Last evening, the AADL Board reviewed responses to the Request for Qualifications for Architectural and Engineering services for the Downtown Library Renovation and Building project. The Board will be inviting 15 architectural firms to make presentations early in 2008. The public is invited to attend the presentations. Dates and times will be announced later this month. The 15 firms invited to present are:

C2AE: Grand Rapids, MI
designLAB architects with Quinn Evans Architects: Boston Ann Arbor
Engberg Anderson, Inc with Mitchell and Mouat Architects: Milwaukee Ann Arbor
Frye Gillan Molinaro Architects: Chicago
Gwathmey Siegal and Associates with David Milling Architects: New York Ann Arbor
HKS Architects, P.C.: Farmington Hills, MI
Holzman Moss Architecture, LLP: New York
inForm Studio: Detroit
Luckenbach|Ziegelman Architects, PLLC: Ann Arbor
Merrit McPherson Cieslak, PC: Farmington, MI
Meyer Scherer and Rockcastle, LTD: Minneapolis, MN
Neuman/Smith Architecture with Hiddell and Associates: Southfield Carrolton, TX
Penchansky Whisler Architecture with A3C Collaborative: Ann Arbor
PSA-Dewberry, Inc.: Naperville, IL
TMP Associates, Inc.: Bloomfield Hills

Earlier this year, the Library received a report on the programing needs for operations and services Downtown for the next 20 years, and also a report on the condition of the Downtown facility. The Board's decision to go forward with a plan to renovate the Downtown library derived from these study results. Over 100 people participated in 12 focus groups, and while their needs and interests varied widely, they overwhelmingly agreed that the Downtown Library should remain at 5th Avenue and William Street. In early November, the City Council passed a resolution authorizing the DDA to conduct a feasibility study that will determine how much underground parking is possible on the lot that is now surface parking next door to the Library. We are pleased that the DDA, the City of AA, and the Library are working toward a common vision for redeveloping the Fifth and William area around the Library, and proud that AADL is taking the lead and moving forward in its selection of an architectural firm.

UPDATE: The Library Board invited all of the responding firms to make presentations, and 14 firms accepted. These presentations are open to the public and all of them will occur at the Downtown Library in the 4th Floor Board room the week of January 28-January 31. The schedule is attached for your convenience.

Josie

On Monday, August 20, we will begin a transition from plastic bags to unbleached, cotton totes. Unlike the heavy plastic bags, the totes will not be free. They can be purchased for $2.00 at any circulation desk. Plastic AADL bags are seen everywhere. Sometimes they end up in places that are not good for us or for the environment. This new way to carry library material is in keeping with the AADL's emphasis on sustainability.

So, be prepared to get carried away and support the AADL's efforts to lead by example by purchasing a tote that is washable, squashable, and good-looking! The plastic bags will be gone when supplies are depleted or by January 2, 2008, whichever happens first.

Josie

The Library Board received a space needs and facility study from Providence Associates at its July 23, 2007 Board meeting. The study was commissioned in February of this year in an effort to answer questions related to space needs for library services and programming, and to assess the physical and mechanical integrity of the current facility. The study meets a Facilities objective in the library’s current Strategic Plan that was adopted in 2004 and runs through 2010.

I would like to express my gratitude to the 150 or so persons who gave their time to this study by agreeing to participate in one of 12 focus groups conducted in March, and to those who accepted the public invitation to attend a focus group session in April. This honest appraisal of what works and what doesn’t and what needs to exist that is currently not offered by the Library, combined with real data about the facility, is captured in the study document.

This space needs and facility study form the beginning of a process that the Board will use to determine what steps to take in assuring library service in Downtown Ann Arbor. Options for what can be done at our current location are provided in the study, but these are concepts and are not intended to be viewed as plans. The Library Board will take the study information, expand on it, and continue to work to determine the best next step for the community at large.

Please review the attached documents, and then come back and post your own thoughts and questions about the study findings.

Providence Proposal 2007
Providence Report July 23, 2007

Josie

On July 5, 2005, we launched a new website. Over the past two years the website has done its job in expected and unexpected ways. Our top priority was to develop a web presence that was organized, dynamic, and accessible. Judging by the numbers, and the feedback from our users, we did just that. Below are a few stats that we are proud to share:

• Out of approximately 46,000 active cardholders, 32,979 are registered aadl.org users
• Growth is steady with an average of 2,000 new users per month
• 10,900 comments on posts made by aadl.org users
• 12,000+ comments received from users and added to our online comment database
• 298 reviews and ratings on items in the catalog since January ‘07
• 2,183 patron contributed tags on items in the catalog since January ‘07
• 6,246 saved catalog cards, and 3,544 comments on catalog cards since December, ‘05

In June 2007, a typical month for us, aadl.org had 162,409 visits from 56,036 unique visitors, during which 3,446,096 webpages were served. In fiscal year 06/07 we served 44,522,045 pages during 1,898,605 visits.

