aviles report mt. pleasant

8/14/2019 Aviles Report Mt. Pleasant

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The Mount PleasantNeighborhood Library

Summary of Community

Feedback

Avils Associates, LLC

for the Office of Communications,

District of Columbia Public Libraries

Washington, DC

Presented February 17, 2009


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Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library - Summary

of Community Feedback - Aviles Associates, LLC

for DCPL

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The Mount Pleasant Neighborhood

Library Community Outreach Project

Goal: To collect feedback from 150

community residents regarding their hopesand suggestions for the renovation process,

interior design, and future library services of

the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library. Target audience: Youth, young adults,

adults, seniors and other population sectors

representative of the users of the Mount

Pleasant library.


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Anecdotal data from library users regarding what they like

and value about the library;

A listing of suggestions regarding the building, programs

and collections;

A listing of potential program partners and opportunities forprogram growth and improvement; and

A shared understanding among library staff and communitystakeholders regarding existing needs and opportunities fornew and creative programs when the library reopens in 2010.

Expected Outcomes


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Outreach Methodology

Flyers

Community meetings

Individual and group interviews

Self-administered questionnaires

Email

Radio interviews

Word of mouth


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Methodology

Data collected from interviews, focus groups andcommunity meetings were analyzed for themes,

patterns, similarities and differences of

experiences and suggestions.

Inferences are presented in this report for review

and consideration of DCPL staff.


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Sample and Age Groups

Data were collected from approximately

135-150 individuals from the following

age groups:

Pre-teens (10) Teens (25)

Young Adults (15-20) Adults (50+)

Seniors (40+)


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Themes

What User DislikeWhat is Missing

What Users Like and ValueWishes for the Library

Additional Comments and Suggestions


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What Users Like and Value Location and convenience

Friendly staff service

Programs for children

Access to internet and on-line world

Meeting space

Collections Books, CDs, DVDs


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Location

The convenient location is greatly

valued by residents who live and work

near the library, especially senior

citizens and child-care providers wholive or work in the surrounding area of

the library.


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Friendly Service The majority of the respondents describe the library

staff services as friendly and supportive. Thisperception is shared among the vast majority ofrespondents of all ages, including teachers, child

care providers and parents. Some acknowledge that staff looks overworked

and some are of the opinion that the library is

under-staffed and could use additional personnelwhen it reopens.


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Programs

Users like and value the summer reading

programs, the open children's space on the topfloor, the annual children art exhibits.

Having access to the internet world, althoughlimited given the scarcity of computers, is valuedby a significant number of users, especially

students and adults with no, or limited, on-lineaccess at home and/or at work.


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What User Dislike

Feeling unsafe

Not enough computers

Appearance and feel of building

Kind of dingy and not very inviting

Drab

Access to Children's area

Stairs are cramped and narrow

Lack of adequate meeting space and not enough chairs and tables Dirty bathrooms

No books in Amharic and Chinese (Mandarin)

Time limits of on-line use

High noise levels Homeless using the library as a place to nap and sleep

Overworked staff


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Safety

A significant number of respondents

expressed not feeling safe inside, and in

the immediate surroundings, of the library

due to the presence of homeless peopleand what some described as noisy or

aggressive youth.


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Computers and on-line Services

By far the most frequent response was the

perception that there are not enough

computers and that the time is too short,

especially for limited-English proficientimmigrants and those with limited on-line

experience.


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Appearance and Feel

For some the building looks and feels

uninviting, the interiors walls could use

color and the furniture could be both

historic and modern. A few suggested a multilingual sign

outside of the building inviting and

welcoming users.


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Dislikes of Childrens Area

Difficulty in accessing area.

Narrow and cramped stairs

The height at which the books are

displayed. The bathrooms are too far from the

childrens area.

Noise and the lack of an enclosed area formothers or nannies with infants.


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Meeting Rooms

By and large users of meeting spaces

dislike the appearance and condition of

the meeting rooms and pointed to the lack

of furniture, LCD projectors, screen andother audio-visual equipment to use

during meetings and presentations.


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Appearance and Cleanliness

A significant number of respondents described

experiences with unclean bathrooms or lack of

paper towels, soap, etc.; others pointed to the

basements poor appearance and condition.

The basement looks like a warehouse


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Noise, Collections

Staff of child-care providers complained

about high noise levels created by smallchildren who cry or disturb others whiletheir care takers are busy chatting on cell

phones or among themselves.

Teachers of English-as-a-Second languagedisliked the apparent lack of books inAmharic and Chinese for ESL studentswho speak these languages.


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What is Missing

By far the most frequent services described as missing

were a sufficient number of computers and adequateamount of on-line time. Respondents complained oflong waits and those with limited on-line knowledgecomplained that 30 minutes is not enough time,

especially those with limited-English proficiency. Related to this topic were several suggestions from

former staff and users to move the computers and on-line services to an area in the basement as a way toreduce traffic flow and noise on the first floor.


