Sno-Isle Libraries will be hosting a series of upcoming meetings to get feedback on its just-released plan for building and expanding libraries in the years to come.

Library officials have scheduled seven open houses to talk about the new plan, which has been 18 months in the making. Called the “Sno-Isle Libraries Capital Facility Plan,” it examines what to build where and when in the library system through the year 2025.

“People who are interested in the community and care about their libraries really, I think, should be energized by the plan,” said Mary Kelly, Sno-Isle spokeswoman. “This is really a map for us.”

And though the plan covers a long span of time, it will stay flexible, she added. “The plan is not carved in stone.”

“It really is intended to guide us. In fact, we will be working closely with the community over the next 18 years to determine what we need and when we need it,” Kelly said. “The timing of this could change based on what changes in the community.”

The series of meetings will update residents on the plan and the feedback Sno-Isle has received.

Only one of the upcoming meetings will be held on Whidbey Island; it’s 7 p.m. Thursday, June 7 at the Freeland Library.

“We spent the last 18 months talking with communities, talking with stakeholders,” Kelly said. “We want to show what’s come from that process.”

Sno-Isle serves more than 600,000 residents in Island and Snohomish counties, with five community libraries on Whidbey and 15 in Snohomish County. To put together the capital facilities plan, library officials looked at each community library and examined how each facility should grow to keep up with the expanding population in the two-county area.

Two of the libraries on the South End — in Clinton and Langley — will need improvements during the second phase covered in the report, in 2011 or later.

The Langley Library is housed in a 3,541-square-foot building built in the 1920s. It needs frequent plumbing and lighting repairs, according to the plan, and has other ongoing maintenance issues.

Rebuilding on the site is not a practical option, the plan says, because of the historical nature of the building. Even so, the library could use more space for staff, more parking and a multi-purpose room.

Langley had a total circulation of 130,526 in 2005. Its customer base — the number of people who live in the library’s service area — is expected to rise by 1,936 by the year 2025.

The “door count” at the Langley Library fell in 2005 by roughly 2,000; from 74,418 in 2004 to 72,449 in 2005.

That said, Langley’s programs do draw a few more attendees, on average, than the Sno-Isle system as a whole, according to the plan.

The Clinton Library will also need more capacity during the second phase of future construction. Other needed amenities will include more computer stations for the public, extra room for the staff and book collections, additional parking and a multi-purpose room.

The library is currently housed in a 1,300-square-foot building that’s owned by the Friends of the Library and is in good condition, according to the report. The Friends recently made improvements inside and out, from exterior paint to improvements to the teen and periodical areas.

Total circulation was 32,712 in 2005. The door count at the library climbed more than 20 percent from 2004 to 2005, rising to 16,225.

Clinton’s customer base is expected to rise from 3,489 in 2005 to 5,209 in 2025.

In Freeland, the population served by the community library is expected to climb from 8,088 in 2005 to 12,074 in 2025. The Freeland Library had a total circulation of 161,763 in 2005 and was the busiest library on the South End with a door count of 81,730.

Now housed in a newly expanded

4,800-square-foot facility, the library is not slated for any major improvements in the plan.

One idea that has been taken off the table, temporarily, is a regional library facility for the South End.

The Sno-Isle system investigated the idea of building a regional library for South Whidbey, but residents in each town said they wanted to keep their community-based library.

“I don’t think that idea is dead and I don’t think people should assume that a regional library means the small community libraries change,” Kelly said.

Some thought local libraries would change if a regional facility was built. Kelly said a centralized facility could offer services that wouldn’t hurt those already in place in community libraries.

“We really are looking at what will work for a community,” she said. “It really depends on what we hear from the community, what they feel like they need and what they would like to see.”

A review draft of the plan can be read in local libraries or online at www.sno-isle.org.

Brian Kelly can be reached at bkelly@southwhidbeyrecord.com or 221-5300.