Read On!
Photography: Mark Maziarz
Baby Tyler gurgled as his mother paged through a board book in Park City Library’s new children’s room. Did he know all this was for him? Shiny new lights. A zoo of stuffed animals. A separate Story Time room. Picture books at attention on wide, spacious shelves. The $385,000 renovation of the Park City Library expanded the facility by 3,000 square feet last summer, largely due to increased demand for infant and children’s programming. With a building boom attracting lots of young families to the Park City area, the Library Board recognized the need to take over the entire first floor of the Library & Education Building at 1255 Park Avenue.
As you approach the 1928 vintage building, your eyes will be drawn to the new arch on the right. This graceful entryway and its handsome monument sign make a counter-intuitive decision easy. Why go up the front steps of this former high school when the entrance is clearly down the side path? Go under the archway with its metal tiles of all things Park City, designed by local artists Don & Cha Cha Weller, and then it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to the new library entrance.
“We chose the architectural firm of Gould Evans because they’re known for their signage plans,” said Linda Tillson, library director. The architectural firm impressed and surprised library patrons when it changed the location of the Founder’s Club memorial, a magnificent etched glass panel honoring donors who contributed to the $2.5 million restoration of the old high school in 1993. “I can’t tell you how many people come in and say, ‘Hey is that new?’” said Tillson. Dramatic lighting makes the panel glow in its new home on the front of the Circulation Desk.
The Library also expanded its Internet services. “Computers have changed the way people use libraries, “ said Kate Doordan, chairman of the library’s board of directors. “It’s no longer just a place to run in and check out a book.” Before the expansion, the library was averaging 100 to 150 Internet uses a day. Imagine people lining up outside your house to use your computer and you get an idea of the Internet congestion. Now there are 14 workstations and usage has increased yet again.
The Library’s book collection has increased as well. Many longtime Park City residents remember the “Book Brigade” of 1982 when the library outgrew its space on Main Street and moved to the Miner’s Hospital on Park Avenue. A human chain of citizens passed the entire collection of 5,000 books hand over hand. Add a zero to that figure and you’ll have an idea of the number of volumes in the library’s collection today.
“Our collection was really outgrowing itself,” said Kate Doordan. “New technology meant we needed to provide new kinds of service along with the traditional service we already had. Plus, we’ve become a real community center.”
With 3,000 additional square feet, more comfy chairs, a new meeting room, and a new children’s room, the Park City Library certainly has.
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