Building Literacy: Public Library Construction

This episode focuses on a very special role: part therapist, part mediator, part wrangler of budget and schedule. It is none other than the role of the Owners' Project Manager. This is a required role on any public project in Massachusetts that is worth over $1.5 million. We were lucky enough to sit down on zoom with John Sayre-Scibona of Design Technique, before he starts a new chapter as a gentleman of leisure and closes the doors to his boutique OPM firm, to discuss the role and responsibilities of an OPM on public library building projects.

Essentially a letter to the architect, the Library Building Program is a document that is the basis of design for any library building project at any scale. It provides context, includes community input, and details the areas and adjacencies that need to be incorporated in any design work, all with a focus on function. Learn the components that comprise this document, and hear from not only the MBLC's library building specialists but also from library directors who have been through the process as they share how they have used their Library Building Programs throughout their building projects. 

Resources:

Library Building Program Lib Guide
https://guides.mblc.state.ma.us/c.php?g=43537&p=276303

Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians
https://mblc.state.ma.us/programs-and-support/construction/libraryspace.php

Building Blocks for Planning Functional Library Space
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810841369/Building-Blocks-for-Planning-Functional-Library-Space

The Practical Handbook of Library Architecture
https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/practical-handbook-library-architecture-creating-building-spaces-work

In our last episode we learned about the broad goals of the Commonwealth’s Climate Act and Executive Order 594’s implications for the State’s portfolio of buildings. In this episode, we dig a little deeper into what resources, incentives, and grants are available to the Commonwealth’s municipalities, and, in turn, libraries, to better position our local governments in meeting our ambitious energy goals outlined in the aforementioned legislation. We are fortunate to have wonderful State colleagues working toward these efforts. We are joined by Joanne Bissetta, the Acting Director of the Green Communities Division, and Catie Snyder, the Deputy Director of the Leading by Example Program, both of whom are affiliated with the Department of Energy Resources.

List of resources: 

Green Communities web site – will link to current and past grant opportunities for reference: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/green-communities-division

Decarbonization Roadmap https://www.mass.gov/info-details/ma-decarbonization-roadmap

Net -Zero new construction webinar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNBNm-AGI9c

MAPC Net Zero info: https://www.mapc.org/net-zero/what-is-net-zero/

MassSave website https://www.masssave.com/en/saving/business-rebates

MAFMA training and tutorials - https://www.mass.gov/service-details/mafma-training-and-tutorials

MassCEC preferred installer lists: 

Air-source heat pumps (https://goclean.masscec.com/installers/)

Ground-source heat pumps (https://www.masscec.com/ground-source-heat-pump-installers)

Solar hot water (https://www.masscec.com/solar-hot-water-installers)

Automated wood heating (https://www.masscec.com/automated-wood-heating-installers)

EJ Communities in Massachusetts - https://www.mass.gov/info-details/environmental-justice-populations-in-massachusetts

PowerOptions program for public entity solar PPAs- https://poweroptions.org/programs/solar/

MassEVIP incentives for public, workplace, and other electric vehicle charging - https://www.mass.gov/doc/matrix-of-massevip-grant-programs/download

Utility make ready programs for electric vehicle charging (Eversource and National Grid) - https://www.mass.gov/info-details/electric-vehicle-charging

In this episode, we discuss the Commonwealth’s new Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy and Executive Order 594 with Eric Friedman, the Director of the Leading by Example Program, which is a division of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. From a higher level perspective, we explore what this new legislation means for our municipal libraries and how to reduce carbon emissions and plan for a clean energy future. 

On this episode of Building Literacy, we talk campaign finance law with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance's Communications and Education Director Jason Tait. In previous episodes of our advocacy stories series, we have mentioned both the Office of Campaign and Political Finance  (https://www.ocpf.us/) and the State Ethics Commission (https://www.mass.gov/orgs/state-ethics-commission) as offices to consult with any questions about advocacy or fundraising. Jason describes in detail the work of OCPF, but it is important to note that the State Ethics Commission in Massachusetts may have differing opinions on the activities we discuss with Jason. For assistance with specific questions or scenarios, please do contact both of these agencies or the equivalent in your state if you reside or work outside of Massachusetts. 

