Library renovations slated to begin soon

Phase one of the Monroe County Public Library renovations, which were approved in February by the library’s Board of Trustees, is scheduled to begin this month and continue through September.

The finalized construction schedule hasn’t been approved yet, but MCPL Director Sara Laughlin said they hope the contractor and pre-construction meetings will take place soon and that construction will begin mid-April.

“We’ll be preparing some spaces that are currently vacant for new community outreach offices and a new meeting room,” Laughlin said. “We’ll be moving people into those spaces so we can get to the second phase.”

The MCPL Board of Trustees has approved $975,500 for contractor funds and roughly $450,000 for the library’s direct expenses, Laughlin said. The second phase will not begin until January 2015, according to a Board of Trustees agenda packet.

In the meantime, the library will tackle a number of projects, including creating new spaces for a bookstore and a children’s program room. However, Laughlin is most excited for the renovation of the library’s auditorium, she said.

“It’s a really important community resource and downtown resource,” she said. “It’s really the functionality of the space that we hope will be dramatically improved.”

The MCPL currently uses the auditorium for some of its own programming such as children’s programs and movie productions, but it can also be reserved for nonprofit organizations.

Laughlin pointed out, though, that the auditorium uses technology that is up to 20 years old. While some aesthetic aspects of the auditorium will be improved, such as trim and floors, Laughlin said the improved sound and lighting systems will be most beneficial to the library and the community.

Ultimately, though, the purpose of phase one is to make room for the phase two initiatives. The space on the first floor dedicated to movies and music, as well as the current Community Outreach offices and bookstore, will become a teen center and digital creativity lab.

The MCPL is following anthropologist Mizuko Ito’s research that suggests teenagers use technology for hanging out, messing around and geeking out, Laughlin said.
Hanging out is making social connections with friends and family while messing around is exploring a potential interest.

Both of these are more socially based and largely local. Geeking out, on the other hand, does not have to be social or local, Laughlin said, and can involve working with various age and ethnic groups.

“Our goal is to create a space that supports all of those things,” Laughlin said. “It’s a comfortable hanging out place for young people, and there are opportunities to learn stuff and try stuff out.”

The teen center will be limited to middle school and high school students, but the digital creativity lab will be open to everyone. The lab will have two professional sound booths and a video production studio with professional-level software.

“Our ultimate goal is to give kids and young people the skills they need to get jobs in the creative digital economy,” Laughlin said. “We feel like every young person needs to have those skills to be able to thrive going forward.”

IU School of Journalism Multimedia Lab Director Allen Major said he believes having multimedia skills is vital in today’s day and age. They are an important component of being above competitors on the résumé front, he said.

“It’s no longer an option to just be a writer,” Major said.

Laughlin said the MCPL staff believes technological skills are critical to succeeding in today’s incredibly competitive job market, and they, as well as many Monroe County community members, are very excited for the renovations.

“We’ve heard nothing but just really strong support for it,” Laughlin said. “Everyone keeps asking when will it be open. So we’re very excited about that.”