Standards
STANDARDS FOR THE SHENANDOAH COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Introduction
In January 2004 the Library Board of Trustees established a Building/Facilities Committee. The first charge of this committee was the development of physical standards for the libraries in the Shenandoah County Library System (SCLS): the County Library in Edinburg, the New Market Area Library, the Mt. Jackson Community Library, the Fort Valley Community Center & Library, the Basye-Orkney Springs Community Library, and the Strasburg Community Library. April 2004 the following standards regarding the library facilities were presented to the Library Board of Trustees in and received its approval.
Additional standards regarding library materials and financial management were presented to the Board of Trustees in July of 2004 for approval. These standards were/were not approved and added to the Building/Facility Standards to form Standards for all member libraries in the SCLS.
These Standards are to serve as guidelines for member libraries to maintain as high a level of excellence and efficiency as possible. Given the diversity of size and capabilities of each library within the system, the degree to which various member libraries meet these standards may vary.
Facility Standard
The Shenandoah County Library System’s Mission statement states as Goal #6:
To provide and maintain adequate physical facilities that meet generally accepted professional standards and are appropriate to the library needs of the community.
The Library of Virginia’s Planning for Library Excellence states in its introduction to the Facilities section under Standards and Guidelines:
A public library building should offer the community a compelling invitation
to enter, read, listen, and learn. It must comply with the regulations of the
Americans with Disabilities Act. The building should be flexible in design
to respond to changing use and service patterns. It must be able to
accommodate growing collections and a variety of formats. The design
of the building needs to encourage extensive public use, support staff
efficiency, and encourage economy.
Space Needs
Libraries should meet minimum €œGuidelines for Determining Space Needs€? (Appendix C). The aggregate size of buildings in the library system should equal .6 square feet of space per person living in the jurisdiction served. The 2000 census Shenandoah County reported 35,075 residents of Shenandoah County. This would require the library system to have a minimum of 21,045 square feet. The current facilities provide the following number of square feet:
County Library 12,000 square feet
Strasburg 5,000 square feet
Mt. Jackson 2,400 square feet
Fort Valley 1,054 square feet
New Market 1,200 square feet
Basye-Orkney Springs 760 square feet
Total 22,414 square feet
Therefore, based on the 2000 Census figures the SCLS currently meets the minimum space requirement.
ADA Compliance
Libraries must comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations in regard to their buildings, furnishings and parking. They must also comply with fire, safety, and building codes of the local, state and federal governments.
All locations in the SCLS should either meet, or plan to meet, the following standards. All exceptions need to be justified. These standards are generic and are in no way intended to interfere with either a particular library’s mission or Signature Programs & Collections.
Building Exterior:
· Sign displaying hours
Adequate number of convenient parking spaces
Adjacent or nearby ADA compliant parking
Handicap access
Exterior Book Return in a well lit area
Provision should be made for return of library materials when library is closed.
Returns that empty into library interior must be contained in a fireproof room.
Lighting
Adequately light Entrance/Exit
Help provide security or patrons and staff
Building Interior
· Sign designating that library is part of the SCLS in a prominent location
· Community bulletin board
· Computer access:
One dedicated to public access catalog.
One filtered children’s Internet computer.
Two or more adult Internet computers with filter option
One should be handicap accessible
· Copier for public use
· Fax for public use
· Fire
Extinguisher
Smoke Alarm
Second exit
Annual inspection
Sprinkler system desirable
· Lighting
Adequate lighting without glare and evenly distributed
· Security
Ideally, library has one public entrance and one circulation control point
Security procedure with provision for control of keys/combinations, etc.
Windows secured
Bathroom facilities that are accessible to both children and handicapped patrons
Emergency supplies
Supply of plastic sheeting to cover materials and computer equipment
Disaster Plan
Seating capacity
There should be three seats for public use for every 1,000 persons in the service area.
Furniture should be of the type and size to meet needs of the library users.
Chairs ~ at least six (adequate number to meet needs of services area is desirable)
Tables ~ at least one table free for public use.
Number of feet of shelving must exceed 200 and should provide for:
Reference 9’
Children’s 36’
Young Adult 9’
Biography 12’
Fiction 36’
Nonfiction 45’
Large Print 15’
Audios 15’
Paperback 15’
Literacy/ESL 3’
Video/DVD
Special Collections
Other
· Access to a meeting space
· Capacity of at least 12
· Capacity of 20-25 is desirable
Insurance
· Property coverage for the building itself (responsibility of owner of the building)
· Liability coverage for those using the building
· County Library insures both the library materials and the computer equipment
· Petty cash draw
· Security procedure
· Specified maximum amount to be kept on hand before deposit required
· County Library keeps $45 in its petty cash draw
· Provide a public pay phone
· Another touch-tone phone access available within quarter of a mile is acceptable alternative
· Patrons should not use the one phone line to the library except in case of emergency
· Maintenance schedule/responsibility for cleaning, snow removal, floor/carpet care & replacement, and heating/cooling maintenance.
