The Community Advisory Committee for the Johnson Improvement Project will meet on Thursday, January 10, at 8:30 a.m. in the Commonwealth Salon Mezzanine Conference Room (room change made on January 9). Click the link below for the meeting agenda.
1-10-13 Johnson Improvements Project CAC agenda
As a user-centered institution, the BPL is committed to improving the navigation and use of the Central Library through the design and implementation of a comprehensive wayfinding system. Whether you are a savvy veteran with many years of experience using the library or a first-time user, we believe the building should be equally welcoming and easy to use. This goal is a challenge in a facility of almost a million square feet which covers a city block and includes two distinct buildings.
The wayfinding scheme is based on a number of overarching principles:
The library awarded the contract for this capital project to Arrowstreet, Inc. Visitors should begin to see the results sometime in the summer of 2013.
One of the commitments the library has made in the BPL Compass strategic plan is to solicit public input and community involvement. To help facilitate that commitment with regard to the Johnson Building Improvement Project, a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) has been assembled to work with library staff and share ideas and reactions to proposed plans that will emerge over the course of the next several months. The committee is made up of business owners and residents in the Back Bay neighborhood. The first meeting of the CAC was held on November 14. To see the meeting notes from that meeting click here (PDF, 7 pages). The next CAC meeting will take place on Thursday, January 10, at 8:30 a.m. in the Commonwealth Salon.
The next Compass Roundtable will take place on Wednesday, January 30, at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Join a conversation about the Community Gathering principle with David Leonard, Boston Public Library’s Director of Administration & Technology, and Mary Frances O’Brien, the BPL’s Chief of Public Services .
“Compass” is the name of the Boston Public Library’s strategic plan. The Community Gathering principle in the Compass states: The BPL exists to serve and sustain communities that foster discovery, reading, thinking, conversing, teaching, and learning, in accessible, sustainable, and welcoming facilities throughout the City, as well as with an engaging online presence. The stated outcomes under the Community Gathering Principles are:
Community Gathering is the seventh of eight principles that staff from the BPL have discussed with the public following the unanimous approval of the strategic plan by the BPL Board of Trustees in November 2011. The Boston Public Library engaged its stakeholders in a two-year, three-phase planning process prior to that Board approval. The final Compass principle to be discussed is the User-Centered Institution principle, which will be covered in March 2013.
Download and share the January flyer (PDF).
If you are not able to join the January roundtable, you are always welcome to leave a comment on this blog or send an email to compass@bpl.org with your ideas.
After an extensive RFP review process, the contract for the market feasibility of commercial and conference space in the Johnson building was awarded by the BPL board of trustees to the firm of Byrne McKinney and Associates from Boston. The initial phase of the study will focus on the measuring of demand for various types of uses and possible configurations of the space. They will also develop financial models and forecast revenue, conduct surveys, and work closely with the project and design team. It is anticipated that the majority of research will be completed by the end of February.
