Citizens for a Library in West Boise,

Thank you for your support and engagement!  Now is the time for action! Without your voice, West Boise will be left out of city services it wants and needs!

Here’s the background:

On Wednesday August 13th, at the monthly Library Board of Trustees Meeting, Library Director Jessica Dorr and representatives from Group4 architecture shared the (delayed) facilities plan they have developed.

The plan has concluded that the existing facilities provide good coverage to all Boise citizens.  This conclusion is based on a map that shows that citizens across the city use various library branches.  (shocking, right??)

This plan calls for improvements to existing locations: Hillcrest and Collister will be upgraded to become much larger facilities (potentially new standalone buildings), but the consultant concluded that no new location needs to be added in the city, including in West Boise.  That’s no new library coverage until at least 2050.

The location analysis is fundamentally flawed*.

Although the focus of libraries is books (and other physical materials), they provide so much more than that.  They provide services to the community.  They provide a place to meet, for organizations, for individuals.  They provide free access to technology.  They become a cornerstone of a vibrant community.  They are similar to parks and public safety, an essential city service that no part of the city should be without.

Acceptance of this plan cements the status quo for the next 25+ years.  We’re looking at the next facilities plan in 20 – 25 years.  (The last plan was developed 25 years ago).  Once the plan is made, it takes time to get the funding and execute that plan.

Boise claims to be a city for everyone – unless you want a library in West Boise.

What can you do?

Our first priority should be to share our thoughts with the Boise Library Board of Trustees by September 7th, and to specifically request that they reject this facilities plan draft on the basis that it does nothing to address library service inequity in Boise.  If this plan is approved by the Library Board and City Council, we will not see a new library in West Boise for 25+ years or until 2050!  The plan calls for new facilities for Hillcrest and Collister — which is wonderful for those parts of Boise.  But what should the highest priority be?  Replacing existing facilities the city rents at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers or providing access where it’s simply missing today?  The cost of a new, improved facility in West Boise, Hillcrest, or Collister is going to be roughly the same.

Why do we reach out to the Board of Trustees?  Because this is what they signed up for, specifically.

“Per state statue, the Boise Public Library Board of Trustees govern the Library and aid it in serving its mission to improve community members’ quality of life by supporting their efforts to enhance knowledge, realize creative potential, and share ideas and stories. Trustees uphold the Library’s values and commitments to intellectual freedom, universal access, innovation, and providing a world class experience for all members of the community. In addition to providing fiscal and policy oversight, the Trustees appoint and review the Library Director. By law, Library Boards in Idaho are responsible, rather than advisory boards.”

https://www.cityofboise.org/government/boards-and-commissions/library-board-of-trustees/

If you would like to share a comment with the Board, you can send a letter to the Library, to the Board’s attention, or email the Board at bplboardtrustee@cityofboise.org. The Board President reviews all letters and emails and has the discretion to decide how to respond.

More information about the current Board of Trustees:

https://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/about-us/board-of-trustees/

You may also reply to me.  I will collect comments and ensure that the Library Board of Trustees receives them.  (If you email the board directly, please cc or bcc me on your messages, I’d love to read and compile feedback.  fmark.salisbury@gmail.com).

Suggestions on format:

State your name, where you live, why you value libraries.  Share your thoughts about Group4’s analysis and the importance of this facilities plan for the future of the community.

I’m fired up.  What else can I do?

Talk about this with your neighbors.  Encourage your neighbors to also contact the Board of Trustees.  Forward this email.  Encourage people to sign the petition if they haven’t already: https://www.citizensforalibrary.org/west-boise/petition/

Why is feedback needed to the Board of Trustees by September 7th?  The next Library Board of Trustees meeting will be September 10th at the Hillcrest Library at 11:30 AM.  Any minute / agenda updates need to be ready several days before the meeting.  Although the public cannot comment at these meetings, you may attend.  Your presence will be noticed.  You can talk with Board of Trustees members after the meeting.

My Review of Group4’s Analysis

Here’s the map of library usage for one week in April 2024 that Group4 uses to claim libraries are well distributed:

This is where the analysis gets illogical.  Suppose I was in the business of grocery stores.  Would a map that shows that everybody buys groceries, including the store they usually visit, tell me that there is no need to build a new grocery store?  Based on this approach, without even doing a study, I would conclude that no new grocery stores are needed.  That’s the logic used to justify the “same old” facilities plan.  Boise values its park system and aspires to have a city park within a 10-minute walk for everyone.  If we used Group4’s analysis for parks, we’d never need a new park.  I took my kids to Ann Morrison yesterday to play disc golf, so on this map I’m an Ann Morrison user, even though it’s about a 30-minute drive each way.

