Posts filed under 'Director's Take'
The Central Library Disposal Surplus Property Criteria and Selection Committee was appointed by Mayor Cieslewicz to request and analyze development proposals for a new Central Library. The Committee and the Library Board will hold a public meeting on Thursday, January 8th at the Central Library at 6:00 pm. At this hearing, the two developers that have responded to the Committee’s Request for Proposals, T. Wall Properties and Fiore Companies/Irgens Development Partners, will present their very different plans for a new Central Library, and will be available to answer questions about their proposals. If you can’t attend, please share your comments, suggestions, or questions with the Committee. Questions - and the developers’ answers - will be posted on the library’s web site after the meeting. The meeting will also be taped by City Channel and available on their web site.
More information about both proposals, and the need for a new Central Library, are on the library web site.
December 30th, 2008
Barb D.
Join the hundreds of people in Madison who serve on one or more of the City’s many Boards and Commissions. Your input is important, and needed. More citizen involvement means a better Madison. Interested? Learn more about making a difference on City of Madison Boards, Commissions and Committees.
Our Library Board is a volunteer citizen group, too, appointed by the Mayor, contributing their time and talents to make sure that Madison’s libraries meet and exceed the expectations of all the people who use our libraries.
October 21st, 2008
Barb D.
On Thursday, October 2, children and adults will read together at events nationwide as a part of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign, designed to bring attention to the importance of early education. By encouraging hundreds of thousands of children and adults to read the same book on the same day, Jumpstart aims to break a world record and to make early education a national priority.
Join volunteers from Jumpstart through the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology on October 2 for a reading of Corduroy by Don Freeman and a craft based on the book. The Madison Public Library will be hosting three Read for the Record events: at the South Madison Library at 10:15 a.m., the Central Library at 3:00 p.m., and at the Meadowridge Library at 4:00 p.m. Register online for one of the events, or contact the library directly.
Can’t make it to the library? The Madison Children’s Museum will be hosting a Read for the Record event at 10:30 a.m. Or, check out a copy of Corduroy and Read for the Record at home!
Fostering early literacy is a key mission of Madison Public Library, and we’re happy to celebrate this important national event on a local level.
September 24th, 2008
Barb D.
Young Madisonians had a splendid time on Wednesday, August 6th, at the Summer Library Carnival hosted by the
Central Library and Overture Center for the Arts. See the pictures on our Flickr site.
Over 1,375 kids and grownups participated in the festivities. I would like to thank our venue, Overture Center for the Arts, as well as our event sponsors: Madison Public Library Foundation, Friends of Madison Public Library, and our other summer library program sponsors: Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Goodman Pool, Rocky Rococo’s Pizza, Noodles & Company, Madison Mallards Baseball, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Friends of the Sequoya Branch Library, Friends of the Alicia Ashman Branch Library, and the South Central Library System.
I would also like to thank our Youth Services staff and their volunteers, who received compliments from happy partygoers on the many activities and the excellent organization. Thank you for your hard work and dedication - and rest up before the next big event at Olbrich Gardens on Tuesday, August 19!
August 8th, 2008
Barb D.
Recent news coverage of developer T. Wall’s proposed new Central Library is generating lots of questions. The proposal outlines a nine story mixed-use building at the corner of Mifflin and Fairchild streets and includes a new library on several floors. On Thursday, May 1, the Library Board agreed to go forward with a Request For Proposal (RFP) to begin the process of accepting proposals for purchasing and building on the current site. There will be five Library Board members on the committee to review the proposals submitted.
In the meantime, we are also beginning the interior construction of the expanded Sequoya Library, and in the beginning stages of building a new South Madison Library in the Villager Mall. It’s a busy time for the library. To help you - and us - keep track of all the changes, we’ve created a new page with updates about current or proposed library building projects. It also includes some demographic and library data the Library Board is using to plan for future library use and buildings. Stay tuned! Or, subscribe to the Check It Out email newsletter to receive regular updates of library news and events.
May 5th, 2008
Barb D.
The official Request For Proposal for an architect for the build-out of the new South Madison Library closes shortly and we expect planning for the Library, as part of a new building also housing the Urban League and Planned Parenthood, to begin soon. During a recent public meeting about the second phase, involving redevelopment of the current Atrium space, questions arose as to why the Library will be located in a building on Park Street, separate from the main Villager tenants.
