Needs+Assessment

** Introduction ** Located in Bay City, Pinellas County, Florida, the mission of the Bay City Public Library is to meet the educational, cultural and social needs of a diverse community by providing quality materials, information and services. The library provides an innovative learning environment for all ages, collections and services relevant to the community needs, and staff who provide courteous and responsive service. In addition to serving those who use the library, our collections, services and staff will help draw in those members of the community who are not familiar with the library. The past decade has seen a rise in Bay City's immigrant population, in particular, from countries in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, as well as from Mexico and Puerto Rico. This Needs Assessment will help us better understand needs that are not currently being met by the Bay City Public Library so that we can meet them in the near future. We are conducting this Needs Assessment to learn more about the people in the community, who they are, and what their diverse needs are, with the main focus on the children's department of the library, pursuant to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expressly to purchase books, electronic books, DVDs, and other media for the Children's section of the library. ** The Physical Space of the Library ** The physical space of the Bay City Public Library is sizeable, at 93,000 square feet. We have a children's section, a reference section with many resources on genealogy, and a general adult collection, both fiction and non-fiction. We partner with the County Historical Society and the Bay City Genealogy Society. Besides English, we have small collections in Spanish and Creole. This Needs Assessment will tell us whether we need to increase these holdings, and whether we need to add additional languages, such as Vietnamese and Russian, and to augment our small Spanish collection to accomodate new immigrants. It is our goal to serve the entire community, not merely those whose primary language is English.

** Library History **  The Bay City Library first opened on November 3, 1971 as a project of the Bay City Woman’s Club. Since then it has changed location and size to meets the needs of the patrons. The current 93,000 square-foot facility was completed in 2005 to better deal with the more than half a million people who annually use the library. The Bay City Library is one of the most heavily used libraries in Pinellas County, with an annual circulation of over 850,000 items. The library’s unique collections include genealogy, with service assistance by volunteers from the Bay City Genealogy Society, a career and small business start-up collection, and an impressive collection of books for English-Language Learners and their tutors. The children’s department collection features an extensive parent teacher collection, almost ten thousand storybooks, as well as fiction and non-fiction books, magazines, computer games, Wii games, DVDs, music, audio books, board books, graphic novels, language-learning kits, and toys available for checkout. ** ﻿ **   <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 200%;">** Data ** <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">For this Needs Assessment, both primary and secondary data will be used. Both forms of data are important for this study. Primary data will be gathered from surveys, interviews with key informants and library users, and discussions with focus groups. Primary data is important because it provides the most current and relevant information possible; it is the climate of the community at the present time. Secondary data, though not as current, is necessary for statistical evaluations. The secondary data used will include census and demographic information. Secondary data is pertinent to addressing the needs of the community for various reasons. The main reason for this data is to assist in establishing a relevant and realistic vision for the community (Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, 2011). Another reason for using secondary data is to concentrate on the specific needs of the community. Additional secondary information can be found from other sources. The demographic and social data required for a successful needs assessment can be obtained a number of ways. The United States Census Bureau has the most reliable demographic and social data, although the information may not be the most up-to-date as the site ([]) lists information from the 2000 census. While the U.S. Census Bureau characterizes demographic data as population, sex, age, race, relationship, households, housing occupancy, and housing tenure, it characterizes social data as school enrollment, educational attainment, marital status, grandparents as caregivers, veteran status, disability status, residence, nativity and place of birth, region of birth of foreign born, language spoken at home, and ancestry. Additional demographic information can be obtained through Demographics Now, available through the State Library of Florida at ([]). Information available includes statistics on income, housing, race, age, education, consumer expenditures and other data. Another great source of information about the city in which the Bay City Public Library dwells is the city's website. For the intention of attracting new residents to the city of Bay City, FL, the city places demographic information right on their homepage ([]).Demographic and social data have a great impact on the collection development decisions made by the Bay City Public Library. Such examples of the consideration of this data is the decision to include books in languages other than English in the library's collection. More specifically, in the children's department patrons can find books for children in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese as the U.S. Census Bureau provided the information that English, Spanish, Indo-European, and Asian-Pacific languages were most spoken in Bay City homes.The following data was recorded for Bay City:

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__ Population __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Total: 76,199: <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Population by Age__
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">males: 35,890 (47.1%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">females: 40,309 (52.9%) (Bay City, Florida, 2011)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">under 20 years of age: 15,469 (20.3%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ages 21-44: 20,802 (27.3%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ages 45-59: 10,821(14.2%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ages 60-74: 15,848 (20.8%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">over 75 years of age: 13,259 (17.4%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">median age for the population is 48.9 years old (Onboard Informatics, 2011).

