I. OVERALL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

II. NEEDS ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY
Executive Summary

III. COMMUNITY ANALYSIS
Executive Summary

IV. ANALYSIS OF LIBRARY SERVICE NEEDS
Executive Summary

V. SERVICE LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING LIBRARY FACILITIES
Executive Summary

VI. PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS OF EXISITING LIBRARY
Executive Summary

On Friday, October 8, 1999, a large group of Walnut Creek residents joined Senator Richard Rainey as he attracted statewide media attention to the need to dramatically improve public library services for the people of California. The appallingly inadequate Walnut Creek Library served as his “poster child,” representing outmoded library facilities throughout the state. Senator Rainey, author of Senate Bill 3, which later became Proposition 14, urged Californians to vote in favor of this $350 million proposition, on the ballot for March 7, 2000. Thankfully, the California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2000 was approved by the voters.

When the existing Walnut Creek Library opened in 1961, only 9,903 people lived in the City of Walnut Creek. By 1970, this population had increased four-fold to 39,844. When a second library, the Ygnacio Valley Branch, opened in 1975 to improve library services to the residential neighborhoods east of the City’s downtown, it did little to relieve pressure on the downtown library. By 2000, the population of the City had grown to 64,296 making the 9,240 square foot library severely inadequate. There is not enough room for the collections, services and programs currently desired by the community, nor is there space to accommodate new technology or future services. A New Downtown Walnut Creek Library, with a total 41,289 square feet of space, is desperately needed to adequately meet the library needs of today’s Walnut Creek and to provide for future growth of this dynamic City.

The citizens of Walnut Creek take great pride in their City’s status as a regional center for the arts, finance, entrepreneurial commerce and health care. They desire an attractive, easily accessible downtown library to match the high quality of other City amenities and services. They want a library equal in stature to the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Performing Arts, to the City’s vibrant downtown, and to the City’s extensive arts education program. Community input has shown that the overwhelming majority of residents do not believe the current library meets this need; and a 1998 facilities study commissioned by Walnut Creek and the Contra Costa Library supports this belief. This comprehensive study rated the existing library as physically inadequate, especially in the categories of seismic performance, energy efficiency, health and safety, functional spatial relationships, and accessibility.

Walnut Creek’s residents have put a great deal of energy and thought into planning their New Downtown Walnut Creek Library. This population of highly educated adults, 94.9% of whom have graduated from high school or attained a higher level of education, demands a new Library that can meet their educational and informational needs. These civic-minded adults, 75% of whom serve as active volunteers, want the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library to provide a place for community groups to meet, collect information and materials that support their activities, and serve as a neutral forum for the exchange of ideas with others.

Eighty-five percent of Walnut Creek’s residents have computers at home and at work. In fact, Walnut Creek’s large community of active seniors, which at 25.3% of the population is more than two times greater than the national average, is technologically astute. These seniors have asked that the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library offer classes on new information technologies. Community input confirmed that there is high expectation that the Library will be a leader in introducing new technologies and electronic resources, and instructing the public in their use.

Without a New Downtown Walnut Creek Library, the Contra Costa County Library is unable to offer the scope and depth of library programs, resources and services essential to residents of such a vibrant, thriving urban community. Without a New Downtown Walnut Creek Library, the City of Walnut Creek, which prides itself on providing a variety of essential services and cultural amenities to its own citizens, as well as to visitors from well beyond the city limits, will be unable to provide space for adequate public library services. Most of the needed programs and services are heavily dependent upon the use of technology, yet the existing building cannot meet its present demand for electrical outlets, much less the space requirements or infrastructure needed for new technologies.

