Community Forums on Space Planning Fall 2025

Thank you for your interest in the future of the NDL. On this page you will find helpful information about the Community Forums on Space Planning which were held in October and November of 2025, and the due diligence that was undertaken by the Library’s Board of Trustees in preparation for those events. We have also included answers for every question that was asked at the Community Forums.

Please note that the Library Board has made no decision regarding which of the options outlined in this presentation it might pursue in the future. Furthermore, the financial costs associated with the various options are only estimates and are subject to change.

If you have any questions about the presentation that was made at the Community Forums, the documents on this website, or anything else regarding the NDL’s space needs, please use the form below and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

Patrons are always welcome to attend the meetings of the Library’s Board of Trustees, who typically meet on the 4th Thursday of each month at 7PM in the Carlo Meeting Room. Check the event calendar or the Board of Trustees page on our website for more information.

NDL Community Forum on Space Planning Presentation, prepared by NDL, October 2025

The documents below were commissioned by the NDL from professional firms as part of the information gathering process as the Board of Trustees conducts its due diligence. The documents are educational in nature and should not be construed as formal plans. All locations and options mentioned in the Space Feasibility Study are hypothetical. Any decision made by the Board of Trustees regarding the future of the Library's space will be made at a public meeting and shared with the community.

NDL Strategic Plan, prepared by The Ivy Group, October 2022

Space Feasibility Study, prepared by Quinn Evans Architects, May 2024

Space Needs Assessment, prepared by Plante Moran Realpoint, April 2025

Questions & Answers

All of the questions submitted by the attendees at the Community Forums have been categorized and
answered in the sections below. Similar questions have been combined for efficiency.

ACCESSIBILITY/PARKING

How can the library better support drive up drop-off returns to eliminate blocking parking and driveway access? Drop boxes?
Why not put a [drive up] book drop in the current location?
Due to limitations of the library property and the fact that all the streets surrounding the library are two-way streets, it is not possible to place a drive up drop box on the driver's side of vehicles, which makes them less useful. A drive up drop box in the parking lot would both inhibit parking lot traffic and require staff to cross the driveway multiple times per day to empty the drop box, which is a safety issue. Remember that anywhere a drop box is placed, a library staff member must be able to access it with a large rolling bin full of library returns multiple times per day, all year long, in all kinds of weather.
If the library is able to expand to the east, the option for a drive-thru would be explored.

Is having a drive-thru window a dealbreaker?
Having a drive-thru window is not a dealbreaker. The library has a long list of features it would like to implement; it is unlikely that all are achievable.

Would existing library and services stay open and available during expansion?
Can patrons be assured that all spaces for community group gatherings can be available during library operation hours?
The library is committed to offering space for use by community groups; however, if it is decided to expand the current facility, it might be necessary to move some or all library services to a temporary location, and/or limit or restrict other library services, during various phases of construction. It is too early in the planning process to know what form this may take.

Is there a plan to address limited parking space?
What is the issue- there seems to be adequate parking?
With the increase in population with the coming housing, are there plans for parking expansion?
The limited parking for library patrons - which generates daily complaints - is one of the factors driving the library's need to obtain more space. The Northville District Library does not own any parking spots at its current location. Rather, the parking that is available is either owned by Northville Public Schools or the City of Northville.

Will library hours be changing to accommodate the larger amount of usage expected?
Will the Library expand hours? This was often an issue when my children needed it.
The NDL is currently open 7 days a week for a total of 62 hours. Year-round Sunday hours were added in the summer of 2022. An expansion of service hours is evaluated on a regular basis.

Why isn't the current elevator considered ADA compliant?
The size of elevator does not meet current ADA standards for gurney transport. Additionally, current building codes now require two elevators in a building the size of the NDL.

Why do you need a new space? Is it only due to parking?
There are many factors driving the NDL's need to obtain additional space. These include, but are not limited to, parking, programming space, meeting room space, size of the children's area, size of the Maker Space, building code issues, size of areas for collection shelving. The NDL's patron have indicated in a past survey that they want to see more of what the library does and not less.

Will the additional building square footage require any additional parking be added to satisfy the zoning ordinance?
This is unknown currently.

