces, as well as rotating exhibitions and performances. The feds provided $1.8million to the project.
Meadows Community Centre & Library, Edmonton, AB, has been approved.
A $119million, 221,000 sq.ft. recreation centre with new pool, rinks, fitness centre and 15,000 sq. ft. library branch. The library space will also include cultural programs, daycare rooms, and community classrooms.
The town of Lakeshore, a recently amalgamated unit of five small Ontario towns and villages, will build a $25.5million multi-use complex that includes a $6.0 library, two-pad ice arena, indoor pool and a community meeting area and wellness centre. The new town will contribute $13.5 million and community fund raising about $5million.
The Badlands Community Facility in Drumheller, AB, will build a new library and cultural centre that includes an indoor field use, hockey arena, curling rink and community meeting/educational rooms that can be divided to small units are accommodate large groups of up to 500. The cultural centre is a showcase for regional artists, but also the area’s geological uniqueness and history in the coal mining industry.
A Unique & Timely Opportunity
The Erin Community Library in Alberta has a broad base of partners, including shared space with a nursery school, senior day care, performance theatre, ice arena, health care office and gymnasium.
Other new or expanded partnerships for North American libraries include specialization in the preservation or teaching of threatened customs or language; repositories for collections of locally-written family or local histories; sites for local farm or book markets, as well as food or art festivals; and outdoor sites for community celebrations of historic anniversaries and mythical creatures such as Pumpkin People.