During the community needs assessment process, the City’s students, parents, teachers, media specialists, and librarians consistently identified the urgent need for a program to assist Walnut Creek’s 8,036 students with homework after school. They spoke about the difficulty that students of all ages have in meeting their academic goals due to the inadequacy of both the current public library facility and the school libraries. In addition to homework assistance, there is also a demand for multimedia technology workstations with Internet access to Library databases, a variety of software products, and other electronic resources to support student research. Computer literacy classes offered for all skill levels, on a variety of topics that address curriculum needs, are also needed. Literacy services for new speakers of English and for parents who wish to help their young children become successful readers is also desired, as is assistance for students exploring college and career options, and opportunities to extend science learning beyond the classroom.

The community of Walnut Creek needs a new, fully accessible, state-of-the-art library in Civic Park, the physical heart of the City. A New Downtown Walnut Creek Library will be a symbol of community pride – a community destination that serves as a center for knowledge and learning for residents of all ages.

Between 1991 and 1997, community leaders, library users and supporters conducted citywide surveys that revealed library service consistently rated among the top three critical community services. In 1997, the Vision for the Future committee, composed of the City Manager and two members from each of three City Commissions, evaluated potential capital projects in five areas: libraries; the arts; open space; parks and recreation; and creek restoration. A proposal that a library facilities consultant be hired to evaluate the current facility and determine future library needs was given high priority.

The City of Walnut Creek then hired the polling firm of Price Research to provide a benchmark measure of attitudes toward a local bond measure for future capital projects. The firm surveyed 400 respondents in the late fall of 1997. All of the results showed low voter support for raising taxes to pay for most projects. However, 57.5% of respondents indicated they would be more likely to vote for a measure if funds would be used to support a new library in downtown Walnut Creek. The proportion of respondents who said they would be likely to vote for a measure rose to 71% when respondents were told that the Walnut Creek Library was one of the smallest, yet busiest libraries in Contra Costa County.

During this same time, the Friends of the Walnut Creek Library and the Friends of the Ygnacio Valley Library worked with staff from both libraries to conduct a companion program called Focus on the Future. In 1997, twenty-one representatives from City government, schools agencies, businesses and community organizations volunteered to participate on one of three Task Forces created to gather community input on how the Library could best serve the community. These Task Forces used a combination of focus groups, surveys and key informant interviews to assess the community’s preferences for library services in these areas: 1) Service to Youth and Families; 2) Service to Business; and 3) Service to Seniors.

On February 17, 1998, the Walnut Creek City Council hired the firm of Stockton Associates of Berkeley, along with the architectural firm of Noll & Tam of Berkeley, to do a study of the Walnut Creek Library in partnership with the Contra Costa County Library. The City of Walnut Creek and Contra Costa County Library, Phase I Report, Library Needs Assessment issued by Stockton Associates in April 1999 identified the following library service responses as priorities: Current Topics and Titles; Formal Learning Support; Information Literacy; General Information; and Lifelong Learning. This report also concluded that the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library should integrate technology to address a variety of community needs, expand the scope and depth of resources available to the community, and extend access to library resources and services beyond the walls of the library, making them available after library hours and to residents unable to visit the library.

In 2000, the Walnut Creek Library Foundation hired Community Counseling Service Co. Inc. of San Francisco to survey the 702 members of the Friends of the Walnut Creek Library and Friends of the Ygnacio Valley Library. Seventy-seven completed questionnaires were returned and there was overwhelming agreement that the City should build a new Library.

During a six-month period beginning in 2001, the City engaged citizens in an intensive planning process to solicit their concerns and ideas for the future of the community. Over 350 people participated in these Community Conversations by attending three sequential evening meetings. All of the discussion groups identified the improvement of library facilities and services as one of their top priorities for the future of the City.

In the fall of 2001, the Walnut Creek City Council hired the Center for Community Opinion of San Ramon to conduct a telephone survey of registered voters in advance of the City’s March 2002 ballot measure, a parcel tax to raise revenue to fund increased hours at both libraries in the City. The survey revealed that, in response to years of community dialogue about library services, residents of Walnut Creek demanded immediate improvements at the existing facility until a new library could be built. With over 100 volunteers, the level and range of community involvement for this successful campaign was impressive. On March 5, 2002, Measure Q passed with a 69.7% yes vote.