Have you considered whether a new or additional location(s) is (are) accessible by wheelchair, by foot, and/or by bicycle?
Have you taken under consideration availability/lack of public transportation?
Yes, accessibility for patrons of all abilities and modes of transportation will be considered.

BRANCH/BOOKMOBILE

Would a mobile unit (a bookmobile) have any merit?
Bookmobiles are very expensive to operate, and libraries are largely turning away from this service. In the case of the NDL, a bookmobile would not address all of its current space challenges and would further exacerbate limited parking when it was not in use and parked in the lot.

The NDL, unlike the school district, is probably not restricted from making long term decisions about land acquisition and expansion. I do not know of any effort to make provisions for a branch library on the property of the new Fire/Police facility on Seven Mile. Or have you looked at the former police station which is right in the center of one of the largest concentrations of residences and two schools. The programming for our library relied heavily on branches and maintaining the library in the city. Were these possibilities considered?
In its space feasibility study conducted in 2023, various properties were examined in both communities that could potentially be purchased for some sort of expansion of library service. That examination was brief and the Library Board will wait until it has a better understanding of the needs of the community before it engages in further examination of any particular piece of property.

Is one of the options that the township build a library and the two work together?
Is retaining the current library as is and opening a second branch location in the Township being considered?
Consider a second location that would be a "children's library"?
Is there any thought to having multiple branches? What prevents us from doing that?
With the greater numbers of population in the Township why not build a second or third branch in the Township areas?
Is retaining the current library as is and opening a second branch location in the Township being considered?
Why can't you have two libraries? The town I grew up in was the only town in the country to have two Carnegie libraries
Could there be 2 libraries, leave the current library as a branch? Seems like with the new population from The Downs, we really need a library here in Northville.
Can we have two branches; one in the city and one in the township?
Can the community support two libraries?
The option to establish a branch is possible. This question is ultimately a community decision. The community will have to decide if it wishes to provide the funding to sustain additional locations. A branch is the most expensive option due to the additional long-term operating costs on top of the one-time costs of land acquisition and building construction.

CHILDREN’S AREA

How do you plan to expand the children's books and play area?
How do you plan to use your space better to have a decent children’s department?
Plans to provide larger, separate children's section?
You are losing patrons because of the children’s area - to Novi, Commerce, Redford, etc. While these decisions are being made, how will you improve usability today?
In the past four years we have rearranged the shelving in the main floor Youth Services area, rearranged the play area, and added a playhouse to try to make it more appealing. Demand for a larger and more appealing children's play area is one of the key challenges driving the discussion about the library's space.

What can we do to get all children’s materials on the same floor? The current arrangement means I cannot take my older child to look at nonfiction while my younger is looking at fiction. It is not usable. Additionally, fairytales and folklore specifically being in the basement means that some series are broken up (because people have catalogued them differently) across 2 floors.
The collection audience arrangement - particularly for children - is one of the key challenges driving the discussion about the library's space. Moving all Youth materials to the library’s main floor would eliminate the quiet reading area by the fireplace that is cherished by many adult patrons, while also forcing all adults, including seniors, to go downstairs to access the Adult collections. Alternately, moving the Youth collections downstairs would force families with strollers to go downstairs to access the Youth collections, and put a noisy children's play area adjacent to the quiet study rooms and adult computer users. The family restroom adjacent to the current main floor play area would also be much harder for families to access if the Youth materials were located downstairs.

What can we do to continue kid activity spaces and storytimes?
The library will always offer dedicated collections, spaces, programs, and services for children of all ages and their families.

COLLECTION USAGE

What is the % of on site visits/borrowers vs. online?
89% percent of patrons visit the library in-person and 11% are digital only users; however, many patrons who regularly visit the library and use physical materials also use digital materials.

Important points for me: what about accessibility to digital audiobooks?
The library has increased its budget for digital ebooks and eaudiobooks each year for the past three years to better meet demand.

Has there been a comprehensive study on electronic content usage versus traditional paper reference and other reading material at NDL? If so, is this data available to the public? If not, will one be done?
The NDL regularly tracks usage activity for its collections and adjusts its collection development priorities to responsibly allocate funds to meet patron demand. In recent years the usage of ebooks and streaming multimedia has increased significantly, and the budget supporting those collections has therefore been increased.

