1. Q. Lewes Public Library is "independent".  What does that mean?  Answer

2. Q. What is the Delaware Division of Libraries (DDL)?  Answer

3. Q. What comprises the Lewes Pubic Library service area?  Answer

4. Q. Who designates this service area? Answer

5. Q. As an independent library, who pays the operating costs?  Answer

6. Q. Who pays for Library building construction or expansion costs when that is needed?  Answer

7. Q. How do you determine when expansion of the Library is needed?  Answer

8. Q. What is the current status of the Lewes Public Library with regard to capacity? Answer

9. Q. How will new technologies impact the required size of future libraries? Won’t fewer books be needed? Answer

10. Q. How does the expansion process work?  Answer

11. Q. What about just fixing up the current building? Answer

12. Q. There were rumors that the Library Board has already made the decision to move the Library outside the city limits of Lewes and to construct a new building.  Answer

13. Q. Can the size of the Lewes Library be increased at its existing location?  Answer

14. Q. If a new library must be built to meet future requirements, where would it be located?  Answer

15. Q. What are these guidelines based on?  Answer

16. Q. How will the decision be made?  Answer

17. Q. Could the library have two sites? Answer

18. Q. Does City Council have any authority over the Library? Answer
 

 ANSWERS

1. Q. Lewes Public Library is "independent".  What does that mean?

A. Of the 14 libraries in Sussex County, 3 were established and are administered by the County, and the rest are "independent."  Being independent means our library has its own Board of Commissioners, hires staff and establishes policies regarding hours of operation, staffing, book selection and the services and programs provided.  The Lewes Public Library is an independent, 501(c)3 non-profit.

The Lewes Public Library still reports to the Delaware and Sussex County Divisions of Libraries as part of the statewide library system.

The library’s service must meet the Delaware Public Library Standards and Guidelines, and the state and county contribute $71,337 and $178,269, respectively, to library operations, which accounts for 50% of operating revenues.

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2. Q. What is the Delaware Division of Libraries (DDL)?

A. The mission of the Delaware Division of Libraries is to provide leadership and support for the timely development of Delaware's libraries, to ensure convenient access to, and encourage use of current information resources and reading material by all Delawareans. The members of the Delaware library community are unified in the values of service, access, and excellence, and are committed to the vision of progressive libraries and the transformational impact they have on the people who use them.

DDL is a division of the Delaware Department of State, and it oversees all libraries in the state. DDL coordinates statewide services, defines our service area, conducts long-term planning, and approves requirements for expansion. The Division also determines the order in which libraries can receive funding for expansion, and then approves and formally requests those funds from the State Bond Bill Committee, in accordance with the Statewide Master Plan for Library Services and Construction. The  plan was instituted in 2005 following a study on improving Delaware’s library service, which was at the time ranked 35th in the nation. The Division of Libraries has overseen the allocation of over $67 million for funding of the construction, expansion, or renovation to 32 of the state’s 34 public libraries.

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3. Q. What comprises the Lewes Pubic Library service area?

A. Our service area consists of a region including the City of Lewes, the Greater Lewes Area, and extends six miles from the library on Rte. 9, Rte. 24 and up Rte. 1 to Broadkill Beach. This area currently includes 17,073 people, as follows:

(From Delaware Division of Libraries and the Greater Lewes Foundation’s Future Scan. City population and library service area size are exact figures, per the 2010 census.)

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4. Q. Who designates this service area?

A. The Delaware Division of Libraries uses a formula which designates service areas for all of the libraries in the State. The basis for this area is a circle with a six-mile radius from the library.

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5. Q. As an independent library, who pays the operating costs?

A.  We receive operating support from the following sources:

73% of our private donations come from donors who live within the 19958 zip code.

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6. Q. Who pays for Library building construction or expansion costs when that is needed?

A. The State of Delaware pays 50% of any building construction or expansion costs and 50% of the appraised value of land acquisition through annual bond bills, with the balance required as a match from private donations.

In order to receive both operational and capital support, we must comply with state service and policy guidelines as we serve all residents within our service area, as well as anyone else who wishes to use the Lewes Public Library, including summer visitors from other parts of our state, the country and the world.

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7. Q. How do you determine when expansion of the Library is needed?

A. The Library Board relies on Division of Libraries and census estimates for expected  population growth within our service area.  The DDL goal for library size is one square foot for every resident within the service area.  Currently, the Lewes Library is 13,400 square feet in size vs. a service area population of 17,073. Within 20 years, our service area population is expected to grow to 30,000.