Community input specific to the library service needs of elementary and secondary students was gathered through twelve focus groups conducted with students, parents, and teachers by the Focus on the Future Service to Youth and Families Task Force; five focus groups conducted at the PTA meetings of five schools in the Walnut Creek School District; a focus group conducted with the Walnut Creek Youth Council, and a questionnaire distributed to all students in grades four through eight at the Walnut Creek School District. Building on a long history of collaboration and strong, effective partnerships, the City of Walnut Creek held numerous meetings in 2002 and 2003 with staff from three school districts to review the identified needs and establish library service priorities.

The results of ten years of engaged discussions and critical inquiry are reflected within this Community Library Needs Assessment, attesting to the strength of the creative vision - and collective mission - of the citizens of Walnut Creek to build a New Downtown Walnut Creek Library within the heart of their community.

When it incorporated as a city in 1914 and until the mid-1940s, Walnut Creek was an agricultural community. From the early postwar period to the mid-1980s, Walnut Creek was simply viewed as a suburban bedroom community. However, Walnut Creek has since developed into a thriving commercial center that boasts more companies than the rest of Contra Costa County. In addition to an array of major retailers such as Nordstrom, Macy’s, Pottery Barn, The Gap, and Williams Sonoma, or hotels like Embassy Suites and the Marriott, downtown Walnut Creek has become a mecca for the region’s entrepreneurial businesses. From a peripheral agricultural community in its earliest days, Walnut Creek has transformed into an “Edge City” with 90% of its 8,000 businesses located downtown. Walnut Creek also serves as the region’s financial, medical and professional services center. Eighty-three percent of its population holds professional positions, and a high median household income ($63,238), low unemployment rate (3.2%), and high level of educational attainment (95% have at least a high school diploma) contribute to the City’s status. However, while it is not always apparent, poverty does exist among this affluence in Walnut Creek. The Assistance League reported a 72% increase between 1995 and 2000 in the number of children from low-income families in the Walnut Creek School District who received clothing assistance.

Downtown Walnut Creek is a hub of community activity. More than eighty nonprofit organizations and service groups, many serving the entire region, are based in Walnut Creek. These organizations have generated a very high level of volunteerism; approximately 75% of Walnut Creek’s adults volunteer in some type of community organization. Local arts and cultural organizations include: the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, the Bedford Art Gallery, Diablo Regional Arts Association, the California Symphony Orchestra, Inc., the Diablo Symphony Association, Young Artists Symphony Orchestra, the Festival Opera Association, the Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Diablo Ballet, El Ballet Folklorico Mestizo, Playhouse West, Inc., Diablo Light Opera Company, Valley Art Center, and the Dancers of the Pacific Association. Organizations serving the needs of ethnic groups include: the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay-Russian Resettlement and Immigration Services Program, the Contra Costa Chinese School, the Japanese American Citizens League, Junta (the Spanish speaking parents group at Buena Vista Elementary School), and the Walnut Creek Sister Cities International Committee.

There are numerous service organizations in Walnut Creek, many with more than one local chapter, including Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Elks, Toastmasters International, and Sons in Retirement. There is a wide range of organizations involved in fostering wellness and raising awareness about health issues. These include the Wellness Community, the Contra Costa Crisis Center, the John Muir Foundation, the John Muir-Mt. Diablo Community Benefit Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Contra Costa, and the Parkinson’s Network of Mt. Diablo. There are a large number of senior service organizations in the City, including the Diablo Valley Foundation for the Aging, Meals on Wheels, Family and Community Services of Contra Costa, John Muir-Mt. Diablo Health System Senior Services, and Senior Assisted Living.