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What Is Missing

A significant number of respondents described

the Mount Pleasant Library as lacking energy,color, and joie de vivre.

Similarly, others described the facilities as

drab, kind of dingy and uninviting, whileothers stressed experiences with dirtybathrooms, cluttered basement.

A sense of personal safety and security.


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What is Missing

Rooms with partitions

state-of-the-art meeting facilities

equipped such as LCD projectors,

screens, public address system, etc. Room dividers in the larger room.

Enough chairs and tables in every meetingroom.


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Wishes

More computers and more on-line time

Lots of color and light More chairs and tables in the reading rooms

Better security inside and outside

Contrast historic building with modern furniture

More books in Amharic and Chinese

A caf lounge

State-of- the art AV- audio books, films,

Partnerships with local businesses and organizations Rehearsal space

Language Room


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Additional Comments and

Suggestions

Hire bilingual and bicultural staff representative of the library users.

Expand services to kids 2-12 and subdivide areas according to youngages.

Explore and develop partnerships with community-basedorganizations and public offices. (OLA. LAYC, Bell SH, Bancroft.LEDC, Neighbors Consejo, MP business Association, CHDC).

Conduct Quin dice que no leemos campaign (Who says we don't

read). Learn from others, visit library's in Bogat, Mexico City, Oaxaca,

NYC, etc.

Enforce codes of behaviors for independent child-care providers.

Organize Book Fair in partnership with others.

Provide sound-proof rehearsal space

Create Language Room where users can learn other languages


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Additional Comments and

Suggestions

Enforce silence rules

Show movies , organize book reading contests Organize book clubs

Display children books at a proper height for their age;buy childrens furniture and tables or boxes for display

Open up a concession a coffee shop Create a lounge in the children area with pillows and no

chairs

Make the doors wide for wheel chairs -4 inches wider

than ADA Dont frame the murals

Keep youth and children in separate spaces


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Organizations that Provided

Feedback14th Street Business Association

3041 Mount Pleasant Tenants Association

Alice Deal Middle SchoolANC 1A

ANC 1C

Bancroft Elementary School

Bell Multicultural Senior High School

Capital City Charter School

Carlos Rosario International Career Center

Change, Inc.

Columbia Heights Development Corporation

Columbia Heights Village Together

Columbia Heights Youth Club

DC Office on Latino Affairs

EOFULA

FIDMI/Mi TierraFiesta DC

Latin American Youth Center

Latino Economic development Corporation

Latino Federation of Greater WashingtonLittle Flower Montessori School

Mount Pleasant Business Association

Mount Pleasant Main Street

Neighbors Consejo, Inc.Oyster-Adams Elementary School

Spanish Development Center

UPO Child Development Center

Woodrow Wilson High School


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Recommendations

Schedule a follow-up meeting with the Mount Pleasant Librarystaff. During a meeting I had, I experienced them to be both

full of energy and anxiety around proposed uses of space and

the staffing implications of these changes. I strongly believe

that you, and others working closely on this and other buildingrenovations, can benefit from hearing about their experiences

and suggestions for space use, collections and services.

Explore ways to close the loop with those who provided

feedback in order to acknowledge their input and validate their

suggestions. Several interviewees were curious about a process

for further follow-up and asked questions regarding the

implementation of their suggestions. One option would be toinvite those interviewed to a presentation of themes and

suggestions that emerged from the outreach and feedback

gathering effort.


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Recommendations

Follow up with community-based organizations (CBOs) to furtherexplore their needs and suggestions for the utilization of meetingspace. By and large, representatives from CBOs expressed greatinterest in this theme and consider it one of the most valuablelibrary services to the community. If it is not too late, a meetingbetween the architects and representatives of CBOs could prove tobe beneficial for the renovation process and to foster strongercommunity ties with these sector of users.

Several representatives of CBOs expressed interest in exploringpartnerships (DC Office of Latino Affairs, Neighbors Consejo,FiestaDC, Columbia Heights Development Corporation) with theMount Pleasant Library including Spanish literacy classes, book

exhibits, lectures, cultural events and training for small businessowners. DC Public Library staff charged with designing anddeveloping library services should explore implications ofsuggested partnerships and determine which ones might be ripefor implementation.


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Recommendations

A few weeks before the closing and the reopening of the library

conduct a multi-lingual communications campaign (Spanish,Mandarin, Amharic and English) designed to alert the community at-

large, and those who provided feedback, about your upcoming plans

and, to the degree possible, announce open houses for different age

groups as a way to further strengthen community ties and

involvement.

aviles report mt. pleasant

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