Anonymous Patron writes “The Kansas City Star Reports Kansas City leaders might be forgiven if, when they look at the new Central Library set to open downtown Monday, their thoughts turn to Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.
In the South Loop sits the Harold Washington Library Center, 10 stories of red brick filling an entire city block, with gargoyles on the roof.
When the center opened in 1991, the Guinness Book of Records declared it the largest library building in the world.
Kansas City’s library won’t rival the Washington Library Center in size, but local leaders hope it will match its boost to downtown revitalization.
For dozens of U.S. cities in the past 15 years, new downtown libraries have been unlikely — but surprisingly effective — tools for energizing urban neighborhoods.
Joey Rodger, president of the Urban Libraries Council, has watched the boom in new libraries across the country. She says it’s all about people. A good library can draw a big crowd quickly. Libraries are free to use, and everyone is welcome.
“Because they are, it gives people a sense of place,â€? she said. “It gives them a way to come together. It’s the high traffic that makes a neighborhood lively in terms of attracting retail.â€?
Having a busy neighborhood also reassures potential renters, Rodger said. Nobody wants to move into a ghost town.”
What downtowns
Glad to hear about city libraries becoming the cornerstones of downtown communities, but I’m afraid it’s too late for most of our downtowns. Americans desire for “now, now!” and “cheap cheap” has created a mall-loving society with convenience and abundance the key factors. You’ve got to be able to roll up to the entrance and make a quick getaway, without parking, walking or waiting. Of course this takes away from the unique, independently owned businesses that used to be the backbone of our downtowns. It’s fortunate that some communities are fighting back–if the subject interests you, check out the Institute for Local Self Reliance.
Re:What downtowns
From my informal following of these types of stories I’ve seen that libraries are often held political hostage to dying downtowns. Patron demands for more convenient service (i.e., relocating a library to a more populated area) are ignored in the face of funding units that believe libraries are responsible for anchoring a downtown in decline. A library can’t save a downtown, but a library can be part of a vital downtown where there is buy-in from all sectors. There needs to be commitment to comprehensive urban development plans, offering incentives to attract stable merchants, parking, a minimum of puke and broken glass, and some guarantee of safety.
I am a big downtown booster–I live on one side of our improving downtown, and work on the other. I like the old-timey community feel of it. I (HEART) Downtown! But I’ve seen, first-hand, the desperate (and successful) politicking of a city council that has ignored studies, research, and expert and patron opinion about library expansion and forced an “all our eggs in one basket” approach to library growth. It is not a library’s responsibility to change user patterns and wishes. I don’t think libraries are a “build it and they will come” type of institution. Libraries that see the highest traffic are located near retail areas. Our nearest downtown neighbors are a funeral home, the police station, the county jail (and coroner’s office), two homeless shelters and a staggering array of drinking establishments. Was very happy to read that one community has made it work, though!