Your
Library
Connection
New
Library…Where, When, How Big?
I’ve been working on the library building project since November of 2004,
or 33 months. Sometimes I feel like it couldn’t be that long, but then I look
at my daughter, who is 2 ½ years old and remember that I was approximately 7
months pregnant when we first met with a library consultant about a building
project. Because I’ve been so closely involved throughout the whole process it
has become a big part of my life. Even my daughter knows that we are at the
“yibary site” when we drive up to look at what is now a large hole with some
footings and walls ready to pour for the basement.
Sometimes when a person works on a project this intimately some things are so second nature that it feels that everybody should know about them…like the location of the library or how big it will be. Of course, all the people who haven’t been talking to the architect about the number of sinks or the color of the brick don’t know all those details. We still get questions about the size, location, parking, and number of computers just about every day. I’ll answer these Frequently Asked Questions in this article. I also will try to keep the website up-to-date, www.indylibrary.org, with recent pictures of the project; have regular updates in the paper; and be open to questions at the library, over e-mail (indylib@indytel.com), or on the phone 334-2470. Please feel free to ask…we are happy there is so much interest!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the location of the new library?
The new library will be located at 805 1st St East by the Lee
Mansion and Cedar Valley Hospice. It is close to downtown Independence and the
location provides for easy access for walkers, drivers, or bicyclers. The oak
trees will be preserved to maintain the beautiful, park-like setting.
How large is the new library going to be?
The new library will be 14,200 square feet, or just over 6 times the
size of the current library. There will many new services and features, such as
a program/meeting room, study rooms, comfortable seating for reading and
relaxing, a young adult area, more computers, etc.
How large is the basement and how will it be used?
The basement is close to 6000 square feet. The geothermal units and
operational equipment will be located in the basement as well as computer
servers and storage for movie equipment, Friends books, and miscellaneous
items. In addition to this, it will also serve as a storm shelter in case of
severe weather during library hours.
Where will people park when they go to the new
library?
There will be 29 spaces to the north and the west of the new library,
and will include handicap parking. In addition to this, the west portion of the
parking lot between the Lee Mansion and the accounting firm will provide
overflow parking for the library.
How many computers will there be in the new library?
We don’t have a definite answer because there are still some unknowns
within the building budget, however, we hope to have 15–20 computers accessible
to the public when we open the new library.
When will the new library be open?
If everything goes smoothly, we hope to be open in the fall of 2008.
Construction is slated for completion in July of 2008, and it will take six to
eight weeks to move into the new facility. Then the community can begin to
enjoy its new library! What a great moment that will be!
Library Tidbits:
Online Book Club
We now offer an Online Book Club that
delivers books electronically! Each day, Monday through Friday, the library
emails subscribers a portion of a book that takes about five minutes to read.
They're able to read two or three chapters from a book during the week. If they
like a book, they can check it out from our library, either through our
collection or through Interlibrary Loan. Each week the library features new
books. You can sign up for the service at the library’s web site:
www.indylibrary.org by clicking on the logo that says Online Book Clubs -
Click & Read.
Summer Reading Program
All summer reading prizes must be
picked up by August 1, 2007. Make sure you complete the 30 days of reading to
be entered into the grand prize drawing for some awesome prizes – for ages 0-5 a
Leapster Learning System, for ages 6-9 a Portable DVD Player, and for ages 10-12
a Zen V Plus 2 GB MP3 Player. The grand prize drawing will be at the Riverside
Cinema Movie at 8:30 pm on August 10th. You need not be present to
win.
Access to community
resources online!
Did you know that the library links to
many different community resources? You don’t have to search for all of them.
For example, if you’d like information about RAGBRAI, the Buchanan County Jail
issue, Heartland Acres, or if you’d like to link to the new Buchanan County
Historical Society site, you can do it all by clicking on Community Resources
under New or Community Resources at the bottom of any library webpage. By the
way, the Chamber of Commerce has a great Upcoming Events Calendar for
Independence!
Riverside Cinema
Don’t miss any more of the free movies
under the stars shown on the big screen at the Riverwalk Park Band Pavilion:
August 10th, 8:30 pm –Free Sports Movie
Sept. 7th, 8:30 pm – Free Western
RAGBRAI Hours
The library will have extended hours to
accommodate the RAGBRAI crowd wanting to access computers. Our hours will be 10
am – 9 pm on Thursday, July 26th and 8 am – 5 pm on Friday, July 27th.
Computer Access will also be limited to 15 minutes to all patrons on Thursday
and Friday morning to give access to larger numbers of people.
RAGBRAI Smoothies
The library will be selling fruit and
jet tea smoothies on July 26th at the Riverwalk Park. Stop to see us
and enjoy a cool and refreshing mango or strawberry smoothie while you are
there. All profits will go towards the new library building!
Home Pictures Donations Services Calendar of Events Web and Reference Resources Kids' Resources New Books and Materials Online Catalog Community Resources Library Connections Friends of the Library