A needs assessment conducted by Buck Simpers Architect + Associates in the summer of 2010 found that the existing building “can no longer accommodate the extensive public use and parking is inadequate. These deficiencies adversely impact functionality of the building, flexibility, expansion opportunities and use as a public facility.”  

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8. Q. What is the current status of the Lewes Public Library with regard to capacity?

A. The Library itself is at capacity, with library programs and public access computers, as well as the parking lot, routinely full.  The back room staff/work areas are far beyond capacity.  Our 5 full time and 13 part-time staff members are working in a space that was designed for 4 people.  Volunteers, also working all day, everyday, share this work area.

Library attendance has increased by 50% in the past five years, and program attendance has more than doubled.  When new housing construction picks up in the Lewes service area again, our library will quickly reach a "tipping point" in terms of its ability to satisfactorily serve patrons.

One of the first problems we will face is parking since our available spaces are already significantly less than the recommended number.  Our Library now at 13,400 sq.ft. should have 67 parking spaces to meet the State's goal of 1 space per each 200 square feet.  Currently, we have 41 public spaces, 4 of which are handicap reserved.  There are 8 residential spaces across the street on Adams Avenue and 6-8 on Railroad Avenue frequently used by patrons.  So it could be said that, generously, there are 57 spaces available to library patrons.

Current computer usage averages 75% of capacity, with the library routinely over capacity in the mornings, leading to waiting lists and opportunity lost for our patrons. Summer usage is well above capacity, and the library is forced to shorten computer sessions to 30 minutes between June and August.

The library frequently runs into difficulty scheduling programs, and children’s programs during summer draw attendance in excess of the limit on the large meeting room. The Delaware Room does not have capacity for the library’s historical holdings, and there is no space to serve the community’s teen population.

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9. Q. How will new technologies impact the required size of future libraries? Won’t fewer books be needed?

A. The future of the book is difficult to predict, but the hard copy is far from slowing down.  More than 140,000 books are checked out of the library each year, and the library now circulates more books monthly than it did annually thirty years ago.

Technological advances have made possible the online catalog and rapid statewide lending, giving our patrons access to over one million titles, obtainable, at no cost, in a few days.

Other technologies have driven growth in libraries.  Demand for technological skills in the workforce, as well as daily life, creates a need in our community for training in the use of hardware and software, from basic usage skills to Web browsing and the use of applications like Microsoft Office. As new applications, platforms, and devices roll out faster, the need for continued learning will only become increasingly vital.

The library also provides the only freely accessible computers in the area, allowing those in our community who cannot afford their own computers to research matters vital in their lives, keep in touch with family and friends, and search and apply for jobs online.

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10. Q. How does the expansion process work?

A. The Library completed a needs assessment in 2010, which is available on our Web site, and assembled a team of resident volunteers to evaluate potential sites. In this fiscal year, the Lewes Public Library must finalize its plans and submit them for state approval and funding to develop a library facility for the next 20-30 years.  If the Library Board fails to provide the necessary information, there is a risk we could lose our position for state funding, or possibly lose funding altogether.  This State library funding program has been assisting libraries for several years, but how long it will continue is unknown.

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11. Q. What about just fixing up the current building?

A. The current building can be repaired.  A building analysis completed in 2010 determined the existing building (which is owned by the City and leased by the Library) requires $750,000 of improvements and repairs to bring it up to code and current standards. The Division of Libraries would not contribute funds for improvement and repairs only. This does not address the need for expansion. If library expansion is done at the current site, this upgrading of the current building will be a large part of the new expanded library.

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12. Q. There were rumors that the Library Board has already made the decision to move the Library outside the city limits of Lewes and to construct a new building.

A. Following an April 19, 2010 presentation from the Library Board and BSA+A regarding expansion at the current site, the Lewes Parks and Recreation Commission passed a motion  “to state PRC does not endorse any extension of the library into Stango Park that would have a negative impact on the park as it stands today” at their May 17 meeting, leading the library to consider other site options, within and outside of the city. No decision was made regarding a site.
 
Since then, the possibility of constructing an addition on the current parking lot and adding a new parking lot on the vacant parcel just south of the building (the Thompson property) has come up. As a result, the Board re-opened dialog of this site as an option. The Board has made no decision as to location, and will not, until the process is completed. What the Board has decided is that expansion is needed, whether on the current site or at a new location.

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13. Q. Can the size of the Lewes Library be increased at its existing location?

A. By constructing on the current parking lot, the library building size could be increased by about 10,000 square feet, which is the minimum to qualify for state funding and the maximum possible expansion for this site. The parking lot would be relocated to the other side of the railroad tracks. The Greater Lewes Foundation is working with the Library Board and city and state officials to secure the funding necessary to purchase this plot. The Library Board has entered into discussion with DelDOT and city officials regarding automotive and pedestrian access across the railroad tracks and the necessary right-of-way on the tracks.

