Section 10: Outlets

Include all branches and central libraries.

*If you prefer to submit your outlet data via Excel please email Lindsay Thompson at support@countingopinions.com for an import file template.

Include all branches and central libraries. Do not include in this report any administrative headquarters that are not public service outlets, do not include other outlets or deposit only locations.

Complete one set of forms/input screens for each fixed-facility public service outlet.

New Library Outlets

Please contact Lindsay Thompson at Counting Opinions 1-800-521-4930 or support@countingopinions.com with the location information (name, address, contact) and she will add it and map it for the directory.

Closed Outlets

If an outlet for which we have provided you a California Library Outlets Survey was closed during this report year, write a Note in the Notepad icon next to the window where you enter data explaining this. Please also include the date the outlet closed if that is easily available. Enter any data for the time period the outlet was open.

Updates to Existing Outlets

On the California Library Outlets Survey, you do not need to provide any response where there is no change in data from that which is indicated as currently in our file. Date built, date remodeled, # of square feet are all examples of data which probably has not changed.

10.5 Name

Name of outlet.

10.6 – 10.9 Street Address

(Prefilled) Street address of outlet as of June 30th, including city, ZIP and ZIP+4.

Note: Please notify us of major changes only to the address for an obvious error or when a completely new address is needed.

10.10 – 10.14 Mailing Address

(Prefilled). Mailing address of outlet, including city, county, ZIP and ZIP+4 for mailing. This is particularly important if it is different from street address. The street address is repeated if it is the same as the mailing address.

Contact Information

10.15 Phone

Telephone number, with area code, for general public use.

10.16 Type of Outlet

Select appropriate code, based on the following definitions:

CE = Central. A central or main library, so designated by the jurisdiction, and which is open for public service.

BR = Branch. A branch library is an auxiliary unit of an administrative entity which has at least all of the following:

  • Separate quarters
  • An organized collection of library materials
  • Paid staff
  • Regularly scheduled hours open to the public.

Note: Separate quarters does not necessarily mean a separate building, only a separate facility, which could be in a building that also houses other agencies or operations. The facility within the larger building is under the library’s control for the provision of library services. Not included would be areas within a facility housing a deposit collection or some such.

10.17 Facility Owned By

If the owner of the physical facility has changed from that already recorded, replace the existing data with the 4-letter code (options are on the report form/input screen) that best describes the current owner of the facility in which this outlet is housed.

  • CITY – City
  • CNTY – County
  • SPDT – Special District PSCH – Public School PUAG – Public Agency PRIV – Private
  • MULT – Multiple Ownership

10.18 Established schedule of hours?

Does this facility have an established schedule of hours for which it is open to the public?

Y = Yes; N = No.

10.19 Staffing

Does at least one paid staff member work at this facility?

10.20 Separate quarters?

Is this outlet housed in separate quarters (i.e., not physically within another service facility such as a nursing home, teen center, grocery store)? Not necessarily a separate structure, but separate quarters within a single structure if a physical facility is shared. If the answer is no then this outlet does not qualify as a station or branch. Contact the State Library for additional assistance.

Hours/Counts

10.21 Typical Days open per week

Record the number of days per week that this facility is typically open for use by the public for at least two hours per day.

10.22 Typical Hours Open, Weekly

Number of hours the outlet is open for public service in a typical week.

10.23 Actual Hours Open for the reporting year

Total number of hours outlet was actually open for public service per year.

10.24 Actual Weeks open in the reporting year

Total actual number of weeks open for public service for the year.

10.24a Number of weeks outlet closed due to COVID-19

This is the number of weeks during the year that due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an outlet was physically closed and the public could not enter, when it otherwise would have been open.

Note: Round to the nearest whole number. If building did not close to the public due to the pandemic, enter zero. The sum of data elements #10.24 (Weeks per year) and #10.24a (Weeks closed per year) should equal or be fewer than 52 weeks.

An outlet is considered physically closed when the public cannot access any library buildings or bookmobiles, regardless of staff access. A building can be physically closed but still offer virtual, Wi-Fi, or “curbside” services outside the building.

10.24b Number of weeks outlet had limited occupancy during COVID-19

This is the number of weeks during the reporting period that an outlet implemented limited public occupancy practices for in-person services at the library building in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Note: Round to the nearest whole number. If bookmobile did not have a limited occupancy or similar practice due to the pandemic, enter zero. Weeks can be counted in both 10.24 (Weeks per year) and 10.24b (weeks with limited occupancy (that is, a bookmobile was open to the public and implementing limited occupancy practices in the same week).

10.25 Staff FTE

Full-time equivalent of staff paid to operate outlet. Do not include volunteer help. Full-time is normally 40 hours per week but not less than 36. The FTE of one full-time position is “1.” To compute the FTE of a part-time position, divide number of hours worked per week by hours of normal workweek. The FTE of one 20-hour position is “0.5.” Add total full-time positions and FTE of part-time positions for total Staff FTE.

10.26 Population Served

Population served by this outlet. Figure reported may be from planning department, library registration records, or your estimate. Do not report population of library jurisdiction as a whole, unless this is a one-outlet library.