· Total hours of staff and/or volunteer work per week should equal at least twice the number of hours the library is open plus one.
Building Ownership & Maintenance
The library system does not own any buildings. Ownership of member library building remains with the owning entity, be it County government, corporation, or landlord.
Utilities of the member libraries including: heat, electricity, water, sewage and telephone shall be the responsibility of the member library and property owner. Each member library will be responsible for liability insurance on its building. The SCLS shall be responsible for insuring library materials and computer equipment.
Collections
Materials in member libraries purchased with funds from Shenandoah County, the Library Foundation, or the Commonwealth of Virginia shall remain the property of the SCLS. These materials can be exchanged freely among the member libraries within the SCLS in accordance with policies of the Library Board of Trustees. All books and materials owned by a member library prior to its affiliation with the SCLS shall remain under the ownership of the member library.
In order to maintain consistency and clarity across the system, all materials in the SCLS shall use the same cataloging standards. Shenandoah County funds a part time cataloger position to catalog and process all materials purchased for the member libraries.
Weeding Standard ( added March 9, 2005)
The Shenandoah County Library System will have an annual weeding schedule to be followed by all locations. It will consist of monthly subject areas of the collections to be weeded. Each month the staff of the County Library will distribute to all locations TLC reports that include the title in shelf order, the date acquired, the last circulation, and the total circulations for each title in the sections of their collection to be weeded. Along with these reports the Director will supply guidelines for weeding the selected Dewey numbers according to the CREW Guidelines by Dewey Class. These materials will enable all locations to identify candidates for weeding and to help make decisions about deleting materials that are outdated, redundant, unused, or in poor condition. This weeding schedule will both help the library personnel learn about their collections and improve selection and acquisition decisions
Financial Management
· In order to be eligible for State Aid through the County Library, member libraries must obtain an annual, independent audit or turn over their finances to the County Library to be included in its audit.
· When receiving funds through the County Library, all State and County requirements must be met.
· All member libraries will complete an annual financial report for the Library Director to use when completing his annual report to the Library of Virginia’s report.
Funding Requests
All funding requests from member libraries involving use of Library Foundation funds must be made to the Board of Trustees in writing. When considering funding requests from a member library, the Board of Trustees will consider the degree of compliance with the standards set forth in this policy as part of the approval process.
Sources
Planning for Library Excellence (2000) compiled by Nelson Worley, The Library of Virginia Development and Networking Division. The full text of this document is available on the Virginia Public Library Extranet at www.vpl.lib.va.us.
Planning for Library Excellence (1988), Virginia State Library and Archives
Guidelines for Compliance
· The following Operational Guidelines for Best Practices provide details to assist member libraries in complying with the SCLS Standards. Unlike the Standards, one would expect these practices to change over time.
· Shenandoah County Library System Operational Guidelines for Best Practices
· The following expectations regarding operations are intended both to guarantee legality and to insure fairness, and to improve efficiency.
Governance
· Each member will send a representative to the bi-monthly Director’s Advisory Meetings. This is critical for good communication.
· When requesting Foundation funds, libraries should use the appropriate form and submit their requests through the Library Director. All such requests will be reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Library Board at their regular meeting the month prior to the next quarterly Library Board meeting. A representative of the member library making the request should attend this meeting of the Executive Committee.
· Each member library should make every effort to keep at least one trustee fully informed about. Should that trustee not be able to attend one of the quarterly board meetings, the member library should send a representative to the meeting.
· Each member library will submit to the Library Director an annual financial report with all the information necessary for the Director to complete the County Library’s annual report that is required by the Library of Virginia.
Annual Audit
· A requirement was part of the SCLS Agreement for member Libraries (1997).
· It is requirement for both State and County funding.
· The audit should be completed ASAP after June 30 each year.
· An exception to this requirement is a member library whose finances are handled by the County Library.
Volunteers
· Each member library will establish a training procedure for its volunteers.
· All volunteers must sign the Volunteer Orientation Agreement.
· New volunteers will attend a County Library training session on circulation responsibilities before taking on such responsibilities.
· The County Library will provide system-wide circulation training twice each year and other training upon requests from locations.
· All volunteers are expected to attend a training session once each year.
Hours
· All locations will be open at least 20 hours each week.
· Schedules will include both evening and Saturday hours.
· Whenever there is a necessity to close a location, the County Library will be notified and informed of the reason so that they can relate it to the public.
Issuing Library Cards
· The qualifications for a library card are set by the Library Board and posted on the library’s web site.
· To obtain a library card, those under age 18 must have an adult with a library card in good standing sign in person as the responsible party.
· Library cards are not to be issued unless an adult qualifies and submits in person all of the following information:
· Proof of identity
· Birth Date
· Secondary ID number (Driver’s License)
· Physical Address
· Mailing Address
Individuals whose name is already in the database can be issued a replacement card for $2 but will not be issued a new library card. One must check the entire database for the name and not just the location issuing the card. For example, a ZZ patron must clear their fine record before receiving a card. Locations that issue a duplicate card will be held responsible.
