Category Archives: Design

Cedar Rapids Public Library Seeks Submissions for Public Art

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The Cedar Rapids Public Library Public Art Task Force is seeking qualifications from artists for two projects associated with the new downtown library. Opportunities exist for artists to create a sculpture for the Urban Plaza, as well as a southern exterior art installation.

Interested artists should submit their qualifications by February 29, 2012 through CAFÉ™, a free online interactive system.

To view project descriptions, budgets, and details about how to apply for these opportunities, please visit www.callforentry.org, click on “Call Listings,” scroll down to “Cedar Rapids Public Library Public Art Commissions,” and select “View More Info.” Interested artists can click on “Apply for this Call” to create a free account and submit their application.

For more information on the Public Art Task Force and the two art commissions, contact Amber Mussman at (319) 739-0404 or mussmana@crlibrary.org.

Recycling and Reusing a Major Focus of New Library Site Preparation

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Demolition of the former TrueNorth building will soon be underway on the site located on the 400 block of 4th Avenue SE in preparation for the construction of the new Cedar Rapids Public Library.

Crews are currently thoughtfully selecting items to be salvaged and recycled. In the next three to five weeks, the building will be systematically taken apart.

“They are taking all of the doors, most of the carpeting and decorative wood trip to resell in the Habitat for Humanity Restore,” said Bob Pasicznyuk, Library Director. “Other items, such as 100% of the glass from the building, are going to the Iowa Waste Exchange who is assisting in finding homes and alternate uses.”

The new library project team has been working towards the goal of a Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

“It has been a goal to recycle at least 90% of the building,” said Bruce Hamous, project manager for OPN Architects. “We believe we will be able to surpass that goal and recycle more than 94% of the building.”

The new library is anticipated to open in summer 2013. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held in March 2012. The community will be encouraged to attend and share in the celebration.

For more information on the Cedar Rapids Public Library, visit www.crlibrary.org or call (319) 398-5123.

Many thanks to the partners who are working diligently to make this an incredibly sustainable project:

  • Library Board of Trustees
  • OPN Architects
  • Ryan Companies
  • The City of Cedar Rapids
  • Knutson Construction
  • Rathje Construction
  • Habitat for Humanity ReStore
  • Iowa Waste Exchange

Cedar Rapids Public Library Enters Next Phase of Library Project

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The next step in the new library project is now underway. Sections of fence are slated to go this week around the new library’s site, located at 421 4thAvenue SE.

Dusk shot Urban Plaza side

Dusk shot Urban Plaza side

“We are very excited to start the next phase of this project,” said Bob Pasicznyuk, the library’s director. “We’re going to have a library that people will treasure for generations.”

Before demolition can begin, everything that can be recycled from inside the former TrueNorth building  will be removed from the site. Recycling and re-purposing materials earns the library project points towards the goal of platinum certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. This means everything from doors to toilets to electrical fixtures will be recycled, with the goal to keep 90 percent of the materiel from the former TrueNorth building out of the landfill.

Demolition is anticipated to begin after the first of the year.

The library will host a community celebration in March to mark the beginning of the next phase of construction.

The new library will open completely debt free. Federal disaster dollars, a state I-JOBS grant and private donations are paying most of the cost of the new library with the help of $4 million in revenue from the city’s local-option sales tax. No revenue from city property taxes is being used.

The new library is expected to open in June 2013.

Construction Bids for new Cedar Rapids Public Library Come in Under Budget

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Bids for the construction of the Cedar Rapids Public Library were read today at City Hall and came in under the estimated budget amount of $24.65 million.

“The Library is encouraged that a year and a half’s hard work by the design team, Board of Trustees and citizens has yielded a fiscally sound and practical library,” said Library Director Bob Pasicznyuk. “In the next weeks, the Library’s Board of Trustees will validate bids, weigh the merit of project alternates, and move the community forward to restored, state of the art libraries that will carry out our mission for literacy and lifelong learning.”

Demolition for the new downtown library, located on the 400 block of 4th Avenue SE, is scheduled to begin in December 2011. The Library is anticipated to open summer 2013.

For more information on the Cedar Rapids Public Library, call (319) 398-5123 or visit www.crlibrary.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Here are some fun facts on the Library, the Library 3.0 Campaign, and the future!

Focus on: FAMILY

In 2011, 810,115 items were checked out from The Cedar Rapids Public Library. This is a 15% increase from 2010.

Focus on: NUMBERS

If our 1985 library building was built today, it would cost approximately $25 million. Construction of the new library has been estimated to cost $25.7 million and that includes an additional 10,000 square feet of space.