In addition to a vibrant arts education program, Walnut Creek supports a large number of organizations for youth, including: Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts, and Girl Scouts of America, Walnut Creek Soccer Club, Walnut Creek Youth Athletic Association, Walnut Creek Youth Football, Little League Baseball, and the Walnut Creek Aquanauts. Walnut Creek also offers extensive recreational opportunities with open space areas, hiking and equestrian trails, parks, tennis courts, swimming centers, and an 18-hole municipal golf course.

Many residents are drawn to Walnut Creek by the excellent reputation of its schools. Test scores for all twelve of the public schools in the City, representing the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, the Walnut Creek School District and the Acalanes Union High School District, exceed the County average. All elementary and intermediate schools in Walnut Creek scored at or above the interim Statewide Performance Target of 800 in 2002. Walnut Creek is also home to seven private elementary and secondary schools, an active home schooling community and many preschools. Three college campuses are located near the downtown Walnut Creek Library. Students from these colleges depend upon the public library for recreational reading, as well as for supplementing the specialized collections and services provided by their college libraries. This interest in good schools is in keeping with the relatively high educational attainment of Walnut Creek adults. 94.9% are high school graduates, compared to 86.9% in the County and 53.9% have bachelor's degrees, compared to 35% in the County.

The existing downtown library serves a population of 64,296 that is increasingly diverse. These library users include a growing population of students who attend one of the many schools within the downtown library’s service area, disabled residents who can more easily travel by public transportation to this downtown location, a high percentage of adults employed in the thriving downtown’s commercial area, older residents living in nearby Rossmoor, and a growing population of residents that speak languages other than English.

As part of its “Smart Growth” program, the City is focusing on the development of future businesses and housing in the downtown area. This approach allows for the use of existing infrastructure and increased density to stimulate public transit, while saving the “greenbelt” for agriculture, wildlife habitat and recreation. Recognizing the need for more affordable housing, the City committed an additional $300,000 from the General Fund in 2002 to build affordable housing in the area that will be served by the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library, bringing the 2002/2004 budget for housing to nearly $4 million. Forty-seven percent of the housing in Walnut Creek is multi-family and most of these housing units are located in the downtown core close to the library.

Collections According to the National Center for Education Statistics 2002, the national average of books per capita is 2.9. However, the Contra Costa County Library Annual Statistics 2002/2003 indicate that library facilities in Walnut Creek currently provide only 2.1 books per capita. This means that existing collections contain 26% fewer books than the national average. By 2020, in order to adequately meet the collection needs of the community, the Walnut Creek libraries (the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library and the Ygnacio Valley Library) should have combined collections of roughly 213,300 volumes or 3.0 items per capita, based on an estimated population of 71,100. The New Downtown Walnut Creek Library must then offer a minimum of 147,000 items by 2020 to respond to the community’s need for an enhanced collection.

Materials in a variety of formats are needed to meet the educational, information and recreational needs of all ages, with an emphasis on increased acquisition of materials in new formats as they become available, such as CD-ROMs and DVDs. Resources and services that respond to the needs of students, health care providers and their patients, the disabled and others with physical access issues, job seekers and career changers, and local business people are essential, as are services that will eliminate barriers to library access for children in daycare centers, for older adults with limited mobility, for working parents, for commuters, for small business owners, and for students who do not have transportation to the library.

Programs The City of Walnut Creek and its residents placed a high priority on providing school-age children with a quality education and a rich learning environment. This community priority was evident in key informant interviews, focus group sessions and several surveys of library users and community groups done over the past five to six years. Walnut Creek Libraries: Focus on the Future, a report issued in 1998, identified that: “Survey respondents value the library as a vital link for the community, tying together schools, youth, and parents in the interest of promoting literacy, serving as an information and research resource, and providing a quiet place for leisure reading.”

In order to maintain the continued academic excellence of the schools in the downtown area, and to ensure equitable access for all students, the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library must further develop its already positive relationships with all school districts. The new Library will serve as a hub for homework assistance and tutoring, training on the use of computers and electronic resources, emergent language and family literacy programs, workshops on exploring colleges and careers, and after school science learning activities.

