WEST CHESTER TWP. — By an overwhelming majority, residents who responded to a survey in booming West Chester and Liberty townships agree the area needs a new, bigger public library.

        Results of the community survey released Tuesday also show that most residents surveyed would place the highest priority on a larger book collection.

LIBRARY VISITS

Two national studies released in April show Americans are using libraries more than ever.     The studies were commissioned by the American Library Association and showed that as of October, library usage was 11.3 percent higher than would have been predicted from trends dating to 1997.     More than two-thirds of adults with children under age 18 reported they visit libraries with the children, with the average usage being 13 visits a year.     Library construction also is up. Last year, more than 80 new public library buildings opened, representing an estimated nationwide investment of $414 million.

        “We believe it's very important to ask people what they want in a library and library services, and a survey of this kind is a reality check,” said Doug Bean, director of the Middletown Public Library System. “We feel very good about the results.”

        The West Chester Library, which serves about 78,000 residents in the two townships, is part of the Middletown Public Library System. Built in 1983, the 15,000-square-foot library on Cox Road has no room to expand.

        A Library Study Committee is proposing to build a new facility that would more than quadruple the size of the present library. The nearby Voice of America property is a likely location.

        The survey was sent to 4,609 households at random in the two townships. Of them, 1,599 were returned. In returned surveys, 72 percent of residents said they would like to have a new library built for the two townships.

        Asked to rank priorities for a new facility, “plenty of seating” and “adequate parking” were the leading concerns of respondents.

        Other concerns that ranked high were “having a library on one floor,” “drive-up window,” “data port access,” “public meeting rooms,” and “cafeteria or vending room.”

        The proposed library would cost about $15 million, not including contents. It would be located on about 12 acres, which would include green space and space for parking.

        Library and township officials are proposing to put a levy on the ballot to pay for construction and operating costs. The next step is for trustees in the two townships to vote on the issue.

        “I'd like it (the levy) to go on in November, because it will probably take a couple of years from the time a levy is approved until the time the library is constructed,” said Noah Powers, president of the Middletown Public Library Board of Trustees.

        Preliminary estimates show a 1.39-mill tax levy for construction and library operations would generate about $2.6 million a year. For the owner of a $100,000 home, the levy would mean about $42 a year in new taxes.

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