In this episode in our series entitled Advocacy Stories, we discuss messaging, communications plans, and marketing for libraries with the MBLC's Communications Team: Celeste Bruno and Matthew Perry. While we touch upon issues related to library building projects, the tips and tricks our in-house experts share are scalable to any subject pertaining to libraries. It is important to note that when we use the term library in this episode, we mean it as a sum of parts, including the Administration, Staff, Trustees, Friends, and Foundation.  It is equally important to know in which advocacy efforts and activities each entity can be involved and to what capacity. If you have questions about advocacy activities and what is allowed and forbidden by the law, we suggest you reach out to the State Ethics Commission and/or the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. If you are outside of Massachusetts, contact your equivalent State agencies. 

In this episode, we are taking a mini detour from the nuts and bolts of Advocacy to focus on the financial component of public library building projects. While many projects like these have a combination of funding sources- municipal funding, grants, private fundraising, etc., most of the conversation revolves around the impact on taxes. In order to understand the landscape of local taxes in Massachusetts, we reached out to the Division of Local Services (DLS).  Sean Cronin, the Senior Deputy Commissioner of DLS, provides a primer on this topic and discusses the resources and tools available on the DLS website, which can be [email protected]/DLS. Additional links include:

Municipal Finance Training and Resource Center: https://www.mass.gov/resource/municipal-finance-training-and-resource-center

Municipal Finance Training and Resource Center – Capital Planning, Forecasting:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/municipal-financial-management-training-and-resources#capital-planning-

Municipal Finance Training and Resource Center – Debt and Borrowing: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/municipal-debt-and-borrowing-training-and-resources

Municipal Finance Trend Dashboard: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/municipal-finance-trend-dashboard

Municipal Finance Snapshot Dashboard: https://www.mass.gov/news/dls-introduces-new-municipal-finance-snapshot-dashboard

State House Notes and Other Borrowing Guidelines: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/state-house-note-program-and-other-borrowing-guidelines

On this episode of Building Literacy: Public Library Construction, we delve into the ducts of HVAC systems. HVAC, as you may know, stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and does include dehumidification as well. Reopening libraries during a pandemic has brought the topic of HVAC out from behind the walls and into the proverbial light. We have read the ASHRAE guidance materials and we don't fully understand them either, so we enlisted the help of two knowledgeable MEP engineers-MEP stands for mechanical, electrical and plumbing- who have worked on a number of libraries in the Commonwealth. Carlos DeSousa and Dominick Puniello from Garcia Galuska DeSousa. While there's more information in the episode, Carlos has graciously shared his answers to our initial questions in written form. And Dom has shared a spreadsheet for determining the amount of cubic feet of a room and therefore the appropriate size of a portable HEPA filter for that room. If you have follow-up questions, send them to [email protected], and we will try to include them in a follow up podcast with Carlos and Dom early next year.

In this series of Advocacy Stories, we will examine the nuts and bolts of advocacy through the experiences of Directors, Trustees, and Consultants involved in the MBLC’s Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program. A basic rule of advocacy is to focus on your supporters and mobilize and energize them. However, this episode focuses on the experiences of librarians and trustees who faced significant opposition. 

Library employees must be very careful not to cross the line between providing non-partisan information and advocating for their library. If you have questions about advocacy activities and what is allowed and forbidden by the law, we suggest you reach out to the State Ethics Commission and/or the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. If you are outside Massachusetts, contact your equivalent state agencies.

In this episode, we convened a roundtable of architects from several of the firms who design buildings for libraries that partake in the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program. Each firm tackled a topic related to designing libraries amidst a pandemic, including circulation patterns, furniture design, small vs. large rooms, exterior spaces, flexibility vs, separation, safety and security, bathrooms, HVAC, and longterm impacts. We ask this esteemed and knowledgeable group to discuss changes they are considering given the most up-to-date information available. It is important to note that information about COVID-19 and its transmission and behavior is ever-evolving. The discussion of safety measures in this episode are based on research and guidance up until August 4, 2020. We cannot know what further pertinent information will arise in subsequent weeks, months, or years, but we do hope to do an updated episode on this topic in the late Fall or Winter.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for other episode topics, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].