2. The Overview
• 21 Libraries in 12 days
• 2 Countries – United States and Canada
• Cuyahoga County Ohio
• 4 Provinces of Canada
– Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, British Columbia
– Toronto, Halifax, Edmonton, Vancouver
3.
4.
5. Shows how full bleed image can be used. Caption preferably in white, or
black if a light photo. Minimum 20pt arial
6. Cuyahoga County Public Library
• 9 new branches over last 4 years
• Focus on flexibility, sustainability, convenience
• Digital media spaces, interactive kids spaces,
sustainable building features, black box auditorium
• Ranged in size from 1,400 to 3,800 square metres
• Garfield Heights, Warrensville Heights, South Euclid,
Orange & Parma-Snow
8. Cuyahoga County Public Library
• 525FTE staff for 26
branches
• $3m funding for passport
agency service
• Job ready programs
funded by grants
• Innovation centres
funded by grants
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. Overall impressions
• Learning to interact with the maker
audience
• Interactive children’ spaces based on a
book
• Children’s programming extensive
21.
22.
23. Toronto Public Library Service
• Toronto Reference Library
• Bloor/Gladstone Branch
• Fort York Branch
• Scarborough Civic Centre
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44. Overall Impressions
• Intentional children’s programming
• Focus on Learning – both internal & community
• Strategy drives approach / Strong Links to City
Plans
• Library buildings welcoming & people friendly
Editor's Notes
There were 13 Australian and New Zealand Library Industry professionals on the tour which only added to the professional learning that occurred as we were able to discuss and debate the Library Services and buildings that we visited.
There were 13 Australian and New Zealand Library Industry professionals on the tour which only added to the professional learning that occurred as we were able to discuss and debate the Library Services and buildings that we visited. We did add some tourist options to the tour and here we are on the Rocky Mountaineer on our way from Edmonton to Vancouver.
This was a real listening tour as we listened to our international colleagues inform of us their services, strategic aims and their achievements.
The first tour was one that was attached to the International Federation Libraries Association (IFLA) congress that was held in Columbus Ohio US. This was a tour of the Cuyahoga County Public Library service.
Impressions: High quality air conditioning: Lots of natural light. Children’s spaces focused on learning and promotes play with good parent & child activities, Low shelving has good sight lines, Meeting rooms with no permanent walls, Teen area focus on homework and glassed in to contain noise, self check library, have flexible options for power and using own devices.
2.5 staff focused on funding – write grants.
I did ask others in the space for their thoughts : Cleaner: great place for kids as nowhere else to go
Floating collections.
No security gates – considers theft as part of the weeding program but not very high theft rate
We did see very run down and deserted industrial estates so the County is struggling still with the recession and some branches in very low socioeconomic population and high density living areas.
Innovation Centre 3D printer, $80k embroidery machine, laser cutter. Very much used for growing businesses – one small business runs from there putting logos on caps. Mostly Ebay & Etsy business types. Bring their designs on USBs and then print onto the caps. One homeless person prints key rings to sell that brings in an income for them. Twice a week safety inductions are run. Not a lot of rules. No analysis of the what and how as this is still an experiential space for staff and customers. Children with an accompanying adult are allowed in the space. There is also a separate recording studio with video recording capability and a green screen. We were also infomred that users of this space are enabled to help other users.
As promised lots of photos of furniture options and chair types. You can see that PowerPoints are embedded in the furniture and that some timber options wear more than other furniture. There was a focus on a floor cavity which has all the air-conditioning and power through it which allows the flexibility of power options.
The children’s areas in this library were highly interactive and play based. Interesting that they went with fixed furnishings so that this will need to be replaced when it wears out. Unlike SLQ’s The Corner which has a theme based set built three times a year and can then be moved to other centres. The photo at the top of the screen is part of the wall in the Teen centre and is art from the local High School students.