Focus on: FUTURE

The Cedar Rapids Public Library and Metro Library Network (including the Hiawatha and Marion Libraries) have a collection of 7000 ebooks and downloadable audiobooks. Approximately 20,000 of these digital titles were checked out in 2011, an incredible 500% increase over 2010 figures.

Focus on: CHILDREN

Our new Cedar Rapids Public Library will include a children’s library that is nearly double the size of the previous one.

Focus on: ENVIRONMENT

The new Cedar Rapids Public Library will achieve the highest Leadership in Eneergy and Economic Design (LEED) rating of Platinum with green construction techniques equating to an annual energy savings of $200,000.

Focus on: EFFICIENCY

Models suggest that the new library will require only 30% of the annual energy costs required by the flooded facility.

Focus on: COMMUNITY

The Library Board of Trustees is committed to maintaining a significant presence on the west-side even after the new library opens downtown.

Focus on: FUNDRAISING

The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation’s Library 3.0 capital campaign has a minimum fundraising goal of $8 million.  To date, they have raised $6.7 million toward that goal.

Focus on: EVERYONE

62% of Americans have a library card. The average American checks out 7 books each year.

Focus on: FUN

The new Cedar Rapids Public Library will have a 200 seat auditorium facing Greene Square Park.

Focus on: GATHERING 

The community will be able to reserve the 200-seat auditorium and all meeting spaces in the new Cedar Rapids Public Library at no charge during regular business hours.

Focus on: FUTURE

The green roof on the new Cedar Rapids Public Library will function as programming space and will extend the life of the roof by about 20 years .

Focus on: TECHNOLOGY

The new Cedar Rapids Public Library will have over 100 public access computer stations.

Focus on: COLLABORATION

Grant Wood AEA, the Parent Education Consortium and HACAP will house bachelor’s and master’s level staff in the new Cedar Rapids Public Library. Additionally, other community partners in key early childhood education will base key services and offer shared programming at this one convenient, centrally located destination downtown.

New Images of Library 3.0

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The new Downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library

There are so many exciting aspects to Library 3.0, more than we can show in a few sketches. These artistic renderings show how full of light the new library will be and how the space is meant to be flexible and easy to navigate.
A 200-seat auditorium with a view of Greene Square Park will be a signature part of our new library. This is a space that the community will use for a wide variety of functions, from author readings to dance recitals.
A children’s library nearly double the size of the previous one will make this a space for the newest generation of Cedar Rapidians to engage in learning, reading, and playing. A partnership with a variety of children’s service organizations (CELI) will make this an innovative space for early childhood education.
A fireplace on the second floor near the non-fiction stacks will make reading your favorite book or magazine cozy in the winter months, and a green roof/garden and patio make this the place-to-be downtown in the warmer months.
The 95,000 square foot library is expected to be completed summer 2013.

Ariel shot of the Library - Green Roof

Auditorium Interior

The 200-seat auditorium faces onto Greene Square Park.

Childrens Collection

The new children's library is nearly doubly the size of the 1985 library.

Lobby

When you enter the new library, you enter into a welcoming service hub. This includes a space for quick-internet access, a cafe, entry to the teen area, stairs to go to the 2nd floor, elevator, self-checks and staff service stations. You will be able to enter the library from the north or south and find your way just by looking around.

Cedar Rapids Public Library Kicks Off Capital Campaign

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Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library Donate $400,000 in Honor of the Group’s 40th Anniversary

The Cedar Rapids Public Library is one giant step closer to rising from the flood waters that destroyed it nearly three years ago to building a library of the future.

The library kicked off the public phase of its capital campaign today, announcing that a $400,000 donation from the Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library has pushed the “Library 3.0” capital campaign over the halfway mark toward its $5 million goal.

At a campaign kickoff event held at Greene Square, across the street from the library’s new site, children who are patrons of the library lined up and overturned large, numbered cards unveiling that $3,454,246.57 has been raised to date.

“We’re most thankful and excited to see that the Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library feel as strongly about this project as we do,” said Gary Streit, Library 3.0 Campaign co-chair. “And, we couldn’t be more appreciative of the campaign’s two lead donors—the Hall-Perrine Foundation, with a $3 million matching grant, and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), with a $500,000 donation. Although these gifts were previously announced, we would be remiss to not recognize and express our gratitude to these two pillars of our community today.”

The Hall-Perrine Foundation grant has been critical to the campaign’s success and will continue to be important going forward, with each dollar contributed by private donors being matched by the foundation, up to $3 million. Nearly $2.5 million of the total funds raised have already qualified for the match.      

