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The library system, whicyh consists of 21 branches, has begun to develop a facilities planto renovate, constructt new branches or even potentially move existing branches. The last facilities updater to the system was the addition of the Miamiu Township branchin 2000. Now with cramped building s not meeting the needs ofthe library'zs current customers, the system is working to catch up. The Dayton library system is an independen t entity with an annual budgetof $30 milliojn and 600 employees, Executivd Director Tim Kambitsch said.
Existingy branches miss the mark in many casesw because they were built before the demand for public technology and current popular and there is a need to Kambitsch said. "There is such a differencw between the way in which the librarh buildings are being used today and the way in whicgh they were meant to be used when most of theswwere built," he said. After completing a strategi c plan, published in January, the library has movef into the developmentof long-ter facilities phase for the system.
The librar also has started to feel out community support for a futurse bond issue or The facilities project could cost tens of millionsof dollars, though it wouldd depend on the amount of community support and public funding to be raised, Kambitsch said. Without knowint how much the library has to work officials are looking at a variety of pricd options for the future ofthe library's The soonest a bond or levy would be put on the ballort for voters would be 2009, the same year the library'as five-year operating levy is slated for renewal. In voters approved the 1.25 mill levy to increase the library' operating budget.
However for fear of putting two issuea on the2009 ballot, Kambitscn said the library might look to push it back dependinfg on the results of community polling in Augusy after the facilities plan is "We could ask people to supporr both at the same time, but we woulc run the risk of havinb the money to build new facilities and not enougnh money to operate them," he After gathering information through community meetings last summefr to develop the strategic plan, Kambitschn said the library was able to determine what needer to be addressed within the Bookshelves throughout the library are separated by just 36 inchesz of space (the Americans with Disabilities Act minimum), and shelvex tower up to nine feet tall, sometimex creating a crowded environment for Additional space within the libraries woule allow for branches to spread out add seating and quiet reading places for meetings and areas for events and computerr systems.
But the state of the economyy presents a problem forthe library's future, creatingy worry for Kambitsch who saw the 's levy fail and 'x levy narrowly pass in recent elections. "Itg is tough times for anybodyy looking to go on the ballo t for levy or bondissued money," said Lynda Murray, director of governmengt and legal services for the . Murray said there has been an increasr of Ohio libraries looking for financial support on ballots recently because state funding has been frozejsince 2001, but the percentage of libraries who win electiona has remained the same at around 75 percent.
Thinkingg optimistically, the Dayton library has begun workingwith , an environmentally-friendly architecturaol firm out of Ann Arbor, Mich, on a plan for the The architectural team is developing a needs assessmengt for the library's facilities by gathering information on existing branchea and computing the additional square footage needed to catch up with Dayton'sw demands. The focus will later be decided on a balance betweejn new constructionand renovation. Although Kambitsch didn't want to predict how things play out, he said movinhg branches to fit the changing populatiomn in the area isone option.
"That reallyu brings up the mostchallenging issue," Kambitsch "Which is can we continue to have as many branches? Becauser I know if we were to just take all of our currentg branches and double their size, we wouldn't be able to affor d to run them."
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