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•CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK <br /> She continued, This is showing you(referencing a slide in the presentation) that it doesn't matter <br /> where someone lives in the City, they are using the Main Branch Library. This breaks it down by <br /> Councilmanic District. So, in Councilmember Scott's district, thirty-nine percent (39%) of the <br /> people registered in his district are using Main library. They also use other locations but no matter <br /> where people live in the City, they are going to use Main. It is also showing that people move <br /> around the City. If you use one(1)branch,you may also use another branch on errands or whatever <br /> they may be doing. Main Library is our destination location and it serves a different function than <br /> our branches do. It was built in 1960 and renovated in 1989 and it was never built to host the <br /> programs, training and gatherings that we are doing these days. I also wanted to say that in 2007 <br /> we made a deliberate decision to invest in the neighborhoods. We invested$15 million in that area. <br /> We added square footage and redid four (4) City branches as well as added two (2) new City <br /> branches. It was always our intent to return to a Main Library project when those were paid off in <br /> 2019. <br /> She went on, We spent a year asking the community what they wanted in their Main Library and <br /> how they wanted to use it. We did interviews, focus groups, surveys and stakeholder meetings. <br /> The data we got back was that people wanted an inviting and intuitive building that was <br /> welcoming. They wanted designated areas for activity as well as quiet. The biggest complaint is <br /> that libraries are not quiet anymore. We love that but we also need quiet spaces back. People are <br /> also asking for outdoor space. We have also been asked for engaging spaces for young children <br /> and teens to really activate them. Accessible meeting rooms were also asked for to accommodate <br /> group collaboration of all kinds of things. You can find the full report on our website if you would <br /> like to under the `About' tab but this is what it showed. In the first (1St) part of 2018 we hired <br /> Robert A.M. Stern Architects, or RAMSA, to really work on a Master Plan concept and come up <br /> with a vision with the way Library block can function in a downtown. This was a partnership <br /> between the City, the Community Foundation and the Library. We chose RAMSA because they <br /> have some outstanding experience in library design. <br /> She continued, I would now like to go through the concepts of what we are thinking about for this <br /> new plan. We want to imagine what it could be. The first (1St) one (1) we want to show you is <br /> children spaces. So the major photograph on the right (referencing a slide in the presentation) is <br /> really for toddlers and is designed for crawling space. You can see it has a small wall to keep kids <br /> safe but it also lets the kids do a lot of manipulatives that are along the back wall. It is colorful. <br /> There is sit on the ground play space. One (1) of the things we are finding is that parents need a <br /> place to come together, too. So while their kids are involved, the parents are talking and getting <br /> information. When we asked our teens about what they thought of the Main Library they said <br /> 'What teen space in the Main Library?' So what we want to give them is some hangout space, <br /> some creative space and some space to have some really cool technology. This(referencing a slide <br /> in the presentation)is what it might look like.We also have some 3D printers that are being heavily <br /> used but they are not in the teen space. We also talked about a community living room or commons <br /> and this (referencing a photo on a slide in the presentation) is kind of what we mean. Again, this <br /> is a RAMSA design and it is made for people to gather, be together and talk. If you come into the <br /> Main Library now, we have a small space that does that and does it really well. <br /> EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT <br /> 455 County-City Building 227W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601,p 574.235.9221 (574.235.9173 TTD 574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov <br /> 8 <br />