Lawnmowers? Why? Are we overextending?
The Northville District Library does not and will not circulate lawnmowers. One of the new areas of library services nationwide is the Library of Things. This allows patrons to check out all sorts of things not traditionally associated with a public library. Compared to its peer libraries, the Northville District Library has a very small Library of Things collection and it cannot expand due to space constraints.

With so much going digital, why do you need more space, especially after just spending a lot of money on adding space to the existing library?
There are many factors driving the NDL's need to obtain additional space. These include, but are not limited to, parking, programming space, meeting room space, size of the children's area, size of the Maker Space, building code issues, and more. The NDL's patrons have indicated in a past survey that they want to see more of what the Library does and not less.

Will there be more audio children's books, and will Santa still be coming to visited? (I'm 6)
Yes, and yes!

Could the library share some metrics and data on how the DVD checkouts ?
In Fiscal Year 2025, DVDs were checked out 34,126 times.

What is the monthly count for borrowing of real on-the-shelf books from the adult fiction section of the library?
In Fiscal Year 2025, the monthly average checkouts for Adult Fiction books was 1,454.

EXPANSION

Can there be a three-story addition to the current library in the city?
Can't expand upward?
Why are we limited to a two-story addition?
Why can't an additional floor be added above the current main/upper floor? More details, please.
Why can't we go up on the current building? Is there a height restriction?
Why can't you expand upward? Taller buildings have been approved downtown recently. Add one or two floors up and build a parking deck.
An assessment by the architecture firm Quinn Evans determined that the foundation reinforcement that would be necessary to structurally support a third story addition is not feasible.

Can part of the park behind the library be used for an expansion?
Can the library expand out into the park? If so, would it be large enough for the years ahead?
If you need more space why not add onto the back? There is plenty of space
It seems most practical to expand the library into the adjacent park. Does the City of Northville have stated plans for that area?
The land located to the east of the library is owned by the City of Northville. Any addition to the current building could only be located there and would require cooperation with the City of Northville.

Why would an expansion option (addition into the adjacent park) not meet space needs and a drive-thru need? Design could be creative with two streets to access.
The land located to the east of the library is owned by the City of Northville. Any addition to the current building could only be located there and would require cooperation with the City of Northville. If the Library could expand to the east, the option for a drive-thru would be explored.

FINANCE/BUDGET

If money is requested, why can’t it be requested as a non ad volarem tax?
A millage is the only kind of tax a District Library is legally authorized to levy.

Has anyone done a cost/benefit analysis on the changes requested?
A space feasibility study and a financial assessment study have been conducted. Generally speaking, there is a 5-to-1 return on investment for dollars spent on public libraries.

How much money are you looking for?
The amount of additional funding needed has not been determined. Preliminary estimates for the options the Library Board is exploring are between $20 and $40 million. Such figures should not be treated as absolute as many factors can impact land acquisition and construction costs. Likewise, the Library Board has not yet decided which option to pursue.

If relocating is found to be the solution what is the estimated cost of building a larger library and how would this impact our taxes?
The amount of additional funding needed has not been determined. Preliminary estimates for the options the Library Board is exploring are between $20 and $40 million. Such figures should not be treated as absolute as many factors can impact land acquisition and construction costs. Should a decision be made to expand, a small increase in millage rates may be necessary. The rate of increase and timing of the levy have not been determined.

$14-$16 million for 10,000 sf is $1,400-$1,600/square foot which is way more than the cost to build a hospital or research building. Why is it so expensive?
Costs presented are a range that covers the expected total project costs and do not represent only the building construction cost which is often discussed as a cost per square foot. The costs presented include costs for land purchase for the new site options, site development costs (utilities, parking, landscaping), building construction estimated at $425-$525/sq. ft., building renovation estimated at $200-$220/sq. ft., and a separate sum for furniture and equipment. Other project costs include professional design fees, construction manager fees, bonding, insurance, moving costs and a contingency reserve. These projected cost opinions were developed in collaboration with an architectural firm and a construction management firm using numbers based on multiple recent new library construction and renovation projects. The cost opinion was developed in 2024 and does not include escalation costs to a future year of construction but used a range to allow for some consideration of price increases.

