SUMMARY This regulation describes criteria for determining where to build a library facility. Effective Date: August 17, 2011 Reviewed: October 27, 2021 RATIONALE a. Libraries, like most public buildings, generally must serve for many decades and can use any possible advantage to ensure that the library’s full public service potential is realized and maintained. The location of the library and its relationship to present and future social, transportation and business patterns will have a direct effect on the extent the general public will make use of its resources. Convenience of access will build up the volume of use, and this greater volume will decrease the per user cost of service. Public library sites should be evaluated in much the same way that a business person researches desirable retail locations. POLICY b. The essential element in selecting a public library site which is common to all the research on the subject is that a public library should be as accessible as possible to the greatest number of users. PRIMARY SITE CRITERIA c. There are two primary site criteria which normally have some absolute limitations. These two factors must be considered first, since the size and the cost of the property are givens which must be met before other criteria are considered. The factors are: 1. Size and Shape of Property: The site must be adequate area and appropriate configuration to allow construction of the programmed building, adjacent parking, and potential for expansion. 2. Cost and Availability: The property must be available by either negotiated purchase, gift, or through condemnation, at a price the library is willing and able to pay, or through interlocal cooperation agreements with other governmental entities. SITE SELECTION GUIDELINES d. Guidelines to be applied to any prospective location under consideration in descending order of importance are: 1. Relationship of the location to the service population. 2. Vehicular access within the area served, major arterial highways/traffic patterns, and routes taken by residents, including public transportation. 3. Visibility and ease of identification of the building and its services. 4. The drawing influence of adjacent activities, (e.g. concentrations of retail and employment). 5. Access to parking: on-site or municipal, generally 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of building area. 6. Ease of access in the immediate area. 7. Amenities: aesthetic factors and potential enhancement to an area, scenic view, and replacement of deteriorating structures. 8. Liabilities: unsuitable neighboring activities such as: flood plain, landfill, and livestock. October 27, 2021 ARM 60-10-12 End ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS TAB: Facilities DOCUMENT NUMBER: 60-10-12 SECTION: Building and Grounds SUBJECT: SITE SELECTION GUIDELINES