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Population by Race__ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Language__ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Marital Status__ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Income__
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">white alone: 62,864 (82.5%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">hispanic alone: 6,096 (8%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">black alone: 4,420 (5.8%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">asian alone: 1,448 (1.9%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">two or more races: 914 (1.2%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">other: 373 (.49%) (Onboard Informatics, 2011).
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">English as primary language spoken at home: 89.4%
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Spanish as primary language spoken at home: 4.0% (Onboard Informatics, 2011).
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">single: 14, 859 (19.5%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">married: 38,176 (50.1%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">separated: 16,002 (2.1%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">divorced: 11,201 (14.7%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">widowed: 10,363 (13.6%) (Onboard Informatics, 2011).
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">married couples with children: 6,353
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">single-parent households: 3,327 (Bay City, Florida, 2011).
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">median household income: $38,561(Bay City, Florida, 2011).
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">population living in poverty: 9,830 (12.9%) (Onboard Informatics, 2011).

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Education Based on the Highest Level of Education Achieved__ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Occupation__ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">By industry:
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">less than high school equivalency: 12,649 (16.6%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">high school graduate: 27,051 (35.5%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">some college: 18,822 (24.7%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Associates degree: 5,105 (6.7%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Bachelor’s degree: 8,153 (10.7%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Master's degree: 2,819 (3.7%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Professional school degree: 1,219 (1.6%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Doctorate degree: 343 (.45%) (Onboard Informatics, 2011).
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">health care: 13.1%
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">construction: 12%
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">hospitality: 7.5%
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">finance and Insurance: 6.2%
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">professional, scientific, and technical services: 5.2%
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">administrative and support and waste management services: 4.8%
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">public administrative positions: 4.7% (Onboard Informatics, 2011).

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Class of workers: <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__Unemployment Rate__ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> As of March 2011, the unemployment rate for Bay City, Florida was 10.7%; this figure is down from a peak of 11.4% in January 2011 ( Onboard Informatics, 2011**).**  <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__ Political Affiliation __  <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">According to the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, Pinellas County voter registration statistics show 38.27% of the population is registered with the Republican party, 36.55% are registered with the Democratic party, and 25.17% are registered with other affiliations (Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, 2010). <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__ Religious Affiliation __ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The people of Bay City are affiliated with various religious groups, approximately 35.2% of the population (Onboard Informatics, 2011). The data can be further broken down into the following disciplines: <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__ Collection Statistics __ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"> The use of collection statistics will effectively assist in procuring a collection that addresses the relative strengths and weaknesses of the current collection. Therefore, the following data is consequential in making informative decisions while addressing Bay City Public Library's current collection needs. The Bay City Library's 93,00-square foot size allows for a large children's department, located in a dedicated wing of the library. With so much space available, the collection can be quite sizable. There are many different types of materials available in the current children's collection. Current materials include the following: <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"> Collection Name Number of Items Non-Fiction 13593 Easy (Picture Books) 9523 Fiction 7699 Beginning Reader 3150 Paperback 2591 Board Book 1562 Biography 1465 Chapter Book 1302 DVD 1180 Graphic Novel 1048 Book w/CD 455 Parent/Teacher 419 Music CD 351 Magazine 345 Easy w/Cassette 283 Reference 255 Electronic Games 164 Kit 115 Audiobook 107 Toy 103 Foreign Language 99 VHS 35 Software 23 TOTAL 45867-Alice I will e-mail you the file containing this info in chart form as I can't figure out how to get it to post here. Through the library's membership in the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, patrons have access to children's audio and e-books as well. This collection is growing larger each day, currently offering 71 fiction audio books for children as well as 10 non-fiction and 245 fiction e-books. As previously mentioned, the Bay City Library has over half a million patrons annually. Combined with the annual circulation of over 850,000 items, it is considered o ne of the most used libraries in Pinellas County. While those figures represent the library's total visitation and circulation statistics, the children's department represents a large portion of this usage as well. Of the 856,543 circulated items in the 2009-2010 statistical year, 295,379 items were from the children's department collection. The Easy (Picture Books), Beginning Reader, and DVDs are the most highly-circulated items. Statistics for the downloaded materials (audio books, music, and e-books) is currently being evaluated; these numbers have increased greatly in the last few years with the emergence of several different e-reading devices on the market. In terms of the age of the current children's collection, new materials come into the department daily; but some books have been in the collection since the library opened in 1971. The average age of the collection is approximately 8.295 years old. The older books are mostly in the fiction collection and include the classics (Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Little House on the Prairie) that may not yet have been reprinted. The board books have the lowest collection age as they are generally weeded and reordered about twice a year. The Easy (picture books) are also frequently updated. The nonfiction collection needs to be evaluated in the coming year to keep it up-to-date and relevant to today's students. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Evaluating collection statistics is an important step in a Needs Assessment as it helps to identify the collection's strengths and weaknesses. <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__ Consortia Agreements __ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;">The Bay City Public Library is a member of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, whose mission is to provide leadership, resources and opportunities to enhance the quality, value, and availability of library services to members. This cooperative links 15 member libraries together to provide additional services to the patrons of these libraries. Once a patron has a library card for one of the member libraries, they are able to use all the other libraries as well. The biggest advantage to being a member library is the sharing of resources. With budgets being cut every year, libraries are forced to make critical decisions regarding their collection budgets. Some libraries are facing huge cuts across the board, while others are having selected material types become banned from purchasing (i.e. no dvds, no new periodical subscriptions, etc.). Being part of the cooperative allows libraries to depend on one another to satisfy the needs of their patrons. Libraries who are being told they cannot purchase as many chapter books are comforted by the fact that their patrons can still borrow these materials from the member libraries. We would like to have a library with every book ever printed, this is just not a reality. When deciding what books to buy for their collection, in edition to all the other considerations, a library can look to see how many other member libraries have purchased the same book. If many libraries have done so, then it may be a better choice to purchase a different book so that the county's collection is more diverse. <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;">In addition to being a part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, Bay City Public Library is also a member of the Florida Electronic Library, the State Library of Florida, and the Tampa Bay Library Cooperative. The advantages of being members in these groups are similar to the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">private company employees: 55,702 (73.1%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">local government employees: 6,477 (8.5%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">self-employed: 5,258 (6.9%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">state employees: 1,143 (1.5%)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">federal employees: 991 (1.3%) (Onboard Informatics, 2011).
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Catholic 34.5%
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">United Methodist 12.4%
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Southern Baptist 11.1%
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">other 32% (Onboard Informatics, 2011).