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14. Q. If a new library must be built to meet future requirements, where would it be located?

A. The Library Board identified six sites within our service area that meet the criteria for expansion or construction. They were: expansion on the library's current site, with parking moved to the other side of the railroad tracks if the Thompson property can be acquired; the Warrington property, at the intersection of Savannah Road and the railroad tracks; the Kennedy property, along the canal between the railroad bridge and the Freeman Memorial Highway; the Groome Church property, at the intersection of New Road and Lynn Road; the Five Points property, at the intersection of Savannah Road and Village Main Boulevard; and the Lingo/Townsend property, on Kings Highway south of Gills Neck Road.
 
The Board appointed an independent committee of seven residents of the service area to evaluate these sites in accordance with the Division of Libraries’ construction guidelines.  The committee members evaluated the sites' parking potential, accessibility, visibility by passers-by, views distant and close, and the building "fit" into the fabric of the community. These criteria were coupled with professional reviews of site capacity, development costs, physiography, and legal matters. The Site Evaluation Committee gave its highest scores to the Five Points site, the current site, and the Groome Church site. The State Guidelines suggest that if two or more sites are within 8-10 points of each other, then cost-effectiveness will be taken into consideration. After reviewing site development costs, the Board voted to remove the Groome Church site from consideration at their August 9, 2011 meeting.

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15. Q. What are these guidelines based on?

A.  The site selection guidelines were developed as part of Twenty Years Forward: A Statewide Library Services and Construction Infrastructure for Delaware Libraries, a nationally recognized plan to improve library service in Delaware. The guidelines recommend taking into consideration:

Site Capacity, Now and the Future: The site should be large enough to provide a sufficient square or rectangular library footprint; the required parking for users, staff, and  volunteers; future expansion; the necessary allowances for setbacks, zoning requirements; and suitable landscaping. The resulting building should look like it belongs on the site, not forced on a plot of ground that is too small. If future expansion of the building in anticipated, then the site should be at least five times the initial BGSF (building gross square feet).

Parking Potential, On-site and Off-site: This is a companion to Site Capacity. However, in addition to the pure size of the site, are there or may there be in the foreseeable future, restrictions to having an adequate number of parking spaces?

Accessibility: The site should be easily accessible by automobile and public mass transit, and within walking distance of some potential users. However, pedestrian access will always be secondary. Adequate parking is a key element of vehicular accessibility.

Visibility by Passers-by: A prominent location is required to attract the largest number of people to the library. A highly visible site, along a major roadway, with easy accessibility, is ideal. If the site involves other buildings, such as a joint-use complex, the library should be able to be oriented in a portion of the site with high visibility.

Development Cost: What will it cost to develop the site? These costs could make a site that first appears to be desirable less so upon further analysis.

Building “Fit” into Fabric of the Community, Now and the Future: Will the library be a good neighbor? Is the neighborhood fully developed? If so, how will the library fit into the neighborhood? If there is development in the future, will it be compatible with the mission and goals of the library?

Views, Distant and Close: What does one see from the library site looking outward, across the street, and several blocks away? Conversely, what does the library site look like from across the street and from blocks away?

Legal Matters: The existence of easements or other restrictions can serve to minimize the buildable area of a site. A site owned by several persons and/or entities could be difficult to acquire. Zoning restrictions can hamper development, including parking and/or entrance and egress to and from the site.

Physiography: The suitability of the soil, the topography of the site, and solar orientation are important considerations in construction and operational costs. Orientation considerations include the avoidance of west sun on the books, or the necessity of a north entrance that may offer little winter sunlight and exposure to the cold northern winds.

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 16. Q. How will the decision be made?

A.  Final site selection will be made by the Library Board after carefully factoring in site evaluations, site work and construction costs, land acquisition costs, ongoing operating costs, and the potential for raising funds.

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17. Q. Could the library have two sites?

A. The Division of Libraries will not financially support a second Lewes Public Library location, either for construction or operation costs. Any additional site or satellite would have to be funded locally.

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18. Q. Does City Council have any authority over the Library?

A.  The Library is an independent entity managed by a commission, as defined by the Delaware Code.  The City owns the building that houses the Library, so it is the Library’s landlord.  The Library leases the building for $1.00 per year and, in accordance with the lease, this arrangement shall continue for as long as the building is used as a library facility, or until the Library determines that the building is no longer suited to being used.  If a new facility were to be built, it would be owned by the Lewes Public Library.