Foot Bridge Across the Mancos River

Taken from the Library Building Site

Mancos Library Fundraiser a Success

On September 21, a group of library supporters, board members and staff gathered for a fundraiser dinner and to honor retired Mancos Times editor Tom Vaughan. In attendance were Cortez Hournal publisher Suzy Meyer, Richard Ballantine, owner of the Cortez Journal and the Mancos Times, Library Director Patsy Smith and Tom Vaughan.

Meyer, one-time editor of the Mancos Times, talked about her relationship with the library while she worked in Mancos. "When I first became the newspaper lady, my children were quite small. Here I was, a newspaper lady who often had small children in tow. The library was a refuge, and the librarians occasionally were lifesavers. My children remember the summer reading programs, they still love to read, and for that, I thank you."

The fundraiser was a success, raising $2,400 toward the planned library expansion.

The Mancos Public Library Staff

From the Mancos Times

Architect Selected for the New Library

After discussion during a regularly scheduled library board meeting on June 22, the Mancos Public Library board of Trustees unanimously voted to select Humphries Poli Architects, P.C. as the architectual firm to design a new library building. Humphries Poli Architects, located in Denver, will be the principal-in-charge and Matthew Wilhelm will serve as the project designer. Dennis Humphries has managed more than 20 library projects, including the Dolores Public Library. Mr. Humphries has been honored as 2005 Architect of the Year by AIA Colorado and as 2004 Architect of the Year by the Colorado chapter of the American Subcontractors Association. He co-founded Humphries Poli Architects, named AIA Denver Firm of the Year, with Joesph Poli in 1994. In further business, the Board voted to go for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" certification for the library building project.

"In the next couple of months, we will hold public meetings for community members to discuss their needs and wants. From that information, our architect will develop a conceptual design. The initial design process will take about two months," said Patsy Smith, library director.
The second stage will be procuring a general contractor. The final design will be developed, which could take up to seven months, Smith explained.

"We will also be writing grants and get our funding finalized. We can't break ground until we have a close number for the cost of the project." Smith said.

She added tht the groundbreaking for the library will probably be during the spring or early summer of 2007.

From the Mancos Times

Visit Humphries Poli Architects, PC: http://www.hparch.com/

Humphries Poli - Library Design Philosophy

Library Board, Staff Meet with Consultant

The Mancos Public Library has lots of heart - in a small and overtaxed body.

That's one way of summarizing the extensive data the library's board, staff and some supporters received during a session with library consultant Abbie Zeltzer on Wednesday, April 12.
Using the data developed during a morning meeting with the library staff, Zeltzer shared the Mancos library's current strengths, current weaknesses, future opportunities and future threats during an open workshop in the afternoon at the visitor center. Each of those aspects was considered with respect to the local library's commons mission (community meeting space), current topics and titles, general history and genealogy.

Among the current strengths listed are the "ease the public feels", children's programming, high circulation and turnover rates [of materials], "knowledgeable staff", public access computers, wireless avbility, ready reference materials at circulation desk, staff knowledge of their community, commitment to the arts, collection balance, the Southwest collection and "program variety and support of outside library community programs".

"Space" is a weakness in almost every respect - space for programs, space for collections and spae for displays. There's also not enough space available to separate activities that can interfere with each other, like children's programs and public access computers.

Future opportunities also emphasize space - space for people and space for things. The spaces for people (multi-use, young adult, children's programs and browsing lounge) carry with them threats - the budget impact of staff to schedule and monitor use, as well as cleaning, repairs and utilities.

More space is also needed for books, periodicals, prints, "technology hardware" and exhibits
When Zeltzer compared the Mancos library with the state standards, she explained that the state rates library resources as essential (25th percentile), enhanced (50th percentile), comprehensive (75th percentile), and 95th percentile.

The Mancos library has a service population of about 4,000, and it expends $4.38 per capita, which puts is almost at the comprehensive level ($4.57 per capita). Our library also has a repectable circulation (7.14 titles per capita; the state figures the enhanced level is 6.54 and comprehensive is 8.12). The turnover rate (average circulation per item owned) is also good: 1.44, which is exactly the comprehensive rate.

The needs are primarily in the areas of periodicals, non-print and audio-visual materials, volumes - and space!

Photo

(Caption: Library Consultant Abbie Zeltzer walks the board of the Mancos Public Library and other library fans through a comparison of the Mancos Library's facilities, holdings and services with comparative data from other libraries in Colorado and the 2005 Colorado Library Standards. The workshop on Wednesday will help the staff and board use the comparative data to pinpoint the capacity and features that need to be designed into the new library to be built in Empire Park.)

From the Mancos Times

Library Winter Dreamscape

Sustainable Building Practices

The community is invited to attend a program on the topic of sustainable building practices, sponsosred by the Board of Trustees of the Mancos Public Library. The program will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18, in the visitor center.

Michelle Reott, principal, project manager and systainability consultant for Earthly Ideas, LLC. will talk about the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED evaluates environmental performance from a "whole building" perspective over a building's entire life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a "green" building.

The information on LEED practices will be utilized during the planning and building of the new library. Following the presentation, Michelle will be available to answer questions and refreshments will be served.

From the Mancos Times