The road ahead

Countywide survey helps library system assess future needs

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

The Pierce County Library System took a big step into the future last fall when it conducted a survey about library services for people living in rural and remote areas.

The survey, called “Pierce County Library 2030,” was conducted to get feedback from the public on how they use the library and what services can be added down the road.

“We’re in the ‘needs assessment stage’ right now,” said Mary Getchell, communications director for the library system. “We are looking at trends of libraries around the nation of like-size and comparable, to see where we align with those. We’re focusing on the big picture.”

The survey focused on community meetings and storefronts in order to gather about 4,000 responses, Getchell said. It targeted several rural and remote areas, which included Vaughn and Lakebay.

“We asked some of the same questions in the more populated areas and the remote areas, and the responses were very similar,” Getchell said. “When we asked people, ‘Where do you normally get your books and information?’ 75 percent said the public library, 56 percent said the Internet and 39 percent said the book store.”

One thing is certain: People are using the library more now than ever before.

Getchell said there was a 10 percent increase in library card holders between 2007-08, and the year ended with nearly 213,000 card holders. Getchell said there was a sharp increase in library visits in 2008, tallying 2.3 million visitors. She attributes part of the increase to the library’s aggressive campaign to attract new card holders.

Another reason is the struggling economy.

“People are saving money by checking out books, CDs and DVDs instead of buying or renting them,” said Rosina Vertz, community branch supervisor for the Key Center branch. “They’re also using the computers to look for jobs. There’s one man who comes in here that lost his job. He said he canceled his telephone line and Internet access at home to save money. So he comes in here every day to use the Internet.”

Getchell said that’s a national trend.

“There’s a high increase of people coming in using computers, doing their resumes and looking for jobs,” she said. “It’s not just here — this is happening in libraries across the nation.”

Beth Mill of Gig Harbor is a die-hard book reader, but she said she started using the library more when her husband died.

“I’ve always been into books,” she said. “I usually read mysteries and a romance every now and then. I sometimes read six books a week. When you’re by yourself, you don’t have a lot of activities.”

Maureen O’Leary of Gig Harbor said the ambiance of the Peninsula branch is what attracts her.

“I like everything about it,” she said. “The people there are just marvelous. They do anything for you — they help you look up things, they’ll order any books you like to read.

“If they don’t have them in the systems, they’ll find them for you.”

O’Leary mentors children at Harbor Heights Elementary School and wishes the library had space for the mentoring program during the summer.

“It would be wonderful if the library had a place for the mentors to come,” she said. “Right now, the parents drop the children off and have to leave and come back. If the parents could stay and have an hour at the library, that would be great.”

“Our main issue, like a lot of places, is that we are at capacity,” said Lynne Zeiher, managing librarian at the Peninsula branch. “There’s just not enough space. What we want to be able to do is create different areas for quiet and other areas for meet-and-greet. Kids doing projects together need to be vocal. We want people to feel comfortable.”

Vertz said people want more space, too.

“They want more space to sit, more space to put their laptop computers. We have a small library here. It was built in the 1980s and it’s beginning to show its age.”

Parking also is an issue at Key Center. During special events at the library — and even during the day — parking overflows into the lot at the fire station next door and up the hill behind the building. The library serves a large geographic area, from Longbranch at the tip of the Key Peninsula to Allyn, all the way out to southern Kitsap County.

The nearest libraries are in Gig Harbor, Port Orchard and Belfair, which are quite a ways away.

“People want services closer to their homes,” Vertz said. “When the gas was high, people were very concerned about how far they had to drive.”

In rural areas, book mobiles and satellite kiosks may be an answer to building new libraries, at least for the time being. These would extend the services to a farther area and limit the number of people who would have to travel to the library.

But even in the city, this option is being considered.

“We need to look at whether we need to expand the building or explore new possibilities with kiosks or satellite libraries,” Zeiher said. “But we first need to identify the needs, then figure out a physical way to accommodate them.”

Another factor affecting the system is the general increase in the area’s population. Zeiher said visitation at the Peninsula branch increased when Uptown Gig Harbor opened across the street, because it drew more people to the area.

Vertz said the Key Center branch also feels the effects of the rising population.

“A lot of new families are moving down here,” she said. “And more people are retiring here. They want to come and live in this beautiful area.”

Getchell said all of those issues are things the library system will need to consider as it plans for the future.

“Our desire is to expand, because we simply don’t have the room,” she said. “When we buy new materials, there’s no shelf space. We also have to ask, ‘Are the branches in the right places?’ In the future, we need flexible spacing that allows for expansion.

“Right now, the public’s input is really important, and we need to be looking at these conversations system-wide.”

You’re invited

The Pierce County Library System will invite ideas and comments from the public at the following meetings:

Peninsula branch, 4424 Point Fosdick Drive in Gig Harbor, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 4.

Key Center branch, 8095 Key Peninsula Highway N. in Key Center, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 5.

Reach Lifestyles Coordinator and reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.