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">__ Key informants __ <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The key informants of the Bay City Public Library's Needs Assessment consist of the following:
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Bay City Public Library Advisory Board;
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Greater Bay City Public Library Foundation;
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Friends of the Bay City Public Library, Inc.;
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Partners in Progress for the Arts; and
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Bay City Seniors, Inc. (Bay City, Florida, 2011).

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Bay City Public Library Advisory Board is comprised of five appointed members. The members are designated by the mayor of Bay City,with additional approval of the City Commission (Bay City, Florida, 2011). The members will hold these influential positions for a maximum of three years (Bay City, Florida, 2011). The Board advises and makes recommendations to the City Commission concerning matters of policy pertaining to the management and use of the library. They also approve the library's budget, making them a key informant of the survey results and actions to be taken. Its chief function is to manage the library's annual budget and the Capital Improvement Plan (Bay City, Florida, 2011). In addition, the steering committee for Bay City Public Library consists of the Affiliate Board members. These members financially support and guide crucial decisions in accordance with the vision and mission of Bay City Public Library. The members are comprised of the Greater Bay City Public Library Foundation; Friends of the Bay City Public Library, Inc; Partners in Progress for the Arts; and Bay City Seniors, Inc. (Bay City, Florida, 2011). <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The members of the Bay City Public Library Advisory Board are:
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; display: block; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">John Miller, Attorney
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Pastor Earl Wayne Curtis, Open Book Church
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Miriam Makeba, Professor of African American Studies, Bay City Community College
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Dr. Juan Castillo, Pediatrician
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Ludmilla Petrova, Petrova Real Estate Associates

