The New Madison Library

?

Exactly.  Questions to ask and questions to be answered in Madison's brand new central Library.

The library is in heart of the city - on the isthmus, a block from the Capitol, a short walk off State Street - and hopes to be the pump that provides this inquisitive city's pulse for years to come.

There are books, to be sure, but a lot more.  A room called the Bubbler (a Wisconsin term for water fountain) where kids and adults can learn and experiment.

There's a wooden car.  Seriously, look at the picture below.  Not sure if you burn pieces of it to make it go or (more likely) if it's a symbol of the harm brought on by using fossil fuels.

It's an open and inviting space - three floors of it - with plenty of room to sit, study, think, read.  There are places to work together.  Outlets near every seat and wireless connections to access a world's worth of knowledge.  If you aren't wi-fi - there are desktop computers available.


The "new" library sits in the same spot as the old one and this is more of a rebirth of the original structure to catch up to the times.
Fittingly, there is evidence of the old place.  My favorite was a sculpture at the top of the stairs leading to the third floor.

A colorful rectangle - which upon closer inspection are hundreds of book-ends stacked together - a metal quilt that evokes learning past and future.

Another art piece that blends past and present is the Library Stack (picture at bottom of blog).  Chairs, books, wood from the old building, table and chairs jut from the wall in an interactive art piece.

The top floor hosts office space, community lecture rooms, floor to ceiling windows with more space for individual or small groups of learners, and an art gallery.

A library is an important place in every city.  A place where everybody can come to learn, explore, seek, and discover.  It's equal opportunity - a vital part of a library's mission and our country's - in that each of us, whatever our wealth or "station" can enjoy the opportunity to learn.

The first time I was involuntarily out of work - the city library became a refuge for me.  It was a place I could look for work by perusing out of city newspapers.  It was also a place to snap out of doldrums brought on by not having enough to do.  When I finally found a job and needed a place to study to pass a license exam - the library became my study spot.  Just like a job, I "punched in" at the library five days a week for hours each day.

That was in Janesville, where the city library looks out on the Rock River that flows through the heart of the city.  In Madison, the library offers views toward the capitol, State Street, and its neighbor across the street - the Overture Center (left), home to Madison's main theater and entertainment venues.  It's where we saw "Wicked" earlier this year.

The Library's rooftop offers a small terrace with tables and chairs surrounding an imposing piece of art.  The photo doesn't capture it well, but it seems to be two covers a book with various characters escaping the book's restraints.

Beyond the terrace, the roof is covered with vegetation designed to capture, control, and use precipitation instead of unleashing it down drainpipes and into the storm sewer system.  It will help keep the building cooler in the summer.  And, it's pretty to look at while gazing into the surrounding city and adjoining neighborhood.

Our libraries can mean many things:

• memories of walking in, holding our parent's hand where we get our first library card and check out our first books 
• meeting a special someone to "study" for the big test
• Shhhhh
• equal opportunities
• and doors that allow us to walk into a multitude of worlds - real or imagined; technology or history; escape; employment; invention; and pick up fuel to cross those thresholds
• what does your library mean to you?