Arts programs and educational activities developed with the City’s Civic Arts Education Program, the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, the Historical Society and the Lindsay Wildlife Museum will enhance the City’s role as a regional center for arts and cultural activities. Larger and more in-depth collections on art, drama, and music to support the many art exhibits, theatrical productions, and musical performances offered in the City will enhance the community’s appreciation of the arts, and the creation of resources and services that assist the City’s residents and visitors to discover and enjoy these activities will benefit the community at large.

Multi-Purpose Spaces The New Downtown Walnut Creek Library must be a physically welcoming facility if it is to offer all of the services requested by its residents. A large multi-purpose room must be available to provide flexible audience seating for 150 adults or more than 200 children, as well as offer a portable stage for dramatic productions, and children’s programs. This large multi-purpose room will be used for large community forums, meetings, continuing education workshops and tutor training. It must also double, when needed, as a larger classroom for technology training. Other smaller meeting rooms are also needed for quiet study groups, collaborative learning, and adult tutoring sessions. Outdoor multi-purpose space will extend library services into the park setting.

Technology Appropriate technologies will be integrated into the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library in response to identified service needs. An increased number of computer workstations with Internet access and word processing capability will serve residents of all ages and ensure equity of access for the entire community. A variety of electronic databases will increase the number of resources available to meet the research needs of students and the business community. Students and their parents, seniors, local business owners, and others in the community expressed a strong desire for training on the effective use of computers and electronic resources, so a fully equipped technology training center is also needed.

The existing facility cannot meet any of these identified community needs, but the proposed New Downtown Walnut Creek Library will be able to accommodate these urgently requested library services, as well as services anticipated over the next twenty years.

Collections:Space limitations have hampered collection development, and the number of items housed in the current facility is inadequate to meet the educational, informational and recreational needs of Walnut Creek’s residents. According to the National Center for Education Statistics 2002, the national average of books per capita is 2.9. However, the Contra Costa County Library Annual Statistics 2002/2003 indicate that library facilities in Walnut Creek currently provide only 2.1 books per capita. This means that existing collections contain 26% fewer books than the national average. Readers’ Seating: The amount of seating available in the current library does not meet the demands of the 61 visitors who enter the library every hour. Service is negatively impacted by the lack of readers’ seating and there is no space to provide seating for the variety of programs and services desired by the community. Participants in focus groups and surveys reported a need for more seating, to include a variety of comfortable and attractive seating for different purposes throughout the library.

Staff Work Areas:The public has noted the inadequacy of the staff work areas. This deficit of the current facility affects service delivery in a variety of ways. It limits the ability of the Library to accommodate the number of staff needed to provide patrons with assistance using Library resources. It diminishes staff efficiency and leads to wasted staff time. It results in staff functions being performed in public areas that are already cramped for space. It limits the size and scope of volunteer programs. It hampers the fund raising and other activities of the Friends of the Library. Without improved staff offices and workstations, the Walnut Creek Library will continue to be limited in its ability to offer the quality services needed by the community.

Technology: Walnut Creek is a technologically sophisticated community. A majority of households have computers and access to the Internet. A recent June 2002 survey conducted by Astound Broadband in Walnut Creek showed computer ownership in Walnut Creek at 85%, which is 11% higher than the County average. A May 19, 2002 article, “Retired and Wired” in the Contra Costa Times featured the Rossmoor seniors’ favorite pastime – surfing the Internet! Community input has confirmed a high expectation that the Library will be a leader in introducing new technologies and electronic resources, and will instruct the public in their use. If the library is not able to keep up with technological developments, it will be seen as irrelevant. Most of the needed programs and services are dependent on the use of technology. For this reason alone, this building is inadequate in meeting current and future needs for library services.

