1.5 Master Plan Methodology

The Library FMP is being led by Brampton Library on behalf of its Library Board and Brampton City Council. Brampton Library retained the consulting services of Monteith Brown Planning Consultants Ltd. and Perkins & Will to prepare the Library FMP in accordance with a Terms of Reference prepared specifically for the project. Notable elements of the master planning process included:

• Regular meetings with Brampton Library’s Steering Committee comprised of Library Staff and selected Library Board members. The Steering

Committee is responsible for overseeing the project, reviewing deliverables, and providing guidance to the consultants.

• Engagement of the Brampton Library Board at critical points in the process.

• Reviews of relevant research, local and national trends, Brampton’s community demographics, and plans and studies including those prepared by Brampton Library and the City of Brampton.

• Community and stakeholder engagement through the use of surveys, workshops, interviews, pop-up events and open houses (see note about

COVID-19 in the pages that follow).

• Review of existing libraries through site tours and branch-specific information provided to accompany an assessment of current and future space needs.

• Preparation of three key deliverables consisting of an Insights Report, a

Draft Library FMP and the Final Library FMP.

Note about COVID-19

The Library FMP was initiated in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic that has had a significant impact on national, provincial and local economies. Public health measures in place since the onset of the pandemic have affected the way in which libraries are delivering services. Current Provincial public health plans have allowed economic activity to resume and limited social gatherings to take place including the re-opening of many library facilities with modified operating practices.

The pandemic has had a number of implications on the planning process. Initial community engagement activities for the Library FMP were largely carried out using online formats due to provincial restrictions placed on public gatherings. Steering Committee meetings have been conducted virtually while telephone and video-conferences have been used for interviews, workshops and focus groups. The disruptive nature of COVID-19 along with shutdowns mandated by senior levels of government significantly skew library attendance, circulation and other data for 2020 and 2021 in comparison to past years. Accordingly, the analysis of many Library FMP components rely upon data compiled for 2019 and earlier. Any data presented for 2020 and 2021 may not be directly comparable to past years, nor may it be a strong indicator of expected future performance due to temporary library branch closures, changes in borrowing activities or program participation, or shifts in library preferences. A future outlook for library space in the time of the pandemic is presented in Section 2 of this Library FMP.

Planning Process

Phase 1: Research & Consultation

Phase 2: Library Space Assessments & Concepts

Phase 3: Testing the Draft FMP with the Community

Phase 4: Final Library FMP