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‘Inspiring Big Dreams’: Capital campaign launches to build westside library in Cedar Rapids
Campaign kicks off Thursday with $250,000 gift from Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library
Jan. 26, 2024 5:00 am, Updated: Jun. 6, 2025 11:42 am
CORRECTION: Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library announced a $250,000 donation to the westside library project — money raised through donations and the sale of books for $1 to $2 a piece over the years. The Gazette incorrectly named the donor in the initial article.
CEDAR RAPIDS — “It’s Christmas every day” for Cedar Rapids Ladd Library branch manager Stephanie Hall as staff anticipate breaking ground on a new facility on the west side of the city this fall.
The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation launched its “Inspiring Big Dreams” capital campaign Thursday to build a new library, replacing the building at 3750 Williams Blvd. SW that was previously a Target store. The campaign seeks to raise $10 million.
Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library announced a $250,000 donation to the project — money raised through donations and the sale of books for $1 to $2 a piece over the years.
About 50 community members, library staff and city and county officials gathered Thursday at the Ladd Library to celebrate the kickoff of the capital campaign.
"We will be creating a bigger and more thoughtfully designed space to serve this side of town,“ Hall said. ”This was never intended to be a library. We’re making it work. Now to have something that’s designed to be a community space — not only for our books — but to help with community resilience.“
The new library will be built near the corner of Edgewood Road and 20th Ave. SW, within walking distance of the current Ladd Library, a leased space that opened in 2013. The Opportunity Center inside the library was established in 2018.
Hall said demand for the Opportunity Center has grown exponentially over the past six months. More than 60 percent of people who seek out the Community Center are unemployed. At the library, they get help creating a resume and searching for a job. “It will be so nice to have a more dedicated space to accomplish that for people,” Hall said.
Libby Slappey, president of the Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library and co-chair of the campaign, said when the Ladd Library opened, there was a “real demand for more than books.” “This is where people come. They know they can get help,” Slappey said.
“One of the things most touching for me is that women have played such a key role in the birth and growth of our Cedar Rapids Public Library,” Slappey said.
This started in 1895, when Ada Van Vechten spurred people to vote to create a public library in Cedar Rapids. At the time, women had only been allowed to vote in Iowa for a little more than a year.
The Ladd Library itself is named for Marilyn Ladd, a woman who donated $750,000 to the library at the time of her death in 2011.
It was another woman — Nadine Sandberg — who donated $2 million in 2020 from her estate, making the dream of a dedicated library on the west side of Cedar Rapids a reality.
“There are people out there that we’ve never met, who love books, who love the library, and they’ll be ready to step up now that they know this project is happening. The impact of this new library on the west side of the community will be huge,” Slappey said.
The westside library will have a larger selection of materials, more space to gather, and a dedicated children’s program space. It will be developed by the City of Cedar Rapids to include a new six-acre city park, making it a destination for the entire community.
The library project will cost less than $25 million. The City of Cedar Rapids has allocated $6 million, and the Linn County Board of Supervisors has allocated an additional $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Sandberg’s estate gift of $2 million to the Library Foundation in 2020 was used to purchase the land for the new library. Additional funds have come from private and corporate gifts given to the Inspiring Big Dreams campaign.
“This project wouldn’t be possible without the generous support we’ve already received,” Foundation executive director Charity Tyler said in a news release. “Now, we need our community to join us to make our big dreams for the west side a reality.”
The design process for the library and the park are underway. The library expects to break ground on the project this fall and open in late 2026.
More than 100,000 people visit the Ladd Library each year. With more space and resources, the library expects to see 300,000 visitors annually.
“We’ve seen again and again how the library enriches the community,” Library director Dara Schmidt said in a news release. “From putting books in the hands of children to helping job seekers, the library is proud to serve our patrons.”
The new library will include:
- A square footage increase from 28,405 square feet at Ladd Library to nearly 40,000 square feet.
- Increased space for children’s learning with zones for creative play, technology use and motor skill development.
- Ten study rooms, a large conference room, and a conference center, all available for public use.
- Outdoor reading courtyards and library lawn for gathering and programs.
- Additional and better designed space for job seekers and library partners to provide services to the community.
- Increased accessibility for ease of use and connection to walking trails and sidewalks.
Learn more about the project and how to support the Inspiring Big Dreams campaign at CRLibrary.org/bigdreams.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
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