Reference
· Reference Collections are to be weeded on an annual basis.
· Never give financial, legal or medical advice!
· Encourage patrons to use the library system’s electronic resources (FinditVa and EBSCO) for accurate and timely information.
Cataloging
· The Library Board acknowledges the need to maintain standardized cataloging system-wide in order to have a user friendly Public Access Catalog.
· All new acquisitions financed by State Aid or Foundation funds will be cataloged and processed by the County Library staff.
· The Head Cataloger in consultation with a Cataloging Committee will set cataloging and processing standards that apply to all materials. The Board Chair and Director will appoint the committee on an annual basis.
· To facilitate timely processing of materials orders will be shipped to the County Library.
· On the fly cataloging will only be used for periodicals.
· Either the County staff or a designated volunteer from each Community library will catalog donations.
Overdue Materials
· Twice each month the County Library will provide each location with a list of overdue items by responsible party.
· Each location is responsible for contacting its patrons with overdue items.
· Volunteer will not use the override password to cancel fines or fees unless the staff has made a mistake and returned an item to the shelf without checking in the item.
· Member libraries will retain the circulation fines and fees collected at their location, but the total amount will be reported to the Library Director in the member library’s annual financial report.
Lost Materials
· Twelve weeks after an item is due, its status automatically changes to LOST.
· The County Library staff is responsible for handling LOST items and dealing with the patrons responsible for them.
· Should a LOST item be returned or show up on the shelf, it should be sent to the County Library for processing.
· Once a warrant-in-debt has been issued against a patron, there will be no negotiating with that patron.
· Each month each location receives a list of items that have become LOST over the past month. It is the member library’s responsibility to notify the County Library of any items that is wants to replace. The County Library staff will delete all other items from the PAC at the end of the month.
Computer Access
· It is essential that the Acceptable Use Policy be implemented diligently.
· The following will be available for public use at all locations:
· PAC (catalog station that does not require registration to use) located in sight of the Circulation Desk.
· Children’s Workstation with filtered Internet access.
· Two adult Internet workstations with filer option.
· Word processing workstation.
Copiers & Fax Machines
· The public will have access to both a copier and a fax machine at all locations.
· Since County provides funding for both copiers and office supplies, the Library Board will establish a standard fee for copier use.
· Each location will keep track of its copier revenue and report the total to the Library Director in its annual financial report.
· Since the Foundation provides the funding for Fax machines, the Library Board will establish a standard fee for public use of the fax.
· Each location will keep track of its Fax revenue and report the total to the Library Director in its annual financial report.
· Fax machines will have long distance capability.
Programs
· County Program funds will not be used to support programs for which there is a fee to participate.
· Each member library will send a representative to the Library of Virginia’s annual program on Summer Reading.
· Outreach ~ each member library will establish an outreach initiative with a target audience in its own community.
· Children ~ each member library will have regular story hours and a Summer Reading Program.
· Young Adults ~ each member library will make an effort to involve its Young Adult patrons in its activities through programs or volunteer opportunities
· Adults ~ each member library will have some form of regularly scheduled program for its adult patrons.
Office Supplies
· Request the County Library to place orders:
· Compliance with procurement policy
· Receive the state contract price or SWING discount price.
· County keeps inventory of standard items.
· Location will use County funds on a timely basis, for example, spend 75% of their funds before April each fiscal year.
Collection Development
· All libraries will adhere to State procurement policies
· Materials will be purchased from vendors on SWING contract whenever possible.
· All locations should expend their of State Aid funds in a timely fashion. For example, by January of each year 50% of the year’s funds should be spent. Member libraries will identify their signature collections so that there will be little duplication subject collections in terms of depth and breadth of collections.
Book Sales
Materials obtained with State Aid or Foundation funds should not be sold for at least three years. Prior to selling such used materials, items in good condition should be made available to other locations prior to being sold.
Weeding
· Nonfiction materials need to be weeded on an ongoing basis.
· Old medical books can provide dangerous information.
· Outdated information should not be the only information available.
Fund Raising
· Member libraries are free to conduct their own fund raising activities and retain all funds raised.
· Member libraries are expected to make potential donors aware of the SCL Foundation whose function is to manage both restricted and unrestricted donations for the system and/or member libraries.
· Member libraries will not compete with SCL Foundation’s campaigns.
· Member libraries are expected to coordinate their fund raising activities with the SCL Foundation’s efforts.
Library’s Web Presence
· County Library staff will maintain the SCLS web site.
· Member libraries will assign an individual to provide new information to the Library Director the first weekday of each month.
Newsletter ~ Stoney Creek Current
· To be published quarterly by the County Library.
· To be mailed at Foundation expense to those who contributed $25 or more to the last Annual Fund Drive.
· To be available on line at SCLS web site.
· Member libraries will provide article upon request of the Director.