“The Hall-Perrine Foundation’s investment in the new library is consistent with our mission statement, to improve the quality of life for people in Linn County,” said Jack Evans, president of the Hall-Perrine Foundation. “This visionary project will help shape the future of Cedar Rapids. It will be a space of pride and learning for the entire community.”

The 95,000-square-foot library is expected to be completed in the summer of 2013. The new library will contain an information center; a technology hub—complete with public computers and an automated check-out system; a gathering and entertainment center—which includes a 200-seat auditorium and green room; and an early learning resource center to prepare young minds for school and life.

Prior to the 2008 flood, an average of 1,200 individuals walked through the library doors every day. The new library is expected to attract 1,600 people a day.

“Our new library is going to change the way people traditionally have thought of libraries—it truly is going to be a library of the future,” said Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett. “It will be a vibrant, multipurpose destination offering something for every age and walk of life, attracting people to our downtown and expanding the customer base for area businesses.”

Library 3.0 is part of a $49.6 million project to build the new library, plus $1 million to strengthen the endowment fund to guarantee the future of the library.  The bulk of the project is being paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster payments, a state I-JOBS grant, funds from the City of Cedar Rapids for land purchase and other state and federal funds.

“We are very thankful for all of the donations we have already received,” said Streit. “By kicking off Library 3.0, we hope the excitement will spread to others and motivate them to be a part of something great. After the flood of 2008, I saw Cedar Rapids residents come together to end something terrible; now it’s time for us all to come together to build something extraordinary.”

For more information on the Cedar Rapids Public Library, visit www.crlibrary.org. For information on how to donate visit http://crlibrary.org/index.php/foundation or www.crlibrarycampaign.org.

Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation Kicks Off Capital Campaign May 17

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The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation will hold an event on Tuesday, May 17, from 5:00-6:30 pm to kick off the public phase of the Library 3.0 capital campaign. The public is invited to attend! There will be refreshments, music, and architectural renderings of the new Library.

Help us celebrate the early success of the Library’s 3.0 capital campaign. Campaign goal, major gifts, and total dollars raised to date will be announced. Program starts at 5:30 pm.

The celebration will be held at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in the event of rain.

Technology for Everyone

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In the Library world we talk a great deal about the importance of providing access to technology in our communities. According to the recently released Public Library Funding & Technology Access study conducted by the American Library Association, 83% of Iowa libraries offer the only free access to computer/Internet in their communities. The national average is 67%. More than just offering computers and Internet access, Iowa libraries offer licensed databases, homework help, virtual reference, ebooks and downloadable audio books.

In addition to offering access to these technologies, 81% of Iowa libraries offer training programs on various computer programs. The Cedar Rapids Public Library regularly offers classes for the beginning computer user to using social media and online job applications.

Another important resource for the community is the ability to assist with e-government. This becomes more and more important as our government moves more of its functions online. In Iowa, more than 85% of libraries assist with e-government. We see this regularly in our technology center.

While access to this assistance and this type of technology is an important part of the Library’s mission and what we do, our goal for the future is to offer technology for everyone, not only those who don’t have access. This means if you have an ereader at home, what can we do to make using it with Library ebooks as simple as possible? Or perhaps you own an iPad. What do we have in our Library that will make you want to bring that iPad into the building instead of only visiting us virtually? What kind of technology are people who already have technology looking for in the new library? How can we impact those who already have access but are looking for something more?

We have begun this conversation internally while preparing for our new library building. We would love to hear what you would like to see included. Leave us your ideas here. After all, this is your library.

Changes at the Cedar Rapids Public Library add to Customer Friendly Focus

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Changes happening at the Cedar Rapids Public Library throughout the past several months have all been centered around the same goal: making our library as customer-friendly as possible. One way in which this has happened is the replacement of the large circulation desk with two smaller service points. A primary tool for making our service better is to have our staff out and available for assisting customers with finding books/cds/dvds, answering reference questions, and providing general assistance.

Another tool we are incorporating into our space is the use of a more retail style display. Our “power wall” is a permanent display which will hold a variety of non-fiction subjects for our customers to easily browse. Instead of spine-out displays as is typical in the library world, this display will feature the book covers. Categories will include areas of interest such as gardening, fitness, and home improvement.

Power Wall Power Wall Closeup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional changes continue behind the scenes of the Library, including the implementation of an automated sorting system. This system will allow staff to spend less time checking items in, sorting them into categories, and more time out on the Library floor working with customers or planning programs. Look for this to be up and running this month.