From the Director: A glance at future plans for BCPL.

In 2002, a Library Building Committee led by former Library Director, Cindy Brown, worked with the Boone County Planning Commission and other local entities to create a Facilities Plan. Three (3) recommendations were made at the time in the following priority order:

After fulfilling the first two priorities, the Library Board made the decision to seek proposals from facilities master planning consulting firms for the creation of a Facilities Master Plan with the goal of planning for library buildings that are appropriately sized, strategically located, designed for flexibility, and responsive to each community. The Board wanted a third party objective consultant to help plan for the future of the Library for the community.

In January 2019, the Library signed a contract with MSR Design to conduct the planning process. MSR designed and conducted a process to engage community leaders and stakeholders to create a vision for future library services as part of a 20 year plan. MSR met with the Boone County Judge Executive, the Boone County Planning Commission, city leaders, the school districts in Boone County, Kentucky Transportation District 6, YMCA, and TANK.

MSR conducted a demographic analysis and looked at state projections for Boone County. The consultants gathered detailed information about the current Boone County population and trends for growth in the future, as well as statistics and trends about library usage. The information was used in the plan’s recommendations for expansion, renovation, or new construction.

MSR evaluated existing library facilities to assess each location’s use, the needs of the community, and potential opportunities. It also helped to set up a maintenance schedule and life span of major building systems, such as HVAC, lighting, and roofs. The review was also to determine whether or not existing buildings needed to be expanded, renovated, repurposed, or re-sited, how much square footage should be added, if any, and sequence/prioritization for the execution of the plan.

Like all things this last year, Covid-19 slowed this process down. In April 2021, the final plan was presented to the Library Board and accepted as a guide for the next 20 years of library planning. The plan recommended the purchase and deployment of a technology outreach vehicle to help teach workforce skills and to allow children access to new technology to compete in the global world. All locations should increase the number of study rooms, meeting rooms, and other large and small collaborative quiet spaces; and add outdoor spaces for programming. Five (5) projects were recommended by the plan in the following priority order: