- Other Business:
- Confirmation of next meeting: Thursday, Oct 16, 2008 – 6:30 PM
- Adjournment: _____
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Draft Minutes
In Attendance: Representing:
Nancy Marshall, Chair
Ed Nadeau, Secretary
Robert Chatfield and Nancy O’Sullivan TML Board of Trustees
Anne Swift-Kayatta CE Town Council
Norman R. Jordan CE Historical Society
Jay Scherma, Library Director Thomas Memorial Library
Absent:
Pat Bredenberg and Evan Roth TML Board of Trustees
Approve minutes:
- Meeting minutes of July 17, 2008 approved.
Old Business:
- Visioning Session:
- The visioning session took place on July 23, 2008. A summary will be incorporated into the Needs Assessment Report, due in October.
- Focus Groups:
- Consultants Himmel & Wilson have conducted 10 focus groups and numerous interviews.
- H&W produced a 45 page document of notes from the focus group sessions, including a summary of the “themes” that emerged across multiple sessions.
- They are in the process of compiling statistics of peer libraries.
- Web Survey:
- H&W included a web survey in the need assessment process. Can we identify organizations and group that we can email the link to the survey? This question prompted a discussion of the “Uses of the Web Survey” and the “statistical validity” of the information gathered.
- If available, group lists have privacy issues.
- If obtained and usable, there are technical issues and limitations.
- It was determined that we will not endeavor to gather email lists from organizations. The method that we will use will be to post the link on the TML, TMLF, and CE web sites and publicize the survey’s availability and uses in the Cape Courier.
- TML Peer Groups:
- H&W produced and distributed data representing Maine and National peers, including: Inputs, Outputs, Financial, and Demographic Data.
- Ed has added a comparison of Cape Elizabeth data to the averages compiled by H&W. (see attached)
Other Business:
- Telephone Survey:
- The telephone survey to be conducted by Critical Insights is in the planning stage. Draft questions are being formulated and will be available soon.
- Once the questions are reviewed and approved, the survey will take approximately 2 weeks to complete.
- Nancy distributed categories of information to include in the survey.
- Technical Report:
- H&W has technology report from Linda Miller (LMA Techwork) and is awaiting a report from the architects.
Next Meeting:
- Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 16 @ 6:30 P.M.
Adjournment: 7:12 P.M.
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Committee Charge
Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee
Committee Purpose
The Thomas Memorial Library was founded in 1919 as a consequence of a donation
from William Widgery Thomas. The library consists of a former school house
first built in 1849, another former school house built in 1859, the former
Pond Cove School Annex constructed in 1912, various additions built in the
1950’s and 1960’s and a connecting link built in the 1980’s.
The Trustees of the Thomas Memorial Library have asked for a study of library
space needs as space has become more limited in recent years.
The Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee is hereby created and is requested
to accomplish the following:
· Recommend to the town manager a consultant to assist with library
planning.
· Seek funding from the Thomas Memorial Library Foundation to assist
with the study and provide funding recommendations for the study from existing
library funds.
· Conduct a library needs assessment
· Define a library program projected to serve the patrons of the Thomas
Memorial Library and the community of Cape Elizabeth for the next 30 years.
· Develop a conceptual plan for any proposed improvements to library
facilities
· Include as part of the program and plan, an analysis of the opportunities
to continue to utilize space for records preservation activities
· Recommend a funding plan for any proposed improvements including the
potential for both private and public funding.
· Provide regular updates to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council and provide
opportunities for public participation in the committee process.
· Develop a plan for any proposed rehabilitation of the structure and
for any site changes.
· Provide a final report to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council no later
than May 1, 2009.
Committee Structure
The Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee shall consist of the Trustees
of the Thomas Memorial Library, a designee of the Thomas Memorial Library
Foundation, a designee of the Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation Society,
and a Town Council member who shall be chosen by the Town Council Chairman.
The Library Director of the Thomas Memorial Library shall be an ex-officio
non-voting member of the committee.
Committee Resources
The Library Director shall be the primary in house staff resource for the
committee.
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RFP Draft
TOWN OF CAPE ELIZABETH
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
THOMAS MEMORIAL LIBRARY
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND
DESIGN CONCEPT FOR A
LIBRARY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
" I hope that this will prove a little lighthouse of knowledge. I hope it
will lead you to a life more intellectual, more elevated and more spiritual.
I have built a lighthouse and furnished the lamp, but it is for you, inhabitants
of Cape Elizabeth, to keep the lamp burning so that it shall shine over this
town forever."
From Thomas Memorial Library Dedication Address
William Widgery Thomas Jr.
April 22, 1919
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
I. Background 2
II.A Description of the Town 2
II.B Description of the Library 3
III. Consultation for Needs Assessment,
Improvement Program and Conceptual Plan 4
PHASE I: Needs Assessment 4
PHASE II: Improvement Program 5
PHASE III: Conceptual Plan 6
IV. Qualifications for Consultants 6
V. Proposal Organization and Submission Requirements 7
VI. Criteria for Evaluation of Proposals 8
Introduction
The Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee, on behalf of the Town of Cape
Elizabeth, is soliciting proposals for contracting with professional library
consultants to conduct a Needs Assessment, define a Library Improvement Program
and develop a Conceptual Plan based on the prescribed needs assessment and
programmatic analysis.
Submission Date
Sealed bid proposals will be received at the Thomas Memorial Library, 6 Scott
Dyer Road, Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107 c/o Jay R. Scherma, Library Director,
until Friday, 21 March 2008 at 2 p.m. No faxes or email submissions will
be considered. Postmarks will not be considered. It is the sole responsibility
of the applicant to insure that the proposal arrives on time and at the
designated place. No proposals received after that date and time will be
considered.
All proposals must be clearly marked on the envelope as follows: "BID PROPOSAL
FOR LIBRARY CONSULTATION."
After a timely review of the proposals, two or more of the final candidates
will be invited to make presentations and be interviewed by the Thomas Memorial
Library Study Committee. A recommendation will then be made to the Town Manager
and a contract for services will be drawn up as soon thereafter as is
practicable.
The Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
reserves the right to select a consultant that best meets the RFP criteria
regardless of low bidder, to waive any bid formalities, to reject any and
all proposals, to re-advertise for bids, and to cancel procurement at any
time it is deemed in the best interest of the Thomas Memorial Library and
the town of Cape Elizabeth.
The library is not liable for any costs incurred by consultants prior to
the award of a contract. The consultant’s response to the RFP will become
part of the contract subject to negotiations.
For additional information contact Mr. Jay Scherma, Library Director, Thomas
Memorial Library, 5 Scott Dyer Road, Cape Elizabeth ME 04107. Phone (207)
799-1720;
Email: jscherma@thomas.lib.me.us
Nancy H, Marshall, Chair
Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee
I. Background
On 10 October 2007 the Cape Elizabeth Town Council unanimously adopted a
new Comprehensive Plan for the community. First among the Public Facilities
Goals is a commitment to “continue the work of the last decade to assess,
renovate and construct public facilities that make it possible to deliver
the quality of services that residents expect and fund.” The first
implementation step to address this goal was to “Appoint a committee
to formally assess the physical plant and programming needs of the Thomas
Memorial Library.”
On 5 November 2007 the Town Council approved the creation of the TML Study
Committee, as follows:
The Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee is hereby created and is requested
to accomplish the following:
• Recommend to the town manager a consultant to assist with library
planning.
• Seek funding from the Thomas Memorial Library Foundation to assist
with the study and provide funding recommendations for the study from existing
library funds.
• Conduct a library needs assessment
• Define a library program projected to serve the patrons of the Thomas
Memorial Library and the community of Cape Elizabeth for the next 30 years.
• Develop a conceptual plan for any proposed improvements to library
facilities
• Include as part of the program and plan, an analysis of the opportunities
to continue to utilize space for records preservation activities
• Recommend a funding plan for any proposed improvements including the
potential for both private and public funding.
• Provide regular updates to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council and provide
opportunities for public participation in the committee process.
• Develop a plan for any proposed rehabilitation of the structure and
for any site changes.
• Provide a final report to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council no later
than May 1, 2009.
II.A Description of the Town
Cape Elizabeth is a Southern Maine coastal community of 15 square miles located
at the entrance to Casco Bay and five miles southeast of Portland, Maine’s
largest city. Cape Elizabeth has a population of 9,068 according to the 2000
US census, and the projected growth for each forthcoming 10 year period will
not exceed 2%. 16% of the population is 65 or older while 26% are 17 and
under. 58% of the population is between the ages of 18 and 64.
Although the aging of the population will continue to be the dominant demographic
force of the future, Cape Elizabeth is gaining a higher share of Baby Boomers
and losing a greater share of its young people than the county (Cumberland)
or the state. Although families comprise three-quarters of Cape Elizabeth’s
households, the fastest growing group is people living alone, particularly
the elderly.
Cape Elizabeth households earn the highest median income of any municipality
in the state, with one in three earning more than $100,000 per year. Cape
Elizabeth is the most educated town in the state, with the highest high school
completion rate and the highest concentration of bachelor’s degrees
than any other community. In a 2005 Telephone Survey undertaken for the
Comprehensive Plan Committee 85% of the respondents indicated they were very
satisfied with library services.
II.B Description of the Library
Thomas Memorial Library Mission Statement:
The Town of Cape Elizabeth has established the Thomas Memorial Library to
provide a place where patrons, with the assistance of an experienced and
helpful staff, can explore the wealth of human knowledge through a dynamic
collection of printed material and related resources selected for the
community.
The Thomas Memorial Library was founded in 1919 as a consequence of a donation
from William Widgery Thomas Jr. The library consists of an historically
significant former school house first built in 1849, another former school
house built in 1859, the former Pond Cove School Annex constructed in 1912,
various additions built in the 1950s and 1960s and a connecting link built
in the 1980s. The library facility is approximately 13,250 sq. ft.
It is located in the Town Center. The site includes 40 parking spaces, including
3 spaces dedicated to handicapped parking.
The library is a department of the Town of Cape Elizabeth. The Town Manager
appoints the Library Director in consultation with a seven-member advisory
library Board of Trustees appointed by the Town Council. The current library
budget totals $ 477,739 or $52.58 per capita.
The library collection includes approximately 30,000 adult materials and
22,800 juvenile/young adult materials. It has 25 adult reader seats, 12 young
adult reader seats, 31 juvenile reader seats and 5 Parenting Area seats for
a total seating capacity of 73. A meeting room which holds 80 people is used
for storytelling as well as other purposes. The library staff (excluding
city maintenance staff) totals 8.5 FTE. The library is open 55 hours per
week.
The library annually circulates approximately 125,200 materials and offers
year-round programming with an emphasis on children's services. The library
participates in a cooperative automation network (MINERVA) with more than
eighty other libraries, including public libraries, college libraries, and
high-school libraries; the network uses the Innovative Interfaces automation
program, which provides: cooperative cataloging; an integrated
circulation/borrower registration system; a combined database of holdings;
and on-line public access catalogs (OPACs).
III. Consultation for Needs Assessment, Improvement Program and Conceptual
Plan
The Thomas Memorial Library has outgrown its existing library space. The
library seeks a Consulting Team to conduct a three-phased study with
recommendations to serve the patrons of the Thomas Memorial Library and the
community of Cape Elizabeth for the next thirty years. The study will
include:
PHASE I: Needs Assessment
1. Conferring with the Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee (which includes
the Library’s Board of Trustees), library staff, town officials, Thomas
Memorial Library Foundation Board members, Friends of the Library, community
and business leaders, library users and others to be designated regarding
present and needed services, finances, staffing, and library spaces and staff
spaces.
2. Conferring with the Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee and the Library
Director to solicit, compile, and analyze library reports, statistics, service
data, library organization, etc. for the past five years with regard to finances,
library budget allocations, materials holdings, staffing, circulation, reference/
information services, programming and related activities.
3. An analysis of the library's staffing, financing, expenditures, materials
collection, state of Maine and Public Library Development Program (PLDP)
annual statistics.
4. An analysis of the library with at least nine other comparable libraries
in the state using PLDP performance measures.
5. Evaluation of several user-specific focus groups regarding library services.
Focus groups to include: pre-school and K-5 parents and children; middle
and high-school students; senior citizens; business and professional
representatives. The Study Committee shall contact and arrange the focus
groups. The Consultant(s) shall analyze and report the results and
findings.
6. As part of this data gathering phase, the Study Committee will contract
with a local firm to develop and conduct a random scientific telephone survey
of adult residents. The Consultant will incorporate the findings of the telephone
survey into the Needs Assessment draft report.
7. Assess the existing library in terms of site, size, structural stability,
soundness, aesthetics, environmental sensitivity, electrical and mechanical
systems, lighting, and compliance with ADA standards, functional layout,
flexibility, and related criteria in terms of its useful life
Based on the above studies and data, Consultants shall prepare and submit
a Needs Assessment draft report that incorporates the findings and proposes
recommendations for:
? Phased recommendations with cost estimates for improving library services,
finances, materials development, staffing, etc., over the next ten years.
? Library space needs for the near term and for the next thirty years.
PHASE II: Improvement Program
1. Upon approval of the Phase I Needs Assessment draft report, the Consultant
will prepare and submit a draft report that incorporates the assessment’s
evaluations and describes the space needed to carry out the program and how
the major service areas should be functionally designed. In the process,
the consultant will:
? Address the space and storage needs for current and projected patterns
of the following: library users, staff functions, print and non-print
collections, technologies, services to the community, and space
enhancements
? Address possible creative community uses for the library, including but
not limited to: book sales, lecture programs, music and dramatic performances,
art displays, quiet and collaborative study areas, educational workshops,
and similar concerns.
? Designate the name of each area, specify the square footage, and describe
the functions that take place within the area
? Compare the actual and proposed assignable areas for public and staff use
? Include as part of the program an analysis of the opportunities to continue
to provide space for the town of Cape Elizabeth’s historical records
preservation activities
? Specify the number of occupants to be accommodated in each function area
and the equipment, furniture and storage capacity to be housed in each area
? Describe the relationships of an area to other areas in the building and
provide flow charts and diagrams and indicate priorities for proximity and
distance between function areas.
? Detail the requirements for: acoustics, computers, internet connections,
environmental controls, equipment, flexibility, lighting, furnishings, shelving,
security systems, signage, energy conservation and green technologies for
compliance with local, state, and federal regulations, including the Americans
with Disabilities Act, and other considerations.
2. Prepare a draft plan for the three alternative options to be evaluated.
1) Rehabilitation of the current structure, including but not limited to,
rearrangement and/or renovation of the existing library.
2) Construction of new space in addition to renovation of the current
structure.
3) Replacement of library, including construction of new building on the
current site, on adjacent property, or at another location.
3. Each plan shall incorporate an assessment and evaluation including cost
estimates for three alternative options and facilities to meet the library's
thirty-year space needs
PHASE III: Conceptual Plan
Upon approval of the Phase II draft report proposing an Improvement Program
and most effective site recommendation, the Consultant(s) shall develop a
Conceptual Plan for any proposed improvements to library facilities and,
especially, to building infrastructures comprised of two or three preliminary
schematic floor plans of the expanded library for critique by the Thomas
Memorial Library Study Committee.
The Consultant(s) shall prepare a final draft report incorporating the approved
reports from Phases I and II, including the most effective schematic floor
plan, and submit five copies of it in loose-leaf binders. A subsequent meeting
will then be held with the Thomas Memorial Library Study Committee and others
to review the final draft report. The final draft report shall recommend
a funding plan for any proposed improvements including suggestions for the
potential of both private and public funding.
Upon approval of the final draft report, the Consultants shall submit twenty-five
(25) bound copies of the final report along with a "reproduction-ready" copy
of the report and a computer disk with the report to the Thomas Memorial
Library Study Committee. In addition, the Consultants shall present a formal
summary presentation of the final report and recommendations to the Thomas
Memorial Library Study Committee and the Town Council.
IV. Qualifications for Consultants
The Consultant(s) or consulting firm must include one principal member with
a master's degree in library science from an ALA accredited institution,
with at least five years practical and relevant experience in library
administration, consulting, and planning. The Consultant shall provide evidence
of at least three recent projects that incorporate library needs assessment
and building planning with public library projects of a similar size.
The Consultant(s) or consulting firm must have knowledge of modern public
library services, trends, and functions, current library furnishings/fixtures,
and equipment industry and markets.
The Consulting group shall include a licensed architect with experience in
planning public library buildings. The aforementioned architectural expert
shall participate in the assessment of the three library alternatives and
prepare the preliminary schematic floor plans.
V. Proposal Organization and Submission Requirements
A Final Report to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council is due no later than 1
May 2009. However, in order to be part of the final budgetary process for
2009-2010, the Study Committee seeks a Final Report and recommendations from
the selected consultant and/or firm no later than 1 January 2009.
The proposal shall conform to the following outline and shall not exceed
twenty-five (25) 8.5" X 11" typewritten, single-spaced pages: resumes and
examples of related work are not included in the 25-page limit. The proposal
shall include:
Overview /Scope of work To convey the Consultant(s) understanding of the
study objectives and requirements.
Description of Consulting Team Provide listing of all team contractors and/or
subcontrac¬tors with description of qualifications and experience.
Plan of work and technical approach A description of the proposed course
and sequence of action or tasks including methodologies and a time-phased
statement of project milestones.
Staff-time breakdown/proposed site visits A breakdown of the estimated staff
time for each task outlined in the Plan of Work including proposed site visits
with the chargeable rates for each staff person.
Staff availability A description of availability of consultant for meetings
and consultations, including assisting with presentations to town bodies
and the general public.
References Provide at least three references for similar studies; include
a narrative summary of the study and name, address, and telephone number
of person to contact.
Cost estimate The total inclusive proposed cost for accomplishing the work
program. Include the name, title, address, and telephone number of individuals
with authority to negotiate and contractually bind the company to a
proposal.
Standard contract If you have a standard contract which covers the scope
of services requested, please send it with the proposal but without cost
figures.
Additional services Include a statement of how fees would be calculated if
additional services not explicitly stated herein were required later in the
process
Signature The proposal must be signed by a person authorized to negotiate
and execute contracts on behalf of the Consultant(s) or company and must
be binding for 60 days.
Submission requirements Please submit twelve copies of the proposal, in addition
to a production-ready copy and a digital copy. Consultants or consulting
firms shall be totally responsible for the cost of preparing and submitting
the proposals.
VI. Criteria for Evaluation of Proposals
Consultant selection will be based using the following criteria (not in priority
order):
1. The responsiveness, comprehension, and quality of the proposal in response
to the RFP.
2. The technical quality of the work plan approach and methodology.
3. Experience and qualifications of the consultant(s) and other personnel
assigned to the project.
4. Ability to document and present recommendations clearly, both orally and
in written format.
5. Demonstrated knowledge of planning, management, interview, and evaluation
skills, and experience in utilizing them.
6. References from previous clients regarding competency and satisfaction
of completed work.
7. Proposed time schedule for the work described.
8. The proposed cost to perform the work described in Section III in relation
to the other proposals received and relative to the number of hours of
professional consulting services to be received and the overall expertise
of the consulting personnel proposed to perform the work.
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