Build a library that serves all and endures

By Bob Pasicznyuk

On the first day of this year, Patti Hoffman, a mother of eight, told a story of a bell tower. In her Gazette guest column, she told how a once-cherished civic landmark languished for want of focus and action.

The story's actors spent more time arguing over details than in making the most of something wonderful. Ms. Hoffman concluded the fable by urging Cedar Rapids to “recapture the vision that once built a city by a river.”

Last Thursday evening, Cedar Rapids leader-volunteers did just that. Library trustees whittled the list of potential sites down to two for our new public library.

They will forward a final site recommendation to the City Council at their next meeting on Feb. 4. Both sites offer ample, convenient parking, a durable site that can stand the test of time, and the opportunity to make the most of something wonderful.

Time is critical to design and build a state-of-the art library on either The Gazette block near Greene Square Park on Third Avenue or the Emerald Nights block on the corner of First Avenue and Fifth Street. Funding for the project is contingent on being able to get the work done in less than three years.

More important, an entire generation of children is coming of age without the benefit of a top-shelf public library. Library business is booming nationwide. Continuing a pattern of growth over the past decade, the demand for books, computers, reading programs, literacy support, and meeting rooms is at an all-time high.

In an economy that challenges families to make ends meet, the library is the best deal in town. Today, job searching requires Internet access and many have no other source for that access than the public library.

Library and city staff, caring and giving volunteers, and a number of local businesses have made certain that there are two temporary libraries to get us by until the new facility is in place. The library has not and will not sit idle, only waiting for a new day to dawn.

Despite this amazing and unprecedented effort, the library collection is a third of its pre-flood size, meeting room space is scarce, and computer capacity is small. Library circulation is half of what it was two years ago. Cedar Rapids remains at a distinct competitive disadvantage until the work is complete.

Getting there will not be easy. The two sites still need scrutiny and negotiation. The final recommendation must work its way through a necessary and welcomed approval process with City Council.

There are contractors to hire and design decisions worthy of sweat. It is nearly impossible to anticipate the library of the future, so the space must meet the needs of today and flex for the demands of tomorrow.

Library staff is faced with opportunity of a lifetime to craft and select a collection of tempting materials.

The Library Foundation is preparing a fundraising campaign to close the gap for the portion of the project not provided by disaster relief. Everyone involved in the work understands that this is our chance to build a legacy that will endure past the next generation.

For now in the midst of all of this hustle on a cold winter's day in January, it is good to hear the ringing of the bell and marvel at the growing number who join in to make the music.

Bob Pasicznyuk, director of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, and Susan Corrigan and Doug Elliott, members of the library Board of Trustees, submitted this guest column on behalf of the Board, which also includes Phyllis Fleming, Harriet Kalinsky, Hilery Livengood, Joe Lock, Susan McDermott, Paul Pelletier and Matthew Wilding. Trustees are volunteers appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council.