Are we proud? Yes, we are! We are serving most of our cardholders and from most accounts serving them well from aadl.org.

There has been another major benefit to the library in Ann Arbor and to the library profession worldwide, that was unexpected, but one that is a hallmark of great change in how public institutions communicate to their supporters and users. Using Drupal software allows us to blog and provides a dynamic website that is responsive to changes in technology. We took this as an opportunity to make the library and all of its operations and services transparent in ways that no other library in the country had done, and few are doing now. We commonly receive emails from around the world such as this one from a university professor in Berlin, "It may please you to know that the AA Public Library is well known even here in Germany for its innovative work. I have students who mention it regularly in connection with Web 2.0".

We trust our staff, and we know that when we expect the best of people that is usually what we get. Allowing staff to post in an unmoderated fashion has worked well and they produce great content. We have had only one incident of profanity posted on the site by a patron and that was during the first quarter after launch. We post all comments from patrons and our responses directly on the site in a searchable database. 96 staff members have contributed unmoderated posts and content to the site. Our rules are simple. Keep it factual, simple, direct and about library related business.

Aadl.org has been a major success in the library world. We are proud of the awards that AADL has received for the design and functionality of the site. We are proud of the critical acclaim received from our colleagues from around the world about the philosophy of social computing adopted by AADL, but we are most proud of the support from so many AADL cardholders expressed in the astonishingly high use of the site.

Josie

Malletts Creek re-opens today, Monday, June 11 regular hours: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM. Thank you for your patience.

Josie Parker
Director

The Malletts Creek Branch will be closed from Monday, June 4th through Sunday, June 10th for repair work to interior floors. Outside drop boxes will be available for the return of materials although the processing of returned materials may be delayed while the branch is closed. We appreciate your patience if it takes a little longer for materials to be removed from your account. Any fines caused by this delay will, of course, be waived.

Holds that have not been picked up at Malletts Creek by 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 3rd, will be moved to the Pittsfield Branch and will be available for pick up at Pittsfield Branch on Monday morning. Please contact us or call 327-4219 if another location would be more convenient for your “Ready for pickup” holds. Holds not picked up from the Pittsfield Branch will be returned to Malletts Creek when it re-opens and held through Wednesday, June 13th.

Thank you for your understanding; we apologize for this necessary disruption in service at Malletts Creek.

The Ann Arbor District Library Board has awarded a contract to Providence Associates, LLC for a space needs and facility study of the Downtown Library located at 343 S. Fifth Avenue. The work began March 1 and has included 11 focus group sessions with the public and staff.

A final focus group session is scheduled for Sunday, April 22, from 2:00-3:30 PM in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Downtown Library. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this event. The opportunity to tell us what works for you and what could be better at our Downtown location is the culminating event of National Library Week. Come celebrate the existence and future of public libraries with us on Sunday, April 22, at 2:00 PM.

This facility study will be completed by June 1, 2007, and is the beginning of what is likely to be a year long process to determine the future size, scope of services, and location of the Downtown Library.

It did not cost in the millions, has no staff, and is not reachable by car, bus, bike, or sidewalk, but it is our newest branch and it opened today!

Need more friends? Join us on our *friendly* mission to connect with youth, teens and young adults alike. AADL is pleased to introduce our new AADL MySpace page. View pics and videos, post blogs, check out events, search the catalog for books, DVDs and CDs, send us a message, but most importantly, add us to your Friends list!

The Westgate Branch was closed due to a sewer line backup. We are now open for business as of Monday afternoon. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Items on Hold will be extended, so that you are not further inconvenienced.

Thank you for your patience.

Josie Parker
Director

The Ann Arbor District Library is soliciting proposals from interested and qualified consultants for a space needs and facility feasibility study of the Downtown (Central) Library located at 343 S. Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

The AADL Board adopted a strategic plan in 2004 that includes a facilities goal to replace or renovate the Downtown Library. This RFP is the beginning of what is likely to be a year long process to determine the future size, scope of services, and location of the Downtown Library.

The Library anticipates award of this consulting contract within 30 days of the bid deadline of January 22, 2007. The consultant should be prepared to initiate work by March 1, 2007 with an expected completion date of no later than June 1, 2007.

Interested parties should contact Lisa Pollock at pollockl@aadl.org or call 734.327.8311 to receive a copy of the RFP document.