During the presentation there was no recognition that the density of dots (users) is decreasing as you get farther from a library, even though the population density of those areas is comparable to other areas with lots of dots.

The analysis said that what a gap might look like is what is shown in the south west part of Boise.  Then Group4 basically admitted that the analysis is flawed because it’s missing checkouts from libraries outside of Boise.  I know we’d see that in West Boise too, that West Boise residents use Eagle, Meridian, and Garden City Libraries, if that data was available.

The next slide showing “LIBRARIES ARE WELL-DISTRIBUTED” makes it clear that there is not a good distribution.  (Do the dots representing libraries look evenly distributed to you?)  This would be especially clear if this map also included population.  (The airport is a large area of the city but has no population; West Boise is a large area of the city with areas of both average and above average population density)

My Analysis in 2023

On the other hand, when I researched library access across Boise, using a simple data driven approach based on population and distance, the answer was clear.  West Boiseans collectively travel far more to get to a library than people in any other neglected part of Boise!

I used a 2-mile radius as a service area for this analysis and found 5 areas of Boise that are more than 2 miles from a library:

It’s not even close.  Collectively West Boiseans would travel over 80,000 miles to get to a library; the next closest area is Highlands, which would require ~6,000 collective miles.    You can find more information here:

https://www.citizensforalibrary.org/west-boise/areas-with-poor-access/

July 2023 Budget Hearing, Petition by Citizens for a Library in West Boise

When we (Centennial Neighborhood Association Members, and 835 Boise citizens) petitioned the City of Boise and the Library staff to fill the library gap in West Boise at the annual budget hearing in July 2023, we were told that no decision would be made at that time, and that the city would develop a facilities plan.  After this rejection we recognized that the first step to having a library in West Boise is for it to be part of the facilities plan.  Finding the money to implement the facilities plan is the second step.

At the July 2023 meeting, Council Member Luci Willits asked Library Director Jessica Dorr:

“Can you give us more detail on what that $300,000 will go towards and what role facility planning will play in that as far as library coverage?”

Dorr responded, “Yes, this is wonderful to have so many library supporters here today, and to hear stories of what libraries mean for people personally.  It really makes me as the library director and my staff just so happy to see so much support in the community…

“One of the things that we did last year, that we found from our short term 5 year plan, one the key findings, is how invested the community is in having a conversation about facility planning, about equitable access.”

“…The community really values that physical facility — in addition to a continued website, e-audio books, we want that convenience.”

Council Member Willits: “I need clarification, what is that 300k giving us?”

Dorr continued, “With the approval of that money for the long term facilities plan, first thing I’ll do, I’ll meet with the Board of Trustees, I’ll finalize what the scope will look like with the Board.  We’ll get community input, as well as input from council.  It’s really important at the beginning, it needs to include facilities as well as the right staffing model, technology needs, collection sizes.  All of those pieces are really important in terms of looking at what are the resources that a library needs.

I think it’ll look similar to the recommendation that came 20 years ago, that had scenarios, that were available for the for the Board, council, and community to consider.  Here are different investment opportunities and trade-offs.  When you think about budgeting, you know you’ll have to make choices that meet our communities expectations but also have the funding for them long term.”

City Council was clear that the facilities plan should include public feedback.  Although it was delayed, eventually the city with help from Group4 conducted an online survey, held listening sessions, and went out to interview teens at multiple venues.

It seems the feedback received was of little value in building the facilities plan; requests for a library specifically in West Boise were made by many but there was no mention of this in the analysis of the feedback.

Boise’s Vision and Goals of the Facilities Plan

Let’s revisit the vision of the City of Boise as well as the goals of the library facilities plan.

Boise’s vision:

Our Vision: Creating a city for everyone.

GOALS:

  • Ensure that every community member has access to library materials in a format that works for them.
  • Create library spaces that are accessible and welcoming to all.
  • Increase the number of people who are aware of and benefit from the variety of services the Library provides.
  • https://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/facilitysurvey

Is this vision, and are the goals of the facilities plan, in line with the outcome?

YouTube recording of the August 13th meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQ4730lJNE

Sincerely,

Mark Salisbury

Founder, Citizens for a Library in West Boise