The Main Downtown Library in El Paso, Texas
The
main downtown library in El Paso, Texas temporarily closed its doors to the
public for two full years. On December 24, 2004 the main library for the city
of El Paso, Texas closed its doors to the citizens of because it went through a
major renovation. The city voted in the
year 2000 for major renovations and expansion thanks to a city bond named the
Quality of Life. The idea was to expand the library from 65,000 square feet to
110,000 square feet. The bond gave the tax payers of the city to pay an extra
45,000 square feet and a new 250 seat auditorium where various presenters and
performers could come to the library and speak to the patrons. The city also
approved an larger are for teenagers and young adults. The extra space provided
a place where teenagers could come out and spend their time with their friends
and family in the library. The new area was to include game consoles where
children can come and play the latest video games, and plenty of space for
young adults to dance to music. The additional space also provided the chance
to add an extra 50 computers to an expanded computer lab. The new renovations
and expansion for young adults is called "Teen Town."
The new renovated library was also in line to add an
expanded collection of books and resources for loan to the citizens of El Paso.
The staff of the main library was to be reassigned
to other branches throughout the city. The city of El Paso has approximately 13
branches and a bookmobile that goes around the city to accommodate people who
want to rent books and don not have the means or transportation to got to an
area branch. The other branches of the
city also stayed opened for extended hours during the renovation to accommodate
the closure of the main library.
The renovated and expanded main downtown library in
El Paso, Texas opened its doors on July 2006.
References:
El Paso Public Library - (2012.). THE CITY OF EL
PASO, TEXAS - www.elpasotexas.gov. Retrieved April 13, 2012, from
http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/
El Paso
Public Library - Our Libraries - Main (Downtown) Library Construction. (n.d.). THE
CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS - www.elpasotexas.gov. Retrieved April 15, 2012,
from
http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/ourlibraries/main_library/main_library_construction.asp
I like how the library seems so willing to embrace an open design while still upholding a collaborative viewpoint, even if you can argue it's not as vital considering the audience. The last picture here of the children's library is a perfect example: it's homey and whimsical (the tree shelving is a nice touch), but the desks (which I assume are built for computer consoles) are open and placed so that the children can see what others are doing and interact with each other. And in this age of an electronic gadget at every corner and in every pocket, encouraging a little interpersonal interaction can't be a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteThis beautiful renovation appears to me to be a sort of pre-economic collapse kind of improvement. The spaces were enlarged, the decor was considered for purposes of relaxation and luxury, and it is clear that the administrators didn't have to fret over each and every dime. It is fortunate that they did all these changes before the great recession hit -- I think that if they had to do it over in 2010, it would have been a rather different story, probably.
ReplyDeleteI love the children's area! I think that improvements to kid and teen areas of public libraries pay larger dividends in the long run because they build lifelong library users. I love the tree and the desks! Maybe we should try things like this in academic libraries . . .
ReplyDeleteI love the children's section, but I'd like to know more about the teen area. The website is sparse about it, but what photos and descriptions they do share make it look pretty neat. Not much shown that's collaborative except the ping-pong table (and if they can fit a ping-pong table in it, the teen area is a sizable space). I wonder what the teens think of the space - and what end of the spectrum of teens use it. At our library younger teens (tweens mainly) use our YA space, as well as adults and children - the teen area has more computers and so has less a sense of being a space exclusively for teens. But since every community's teen population is unique, that need for separation may vary.
ReplyDelete-G Streeter
The trees in the kids section are awesome! The idea of having a presentation/auditorium type area for information sessions for patrons and other community events sounds great. The ways they changed the teen area seem like good things to do, but I'd like some more information on how they changed the general collection area. How do these improvements affect STEM users?
ReplyDeleteNice work, Robert. The auditorium and dance floor are cool ideas. It is great to see a library becoming the "third place". Like Megan, I'm wondering if any funds were used to enhance the STEM areas of the collection?
ReplyDeleteThank you Beth and Megan, the library allocated funds for the new computer labs therefore it is there belief that people will have better resources to do thier STEM work and provide better results in the academic field.
DeleteDancing in the library - wow, open space within the Space. I wonder what the before-and-after usage studies will show. Are people coming more for the community offerings, or for the books and computers as before?
ReplyDeleteI asked the librarian and they do not seem to care why people visit the library just as long as they come in bunches. They prefer that they spend their time at the library as oppose to the streets wreaking havoc.
DeleteShutting down the library for two years and "reassigning" librarians to other branches/bookmobile rounds - that's a bold move! I'm surprised that they were able to do that without letting people go and/or having people jump ship because they were afraid they'd eventually lose their job. Maybe I'm cynical (my company just laid off 12% of our workforce last Friday), or maybe, as one of the commenters above mentioned, it was before the economic hardships we're enduring right now. I suppose the anticipation of going back to work in a brand new space was encouragement for people to stay as well.
ReplyDeleteAll of us seem to focus on the same points; a) library shut down for 2 years and b) 13 people were reassigned to new areas. I, with my classmates, am astonished that the library and people survived a two year renovation.
ReplyDeleteangela c
City voted in 2000 for the renovations and the library closed in 2004, how did the decision-makers spend the four years in planning the re-design? Was community input illicited/gathered or just the architects and council members?
ReplyDeleteThat's El Paso for you Michael, I love my city but they do love to procrastinate especially when it involves spending money.
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