Having identified the Archer City library's requirements, you must now propose possible solutions. The library wants solutions that will be valid for at least another five years. Working in your groups from the previous assignment, you should propose at least two solutions, both to give the library board some choice and to make them less likely to lose faith in you and take their business elsewhere -- after all, if they like your proposals, there's a good chance they'll hire your firm to implement them!
For each solution, you need to provide a cost/benefit analysis. You should discuss both what the solution will cost and what advantages it will confer. On both sides of the equation, you should include both monetary and human factors.
We leave open what "cost" means because we want to see what you think to account for. You will be judged on the completeness of your analysis, but keep it within reason (for instance, you don't need to worry about the danger of the roof collapsing and destroying equipment inside). If in doubt, you can always ask us.
You are welcome to ask the course staff (through the mailing list, *not* the newsgroup) questions about the costs of items for which you may not already have information. They will answer requests within reason. They will not answer questions sent past midnight on Wednesday, February 18.
The goal of this assignment is to force you to practice estimating costs, and to put solutions in a social context.
The library has a yearly budget of $99,000, broken down as follows:
Personnel - $68,000 (Jake, Spud, and his part-time assistant) Utilities - $7,000 Maintenance - $10,000 Operations and Supplies - $10,000 Special Events - $4000