The existing Library site is located at the corner of Main Street and Hill Street. The existing Library site is reputed to be 18,104 square feet. This equates to 0.4155 of an acre. This site is approximately 4/10th of an acre. The site has on-site parking for seven (7) cars.
The existing Library building is a one story structure with a total of 3,664 gross square feet.
The building footprint occupies 20% of the total site. The on-site parking, sidewalks and ramps occupy an additional 30% of the total site. The north side yard is approximately ten (10) feet, and the south side yard is approximately fifteen (15) feet. Parking is located in the rear yard (west side of the building).
In the ten (10) years that the Library Board of Trustees has been looking at expanding the existing Library facility, the Library Board has reviewed three (3) proposals for on-site expansion. Additionally the Library Board has reviewed the potential for expansion by purchasing the adjacent property to the north of the Library referred to as the Homer property. In the proposal for the Homer property, a two story addition was added to the rear (west) of the existing Library which included the removal of the 1977 wood frame addition. The total proposed floor area of the renovated building was only 11,720 square feet. The Homer site was used for Library parking and provided parking for only 41 cars. The new drive exited to Main Street between the existing Library and the Homer building which remained. This proposal did not meet the space requirements that had been developed at that time.
The Architect reviewed the existing conditions at the Goshen Public Library and made the following observations. The existing facility was well designed for its time. The building was designed and constructed in 1917. It has served in that capacity for approximately 86 years.
In 1977 there was an addition made to the existing facility. Over the years minor modifications have been made. A unisex accessible toilet has been added to the main floor in the location that was originally the Library Director’s office. A ramp was constructed from grade along the west side of the building up to the rear entrance which was added in 1977.
The existing Library building is a one story structure with a cellar and mezzanine. In 1977 a one story wood frame addition was added. The cellar level is located under the original Library structure. The cellar level is 2,320 gross square feet. The cellar contains only 465.5 square feet of program space. The first floor contains a total of 3,664 gross square feet. The first floor consists of the original 2,320 square feet and the 1977 addition of 1,344 gross square feet. There is a mezzanine located to the rear of the original building. The mezzanine contains 447 square feet of program space.
The Library is overcrowded and cramped by age and development. Its entrance is too small and conflicts with the ramp. The circulation desk is located immediately inside the front entrance and has modest control over the first floor area. Because the stacks are arranged parallel to the short direction of the 1977 addition, viewing into the stacks is not possible from the circulation desk. The staff work space is located in the 1977 addition next to the Director’s office. At the opposite end of this addition, there is an enclosed room for the children’s picture book collection.
The cellar (lower level) consists of several small rooms. There is only one program space on this level. The Children’s Activity Room is located on this level. There is an exterior stairwell from the Children’s Activity Room which provides a second means of egress. It should be pointed out that the existing interior stairwell would not meet today’s requirements for an exit stair.
There is a central hallway which leads to the Children’s Activity Room. There are three rooms off the central hallway. The first room is a staff lounge/workroom. The two remaining spaces are used for storage.
The stacks on the main and mezzanine levels do not meet the requirements for accessibility. When I am referring to accessibility, I am referring to the requirements of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The ADA is now thirteen (13) years old and has been continually evolving over that period of time. The ADA has significant impact on all libraries as the shelving, stacks and display units must be located on an accessible route. However, such shelving and display units are not required to comply with the reach-range provisions of the ADA. In years past, it was not uncommon to use 84” high stacks with seven or eight adjustable shelves. Today, it is more common to use 60” stacks. Because of the elimination of dead-end aisles and the widening of aisle space as well as the shortening of stack heights, significantly more floor space is required for stack areas.
The Library’s needs have been examined based on the Library’s circulation and holdings. Ten (10) years of annual reports have been examined to determine the libraries growth patterns. Of significance in these reports are the growth in population (11%), growth in all types of material circulation (100%), program attendance (65%) and inter-library loans (143%). Book holdings have increased from 28,922 to 38,419. However, by reviewing the annual reports, we can tell that extensive weeding has taken place. Although the annual reports show just under 10,000 new book holdings, the same annual reports indicate that 27,396 additional book holdings were purchased. The annual reports do not tell us how many volumes would have been retained if adequate shelf space had been available. The growth in inter-library loans can be associated with the lack of available space in the present library. The decline in library visits can be directly related to the availability of holdings and the increased activity in inter-library loans to provide the requested titles.
In the early stages of the Library’s planning, key planning aids were used in determining the Library’s spatial needs. Initially, the American Library Association’s Standards were used. Now, with ten (10) years of statistical data available, these standards can be replaced with a detailed study of the Goshen Public Library’s specific needs.
In reviewing the standards used in the early planning the following size library had been established. A.L.A. standards for library planning use 1.0 sq. ft. per person of population served as a starting point for planning. The Library’s 2002 statistical data as reported in the Annual Report For Public and Association Libraries indicates a service population of 16,784. Based on your population figures, the standard for planning would indicate a need for 16,750 square feet of net floor space to accommodate your current chartered service area. Assuming an efficiency ratio of 65 to 70%, the required building area would be 25,770 square feet (gross area).
A tentative building size which is within the previously mentioned guidelines, but is directly related to the Owner’s “Needs Assessment for Planning” has been established.