A library is a non-profit why would expansion and more revenue be prioritized over keeping in the city?
Expansion of its space would allow the NDL to be able provide the level of services requested by the residents of its district - the City of Northville and Northville Township. How best to provide service and be fiscally responsible with millage dollars are the driving factors behind the Library’s exploration of potential options.

Have you given consideration to seeking funds from a philanthropic donor?
Have you sought donors to pay for new/second facility?
If the decision was made to expand space, a capital campaign would be conducted to help obtain private funding.

Who is going to pay for building a library in the township?
The Northville District Library levies its millage in the City of Northville and Northville Township. These communities comprise the Library's taxing district, regardless of where within the district the library is located.

GOVERNANCE

Where can I find information regard in the process the library has taken to get to this point?
This webpage will serve as a clearinghouse for information and will be added to throughout the process.

Why was Northville Twp. contacted and considered as a move option before exploring all options with the (City of Northville) mayor and City Council?
Discussions with Northville Township and the City of Northville were happening concurrently.

DDA makes the decision or the Trustees?
The Board of Trustees are responsible for library governance. The library is not a department of the City of Northville or Northville Township and is not located within the boundaries of the DDA.

Who in the City Administration did you speak with about purchasing the park land? I've never heard the proposal at a council meeting.
The Library Board has had preliminary informal conversations with the City Manager and members of City Council regarding the potential opportunity to expand the current location of the NDL into the park land on the east side of its building. At this time, no proposal has been developed to bring to City Council for consideration.

What discussions has the NDL had with the Elected Officials of the Township?
The Library Board has had preliminary informal conversations with the Township leadership regarding potential options for some sort of space expansion. At this time, no proposal has been developed to bring to the Township Board of Supervisors for consideration

LOCATION

What happens to the deed if space is expanded (who owns the land)?
How does the expansion affect the deed, land ownership restrictions?
What would happen to the current library building if they choose to move elsewhere for a new library?
If you build new what happens to the Library's paid investment of the current building?
Northville Schools deeded land to the Northville District Library to construct its current location in 1995. The terms of the deed state that should the property not be used to provide a public library, the land reverts back to Northville Schools. The Library Board cannot sell the building and the library would lose the investment that is has been put into constructing and maintaining the current structure since 1995. As long as the property is used to provide a public library, the land deed remains unchanged. If the library expands its current facility, it will have to acquire land from the City of Northville. The cost of that acquisition is unknown.

Is the Board Considering a New Location or building on to existing structure.
Both options are under consideration.

Could we use other facilities for a larger library rather than build or expand the current library?
In its space feasibility study, the Library Board learned that purchasing and renovating an existing location would be more expensive than adding to the current structure or building a new facility.

Any discussions about moving the Northville Community Center and then combining/expanding the Library with the Community Center building?
Not currently, but the Library Board is open to discussing all feasible options.

Having the library is such an asset to the City. Parking is always a problem in cities. I'm selfish, my husband and I walk to the library at least twice a week. Are there rooms in this beautiful community to accommodate study rooms? I'm all for an addition to the east of the building.
Severing library services - such as study rooms or meeting spaces - from the library's main location detracts from the library's goal of being a community gathering space, would generate rental or leasing costs, and would require additional staff to be hired to manage those off-site locations, assist patrons there, and maintain and clean them.

New municipal building? Did you consider space there? Old fire/police on Winchester/Six Mile Rd.? Unused store fronts?
What areas in the Township are being considered and are they centrally located/close to high population areas?
Should the NDL establish some sort of physical presence in the Township, it would need to be a central location with population density.

It was stated that there isn't a location in the city to house a 40,000 sq. ft. building with 100 parking spaces. Was this not considered or discussed in the massive Downs project?
Was the property at Northville Downs considered?
The Downs property was private property which was sold to a private developer.

Can the library move to the foundry property? Brian said he would consider that.
I like the downtown location - maybe move to the Foundry Flask site?
Was Foundry Flask considered?
Why can't the Foundry properly be used for new Library? It's in the DDA.
The Foundry property is private property and is slated to be developed into apartments and retail.

