SEEING THRU WALLS AND WINDOWS Above, an 18' x 12' interactive video wall will be featured
in the Digital Pavilion at Wichita Public Library’s Advanced Learning Library. Below,
in the Children’s Pavilion, windows will spill light onto furnishings that create distinct areas
for each of the four different age groups served

When the recession hit pause on the plans Kansas’s Wichita Public Library (WPL) had to replace its aging central building, library leaders used the opportunity to tap into community feedback. As a result, the replacement will offer features and services tailored to patrons’ needs and will support the city as it moves into the future by fostering civic growth and engagement.

Named the Advanced Learning Library (ALL), the $33 million, 105,200 square foot to-be-built facility is intended to become a community hub and expand its partnerships with community groups. “In this region, it has the ability to touch everyone’s life,” says Don Barry, chair of the WPL Foundation Board of Directors. “There is something in this library for absolutely everyone.”

In early February, the city council voted 5–2 to replace the Central Library. Construction is expected to start this summer on ALL, says Cynthia Berner, director of libraries for the eight-branch system. Building costs will be offset by the foundation, which as of February had raised $5.5 million of its $8 million goal, including $3 million donated by the Dwane L. and Velma Lunt Wallace Foundation for a 10,000 square foot addition.

A chance for change

There is little doubt that the city had outgrown its main facility. Replacing the building has been part of the city’s master plan since 2006. Built in 1967, Central lacks many features taken for granted in modern libraries. The children’s and teen areas are too small. There aren’t enough PCs, and the wireless Internet access is non­existent in spots. An upgrade would cost almost as much as a replacement yet would leave many problems ­unresolved.

In 2008, the city bought land for $3.69 million to build a replacement; then the recession hit, Barry says. And community leaders began discussing the changing roles of libraries, says Berner. “It was during this time that local leaders began to state that this project needed to be a ‘library of the future,’ ” she says.

Elected in 2011, Vice Mayor James Clendenin wanted to see a change in the approach to creating a new central library because the plans at that time “weren’t resonating” with him, he says. “We had an opportunity to do something bigger and better and set us apart.”

Although many agreed on the desirability of a library of the future, the concept needed to be developed into a shared understanding, Berner says.

Communal design

Berner and WPL are no strangers to local partnerships. WPL’s work as a “coalition builder for larger community goals” was recognized by LJ’s 2014 ­LibraryAware Community Award (ow.ly/4na7sZ). A steering committee composed of members from the city council and library board worked with the public and a design team of architects, urban planners, and technology experts. Mayor Jeff Longwell says that the resulting ALL is the product of hundreds of community meetings. “We really have something that is a collaboration of the entire community,” Longwell says.

ALL will expand on WPL’s existing partnerships with Wichita State University, the city schools, and business and community groups working to advance learning in the city and the surrounding area. “I’m just excited that our library right now will be a place of collaboration and innovation,” Clendenin says.

Librarians are growing new and existing partnerships to support small business development, postsecondary distance learning, and other educational endeavors. Aside from increasing the space and expanding the technological offerings, librarians are working with educators to ensure that the new library will be sensitive to and support multiple learning styles, Berner says. While not yet approved, the plans include the addition of 11 new employees and a proposed $465,780 increase to the Central Library’s annual $5 million operating budget. Yet, says Longwell, the new library won’t raise taxes. Although the architects are not seeking a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating for the building, the design and materials make sustainability a priority, Montgomery says. “Our approach [is] it’s going to be LEED sensitive,” Montgomery says.

Mapping the learning library

The Advanced Learning Library will have transparent walls to entice people to join activities and explore different pavilions, says Thomas P. Montgomery, VP of lead architectural firm Wichita-based GLMV Architecture, Inc. “As you walk through the library you can see the things that you might want to be a part of and that you might want to participate in regardless of age,” Montgomery says.

The lower level will feature an Innovation Center to support hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs for all ages and a Children’s Pavilion divided into four age groups, as well as the Children’s Gallery and Reading Theater for class visits. The fiction collection will be arranged in “neighborhoods” to simplify access and create areas for study, collaborating, or reading groups, Berner says.

Multimedia will be incorporated into the children’s, teen, digital, and AV pavilions, including an 18' x 12' interactive video wall near the display of new items. The Teen Pavilion will offer a recording booth, computers, gaming equipment, and video equipment with multiscreen capability. The Digital Pavilion will expand WPL’s technology classes and one-on-one book-a-librarian services.

The first level will also include a coffee shop, catering kitchen, and 330-seat conference center that will double as a storm shelter. Administrative offices and behind-the scenes operations will be hidden from public view. The new building will have space to allow automated materials handling in the future, Berner says.

On the second level, the Learning Pavilion will consolidate nonfiction materials currently spread across Central’s four levels. The second floor will house the local history, genealogy, and special collections, including a climate-controlled room for Wichita’s archival documents. “We think getting all that [nonfiction] in one place will be a great improvement,” Berner says.

The second level also will feature the Riverview Terrace to serve as a reading area and an event venue as it showcases views of downtown Wichita and the Arkansas River. Clendenin adds that the city has been approached by people interested in developing the land around the library. “It’s been a long journey, and the building isn’t the end,” Barry says.

Marta Murvosh is a teen librarian working in the Pacific Northwest. Follow her at www.facebook.com/MartaMurvosh