Aurora launches library strategic and facilities master plan to guide next 5'20 years

Aurora City Director of Library and Cultural Services Ginger White Brunetti told the PRPLAC+ committee that the library system's 2020 strategic plan has expired and the city is launching a three'part update to guide the next five to 20 years.

Ginger White Brunetti, director of library and cultural services, said the project (branded "Radiating Possibilities") will include a facility condition assessment currently being conducted by Bureau Veritas, a community'facing strategic planning process led by Gensler, and a facilities master plan that combines the two work streams. "This is our opportunity to listen to community needs and hear from them about what they want from their library system," she said.

The facility condition assessment is inspecting HVAC systems, roofs, carpets and other visible and behind'the'scenes systems; the consultant'delivered report is expected at the end of the month and will be shared with the Build Up Aurora infrastructure task force. The strategic plan will begin with a community survey hosted on the city's Engage Aurora platform and will include in'branch installations, town halls at branches, an online questionnaire and staff engagement. White Brunetti said staff engagement was a key selection factor for Gensler.

The timeline presented to the committee calls for a kickoff next week, survey and engagement through the spring and an earlier'than'initially'planned completion (the team negotiated to finish sooner than the originally proposed December date) to provide timely inputs for the infrastructure task force.

Council members asked about outreach methods and use of specific branch space. Council member Medina asked whether Hoffman branch's downstairs space has been used; White Brunetti said parts of the downstairs are used for community programming and that staff applied for a federal grant last year (a $6.6 million request) to convert that area into a digital lab but that the federal funding stream appears uncertain. "That will be part of this process: what's the highest and best use of that space," she said. White Brunetti also said the survey will have QR codes on installations and the city is evaluating the value of paper surveys with staff data entry.

White Brunetti said city council will be invited to town halls and to the public launch on Wednesday morning at Central Library, and asked council members to promote commission vacancies and the survey to their constituents. She said the team will return to the committee with survey results and draft recommendations for review before the plan advances.

Ending: The library study will feed both capital and program recommendations into the Build Up Aurora infrastructure task force; city staff emphasized the plan aims to align services and spaces with Aurora's growth and to present costed options for council consideration in upcoming capital planning.