Indicator PI.3.c Proportion of population within 1/2 mile and 1 mile of a public library
Data Source
List of Library Facilities from San Francisco Public Library. Accessed July 2009: http://www.sfpl.org
Population data from Applied Geographic Solutions, Inc. Spring 2007 Update: Current Year Estimates. Methodology available at: http://www.appliedgeographic.com/library.html.
Map and table created by San Francisco Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section using ArcGIS software.
Table data is presented by planning neighborhood. While planning neighborhoods are larger geographic areas than census tracts, census tracts do not always lie completely within a planning neighborhood. SFDPH used ArcGIS software and a 'centroids within' methodology to convert census blocks to geographic mean center points. We then assigned census blocks to planning neighborhoods based on the spatial location of those geographic mean center points and calculated the planning neighborhood totals for the table.
Explanation and Limitations
The proportion of population within 1/2 mile of a public library is calculated by dividing the total population within 1/2 mile of a public library in a specific neighborhood and dividing it by the total population in that neighborhood. The same method is applied for calculating 1 mile proximity.
For this indicator, buffers are created at both 1/2 mile and 1 mile around each library. For other HDMT indicators, proximity to a public service is measured as being within a 1/4 or 1/2 mile of the public service (i.e. school or park). In various public health research, 1/2 mile is commonly considered a "walkable distance" for most Americans. Given the immense number of resources needed to build and maintain a library, it is an unrealistic goal to have all of San Francisco's population within 1/2 mile of a public library. However, as the data shows, the majority of San Francisco's population (97%) is within 1 mile of a public library.
Geographic proximity does not necessarily equal access. There may be numerous factors impeding regular use of a library's services including: hours of operation, transportation to/from the facility, cultural or language differences, perceived or actual safety near the library, educational attainment, literacy, access to the internet, disability access, or geographic barriers (such as major highways or roads).
As of September 2009, the following branch libraries were closed for renovations: Anza, Bernal Heights, Eureka Valley, Ortega, Parkside, and Potrero. During renovations, these branch libraries are serviced by the Branch Library Improvement Program Bookmobile. More information about the Bookmobile and schedule is available at: http://www.sfpl.org/librarylocations/branches/bookmobile.htm (Accessed on September 30, 2009) With the funding described below, San Francisco has recently opened four new branch libraries in Glen Park, Ingleside, Branch, Portola, and Mission Bay.
In 2000, San Francisco voters approved a $105.9 million bond to improve San Francisco Branch Libraries which would replace four leased facilities with City-owned buildings, renovate seventeen branches, and construct a new branch (the first in 40 years) in Mission Bay. According to the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), the priorities of the Branch Library Improvement Program (BLIP) are to "reduce seismic risk, comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), meet modern technological needs and current code requirements, and provide spaces that are responsive to current services, yet flexible enough to meet future needs." (Accessed on September 30, 2009: http://sfpl.org/news/blip/pdfs/blipfaq.pdf)
That same year, California Voters approved a $350 million state bond to construct and renovate public libraries. The competition for this funding (Proposition 14) was very competitive and only 12 of the 72 applications across the state were funded, including two of the five submitted applications from San Francisco ($5.95 million to renovate and expand the Richmond Branch Library and $3.75 million to build a new Ingleside Branch library).
In June 2006, voters rejected Proposition 81 (53% against/47% in favor), known as the California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2006, which would have provided $600 million for public library construction and repair. Because the approved bond funds do not pay for equipment or furniture, the Friends of the SF Public Library launched a campaign (the Neighborhood Library Campaign) to raise $16 million in private funds to help refurbish and equip the 24 San Francisco branch libraries. More information about these campaigns is available at: http://www.friendssfpl.org/?Neighborhood_Library_Campaign.
Seven of the 24 projects are eligible for art enrichment: Glen Park, Ingleside, Mission Bay, Portola, Richmond, Visitacion Valley, and Potrero. The art enrichment funding comes from the Public Art Ordinance, which requires 2% of the construction costs for civic and other publicly funded buildings be allocated for public art.
In 2002, the San Francisco Public Library worked with the San Francisco Arts Commission to develop an Arts Master Plan for the Branch Library Improvement Program (BLIP). More information about the BLIP Arts Master Plan, including the project updates for the seven libraries is available at http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubart/projects/blip/index.htm (Accessed online on September 29, 2009).