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5.5 LIBSR 11-26-2019Elk River Public Library Community Meeting Summary September 16, 2019 – 8 attendees Summary of meeting to talk about future of library in the community. What are the core factors that give life to the Elk River community? • Volunteerism • Education system • Parks and recreation – physical activity, rivers, boating, natural resources, green spaces available • Community gathering options – farmers market, Elk River Fest, Sherburne County Fair, July 4th • Connection to nature • Family connections & activities • Sports – hockey, all organized sports • Strong first responders – fire & police, live in community • Industry – manufacturing • Churches – spiritual component, one on every corner • Mix of history and new – invested in community, “the pit” gathering space/sledding hill • Elk River has 2nd largest homeschool population in the state Outside of work, what do you spend the most time doing in Elk River? • Hanging out at library • Church events • Outdoor activities • Sporting events • School spirit strong – activities, sports, arts • Commuter community – telecommuting, traffic • Volunteering • Dining • Shopping – retail, grocery, rarely need to leave • Gardening – 4-H, master gardeners, garden tours • Student population What are some personal challenges as a Elk River resident? • Traffic – holidays, work, road construction • Getting across town – railroad/70-100 trains go through each day, rivers, highways • Parking downtown limited – especially for events like concerts • Transportation – bus, Uber, taxi, hard for people without cars or with disabilities • Restaurants for people with allergy/food issues • Money – taxes going up, but not enough funds for schools, library, arts • School has less funding than comparable districts, contributes to lack of cultural opportunities especially for lower income families • Cost-burdened families have fewer opportunities • Activities for teens not in sports – lack of spaces, safe & welcoming like the community centers in Maple Grove or Monticello • Lack of live entertainment – poetry, author talks • Lack of continuity for cultural events, Miss Elk River, art & music • Sense of neighborhood – don’t know neighbors • Lack of land availability to add housing – limits Elk River schools growth compared to neighboring communities • People do not have close relationships with those who are here – lack of someone as an emergency contact • Harder for older adults without kids to connect It is 3-5 years from now and the Library and Elk River community have an even more productive relationship. What is different from today? • Arts, sports, offer programs that are intergenerational and fill culture gap, reading to grandparent • Outreach to/visit people who are homebound, limited in some way, aging, lonely • Have homeschoolers help deliver books • Homeschool community • Education resources, i.e. MNLink, ebooks, test prep, language • Using library space more often • Co-ops reaching out, education hour • Increase on-line access/capability – content, resources • Library be a safe place especially for people who are homeless or have disabilities, community asset for both rich and poor • Connecting library with teens – access to library, going to teens-bus/ bookmobile • Library services on-the-road • Contract with a door delivery service • Events are timed well • Awareness of the growing diversity in the community What steps should GRRL take in Elk River to help our community thrive? • Programs – tons of them, promote to multiple audiences, promote those already being offered • Variety of programs • Library take a leadership role – connecting and organizing • Use Facebook, newspaper • Reach multiple target markets • Saturday programs • Read with a dog is great • Expand and promote 1000 Books • Connect with a parent night, ECFE collaboration • Clearinghouse of information for all community events, central place for community events • Collaboration with parks & recreation, schools to plan and promote programs/events • Access to collection and physical space • Expanded, consistent hours – continue as a priority • Expand evening or Saturday hours, especially in winter • What is the plan to meet needs of growing diversity locally – language, ethnicity, race? • Might need someone on staff to meet communication needs • Is there a possibility of having an ASL interpreter on staff scheduled at certain branches on certain days? • Reach out to immigrant population to help engage with library resources