My Library Card



Building Project Main Page » Project News & Events »

Guest Editorial

The Laramie County Library System (LCLS) faces a stark reality: the Laramie County Library constructed in the 1960s has outgrown its space at 2800 Central Avenue. Planning to alleviate the over-crowding has been in the works for years, but the current building remains seriously undersized.

Listed as Proposition No. 6 on the specific purpose tax ballot, LCLS seeks $26.9 million to construct a new 100,000 square foot building, purchase a new bookmobile, and make improvements in the Pine Bluffs Branch.

If the Laramie County Library is the heart of a library system, then spatial limitations are creating blockages. Seating is difficult, if not impossible, to find. Because of noise and interruptions, little quiet area exists for studying or reading. Walkways are crowded, especially for those with wheelchairs or strollers. The computer room is usually filled to capacity, and patrons often wait to use the equipment. At peak times, a full lot forces people to park in the neighborhood. Meeting rooms are booked to capacity, limiting opportunities for programs. So many books and so little space make it highly inconvenient to maneuver through shelving.

The statistics on library use from 1992 to 2002 support these observations: the collection has grown more than 59%, reference questions have increased 51%, program attendance is up 434%, summer reading participation is up 189%, and the number of public computers skyrocketed 3,150%! Clearly, LCLS needs to meet the demands of a growing community.

In recent years, to make the best use of the current facility, we’ve made changes to the building’s interior as well as steadily enhanced library services. We’ve started highly successful programs for children, teens, families and adults; created a computer room with free public access to software and the Internet; continued developing the highly popular audio-visual collection; funded additions to the print materials collection; and more.

Yet even with these changes, a new facility is still needed. The library hasn’t received tax money for a capital project since the 1960s, when voters approved funding for the current facility. Thirty-five years later, with information from more than 30 public meetings, workshops, and focus groups as a basis, the project to build a new library is underway. We’ve made the process as open as possible to ensure the public a say at every step, and overall, the community has let it be known that this issue is integral to Laramie County’s economic and educational development.

Yes, $26.9 million is a large sum. But it isn’t cheap to construct and furnish a public facility of this size, especially a library with different construction requirements than a normal building (for example, stronger load-bearing floors). Project construction costs are approximately $135 per square foot; the additional money will cover land acquisition and development, furnishings, fixtures and equipment, a new bookmobile, improvements to the Pine Bluffs branch, and an operation and maintenance fund to help cover those increased costs.

The current facility (which is in great condition and which can be sold to another entity) has 32,000 square feet of usable space. The preliminary design concept for the new facility provides 100,000 square feet, and the preferred site is between 22nd and 23rd streets, Pioneer to O’Neil Avenue.

Some people say they don’t use the library, so why should they support a new one? My answer is that LCLS is a resource for the entire community. In fact, it is a great equalizer, providing something for everyone regardless of age, class or status. Part of the library’s role is to support the community in its quest for lifelong learning; from newborns and children to students of all ages to families to business leaders, it’s a vital component of the educational and informational infrastructure of the community. For these reasons, people make more than 400,000 visits to LCLS yearly.

A strong LaramieCounty Library is crucial because that’s where all materials are cataloged, where training takes place, where the administration functions, where programs are planned, where books are prepared for the branches, where event posters are made, where the heart of our library system is. Without a strong center, library service to the whole county will be weaker.

More branches are not the answer at this time. Branches require duplicate costs for programming, staffing, materials, operations, and management. At the county’s current population and library funding level, branches beyond the ones in Burns and Pine Bluffs are not economically feasible. However, following the Vision 20/20 model suggesting neighborhood growth as part of the community structure, the library expects that branches will become necessary down the road.

Are libraries obsolete? Hardly. Although the Internet offers some great information, the library provides material and staff to help patrons understand the resources and intelligently select which materials suit their needs, whether online or in print.

A new facility will alleviate cramped conditions and give the community more of everything, especially space. Patrons will have aisles that are ADA compliant, better access to all materials, reading areas, study areas, additional meeting rooms, and much more. Staff will also have better work areas that ultimately benefit the patrons as they receive services and materials.

Another important part of the plan is to purchase a new bookmobile, since the present one is more than 30 years old. The highly successful bookmobile enables the library to provide direct service to outlying communities and targeted neighborhoods in Cheyenne. The plan also provides improvements to the Pine Bluffs library, such as updating the shelving units that will enhance the collection of materials at that branch.

We invite you to contact us with your comment or questions about the building project: e-mail chairman@larm.lib.wy.us, call 635-1032, ext. 121, fill out an online comment form at www.LCLSonline.org/building/suggestions.html, complete a comment form inside any library facility, or speak with library staff directly.

We also encourage you to contact us to set up a tour of the conditions at the current facility or to have one of our staff speak to your organization about the library.

Remember - this issue is about your future, your community, your library.

Barbara Rogers, Chair
Laramie County Library System Board of Directors