Why is it necessary to move given the increase in the use of online resources. Where do you plan to relocate.
The Library Board has made no decision regarding the library's space. While usage of online resources has increased in recent years and is expected to continue increasing, there is still significant demand for the physical collections and especially for the space itself (meeting rooms, study rooms, etc.). Furthermore, the population increase has also created more demand for all library services.

Are you going to keep the site open in downtown Northville?
Has the library move been confirmed?
How can we keep the library?
How can I help keep it in town?
What can we do to keep the library in downtown Northville?
How will moving the library to the township incentivize more young families to move to the city, where the expectation is access to resources and amenities, like that of other walkable districts?
Is the library planning on moving locations with the space constraints?
Is the Northville District Library going stay at its present location long term?
What are the plans to possibly move the libraries location?
Why move the library out of the center of the city?
Why move the library out of the city?
Why would we move out of the city?
Why would you even consider moving the library out of the city limits? Our library is reasonably new and serves the city. Why burden the tax payer with more debt when our streets are falling apart and our infrastructure is crumbling?
Why would you move the library when it is always busy and well utilized?
Why would you move the library when the downtown area is expanding and it has such a central location?
Will you keep the library in the City?
The Library Board has made no decisions about how to address its space needs. Of the four options being considered, three of them maintain the library's current location in downtown Northville. Please share your thoughts with the Northville District Library Board of Trustees, as well as the Northville City Council and Northville Township Board of Supervisors. Library patrons may engage with the Library Board by attending Board meetings, sending feedback to the Board online or via postal mail, and participating in opportunities for community feedback.

What are the barriers to remaining in Downtown Northville?
The Library Board has made no decisions about how to address its space needs. Of the four options being considered, three of them maintain the library's current location in downtown Northville. The barriers to remaining in the current location are primarily lack of available interior space to accommodate additional collections and programs and staff, lack of parking, and the inability to establish a drive-thru window or drive up drop box.

Was time and effort put into analyzing carefully the events and the initial millage election that brought about the placement of the current library? The defeat of the Haller Library proposal had several facets but chief among them was the lack of support for a Library outside the City proper. Community sentiment drove all of this and overwhelming support for the Library in its current location resulted in the final successful millage proposals, the establishment of the second district library in our state and the ongoing popularity of our facility.
The Library Board is aware of the Haller Library proposal as many of them lived in the community at that time and voted in that election. The Haller proposal was voted on 35 years ago. Much has changed in the Northville communities and in library service since then. The Library Board wishes to learn more about the preferences of its two communities today and what they might be in the next 10-20 years. Those preferences may have changed since 1990 or they may have not.

Has there been any discussion with Pulte or any other builders to build condos on the current city hall property that will create the need for city hall to move to the library site?
Is the current city hall going to take over the NDL location?
Is the Library being talked about for Northville City Hall use, and not as a Library for future use?
Why does the city fire department need to be expanded, is it because of The Downs?
The Northville District Library is not a department of the City of Northville and is not involved in development projects in the City.

Have you considered Building a new library in the development vacated by Patio's Plus?
This private property has been sold and is now under development for housing and retail

The fact that the library is located downtown and therefore walkable is one reason we purchased our house. Has the impact of a potential move on other downtown facilities and businesses been considered? Many residents walk downtown to run multiple errands.
Yes, the Library Board has considered the many advantages of the NDL’s location in downtown Northville and its impact on the community. This is why 3 of its 4 potential space options involve some sort of library service continuation in its current space.

SPACE ALLOCATION/LAYOUT

One slide showed sq. ft./population, what is the sq. ft./library card holders?
Approximately 1.89 sq. ft. per card holder. It is important to keep in mind that people who use the library for purposes other than using collection materials do not necessarily have library cards. There are many people in the building at any given time who have not registered for a library card.

Has the board considered bringing in a space designer to reconfigure a better use of existing space as opposed to expanding the library’s footprint?
As part of the Space Feasibility Study done in 2023, the NDL worked with the firm of Quinn Evans to examine how it can better use its existing space.

Is the size of the expansion to the east limited to 10,000 sq. ft.? Why?
Both the Library and the City of Northville want to preserve some of the green space on the east side of the library.

