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by Carey King
Numbers were a hot topic at the Nov. 17 session of the Joint
Library Task Force.
Charged by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners to determine
if a joint library for Jackson County and Southwestern Community
College is feasible, the task force recently conducted a local
opinion survey and announced its results during the meeting.
The survey was initially printed in the Nov. 6 Sylva Herald and
distributed at public libraries and downtown businesses. It was
also circulated at information booths in front of Wal-Mart, Ingles
and Harold's Supermarket Nov. 15.
Staffed by BOLD members, the information booths were not affiliated
with the task force, but distributed the same survey.
In total, 552 responses were received - 345 from the first survey
distribution and 207 from the BOLD booths, said Linda Young, task
force member.
Young and chairman Joe Rossano tallied the two stacks of surveys
separately "to be fair to the people who responded on two
different levels," Young said.
"(Among the first group of surveys) we had people who typed
up responses analyzing the whole program," but among the
surveys completed at the information booths, 26 percent of respondents
did not answer three questions that asked for written rather than
multiple-choice answers, she said.
Despite that difference, most results from the two batches of
surveys were similar.
While some audience members questioned the validity of the survey,
Rossano emphasized that the poll was meant to be an indicator
of the public's questions and desires rather than a scientific
study.
From the 552 surveys returned:
- About 60 percent of respondents signed their names and gave
contact information, Young said.
- Taking respondents' family members into account, the survey
reached a total of 1,150 people, including 213 children, 115 young
people, 647 adults and 175 retirees.
- The most popular time for library use was Monday through Friday
during regular business hours. Evening hours ranked higher than
weekend times.
- Most said they'd use library services less often if the building
was located on the SCC campus.
- Most said they'd be comfortable sharing a library with a mix
of age groups, from children to seniors, college students to community
members.
- The top two needs that emerged were new books, especially ones
to extend the library's multicultural offerings, and space for
cultural events.
- Asked to share their vision of how the library should look,
many respondents said the building should blend into the landscape
and reflect the spirit of the WNC region. Rossano said that recommendations
on library location were not considered in the survey since that
decision is not one the task force will make.
The information will be "plugged into architectural concerns"
once the architecture and consulting firm is selected, Young said.
Survey costs took $200 of the $50,000 county commissioners allocated
to the task force, she said.
"The money is there at our discretion. It's possible the
job can be done without spending it. We're very frugal,"
Young noted.
Other numbers crunched
Once survey results were discussed, those in attendance had more
information to share.
"As of July this year, the downtown library had 96,000 annual
visits and the SCC library had 8,500. We're dealing with over-utilization
at the downtown library and under-utilization at SCC," Rossano
said.
To Maurice Moody, Sylva town board member, those numbers suggested
that "we should consider expanding where people are using."
However, Ethan Staats, president of the Friends of the Library
in Cashiers, cited other statistics supporting the joint-library
move, reminding the group that the Sylva library is limited not
only in square footage, but in parking spaces. "There's no
space in downtown. There are only 19 parking spaces. The new library
at SCC could have over 300," he said.
"Look at the money you're passing up. $6 or $8 million has
already been allocated for a new library. We might as well take
it. It seems to me to be a no-brainer," Staats said.
SCC President Cecil Groves explained that "the state gave
$6.2 million to be spent in Jackson County and the county has
to match that to get it."
SCC initially conceived the idea of a joint-use library in 1998
in the college's master plan as a way of connecting to the community,
Groves said.
"We don't have to build a library. We can do something else
with (the money)," he added, saying that he is "in no
fear of losing" state funds.
The number that concerned BOLD member Linda Watson was the number
of times she'd have to state her case before the county commissioners
hear her pleas.
"I'm afraid people are going to get tired of expressing their
opinions time after time after time," she said.
The Joint Library Task Force, comprised of John Bunn, Rossano,
Diane Schallock, Don Williamson and Young, welcomes public input.
The minutes of each of its meetings are posted at the SCC and
Jackson County libraries and are also available from secretary
Williamson at donjw@earthlink.net.
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