Meeting Room Space: There is a significant community interest in library programs for all ages, but provision of such services is hampered by the lack of an adequate public meeting space in the library. There is no separate meeting room space in the current building. An open space near the entrance to the building can only be used for library events when the library is open, since it cannot be closed off from the rest of the library. One side of this space is open to the entrance and circulation desk area. A portable wall forms another side, so noise carries out into the rest of the library. This is the only space available for programs of all types. All groups providing input about library services have expressed the need for more space for public programs. Another community priority for the library is meeting space for the many local community organizations in Walnut Creek. The Library will be unable to serve as a community gathering place and cultural center unless adequate meeting space is provided.

• Overall seismic performance
• Compliance with present ADA, energy, health and safety requirements
• Acoustics
• Space flexibility and expandability
• Functional spatial relationships
• Aesthetic appeal

Structural: The poor seismic rating is related to overstressing in the lateral force resisting elements of the building, a lack of proper wall anchorage and continuous cross ties, use of non-ductile concrete frames as lateral force resisting elements, and numerous roof joist, beam and column stresses. There are also unstable and potentially hazardous concrete block sunscreens on exterior walls.

Energy Conservation: The single-glazed aluminum windows do not meet current energy conservation requirements. Most of the HVAC equipment was installed at the time of the building’s construction in 1961 and is now well beyond its expected lifespan. The cooling tower sump overflows during shutdown, resulting in a significant waste of water.

Health and Safety: The potential for fire is great due to the lack of any automatic sprinkler systems or fire alarm systems; there is only one easily accessible fire exit in the building. Overcrowded, unstable and un-braced shelving units throughout the building create a great danger from falling books.

Disabled Access: This unsafe and inaccessible existing facility prevents disabled access. Public restrooms are too narrow to permit wheelchairs. Telephones, drinking fountains, shelves, staff restrooms and kitchenettes are also non-ADA compliant.

Acoustics: The completely open design of the existing facility, lack of permanent full-height walls, and a lack of carpeting in high use areas have created unacceptable high levels of noise throughout the library.

Lighting: Large portions of the building have high ceilings; the lighting fixtures in these areas are too high to provide the task lighting needed by library users to both locate books and other materials or to read or study. A cherry picker or scaffolding must be brought in to replace light bulbs. Due to the expense, light bulbs are replaced only when numerous bulbs have burned out. The lack of electrical outlets prohibits the placement of task lighting to alleviate the lighting problem.

Space Flexibility / Expandability: At 9,240 square feet, more than 30,000 square feet less than the proposed New Downtown Walnut Creek Library, the present facility offers no flexibility or expandability. Not only is all space used; it is over-used. Spaces like the multi-purpose room, intended to serve a variety of programmatic needs, must serve multiple and often conflicting purposes, as a staff workroom, book storeroom, meeting room and student study room.

Functional Spatial Relationships: Overuse of the existing minimal space has led to numerous non-functional spatial relationships. Collections and readers’ seating are squeezed into all available spaces, making it difficult to pass through some areas, maneuver in a wheelchair, or locate shelved materials. The lack of space in the staff work area has led to the gradual encroachment of staff functions on public spaces. Computer workstations are crowded together, preventing any shared learning experiences or one-on-one technology training.

Site: The current library is positioned so poorly on its site that the building is difficult to see from the street, the number of parking spaces available to library patrons is severely limited, and expansion of either the facility or parking area to meet the future needs of Walnut Creek’s growing population is not possible. The site selected for the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library is immediately adjacent to the current library building’s footprint in Civic Park. The site itself has no physical limitations and is an excellent location for the New Downtown Walnut Creek Library. The proposed new Library will take advantage of the site’s amenities, and be highly visible. The site will also allow for future expansion of both the building and the parking.

Other Considerations: The lack of aesthetic appeal renders the existing facility unwelcoming and uncomfortable for visitors and staff alike. Invisible from the street and unattractively landscaped, the interior is equally unappealing. Worn interior finishes, torn vinyl flooring and carpeting, uncomfortable, worn and limited seating, insufficient lighting and stained ceilings contribute to the dingy and dreary environment of the existing downtown library.