Hi there,
My name is Jane Diamanti, and I’m the Director of the Halton Hills Public Library. I have started this blog to talk about the Georgetown Branch Renovation and Expansion project as it evolves, and more importantly, to provide an on-line forum for sharing ideas about this new facility.

I thought I would begin with answers to some frequently asked questions. Feel free to post your own questions, or to add your comments on this project. This is a very exciting time in the long and illustrious history of the Halton Hills Public Library, and we look forward to involving the public in this project as much as possible.

1. Why do we need to renovate/expand the current Georgetown Branch?

The Facility/Site Study done in October 2005, revealed many deficiencies in the existing Georgetown Branch. The most critical is the severe shortage of space for the population now served. Using the well established and widely used standard of .6 square feet per capita, the branch should be close to 22,000 square feet, or almost twice the current size. This space shortage will only worsen with the projected population growth. Based on the population projections provided by Halton Region, it is estimated that we will need 33,000 square feet of library space for the Georgetown area by 2021. The planned extension to Georgetown Branch will add almost 14,000 square feet, bringing the total square footage close to 26,000 square feet. Although it may not be enough to address the population in 14 years, it will certainly allow us to house more material, offer a reasonable amount of quiet reading and study space, better meet the demand for Internet stations, and offer adequate space for our programs.

In addition to the space deficiency, we hope to address ongoing problems with noise containment and infrastructure issues such as poor wiring and ventilation.

We know that patrons are also supportive of this expansion. In several recent surveys, patrons have confirmed that they simply want more of what we are currently offering, e.g., bigger collections. At this time, we cannot add any more material; our shelves are jam-packed! We can only add to our collections if we have a larger facility.

2. Is the Halton Hills Public Library busy enough to warrant a new, larger facility?

Statistics from the last three years indicate that library use has increased dramatically in all areas including borrowing, questions asked and programs attended. Since 2003, circulation has jumped 39%, and attendance at children’s programs has increased 27%. Patrons also come to us for reference service, which is also up 10%. Some of this increase is attributed to growth, but the year-on-year increase in circulation is considerably greater than the annual population increases. This suggests to us that new residents are discovering the many benefits of library service, and longer term residents are using and enjoying the library more. We fully expect this upward trend to continue.