ARCADE

FACILITY SUMMARIES

BRANCH SUMMARY

Arcade Library

The Arcade Library was renovated in 2005, which included both the renovation of existing spaces and the addition of library space by enclosing formerly outdoor patio and entry areas. Improved service includes a new computer lab, expanded teen space, areas for merchandising materials, and a single service point for customers. While these improvements have greatly improved the functional aspect of the library, the site and facility still have some issues such as poor site visibility and site use conflicts. COMMUNITY

The Arcade Library serves the portion of the County of Sacramento, generally bounded by I-80 to the north, the Capital City Freeway to the west, Arden Way to the south, and east to the border of the Carmichael Library’s service area near Eastern Avenue. The area is built out, although it is experiencing infill development with medium and high density housing that will add more residents to the service area. Residents of the community tend to be low and middle-income workers. The Russian, Farsi, Spanish, and Chinese-language populations are significant and growing. SITE

The Arcade Library is located close to community amenities such as shopping. Parking is at a premium, particularly as users of the adjacent post office and bingo parlor tend to overflow into the library’s dedicated spaces in the contiguous parking lot, and there are not any good control mechanisms to limit usage of the space reserved and marked as library only spaces. The parking lot’s layout is also a safety factor due to lack of clear vehicular circulation and control mechanisms and lack of clear pedestrian markings. Service Service Area Population

34,161 pop

Year Facility Constructed

1976

Year Facility Remodeled/Expanded

1995

Collection Size Reader Seats

77,481 volumes 66 seats

Public Computers

27 computers

Community Room

87 seats

Group Study Seats

0 seats

Building Size 112

Current

12,686 sq. ft. SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

FACILITY SUMMARIES

COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO

Although the library is located on a busy neighborhood thoroughfare, an earthern berm partially obscures the building’s visibility for those walking or driving along the street and a surprisingly large number of area residents are unaware that a library is located here. The below-grade staff entry results in security problems such as loitering and illegal dumping of trash, as well as safety issues for deliveries. BUILDING

In 2005, the original 1964 building received ADA upgrades as well as an addition of approximately 600 sf to improve circulation at the entry and restrooms and create new areas for periodicals and for teens. These changes have resulted in better functioning for the entryway and restrooms, merchandising opportunities, and more space for users. Building envelope problems were generally addressed as part of the renovation, although leaks still occur where the building meets the exterior landscape berm, particularly on the north side.

Newly renovated Arcade Library

LIBRARY SERVICES

Children make up approximately half of users of the library, and another 15-20% are teens. Neighboring business owners use the library as a backup copy and computer center but otherwise do not form a significant portion of the library’s customer base. The recent renovation created a new area for teens that is more easily identifiable; however, users of the adjacent children’s area tend to overflow into the teen area due to the heavy use by children and lack of adequate visible or physical separation of these two areas. Children’s programs held in the community room often have attendance of 50-60 children and 35 parents.

Arcade magazine area

The Arcade community has a strong need for increased access to computers and the Internet, as many people do not have access to computers at home or at work. Branch statistics indicate that the computers are occupied at least two-thirds of the time. A lab with 12 computers enables the library to offer technology programs that are very well-attended. As this is one of only three computer labs in the system, programs currently service not only Arcade customers, but all customers in the northern part of the library system. The collection was weeded heavily during the renovation. Customers have requested an expanded Russian language collection. The renovation created one central service desk with good visibility of public areas. However, there is not enough space at the staff desk or in the back workroom for current operations. SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

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ARDEN-DIMICK

FACILITY SUMMARIES

BRANCH SUMMARY

Arden-Dimick Library

Originally established in 1949 as a “storefront” library in Arden Town Shopping Center, the library moved to the corner of Watt and Northrop in 1975. The library underwent a renovation and expansion in 1999, which added a community room and expanded the building to its maximum site capacity. The community room has proved to be a valuable resource and this, as well as the rest of the library’s resources, are well used by the community. Primary issues for this building are the lack of adequate parking and poor vehicular circulation in the existing lot, and some crowding of library resources within the library. COMMUNITY

Located south of the Arcade Library service area, the Arden-Dimick Library serves the area of Sacramento County bounded by the Sacramento city limits, the American River, Arden Way, and the border of the Carmichael service area at Eastern Avenue. The service area, which is generally built out except for infill development, is home to families with young children as well as seniors. SITE

The Arden-Dimick Library sits on a high-profile corner location on Watt Avenue, an important north-south throughway connecting I-80 and Highway 50. This location is very convenient, as evidenced in part by the large number of material returns from other library branches. The library is close to many schools, including two middle/junior high schools, a high school, and two colleges. Crowded parking at Arden-Dimick

The site itself is constrained; the 1999 facility expansion removed some of the parking spaces and disrupted driving paths. This left the site with inadequate parking and dead-end vehicular circulation; there is no nearby Service Service Area Population

