School_Public Library Branch in a Community Centre Setting_ Challenges and Successes
1. School/Public Library Branch in a Community
Centre Setting: Challenges and Successes
PNLA 2015
Tatiana Tilly
Manager, Dawe Branch
Red Deer Public Library
2. Outline
1. Tour the Dawe Branch of Red Deer
Public Library.
2. How does it work being school and a
public library in a community centre
setting?
3. What’s next?
3. Objectives
No matter the size or location of your library
you will leave celebrating its strengths,
generate excitement and vision for the future.
. . . tailor the information to meet the fabric
of your community.
4. Red Deer Public Library:
Dawe Branch
1980
Red Deer Public Library was one of the first four libraries
to be established under the Libraries Act of Alberta. On
September 1, 1914, the Library was created. For a long
time there was only one library in downtown Red Deer in
various places until a new Library became an election
issue in the mid-1960s, and after some controversy and
a successful plebicite, a new one-story library was built
to celebrate Canada's Centennial in 1967.
Meanwhile, on the north side of the Red Deer River, a
new branch of Red Deer Public Library was being built in
the new GH Dawe Community Centre. The new Dawe
Branch is named for one of Red Deer's great contributors
to libraries and public life in our community: Harold
Dawe. In 1980 the new facility provided public library
service to North Red Deer, and school library service to
the public and Catholic elementary-junior-high schools in
the Centre.
5. Red Deer Public Library:
Dawe Branch
2008
In late 2008, construction began on a major
renovation at the Dawe Branch. The completion
of the project in 2010 resulted in the addition of
self-checkout RFID technology, as well as
expanded programming space, a community
gathering area with The Friends of the Library
fireplace, and a beautiful new children's space,
thanks to a generous donation from The Optimist
Club of Red Deer.
The Dawe Branch was 631 square meters, but
grew to 966 square meters in the recent
renovation (2010).Total number of items (all
formats, Dawe Branch) - 33,591.
6. Dawe Community Centre
Bring the entire family and make a splash in our exciting water park or experience what
our arena, gymnasium, and exercise centre have to offer. Drop in for a fitness class, or
enroll your child in a fun filled day camp. Red Deer’s old friend has a magnificent new
look..
8. Time for Change
● Renovated facility presented new
opportunities
● Staff reassignment and change
● Change of leadership
9. More numbers
Item circulation: 158,569
Visits: 155,754 (30,000 up from 2011)
Reference questions: 9,359 (50% up from
2011)
Programs: 764
Program participants: 14,524
School: Pre-K - 9, 640 students
North Red Deer population: ~50,000
10. History
Public Libraries Located in School Facilities
Report 2006 (62 of 309 facilities or 20%)
http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.
ca/documents/libraries/school-housed-libraries-
report.pdf
Public Libraries Located in School Facilities
Inquiry 2015 (92 facilities)
11. It Works If
• The arrangement is born from combining mutual
strengths, not weaknesses.
• The arrangement is not in place primarily as a cost-saving
measure, but as a means of increasing efficiency and
effectiveness of service.
• The arrangement benefits both parties, not one at the
expense of the other.
• There is a recognition of the differing mandates and
philosophies of the two parties.
• Continuing review and evaluation.
12. Who Do We Work With?
To be a community library means to rely on the
community:
● community organizations
● customers
● volunteers
● staff
● partners
13. How Does It Work?
Red Deer Public Library is
using a community
development model to
ensure we are meeting
the needs and interests of
our customers and
stakeholders.
Connect…Consult......Collaborate
David Wilcox's Ladder of Participation
14. Partnerships That Work
Three levels and types of partnerships:
1. Infrastructure and major service partnerships
● City of Red Deer
● Red Deer Catholic Regional Division #39
2. Formalized partnerships with community
organizations
3. Co-sponsored programs with a variety of
community groups
Deer Public Library: Dawe
15. Write it Down for Long
Term Partnerships
Formalized partnership agreement outline:
Disclaimer
Partners
Partnership Rationale(Why?)
Partnership Goals(What?)
Partnership Outcomes
Values
Governance and/or Leadership
Project Plans
Project Logistics
Term of the Partnership
Modifications
Signatures
An example of such a partnership agreement between the Dawe Branch and Alberta Chess Association will be
available as a handout.
16. Write it Down for Short
Term Partnerships
Co-sponsored program agreement outline
Date of Program: ___________________________
Start and end time of program: _________________
Which room will you be using for your program?
What do you want to do in your program?
I want to show a PowerPoint Presentation (co-sponsored programs must supply their own laptop) I
have sound in my presentation (ex. YouTube video)
I want to speak in front of the room1
I want to play a movie2
I want to play music From a CD2
From an MP3 Player (ex. iPod)
Other: _____________________________
1
Other technical details may be required.
2
Burned media will not work
17. Success Stories
Programs
Adult Literacy Program
Chess Club
Thursday Storytime at the Mall
Art of Friendship
Dawe Community Bike Fair
Settlement Support in Libraries
Program
Knights in Training (Human Library)
Reading Buddies
Philosopher’s Cafe
Partners
Enterprise & Advanced Education
Alberta Chess Association
Parkland Mall
Mental Health Association
City of Red Deer &other partners
C.A.R.E.
Family Services of Alberta
Dawe Community Centre
Red Deer Public School District
G.H. Dawe school
Red Deer College
18. Be a Part of Something
More
● Star Wars Reads Day
● Human Library
● Red Deer Reads
● After Hours Adult programs
● Repair Cafe
● After school programs
● Dawe Community Bike Fair
● Scholastic Fair
● Lego City Builders
