Jandy, the Liberty Lake library director, reviewed the library’s 2019 Community and Facility Assessment by Kimberly Bollin & Associates and described multiple short-term recommendations that the library has implemented since that report.

Why it matters: the assessment informed a set of low- and medium-cost improvements the library has carried out while a larger building project is under study. Those changes shape current service capacity and are part of what staff will present when arguing for space and funding in any new facility.

Jandy said the consultant’s short-term recommendations included reducing shelving of low-circulating material, improving study and meeting spaces, adding flexible seating and more accessible power outlets, and reducing the number of fixed public PC stations. "During the pandemic, we did do a lead of our nonfiction section, our teen section, and our picture book section," she said, describing a material "weeding" that made room for face-out displays and highlighted titles.

Among completed items, the library consolidated service points to a single staffed checkout desk, repainted and refitted the former computer lab into a reservable study room that seats eight and includes power strips and an HDMI-equipped screen, and added three power-enabled armchairs and a larger, wipeable children’s couch. Jandy said the study room now has frequent reservations. "We will have 5 or 6 reservations in that room all day long," she said.

Staff also reduced dedicated in-library PC stations from eight to four and continue to circulate loanable laptops and Wi‑Fi hotspots, which Jandy said are consistently checked out. She noted shelving renovation (lower, movable units on casters) was recommended but remains uncompleted because unit replacement is costly — the transcript records an estimated per-shelf cost of about $3,000 in 2019.

Program and staffing updates: Jandy reported the children’s associate Erin is on an eight-week leave; staff are covering story times and after-school programs and the library will host multiple preschool field trips in March. The Friends of the Library have grown their membership and are preparing a book sale and a soiree; staff reported storage for donated books is nearly full.

Technology and outreach changes: staff implemented a new Aspen catalog in October that surface-links to Mango Languages and Kanopy so users can discover digital services while searching the catalog; Mikaela, the cataloger, created "read-alike" lists to suggest alternatives for popular titles with long wait lists. Jandy said the library purchased a Ryan Dowd staff training subscription (homelessness training module) to run quarterly staff trainings.

Trustee discussion focused on converting the 2019 recommendations into a concise, user-facing set of accomplishments and future needs, and on translating the assessment’s space recommendations into concrete programming examples (for example, explaining how 19,000 square feet would be used versus 16,000). Trustees and staff also raised parking capacity during peak programs as a design consideration for any new building.

Next steps: Jandy said staff will prepare a clearer set of accomplished items, outstanding recommendations and a list of specific programming and space needs tied to proposed square-footage scenarios to inform the upcoming design process.

(Reporting note: this article uses direct quotes and factual statements verbatim from the meeting transcript.)