Have you considered adding an auxiliary space in town to accommodate meeting, creating, audio, and forum spaces?
If "in town" means downtown Northville, there is little to no vacant commercial space for the library to consider.

What renovations will be made if the library is moved?
If the NDL moves, the current building will revert to Northville Schools and they will be able to use and/or renovate the building in any fashion they like.

Even if you don't expand, can you add an entrance to the downstairs to solve the "elevator problem" and have better accessibility to city parking?
If the option to remain in the current location and renovate and/or expand is what is pursued, a lower level/rear entrance option will be explored.

The plan is 37,000-40,000, why wouldn't we do 55,000 to be more in line with Plymouth which has a similar population size?
If this is what the community desires, the NDL would love to expand its space further.

How has the library staff dealt with space issues up to this point?
In the past four years we have rearranged the shelving in the main floor Youth Services area, rearranged the play area, and added a playhouse to try to make it more appealing. Children's storytime programs have been moved from the small Storytime Room to the larger Carlo Meeting Room to accommodate more attendees. We routinely offer digital/virtual programs. We collaborate regularly with local partners to offer programs in larger locations (Northville Twp. Hall, Northville High School, Northville Community Center). We are strict about supplies that require long-term storage. We've increased the budget for digital materials. We've adopted a new online catalog system that provides better discoverability for online resources and access to the 400+ libraries in MeLCat. We've maintained Curbside Pickup service.

Has the Library Board compared the per capita operating cost for the options to per capita operating costs in other premier communities?
Not currently.

Do we need additional space for current services provided by the library, or are we looking to expand services?
The answer to both questions is yes.

Why can’t additional space be used within the current location?
The current library building is built to the edge of its property in every direction. The land located to the east of the library is owned by the City of Northville. Any addition to the current building could only be located there and would require cooperation with the City of Northville.

If you need space why not close the book sale room? Get rid of the cd section that ppl don't check out?
The Friends of NDL raise tens of thousands of dollars each year from the sale of used books, and that money is used to support library collections and programs. Closing the Used Book Cellar would directly harm their revenue and negatively affect library services, especially special programs. The space occupied by the Used Book Cellar is also quite small. Additionally, collection usage is regularly monitored. Collections are routinely expanded, reduced, or removed in order to better meet patron needs and responsibly allocate library funds. Many patrons still use music CDs as well as the CD audiobooks.

Is there a plan to increase study rooms?
The library completed an addition which added two small group study rooms and a small meeting room on the lower level. There are no current plans to add more study rooms because there is not space to accommodate them.

The Library study rooms and most table in the lower level are often used by tutors - has the library considered asking them to rent space or limit usage so everyone gets a chance to use the space?
The library has not formally considered this option, although some libraries do not allow private tutors. The students being tutored are Northville students who should have access to the library to support their studies, which includes space to meet with their tutors.

Can the storage space be put in a nearby building like the Community Center, Village School, or the mall across from the Library?
The library owns none of the buildings referenced in this question. If such an arrangement were made, the NDL would be charged for space rental.

Couldn't you share space with the senior center for your programs?
The library partners with P&R's Senior Services staff to host a monthly book club for seniors at the Community Center, and also occasionally uses the banquet room for events, if it is available. Sometimes a rental fee is required.

Can we utilize this building in the Township for meeting spaces and so forth - what is the status of this building?
The library regularly hosts programs in the Assembly Room at Northville Township Hall.

Is there a plan to expand senior services or programs in the new library/current expansion plan?
The library strives to offer programs for patrons of all ages while avoiding duplication of services. We serve many senior patrons and would happily provide more services to meet demand if space allowed for it.

Can these same places [the Community Center, Village School, or the mall across from the Library] be used for other things: study rooms, etc.?
The NDL owns none of the buildings referenced in this question. The services provided in these spaces would be the choice of the owners of the respective facilities.

If the Storytime room isn't being used why can't that be a play room?
The Storytime Room is currently being used as a flex storage/meeting/staff space.

What single metric do you think is relevant when planning how much more space you'll need to expand into? (Sq. ft. per person, feet of linear shelving, etc.)
There are several factors to consider: square feet per person, cost, usage of current services, what services are libraries likely to adopt in the next 10-20 years, etc.

