When Ramsey County residents were asked to rank their priorities for the seven suburban libraries, they said they wanted longer hours, more and different spaces for their computer use and more media in alternative formats such as downloadable books and CDs.
Tonight, the Ramsey County Library Board will hear a list of recommendations designed to both incorporate residents' wish lists and position the libraries for the decade ahead.
One of the most significant recommendations calls for creating three full-service libraries, with longer hours, teen programs, K-12 outreach, beverages and food, and other amenities. Shoreview, Roseville and Maplewood would be the designated full-service libraries. The other libraries would offer core services, but be tailored to community needs.
The recommendations will be reworked by the board and brought to suburban communities this spring for comment.
"We have some big financial decisions that need to be made, especially as we have [library] facilities reaching the end of their lives," said Susan Nemitz, library director. "Do we build on the same sites of the libraries? What services do we provide? And what resources will be available to us?
"The report gives us a framework for dealing with these difficult decisions."
More than 1.6 million visitors a year, including repeat visitors, walk through the doors of the seven suburban libraries every year, said Nemitz. The libraries are located in Arden Hills, Shoreview, Roseville, White Bear Lake, North St. Paul, Maplewood and Mounds View.
Residents surveyed by phone and at community meetings last year said that, overall, they were pleased with their facilities and service, Nemitz said. But their top priority was longer hours for their local libraries.