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Focus group ** <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The focus group will consist of seven to ten patrons, ages eight to twelve, already utilizing the resources in the children's section at Bay City Public Library (Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Biblarz, Bosch, & Sugnet, 2001). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">They are old enough to go to the library alone and to choose their own reading material. They also use library reference sources to prepare school assignments. Young library patrons need to know that their input about library acquisitions is taken seriously (Farmer, 2011). The focus group will be chosen by the Children's Librarian among the patrons who frequent the library often and are well-known to the librarians. The purpose of the focus group is to effectively ascertain the precise needs of the Bay City Public Library's user group. The focus group will meet on a Saturday afternoon for an hour to an hour and a half, with pizza and beverages provided. The structure of the meeting will be open, and exploratory with the goal of revealing innovative ideas missed in the community survey and key informants interviews. We will have on hand two e-readers that the library currently owns and invite the focus group to explore them. We will also have four computers in the room and introduce the users to electronic versions of resources they customarily use in the library--encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks and other fiction and non-fiction editions. We will follow up with questions to determine whether, and to what extent, a need exists for electronic resources for this age group. Collaborating with this group will insure that our collection is responsive to their needs. It will also build on the relationship that already exists between this group and the library, ensuring their lasting loyalty, and helping to build lifelong learners. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The following list of four questions will be asked:
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Do you currently own an e-reader? If yes, what type? If no, are you interested in owning an e-reader in the future?
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Would you read an e-book if it was easily accessible?
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">What types of materials would you like to see available in e-book form? (example: Fiction, Non-fiction or Reference)
 * <span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Do you currently use electronic reference resources for homework? If not, do you think you may use electronic reference resources for homework in higher grades?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Respondent Sample ** <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The respondent sample is based on the current population size of 76,199 for the city of Bay City, Florida (Bay City, Florida, 2011). The sample size will be configured based on a simplistic statistical table generated by Robert V. Krejcie and Daryle W. Morgan with a .05% standard deviation (Connaway, 2010). Therefore, from the stated population a preferred sample size for our survey would consist of 382 respondents (Connaway, 2010, p. 130). The respondent sample for the Bay City Public Library Children's Department survey will be the caregivers that bring children to storytime each week. The Bay City Public Library offers four different opportunities for caregivers to bring children to the library for storytime. The four different opportunities include babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and families. Since we know that these caregivers are consistent users of the library, they make optimal choices as the respondents for the survey. These adults are referred to as "caregivers" as they may be mothers, fathers, older sisters or brothers, aunts or uncles, grandparents, neighbors, family friends, or nannies that bring the children to storytime each week. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Survey Gizmo ** <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The survey, utilizing Survey Gizmo, consists of 18 questions asking about the number of children in the household, primary language, reasons for using the library, types of materials typically checked out, and gauging interest in electronic materials. Skip logic, also referred to as conditional branching, was used in the survey to allow for variations in questions based on response by the caregivers taking the survey. The following is the survey link: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">[]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Findings from the Survey ** **//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bay City Public Library Community Needs Assessment Responses //** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The survey was administered over a period of three months. Both a paper option and an online option were offered to patrons. The library received a total of 968 responses. 346 responses were received in month one, 325 responses were received in month two, and 2, 297 responses were received in month three. Note: not all of the participants answered every single question so the percentages were calculated based on the number of responses for the question. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The majority of our users speak English in their homes (75%) and have children (73%).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I. Timeline **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">II. Demographics **


 * <span style="color: #4f4b40; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">How many children between the ages of 0-12 reside in your home? **


 * <span style="color: #4f4b40; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the primary language spoken in your home? **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our users responded that they most often visited the library for children’s programming, homework help, and leisure reading. Almost 75% of patrons report using the children’s section at least one to two times per week. The primary material checked out for children included board books (464 responses), picture story books (629 responses), and beginning reader fiction (522 responses). DVDs and audio books were the alternative material that were most used by children. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Survey users requested an increase in the amount of board books, picture books, beginning reader books, and chapter books. Several specific requests were made for “Reader Rabbit” math homework help software. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The majority of users (82%) said they preferred print only resources for their children. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not many of our users were informed about the cooperative agreement. For those that knew about it they reported it was used for music and they were “not very pleased” with the service. For those that did not know about the cooperative, the majority reported they were “not very likely” and “somewhat likely” to use it for e-books.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">III. Library Usage **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">IV. Requested Materials **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">V. Cooperative Awareness **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">34% of our users owned an electronic reading device, the most popular being the Kindle and the Nook. When matched with the data on children in the household, the majority of the users who owned an electronic reading device were the ones without children in their household. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">10% of respondents reported they were planning on purchasing an electronic reading device. The timeline was reported as within the next 6 months. The majority were planning on purchasing a Kindle or a Nook.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">VI. Electronic Reading Devices **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">VII. Recommendations **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Provide a larger selection of board books, picture books, beginning reader books, and chapter fiction books.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">There is a high turnover rate of children’s materials, the paperback collection should be assessed, weeded, and increased based on usage.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Concentrate on acquiring both English and Spanish resources as a majority of our users (91%) speak those languages in the home.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Raise awareness of library services like the cooperative services offered.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have e-books available in both .mobi and epub format. (.mobi is Kindle, epub is Nook)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Start a volunteer homework help program with specific after school hours
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Offer story-time hours for younger children
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Provide gaming software for homework help