Can we add booths for tween/teens?
We have considered adding booths; however, there is not adequate floor space for them anywhere in the library.

MISCELLANEOUS

Have schools been involved to date? What are their needs? Students need to be very involved.
As of right now, no conversation with Northville Schools has taken place. The NDL will be doing a community survey in 2026 regarding our space options, and we will be encouraging all students to complete that survey as they are the future and their needs must be a key consideration in any decision that is made.

Will there be any way to incorporate at least a small perennial garden in the landscaping in the front of the new design? Rather than the parking lot to sidewalk to entrance at the future strip mall.
Attractive landscaping will be an important part in any future plan to renovate, expand, or relocate the library.

What will happen to existing library?
If the NDL chooses to do nothing, the building remains the same. If it chooses to expand the building, space would be added on to the east side of the building. If a branch is built, it is likely this current location will remain operating in the city. If a new building is built elsewhere, the building and the property would revert to Northville Schools per the terms of the land deed established in 1995.

How long would any project of change take?
It is impossible to provide a useful timeline until the Library Board decides which option to pursue, but any option will likely take years to plan and complete.

What are reasons for expanding to another building?
No decision has been made to expand to another building. What is taking place now is an exploration of the potential options to expand space. There are many factors driving the NDL's need to obtain additional space. These include, but are not limited to, parking, programming space, meeting room space, size of the children's area, size of the Maker Space, building code issues, and space for collections. The NDL's patrons have indicated in a past survey that they want to see more of what the library does and not less.

What’s going on?
Over the past several years the Library's Board of Trustees has engaged in due diligence to ascertain the nature of the library’s problems related to space, determine the feasible solutions, and develop approximate costs associated with each solution. They are now presenting their findings to the community and seeking feedback.

Is the driver for this an anticipated increase in population due to development in places like the downs?
Population increases in both the City and Township of Northville over the past 30 years and projected population increases in the next 10 years contribute directly to increased usage of and demand for Library services.

What is the main concern for the library as it is today ?
The limitations of its current space.

What are the options?
The NDL can choose to make no changes, expand its current facility, build a branch or build a new facility. As of this writing, no decision has been made about which option to pursue.

Did the Downs provide funding in their contract to provide money for additional required city services?
The Northville District Library is not a department of the City of Northville and is not involved in development projects in the City.

The NDL Board is attempting to address a space concern but also wanting to expand services. What patron survey data was used to understand what services need expansion, which can be reduced or terminated, and the current satisfaction? What are the decision criterion the NDL Board is using to determine expansion, contraction, and up to relocation?
The patron surveys done in 2019 and 2021 indicated that patrons want more services not less. Likewise, the NDL regularly receives feedback from patrons through its comment cards, written correspondence, and daily interactions with patrons. The library has phased out collections and services that were not well used. The major criteria that the Library Board will use to make its decision on what option to recommend to the community will be community preferences, cost, cooperation with the leadership in its communities, and the availability of land.

What are the space concerns?
What is the problem we are trying to fix?
Why are we revisiting library changes when we have such a beautiful facility right where it needs to be?
Why are we seeking a expensive change?
Why change?
Why is this under consideration?
What can’t you do in the library now that requires a new library not in town so kids can walk or ride?
The presentation provides a detailed overview of the space-related challenges facing the Library, but some primary issues include, but are not limited to, inadequate parking, programming space, meeting room space, size of the children's area, size of the Maker Space, building code issues, size of areas for collection shelving. The NDL's patrons have indicated in a past survey that they want to see more of what the library does and not less. Walkability/accessibility is an important consideration for any future changes to library space.

Can we use creative solutions rather than having only one plan to change the current library?
There are currently four plans under consideration.

Have there been any communities which have merged their community library with their high school or community college library to eliminate the duplication of services?
This service model does exist, but it is generally found in rural locations in Michigan.

Have the Library Board, Township Board, and City Council developed a shared set of criteria to evaluate all the options?
While preliminary conversations have been undertaken with both the City and Township, there is no joint plan. The District Library is an independent government body, it is not a part of City or Township governments.

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