All along, we believed the Southside needed and, more importantly, warranted a new state-of-the-art South Madison Branch Library. It was time that the Southside had its turn at a new facility – it deserved better than a rehabbed space in the new Villager. For a whole range of programmatic, operational and aesthetic reasons, including the fact that we will pursue LEED certification for a new green building, locating the Library on the first floor of a new mixed-use space on Park Street proved to be the best option available – for both the library and the community.
This prominent Park Street library location makes a statement about the City’s commitment to the community – at the same time, it provides convenient access for people in the neighborhood and a welcoming presence off the Beltline as part and parcel of a new Park Street corridor, and invites users from the surrounding region to visit this community-supported destination.
The actual Library entrance will not access directly off Park Street; instead, it will most likely be oriented toward the prominent Atrium entrance, providing easy and safe back-and-forth access for people using both buildings. Other concerns about user safety and traffic noise, expressed at the recent public meeting, will be addressed during the design phase. Also, as planning and development proceed, the Library and its architects will be seeking regular input from people in the neighborhoods, in the form of both community meetings and individual suggestions, for this much-needed new South Madison Branch Library.
April 7th, 2008
Barb D.
On April 2nd the City of Madison/Madison Public Library closed on the purchase of the condo space for a new Sequoya Branch Library, part of the new Sequoya Commons development on Midvale and Tokay Boulevards.
The new long-awaited Sequoya Branch will occupy 20,000 square feet at street level in Sequoya Commons, a mixed use residential, retail and public library development. The Library is the first in Madison to seek LEED certification for a green building, and the building itself will serve as a demonstration project — educating library users about sustainable buildings. The Library will feature a special children’s area with sections devoted to early literacy and family reading, an area especially for teens, and a hearth room for quiet reading. There will be a large community room for neighborhood meetings and programs, and smaller conference rooms for study groups, small meetings and tutoring. The new Sequoya will offer 30 Internet access computer stations with centralized printing, as well as full WI-FI availability for lap-top users, and the option of self-service checkout. Plus, of course, nearly 120,000 assorted books and media and, access to valuable proprietary informational and educational databases through the LINK system.
Miron Construction was awarded the contract for the build-out of the Library’s condominium space, and will begin working soon from the plans and specifications developed by EngbergAnderson Design Professionals, the architects who, working with staff, will make this new, empty space a great library destination in the heart of Madison’s west side. We hope to open the new branch in October; the Sequoya Branch will remain operational at its current site on Midvale Boulevard until the new space is ready for occupancy.
An active and very successful Sequoya Branch Fundraising Committee has been working with the Madison Public Library Foundation and has raised over a million dollars for this project, budgeted at $5.6 million. Thanks to the generosity of major donors, Friends, neighbors, local authors, and the Foundation for helping to make this new branch happen.
Watch the progress of the building with periodic updates of the construction process on the Sequoya Flickr photosharing page, or read updates on our Sequoya web page.
April 7th, 2008
Barb D.
NorthStar Economics, Inc. has been retained by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to study the economic impact of public libraries in Wisconsin. To gather information for the study, NorthStar Economics is interviewing library users and non-users throughout the state in February and March of 2008, as well as gathering additional input through an online and print survey.
Madison Public Library is assisting NorthStar Economics by helping to promote the survey locally.
Want to participate? Access the survey online or ask at any Madison Public Library for a paper copy of the survey or print a copy and return it to the library. The survey is 41 questions long and takes 5-7 minutes to complete.
Would you be interested in joining a one-time focus group on March 11 to discuss the role the library plays in your professional life? Contact Tana Elias at telias@scls.lib.wi.us or 266-4953 for more information.
Please direct questions about the survey or the study to Alan J. Hart, Vice President & Director of Operations or David J. Ward, President at nstar@northstareconomics.com or (608) 441-8060.
February 21st, 2008
Tana
The holidays are a traditional time for remembering and celebrating family and community. Madison libraries promote community each and every day, and nothing says this better than this article in the December 21-27 issue of The Madison Times, “The Right Library: Lakeview Library Serves Community.” In the article, you’ll meet 4 year old Tahji Jackson and his grandmother, Renee Taylor, and find how the library is an integral part of their community. Article author Lisa Nunez is a part time employee at the Lakeview Library.
December 28th, 2007
Barb D.
Forbes ranked the Madison area #2 in a recent list of best places to educate your child. Public library popularity was one of five factors included in the ranking (Madison received an A+).
The Capital Times and WISC-TV both reported on the Forbes study, which was released online on December 12. Read the article online: Where to Educate Your Children. David Savageau. Forbes Online, December 12, 2007.
December 19th, 2007
Barb D.
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