This is another view of the children’s areas in the Libraries. They are designed around a Picture book and the Let It Shine book is the first picture book published by an African American author/illustrator
South Euclid Library – newest in the library service. Community was very attached to the old Jacobean style residential building that was the previous library and the architect wanted to be true to that attachment – The previous Library was an old mansion, over 3 floors and the children’s space was a previous bedroom of the mansion. The new design is broken into 4 different areas – staff, Writer’s Centre, Children and adults – with all one building plant/operations. There are 4 fireplaces which is why I loved this library.
Raised floor with all cabling and heating / cooling through the floor. Can move the vents to the area that needs to be cooler / hotter
Youth space attracted $500,000 donation with naming rights for the life of the building There is a glass roller door for the Teen area which can be rolled down for noisy activities which does shield the rest of the library from too much noise.
This was a beautiful children’s area with lots of different activity spaces.
I also did like the marketing used by this library service using the ALA Libraries Transform messages. And as you can see this is the book that the children’s area is designed around.
Here are some of the international component of the IFLA tour. This group came from Malaysia. And you can see a couple of Queenslanders in there too.
Another interesting children’s area. And a photo of librarians mobbing a library with their mobile phones out taking lots of photos.
The Maker spaces still have a very library feel – dependent on the library staff. A community owned / directed feel was really only evident in the first maker space. Other branch libraries in the system were interacting with teens rather than businesses and really directing what was happening in the space.
3 out of the 5 branches done beautifully but the other 2 felt crammed – needed more space. Decisions needed to be made regarding whether there was room for people or books.
Children’s programming – Summer camp in school holidays that includes brown bag lunches and is day long programming, 123 Read – early literacy program, Book buddy system – older students reads to younger students, Young writer activities, Kindergarten Club – preparing children and parents for the group setting of kindergarten, all had homework clubs. This was a real focus of this library service – ensuring that children in their community were literate and had a joy of reading.
All programming is grant funded – so those 2.5 fundraising staff must work hard
Light fittings & children’s areas were art installations in themselves and this was intentional.
We arrived in Toronto on Saturday and walked around the City and saw very iconic architecture. Very much a University centred City and of course could not resist the local library visit – this one was not on the tour as very old.
Toronto University. You can see the mix of the old and new architecture.
We visited 4 of the 81 branches in the Toronto Library Service which certainly gives us a reason to go back
The structure of the Library service is: 3 Tiers of Branch Libraries; 2 x Reference Libraries; 17 x District Libraries – strategically situated across the City
Various levels of service from these different types of branches. This was an interesting strategic decision to intentionally have different levels of service.
Managers responsible across the District – both operational and geographic operational structure
The Toronto Public Library Service is governed by a Provincial Board selected by City Council – with Community and Council representatives
Separate entity to Council but funded by the City based on Board representation. They shared with us their strategic plan and they are very focused on Outcomes. They did give a lot of time to consultation to try to understand what is important to Torontians. The focus is on addressing poverty and employment. And they recognise that the Library Service’s key strength is their network of branches and their broad reach.
They drove this strategic plan with an intentional learning program for library staff. They have a 1 year induction program for new librarians. They have identified new skill sets required and have driven this through their HR approach. Each staff member must attend a 6learning opportunities per year. Staff feel that they are part of a 21st century library service when they have the opportunities to learn the required skills. Investment in professional librarians as this is seen as a point of difference from other services.
Partnerships is core to the delivery of this strategic plan and they deliver shared learning programs with library as a venue. They also think of their resources as delivering on this outcome with Lynda.com as a core resource for self directed learning opportunities. TPL also have a YouTube channel uploading 5 minute tutorials on using the resources with the focus on the most popular resources first. https://www.youtube.com/user/torontopubliclibrary
Very much about bringing the library to the people and enabling choices in their lives.
Quite strategic in intent with all the actions based on evidence
This is Library chosen – library at the centre rather than community at the centre but there is clear evidence that there is a need and that the library can make a difference.
