Commercial and residential development has brought about dramatic increases in the population of the Library District. Between 1980 and 2000, the population of Clifton Park and Halfmoon grew 43% and forecasts predict another 40% by 2030. Today, 60% of Library patrons reside in Clifton Park and 40% in Halfmoon, tracking both the current and forecasted population split within the district.
The current Library, on Clifton Country Road, opened its doors in 1980 with some 4500 citizens holding library cards, compared to the 35,865 of today. If the current rate of patrons to overall population continues, the new Library can expect to serve close to 50,000 active users by 2030.
Circulation, in that same period, grew from slightly under 100,000 in 1980 to over 448,000 transactions in 2003. Another measure is attendance at the popular special programs such as children's reading sessions and computer classes. Some 12,000 patrons took advantage of these and similar programs in 2003 compared to about 2,700 in 1980, an increase of over 440%.
The simple fact is the 18,600 square foot current Library, expanded from the original 4,600 square foot facility in 1990, has gradually been obsoleted as a result of the rapid population growth of Southern Saratoga County, with the fastest growing two towns in the Capital District. The Library staff has done an admirable job of accommodating this growth, but the Library has fallen behind in its ability to maintain an adequate collection of books for the current and forecasted population.
All available space has been slowly consumed by growth. Private study and tutoring areas have all but disappeared having been reduced to just two rooms backlogged with bookings. Flexible program space once divisible into smaller rooms for holding concurrent programs, has been reduced to one smaller room where staff members compete for bookings.
The Children's area is inadequate to meet the demand for services and programs resulting in turning families away from valued programs. The Reference Desk is inadequate and is the scene of much congestion as patrons vie for space and limited resources in a confined area. Compute resources fall short of meeting the demand for Internet access and computer training. The staff area is inadequate as many staff members share work stations.
For these reasons the Library Board of Trustees began looking at alternatives for expansion as early as 1992. Over the years, several alternatives were explored before concluding that a new, larger central facility on a different site was the most cost effective approach.
Unfortunately, a 2003 proposal to build a 68,000 square foot library was narrowly defeated by voters. Exit polls indicated that most of the electorate agreed on the need for expansion, however there were several questions concerning what path expansion should take. Resolved to address the need, the Library Board launched a new effort to develop a 2004 proposal and to increase efforts to inform and involve members of the community in their decision processes.
One lesson learned from the 2003 proposal was that few residents understood the various options that were studied and considered before arriving at the larger, centralized facility approach.
Return to The Proposal
