10-year plan looks at ‘big picture’ for Sno-Isle libraries

MARYSVILLE — Some local libraries could get new buildings or major overhauls in the next decade.

Sno-Isle Libraries officials aim to round up suggestions, observations and concerns from library patrons this fall and come up with a plan by March.

The document is needed to help the library district handle population growth, fix outdated buildings and adjust to shifting demands on the types of services libraries provide over the next decade.

Sno-Isle Libraries are supported by property taxes and serve nearly 700,000 people at 21 different branches, including 15 in Snohomish County. A third of the libraries are too small for the number of people who use them.

Newer libraries like Camano Island, Monroe and Snohomish likely won’t need any major upgrades in the next decade. However, discussions have been underway for years in Lake Stevens and Mill Creek about possibly building new libraries. Other locations also may need to be remodeled or expanded, Sno-Isle communications director Ken Harvey said.

Sno-Isle hired consulting firm Margaret Sullivan Studio of New York for $12,500 to take a “big picture, futuristic look” at library services and buildings, with a report due in September, he said. Another contractor, Enviroissues of Seattle, plans to home in on drafting the actual plan for $124,550. That work includes gathering public comments, demographic and geographic data, and development requirements for areas where libraries may be built or expanded.

In 2007, the library district drafted an 18-year plan that, like the one they’re working on now, looked ahead to 2025. The plan proposed renovating, expanding or rebuilding all Sno-Isle branches, but the recession slowed or halted most projects, Harvey said. As the economy recovers and technology changes the way people use libraries, district managers decided to update the plan and work off of a 10-year timeline.

“We didn’t want to overly invest in a document that would go out of date too quickly,” Harvey said. “This will give us a much clearer sense of what communities we need to focus on.”

Lake Stevens and Mill Creek are the two areas where people have been most vocal about wanting new libraries, he said.

In Lake Stevens, the demand mostly seems to be based on the limited space and seating in the current building, library manager Sonia Gustafson said. She’s seen people come in with children during story time, take a look at the tiny, crowded children’s area and “turn right back around.”

On on recent morning, several adults stood around the self-checkout counter so they could prop their laptops on corners. There was nowhere else to set up their computers.

“Our three little tables are full all the time,” Gustafson said. “We’re pretty hopping for 2,500 square feet.”

More flexibility is needed in new library buildings, she said. They aren’t just in-and-out stops for people to check out books. Visitors are looking for meeting rooms, children’s activities and quiet, comfortable corners with a good wireless internet connection and outlets for laptops and tablets.

“Libraries have changed so much since I became a librarian nine years ago,” she said.

Sno-Isle administrators plan to host public meetings around Snohomish and Island counties along with accepting comments online this fall.

After the plan is finished, library staff can turn their attention toward the communities where people are most interested in new or updated libraries, Harvey said.

People can check for updates about the plan and public meetings online at sno-isle.org/facplan.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com

Sno-Isle Libraries in Snohomish County

LibraryYear builtSize (square feet)Population of service area

Arlington19815,05526,063

Brier 1996 2,8408,547

Darrington 2009*5,0008,626

Edmonds1982 20,000 40,706

Granite Falls2001 6,53417,193

Lake Stevens19852,50035,653

Lynnwood1971; 1999* 25,920 87,331

Marysville199523,000 70,204