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">** How will you compile information from responses? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Data from the surveys will be compiled and analyzed using software made especially for surveys. The software is available to libraries through an open source commons. Then, the data will be entered in an Excel spreadsheet. Open-ended questions will be compiled separately. We will look at four types of needs: <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This will help us understand what the community feels are its most pressing needs, which of these needs are in alignment with the mission of the library, what is a reasonable expectation to meet these needs, and how can we bring them to fruition (Evans & Saponaro, 2005).
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">normative needs - based on expert opinion
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">felt needs - based on the community's insight into its own needs
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">expressed needs - needs reflected by the behavior of people in the community
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">comparative needs - comparison of the target populatin to other populations

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Generalizations Based on the Data- **** How/To whom will you communicate the results of the survey? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The results of the survey will be shared with the children's department manager, assistant director and director of the Bay City Public Library, and the Bay City Public Library Advisory Board as they are the key decision-makers in collection development and budget allocation. As the management team of the library meets every Tuesday at 2pm in the library's conference room, this would be the perfect time to talk with the children's department manager, assistant director, and director of the Bay City Public Library. Depending on the decision of the management team, we may be asked to present the results of the survey to the library's Advisory Board. The Advisory Board only meets on the third Thursday of each month at 5pm in the library's conference room. We will make our presentation brief and focus it sharply to ensure the conveyance of our findings. We will employ the use of visual aids, such as easy-to-read pie charts in full color. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** What actions should be taken based on the results of the needs assessment? Again base your response on the "dummy" data you provided. **  ???????????????????? Who is doing this part? Carole to work on this. Waiting to tie in with dummy data. The data from this needs assessment will be used to determine what materials will be added to the children's department of the Bay City Library. Results of the surveys, interviews with key informants and discussions with the focus group will be considered. In addition, statistics for circulation, downloadable books and the results from the evaluation of the current nonfiction collection will be combined with the Bay City Public Library collection development policy guidelines to select appropriate additions to the collection. Include dummy data, review of collection statistics and census stats from 2010 census. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Bibliography ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State. (2011). Community needs assessment//.// Retrieved from @http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/commneeds.aspx <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Biblarz, D., Bosch, S., & Sugnet, C. (2001). // Guide to library user needs assessment for integrated information resource management and collection development //. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Biblarz, D., Bosch, S., & Sugnet, C. (2001). //Guide to library user needs assessment for integrated information resource management and collection development//. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.

Blake, J. C., & Schleper, S. P. (2004). From data to decisions: Using surveys and statistics to make collection management decisions. //Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services,// //28//(4), 460-464. doi:10.1016/j.lcats.2004.09.002 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Brawner, L. B., & Beck, D. K. (1996). //Determining your public library's future size : A needs assessment and planning model//. Chicago: American Library Association. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">City of Largo, Florida. (2011). Advisory board and library supporters. Retrieved from @http://www.largo.com/department/board.php?fDD=11-47 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">City of Largo, Florida. (2011). Affiliate boards and committees. Retrieved from[| http://www.largo.com/egov/docs/1183469799102.htm]City of Largo, Florida. (2011). Demographics//.// Retrieved from @http://www.largo.com/egov/docs/1181586860195.htm <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Connaway, L. S., & Powell, R. (2010). //Basic research methods for librarians// (5th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Evans, G. E., & Saponaro, M. Z. (2005). //Developing library and information center collections// (5th ed.). Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.

Farmer, L.S.J. (2002). Collection development in partnership with youth. //Collection Management 26//(2), 67-78. doi: 10.1300/J105v26n02_06.

Florida Department of State Division of Elections. (2010). County voter registration by party//.// Retrieved from @http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voter-registration/statistics/pdf/2010/gen2010_countyparty.pdf

Florida Department of State Division of Library and Information Services. (2011). State library of Florida. Retrieved from []

Greater Largo Library Foundation, Inc. (n.d.). About the foundation//.// Retrieved from @http://www.greaterlargolibraryfoundation.org/index.html

Kansas State Library. (2006). Designing a fine library: Tools from the KLA standards committee, the regional systems and the Kansas state library. Retrieved from @http://www.skyways.org/KSL/development/designing_a_fine_library.html <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Onboard Informatics. (2011). City-data Largo, Florida. Retrieved from @http://www.city-data.com/city/Largo-Florida.html <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Pinellas County Public Library Cooperative. (2011). PPLC member libraries. Retrieved from []