Jan Griffith wrote had forwarded an e-mail about concerns about the new Central Library that I wanted to correct.
All materials that are available at the Central Library now will still be available. Some may require a 24 hour wait as they will be stored off-site but all will be available. The interim location will actually have more items available directly to patrons than the current library as the current library has so much of its collection in closed stacks. Because of this, the interim location will provide better service to some library users (albeit because of the current library being so pathetic). There is virtually no risk that the project will somehow stop and all the materials will be "trapped" in interim storage as the referendum secured the vast majority of funding necessary for the project. There is still funding to be raised but the odds are extremely low that the project will become derailed. It is clear that the South site is the best location for the library and that to build on that site, an interium location is necessary. A lease has already been signed and the planning for moving the library is already well underway to ensure a smooth transition. Carol Becker Longfellow > Jan Griffith asked me to forward this to the list. > > Rosalind Nelson > Bancroft neighborhood > > >Do you ever do research at the Central Minneapolis Public Library? If > so, you need to know about this. After June, much of the older material > will no longer be available; it will be packed up and put it into > storage. Bound magazines, pamphlets, vertical file material, government > documents, and books that are not part of the Library of Congress > collection will all be put into storage until the new Library is > completed - all in all, two thirds of the items at the Central Library. > Do you want to look at "Scientific American" from 20 years ago, or "The > New Yorker" from 40 years ago? Do you want to examine an old book that > is still classified Dewey decimal? Not available until the new library > building is open. The schedule right now is, June, start packing, > August, close the current library, November, open in the interim site. > Service at the interim site will be more limited than at the current > central library; it will be more like a downtown branch, with one > central reference desk. The new library is scheduled to open in 2006. > > >The reason it will happen the way is that the Library board has become > wedded to the idea of building on the current site. True, the current > building is old, and would need some improvements if the library were to > > stay there. But the cost of the improvements is estimated at less than 3 > > million dollars, and the interim site is estimated at 7 to 10 million > dollars. > > >When the funding referendum was approved, the economy was booming. In > today's economy, who knows what might happen. The Central Library could > move into the interim site, with 2/3 of the materials in storage, start > building, and run out of money. Those items might be inaccessible for 5, > > 6, 8, even 10 years, while the city tries to complete the project. > Remember Murphy's law of public buildings - they are never completed on > time or within budget. > > >It's not too late for this to change. The New Central Library > Implementation Committee made its recommendation on February 12. The > Library Board meets to approve this on February 20. Then the City > Council Ways & Means Committee must decide what to do on February 28. It > > is scheduled to go to the full City Council for approval on March 1. > If you don't like the idea of the interim site, with two thirds of the > material in storage, contact the Library Board and your City Council > Member. > > <end of forward from Jan Griffith> _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