The Library Service is focused on improving Toronto – with a strategy that is clearly connected to the City Corporate Plan
This is the Toronto City Reference Library and was one of my favourites on the tour. The architectural form was based on entering a cup full of knowledge so you came into the space and saw all the other floors. Truly beautiful. Was built in the 70s and refurbished recently by the original architects son. Really kept the intent of the original concept but did contemporise it. The Digital screens showcase news, what’s on and other visual media and the sound cones enabled you to hear the content being shown.
I was impressed by the clear language they used in their signage which did not have too much library jargon. They also had a Musical Instrument library and a Digital Innovation Hub. This hub was staffed and was a place to make, learn, play and share.
Innovation Hub designed to help people create. Enhanced learning centres. How this was reflected in other branches across the library service was with Pop up learning labs hosted for 1 month at other branches. The Digital Innovation Hub at the Toronto Reference Library has a dedicated staff member. And they Host an Innovator in residence. This is a 12 week residency. The current in residence focus is on virtual reality. Must dedicate some of his/her time to train staff. Purchase the equipment for the residency. Receive generous donation to fund these residencies and this also pays for the equipment. Link the Scratch coding workshops with the 3d printer so they can print their animated character.
All staff are comfortable with the equipment and have Innovation Fairs to bring in speakers to discuss what is happening in the world
Staff innovation program – staff must pitch, selection committee, given money to develop the project. Annual maker festival – community must pay for a booth at this festival, attendance is free.
Whole 3 rd floor is dedicated to Business / Innovation department with collaboration areas. Entrepreneur In Residence is a 8 week program in partnership with the City. 8 workshops across 6 branches are delivered. Host 1 on 1 45 minute appointments by application and these are accepted or vetoed by the EIR. Small Business program with a workshop series each semester that are theme based: ie. Financial Literacy in the Spring Fee based program. They also have small business advisors situated in the library with consultation by appointment.
Arthur Conan Doyle Room is the result of a donated collection in 1969. Only browsable special collecton. Clues are throughout the building about Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Celebrate the history of the Library Service which started as a Mechanics Institute – focused on proving a channel for learning for everyone. Interesting that they have remained a library service with learning at the core. This is the original Board table. Have a collection focused on the history of the book in all its forms. They also had pop up exhibitions to highlight their collection in quick ways.
Lots of access to spaces and PCs thoughout – this is a focused area.
A real focus on donors with prominent displays saying Thank You.
This si Bloor / Gladstone library and is a library with a recent addition. The photo on the left is standing at the ‘bridge’ that connects both parts of the new building and the photo on the right gives you both areas with a large atrium in the centre from the foyer.
Fort York Branch Library. New Library that services a very high density living around it. Really liked the movable group ‘rooms’ that have been funded by a donor. They can be moved or removed easily as they are simply a box.
Lovely furniture and again focusing the furniture to take advantage of the views. Power is from the floor but not as seamlessly moveable as represented in Cuyahoga. One of the key learning from all of our travels is that decisions need to be made at the last possible moment. At the start of the planning of this library the demographics were young childless couples. What was happening was that they then moved when they started to have their families. With the rise in property prices this is no longer the case and there is increasing families in the area and the children’s area is too small for the demand.
This is the New Scarborough Branch library. Very high ceilings, lots of light timber and lots of light.
Lovely children’s area. Lovely form with the timber beams but for me they did take up a lot of space, both physically and visually. Not so clear sight lines drawing your eye to what you want the user to see.
The children’s area built form includes items collected from the local flora and embedded into the decoration of the material used.
Digital media lab is in the box and brought out to be used based on a timed program. Lots of difference sitting options. Beautiful building with the angles of the building, and angle of the overhang suitable to manage the sun. Most users bring their own devices and stay for a long time doing their own thing. Innovation hub program attracts older teems. They also run a Digital Troubleshooting Drop-In service – set times.
Intentional programming that centres on 3 pillars : 1 Joy of reading, 2. Literacy and Learning, self-directed, interest driven learning; 3. Fun and Play