10.27 Reader seats

Number of seats for readers in outlet. Do not include public access computers as reader seats.

10.28 Volumes

Number of volumes held by outlet in all physical formats. Include rotating collections if normally available.

10.29 Physical Circulation

Total annual circulation of physical materials at this outlet.

10.30 Total Outlet Operating Expenditure

Total dollars expended on this outlet per year, in whole dollars. Do not include capital outlay or expenses of general library jurisdictional support functions. Estimate if necessary.

Facility Information

10.31 Year Built

Year the building housing library outlet was originally built.

10.32 Year Opened

Date that library service began in the community by the opening of an outlet, month and year (06/2002). If month unknown use “01”. Can be the date an earlier library building opened.

10.33 Year Remodeled

Year the building housing library outlet was last remodeled.

10.34 Adequacy of Facility

Assess the adequacy of the library facility in terms of the size and condition of the building. Rate the adequacy on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the top of the scale (i.e., just finished new building which is in excellent condition and large enough to serve the population for the long term).

Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10

10.35 Estimated Cost of Deferred maintenance of this outlet

Enter whole dollars, no cents.

10.36 Please rate the adequacy of this estimate

Choose one: Ballpark figure or Informed/Calculated estimate

10.37 Facility Upgrade Needs

Using one of the codes provided on the report form/input screen, indicate whether this facility needs some level of upgrade. Enter N/A if no upgrade is currently needed.

  • RMDL – Remodel
  • EXPN – Expansion
  • RMEX – Remodel and Expansion
  • RPLC – Replace
  • N/A – Not Applicable

10.38 Estimated Cost of for this improvement

Enter whole dollars, no cents.

10.39 Please rate the accuracy of this estimate

Choose one: Ballpark figure or Informed/Calculated estimate

10.40 Gross sq. ft.

Provide the area, in square feet, of the public library outlet. Report the total area in square feet; this is the area on all floors enclosed by the outer walls of the library outlet.

Include all areas occupied by the library outlet, including those areas off-limits to the public. Include any areas shared with another agency or agencies if the outlet has use of that area.

10.41 LEED Certification

Is this Outlet LEED certified? For new construction and renovation of library buildings LEED certification is often sought, reflecting the energy efficiency of the structure. LEED certification is based on national certification standards from the US Green Building Council. More information on LEED certification is available at http://www.usgbc.org/certification. If you are not sure if the building has a level of LEED certification, you might check with your jurisdiction’s General Services department.

Certified? Indicate certification level, if known

  • No
  • LEED Certified
  • LEED Platinum
  • LEED Gold
  • LEED Silver
  • Don’t know

10.42 Emergency services

In emergency situations, does this branch provide any of the following to the community. Select all that apply:

  • Cooling center
  • Warming center
  • Air filtration for shelter from poor air quality
  • Overnight shelter
  • Power/recharging for devices
  • Food distribution
  • Emergency supplies distribution

10.43 Back-up Generator

Does this facility have a back-up generator?

10.44 Seed Library

Does this facility have a seed library?

Electronic Information

10.45 Number of Internet Terminals – General Public

Report the number of Internet terminals (personal computers (PCs), and laptops), whether purchased, leased or donated, used by the general public in the library.

10.46 Internet Connection Speed

At what speed (Mbps) does our branch connect to the Internet? (refer to service provider bill, not a speed test). Report a whole number, with no decimals. Choose from dropdown:

  • No connection
  • 25 Mbps or less (Megabits per second)
  • 25 Mbps-99 Mbps total
  • 100 Mbps – 999 Mbps
  • 1 Gbps (Gigabits per second)
  • More than 1 Gbps (Fiber only)
  • 10 Gbps (Fiber only)
  • More than 10Gbps (Fiber only)

10.47 Speed sufficiency

Does this branch need more bandwidth to avoid speed issues when patrons and staff are accessing the Internet?

10.48 Will this branch need an increase in speed in the next five years?

10.49 How old is the cabling at this branch?

  • 1-2 years
  • 3-5 years
  • 5-10 years
  • More than 10

10.50 Is more than half of network hardware in this branch older than three years?

10.51 Is your Internet speed/performance limited by hardware limitations?

10.52 Name of Internet provider

(e.g., AT&T)

10.53 What type of Internet connection do you have?

  • Fiber (i.e. a dedicated fiber optic connection through CENIC or another provider)
  • Shared Fiber (i.e. FioS, small-business-class service)
  • Microwave (i.e. a dedicated microwave (aka point-to-point wireless) connection via CENIC or another provider)
  • DSL/Cable/Copper/None of the above

10.54 When does your current contract for Internet service expire?

10.55 Rate the reliability of your current Internet service

  • very reliable
  • generally reliable
  • unreliable

10.56 Are you connected to the Internet via The State Library’s Broadband program?

Also known as CalREN or CENIC.

10.57 Is Wireless Internet access available at this location at no charge to patrons?

10.58 Available 24/7

Is the wifi network available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

10.59 Hours available

If not available 24/7, what are the hours it is available? Example: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

10.60 Maximum users

Maximum number of users the network allows to access at the same time