Main Library Renovations

TO OUR RICHMOND COMMUNITY

Thank you to everyone who joined Richmond Public Library for a Community Meeting about the Main Library

Library Director Scott Firestine hosted a public meeting at the Main Library Tuesday, March 1, 2022 from 6:00pm-7:30pm to reveal the findings and recommendations for the next steps of the Richmond Public Library Facility Master Plan. The meeting included a presentation of our vision for the Main Library, and an interactive Q&A session with the Project Team. The Library is in Phase Two of the Facility Master Plan, which begins with an assessment and design development for renovations of the Main Library.

The meeting:

  • Revealed the vision for the Main Library Renovation
  • Provided an opportunity for our community to share thoughts and provide feedback on the future of the Main Library building

Your Voice Matters

Thank you to everyone who joined us either virtually or in person for our March 1, 2022 Community Meeting. Please continue to visit this page for updates, or to see answers to questions that have been answered.

Your input continues to be important, so please use the form on this page to submit any additional questions. Thank you for taking part in this process, your involvement helps us build a better library for Richmond!

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What's Next?

Phase One of the 2008 Richmond Public Library Facility Master Plan addressed the immediate and critical infrastructure and technology upgrades of all branch libraries. This effort included new roofs, upgraded HVAC, and more depending on each branch’s needs.

We are now in Phase Two of the 2008 plan. This phase calls for a needs assessment, facility review and redesign recommendation for the Main Library.

photograph of the current main library building
watercolor painting of a redesigned main library

Community engagement to date includes a system-wide community survey, two community meetings with recordings, individual staff and patron interviews, ideas submitted online, input from the Urban Design Committee, and the approval of the Planning Commission. This information is captured in the Facilities Master Plan report. The plan reflects community and staff ideas, book space and programming requirements, a review of the existing structures and systems, comparisons to library systems across the country, and more. The Master Plan process also generated an estimated project cost. With this step complete, the cost and project information move into the Capital Improvement Plan.

A project that is included in the City’s capital budget is broadly defined as requiring the expenditure of public funds for the purchase, construction, enhancement, or replacement of physical infrastructure/assets. The City uses a long range planning process to develop a five-year CIP. Each capital project included in the five-year program has been recommended (and approved upon adoption) for additional or new funding in the first fiscal year of the plan and/or included as a planned project in the subsequent four fiscal years. Because of the multi-year nature of the CIP, it is a “living” document that outlines the project's past and future. For example, as a project is developed, the amount and timing of expenditures may allow budget appropriations to be moved out in the CIP or require that the appropriations be accelerated and the budget size increased or decreased. Therefore, detailed analysis is conducted each year to ensure that the appropriate levels of spending and types of spending by project are understood and captured in the CIP.

What Does This Mean for the Main Library?

The Master Plan has been submitted to the City for consideration. Once the project moves into the City budget, we will schedule additional community meetings, share focused surveys and conduct additional building assessments. In the interim, please continue to submit your ideas using the form below. Your voice matters.

Main Library Master Plan 2021 Documents