38,209 pop

Year Facility Constructed

1970

Year Facility Renovated/Expanded

1999

Collection Size Reader Seats

91,974 volumes 96 seats

Public Computers

16 computers

Community Room

147 seats

Group Study Seats

0 seats

Building Size 114

Current

11,901 sq. ft. SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

FACILITY SUMMARIES

COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO

street parking. There is “never enough parking,” particularly during programs, and customers often park in the loading area due to lack of parking. BUILDING

Funded by Dr. and Mrs. Dimick, the 1999 renovation and addition upgraded the original 1970 building envelope and systems, leaving the building in good condition. The exception is the HVAC system, which will require replacement in about five years; HVAC zoning should also be reexamined as part of the replacement project. Interior bearing walls block visibility of some public areas, such as the teen and magazine areas, from service points. Noise within the building can be a problem; the community room is used for quiet seating when not in use for programs as most open areas of the library are impacted by noise. LIBRARY SERVICES

The Arden-Dimick Library’s collection has been weeded in part to accommodate implementation of the first phase of a merchandising approach for displaying new and high-interest materials. More work to move collections is needed to make this area more inviting and userfriendly. Arden-Dimick’s Deaf Services collection is large and quite popular.

Arden-Dimick Teen Area

The teen area is not well-defined and does not have an “identity” of its own. Its proximity to the only adult quiet seating area causes noise conflicts. Staff views of the teen area are blocked by interior bearing walls. Added during the 1999 expansion, the community room is rated for 147 occupants, and is in nearly constant use. During library hours, the space is used for quiet study between programs. With a separate entrance and access to the restrooms, the community room is also well-used after library hours. Computers at the Arden-Dimick Library are very popular. The children’s area has two computers, six computers are located in back, and additional computers are near the library entrance. A Friends of the Library alcove added during the renovation functions very well; it contains the Friends’ materials and, if desired, it can be closed off. What works less well is the book return layout – while the single bin is efficiently located in the staff workroom, it cannot effectively support the rough-sorting opportunities if more than one bookdrop slot could be provided. SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

Community Room

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CARMICHAEL

FACILITY SUMMARIES

BRANCH SUMMARY

The Carmichael Library has just completed a major renovation and expansion, which was under construction at the time of the Facility Master Plan facility evaluation site visits. Therefore, the building evaluation is limited in scope but still encompasses site issues and community needs. COMMUNITY

The Carmichael Library serves Carmichael, an established and affluent neighborhood with many large houses on expansive lots. Portions of the area have experienced infill development with higher-density housing. As with the neighboring Arcade area, Carmichael has seen a recent influx of immigrants from around the world, including Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The area also has a relatively high proportion of families who homeschool their children. SITE

Expanded Carmichael Library

The library is located on a corner along Marconi Avenue, a welltraveled neighborhood thoroughfare. Exterior landscaping and parking lot improvements are included in the current renovation and expansion project that are intended to increase the building’s visual prominence along the street. A private high school is located just down the street. BUILDING

Renovation and expansion of the nearly 40-year-old facility has just been completed. Approximately 5,000 square feet were added to the building, including a new community room to seat 111 people and a conference room for 20 people. Service Service Area Population

81,496 pop

Year Facility Constructed

1964

Year Facility Renovated/Expanded

2006

Collection Size Reader Seats

105,000 volumes 128 seats

Public Computers

42 computers

Community Room

131 seats

Group Study Seats

0 seats

Building Size 116

Current

20,690 sq. ft. SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

FACILITY SUMMARIES

COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO

LIBRARY SERVICES

The expanded library branch provides seating for 110 customers, 42 public-access computers, a new community room, a teen area, a larger children’s area, and space for special collections. It has a single public service point for customers, as well as a computer lab.

SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

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ARDEN- DIMICK, ARCADE AND CARMICHAEL

FACILITY RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Arcade, Arden-Dimick, and Carmichael libraries have all been recently expanded and renovated. These areas are built-out, with limited growth expected from in-fill development. However, today’s population is sufficient to demand an additional library in the area. A new facility would supplement services provided by the three existing libraries. Arden-Dimick Library

The County is working on revitalization efforts along Fair Oaks Blvd.; this may be an opportunity for the library to play an anchor role in the revitalization of this corridor. • •

Carmichael, Arcade, and Arden-Dimick Libraries recently completed New Library in the Carmichael, Arcade area

Carmichael Library

Arcade Library

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SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

FACILITY RECOMMENDATIONS

35,000 SF Library Construction Hard Costs

2007 Dollars $16,179,000

Technology, Furniture, and Public Art

$2,134,000

Soft Costs

$6,572,000

Unescalated Project Budget

COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO

$24,885,000

Does not include land, cost escalation, or initial purchase of library materials COST MODEL

The base cost for this library is in January 2007 dollars and is from the 35,000 square foot template cost model. Other site-specific costs will need to be identified once a specific site is identified. Cost Escalation, Land Costs, and initial purchase of Library Materials are not included. OPPORTUNITIES AND FUNDING

There are currently no funding mechanisms identified for this area.

NEXT STEPS

• Site Identification • Funding Identification • Planning efforts with County

SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITY MASTER PLAN GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC.

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