The Warsaw Community Public Library Board of Trustees heard an update on the library's feasibility study during a meeting Monday.
Zachary Benedict, president at MKM architecture + design, gave the presentation, which focused on feedback from survey respondents and a library's role within a community.
"Close relationships tend to be your conduit to a sense of belonging," said Benedict. "And social integration becomes your funnel of opportunity. For a large majority of Americans, one of the few places they can do that with some sense of agency and freedom is a public library. The places in which you can do that are shrinking exponentially. I think it really becomes important to understand the social role a library has in health, well-being, longevity and quality of life."
Within the last few months, Benedict said MKM has completed a variety of research, including comparing WCPL to peer institutions; touring the building with engineers to study its infrastructure; and studying how WCPL is currently serving the community and how that could grow in the future.
Benedict told the board WCPL had a WalkScore of 77, which he said was the highest score of any library MKM has ever worked on.
In total, WCPL received over 400 surveys from library users, and MKM held four community focus groups and five staff workshops. Benedict said the overall response from both users and staff was very positive about WCPL's current state and offerings.
Over half of the survey respondents were between the ages of 26 and 45.
Benedict emphasized the importance of cultivating community engagement by marketing the library's activities to other users through the appearance of meeting rooms and other event areas.
Projects that Benedict believed would be in the final recommendation from MKM included resurfacing WCPL's parking lot, restructuring the library's main entry, and addressing the parking lot's west and east entrances.
"I know we've pivoted and changed where the front door is for safety over the years," said Benedict. "I'd like to take that to another level and probably recommend that we reshape how this entry drive might look to even soften this a bit more. I'd also like to put some ADA parking on the right side of traffic so that all ADA parking doesn't have to cross traffic to get into the building."
Benedict also noted the library's internal staircase, citing issues with acoustics and thermal control. The current location of children's activities was also mentioned, with Benedict saying it's currently prevented from growing based on where it's at.
The board was also asked to consider the future of periodicals and CDs, and how the decrease in physical releases could provide more room for other aspects.
Key aspects of the final recommendation from MKM will include facility accessibility, access to the library's collections, public and staff spaces, and utility replacements.
"And some of the criticisms you consistently get in these processes is the notion that libraries are becoming extinct, that they're warehouses of books and we don't need them anymore," said Benedict. "And I think that's not only categorically false ... this process allows us to head that off and remind folks that libraries have always functioned as opportunity incubators. I don't see that declining in the next 30 years. The trick is, 'How do we define and incubate those opportunities in a successful way?' because the community is going to rely on this building to do that."
In other business, the board was asked to review the possibility of establishing Health Savings Accounts for full-time WCPL employees due to an increase in insurance deductibles.
Business Manager Renee Sweeny said there was enough money allocated in WCPL's 2025 budget for HSAs if it was approved by the board.
The board also:
• Heard the Friends of the Library have set up their Lights of Love Tree. Patrons can make a donation for an ornament to be placed on the tree in honor or in memory of someone special. All donations support WCPL.
• Approved an increase in allowance and some language changes within the library's professional meeting mileage policy.
The board's next meeting is at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9.