Based on the Architect’s review of the Goshen Public Library, data provided by the Library and Library Board, and meetings with the Board of Trustees, it is clear that the Goshen Public Library must grow in size to accommodate its current programs and to accommodate expanding programs and technology.
Without expansion, the existing services will continue to be taxed and demands for new and additional services will continue to arise. The adult and juvenile fiction and non-fiction will always grow. New demands may include increases in reference holdings, the audio-visual department, out-reach programs, expanded and new children’s programs, senior citizen programs and computerization. The Goshen Public Library should provide space for the full range of library services and programs with designated areas for children, young adult and adult materials. Programming must take into consideration both the immediate and long term development of the Library.
Having reviewed the existing facility including Code implications of expansion, and the existing site, it is the Architect’s opinion that neither the building nor the site can accommodate the expansion needed to alleviate just the existing overcrowding. Projected building size to accommodate both immediate and long term needs will not fit on the existing site. The lack of adequate adjacent properties prevents expansion of the existing site to accommodate the needs of the Library.
The Architect’s recommendation at this time is that the Library Board of Trustees pursue the construction of a new 25,000 to 30,000 square foot facility. This new facility will require the acquisition of land of sufficient size to support the Library and parking. Depending on the sites that are available and their topography, the required size of the site will vary.
The new facility will be handicapped accessible and will include environmental systems appropriate for library construction. By building a new facility, the existing facility will be able to be open to the public throughout the construction period with no interruption in services.
The following recommendation should assist the Board in making a determination in the direction for the Library’s immediate and long term growth. The following recommendation is based on twenty years of growth at the same rate as the previous ten (10) years.
Programmed Space:
Adult Section 8,300 sq. ft.
includes stacks for fiction and non-fiction, reading areas,
young adult, video, audio, periodicals, etc.
Reference Section 750 sq. ft.
includes tables and chairs
Children’s Section 6,250 sq. ft.
includes stacks, reading areas, computers, activity area,
comfortable seating for adults & siblings, etc.
Public Access Computers 750 sq. ft.
six (6) stations with work surfaces
Small Program Room 850 sq. ft.
sized for 25 children, includes chair and table storage
area, work area with sink, computer access, etc.
Meeting Room 1,200 sq. ft.
sized for 75 people, includes chair and table storage area,
small kitchenette area for patrons use, computer access, etc.
Staff Work Area 1,750 sq. ft.
includes Director’s office, employee toilet, employee lounge,
storage area, wired for computer access, etc.
Sub-total - net square footage 19,850 sq. ft.
Non-Programmed Space:
Interior and exterior wall construction
Circulation
includes all internal walk areas such as corridors, halls,
stairs, elevators, lobby, book depository closet, etc.
Public Toilets (accessible)
includes custodial area, changing table & child seat in
both men and women’s toilet, etc.
Storage
Data Closet
Mechanical Space
includes all floor level equipment space for mechanical/
electrical systems.
Building efficiency of 70%: 8,500 sq. ft.
GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE 28,350 sq. ft.
Planning for Individual Areas:
A meeting room space should be provided for meeting, viewing, and listening by cultural, educational, and civic groups. It should be located for easy supervision so that the meeting room may be used for quiet reading and study when not needed by groups.
The meeting room will hold 75 people with the chairs in auditorium style seating. Directly adjacent to the meeting room should be a storage space for tables and chairs. There should also be a small kitchenette for use during public events. The meeting room should be accessible to the main entrance lobby and the toilets. The small program room should be accessible to the main entrance lobby, the toilets and children's section of the Library. Both the meeting room and the small program room should have an emergency exit.
The circulation desk should be centrally located between the adult section and the children's section with vision of both the lobby and the staff work area. The staff work area, if possible, should be located immediately adjacent to the circulation desk. In a two story building service desks will be required and the staff work area will be split up to help supervision.
By locating the public toilets adjacent to the main lobby they can serve the Library and the meeting room. Also by locating the public toilets adjacent to the lobby, the Library and the meeting room could have distinctly different hours of operation.
Public access computers, reference, and local history should be located near the circulation desk to facilitate control and supervision. Both the public access computers and the local history area could be in separate rooms for control of access and noise. However, if located in separate rooms, windows into the rooms should be provided for visual supervision.
Seating within the Library should be a combination of both hard and soft seating, and should accommodate a minimum of 100 people throughout the Library, excluding the meeting room and small program room.
Site Size:
A total site area of 4+ acres is recommended. This would allow sufficient room around the building for parking and landscaping as well as sufficient room for future development.
The site location should take into consideration the important needs necessary to the Library’s continued support and development. The Library Board of Trustees must determine the needs and prioritize which needs will be the most significant to the Library’s development and operation. Consideration should include, location (ease of patron’s use), Municipal services (water, sewer, storm drainage, gas, street lighting, sidewalks), topography (reasonably level for ease of development), site size (parking, outdoor children activities and future development) and other concerns determined important to the Board.
Parking should be provided for at least 100 cars. Approximately 45,000 square feet of site area (approximately one acre) will be needed for the parking of 100 cars.
Goshen Public Library & Historical Society | 203 Main St Goshen, NY 10924 | Phone: 845.294.6606 | Fax: 845.294.7158 | RCLS Member
