Libraries Together
Bettendorf Davenport LeClaire Scott County
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Libraries Together Bettendorf Davenport LeClaire Scott County
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: Bettendorf Public Library: Faye Clow, director. 563/344-4175 Davenport Public Library: LaWanda Roudebush, director. 563/326-7832 LeClaire Community Library: Kim Kietzman, director. 563/289-2788 Scott County Library System: Pam Collins, director. 563/285-4794 Consensus: Jennifer Wilding, project director. 816/531-5078 (media only) Libraries Together invites Scott County citizens to public forums (September 20, 2005) The four public libraries in Scott County invite county residents to attend public forums from October 10-October 14 to discuss how libraries would best be structured and funded. Working in small groups, citizens will discuss options such as remaining independent, unifying into one library, or increasing the level of collaboration. The forums are part of the Libraries Together project. Any Scott County resident is invited to participate at any location; the libraries may need to select participants to assure that the forums include a mix of citizens from around the county. Space is limited and reservations are required. For reservations, go to www.librariestogether.org/feedback.htm or call 344-4175 (Bettendorf Public Library will be taking phone reservations for all forum locations). The schedule and locations for public meetings are: 5:30-7:30 p.m., Monday, October 10, at the Davenport Public Library; 9:30-11:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 11, at the Davenport Public Library; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 11, at the Bettendorf Public Library; 1:30-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 12, at the Bettendorf Public Library; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 12, at the LeClaire Community Library; 1:30-3:30 p.m., Thursday, October 13, at the Eldridge branch of the Scott County Library System; and
5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 13, at the Eldridge branch of the Scott County Library System. The forums at Davenport Public Library will have free parking. Parking is always free after 5:00 p.m. and the metered spots located in the lot at 4th and Brady streets will be available for participants during the day time forum on October 11. Along with the public forums, Libraries Together will hold separate forums with staff, board and Friends members from each library, as well as with members of the Blue Ribbon Committee. The libraries kicked off Libraries Together on March 1, 2005. The ten-month study will use public input to plan for the future. As Iowa searches for ways to deliver all government services more efficiently, the libraries initiated the study to allow Scott County library patrons to help shape the directions their libraries will take over the next several decades. The Libraries Together project is designed to give county residents an opportunity to review the facts, consider the various options and consequences of action, and identify which options they prefer. The study is conducted by Consensus, a Kansas City-based non-profit organization with 20 years of experience garnering public input to guide public policy. Among Consensus team members is Thomas Hennen, director of the Waukesha County Federated Library System in Wisconsin and author of the HAPLR Index, which rates the nation’s libraries. Consensus will deliver a final report detailing options for actions in December 2005. The report will not offer recommendations, but instead will offer several possible options for the citizens of Scott County. Funding of Libraries Together is made possible by the Scott County Regional Development Authority, the Riverboat Development Authority, the State Library of Iowa using federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Library Services and Technology Act, as well as the Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library and each of the four public libraries. # # # The four libraries of Scott County created Libraries Together as a means to be proactive in responding to shifts in how the state and local governments provide services. In its first phase, the libraries have requested an objective outsider’s look at options for improving library service. The 10-month effort will engage the public through surveys and public meetings. The final report will include a range of options, from simple operational efficiencies to consideration of complete change for all four libraries, and the likely staff, board and public response to each. For more information visit the Libraries Together website at www.librariestogether.org.
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