George Mackie Library will be getting some upgrades to enhance the service experience for its North Delta patrons.
At its March 11 council meeting, civic politicians received a staff report which outlined Delta library upgrades, what was done in 2018 and what is planned for 2019.
In 2018, the washrooms and library entranceway at Mackie were renovated to make them fully accessible. This was achieved with a $30,000 grant from the Rick Hansen Foundation and $140,000 from the City of Delta.
This year, Delta wants to develop an integrated service experience at the library – which has been a priority issue since 2014.
The integrated service experience model at Fraser Valley Regional Libraries (FVRL) looks to create more customer-centric service in line with changing customer demand. Features of the new service model include reducing the number of service desks to a single main service point, changing work-flow to increase staff efficiency and encourage persistent on-desk presence. The service model also allows for re-allocation of some staff to provide programming both in and out of the library.
Both the Ladner Pioneer and Tsawwassen libraries have single, integrated service desks.
Cost estimates for the project at Mackie include: $40,000 for service desk, $20,000 for new book display shelving, $15,000 for new furniture and $20,000 for cabling/wiring.
The FVRL is currently developing a detailed design for the project.
Council approved the allocation of $100,000 towards library enhancements at its business plan workshop in February. Council has also approved funding in the 2019 budget to replace the roof and upgrade the HVAC system at the Ladner Pioneer Library.
According to staff, during the last two years, more than $270,000 has been spent on library upgrades to provide library staff more flexibility to expand programming options and to make Delta’s libraries more pleasant and welcoming places.
