The city of Madison is one built around education and lifelong learning. Unfortunately, the city does not have a central library to match the overall vision of the city. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's capital budget has made room for the renovation of Madison's Central Library on Mifflin Street, and it's about time. As long as some functional concessions are made in order to turn the library into a multi-purpose piece of property, there is no reason that the library should not be upgraded to better blend with its scholarly surroundings.
Libraries are supposed to serve as the cultural and educational center of a city, places that promote knowledge and reach out to the community, whether that be through encyclopedias, a Lincoln biography or the lastest awful Dan Brown novel. The current Central Library has done its best, but it needs to be so much more. According to Literacy Network, 17,000 residents of Dane County lack the functional literary skills needed to read common literature (labels, letters, doctors instructions, etc.) and half of the adults who qualify for literary aid do not receive it. Again, in a city that prides itself on its relationship to the university, this is unacceptable. These concerns need to be addressed at the source, and a library must be constructed with resolving these issues in mind.
The new library would help to erase problems with illiteracy in the Dane County area while complementing the already robust UW library system. The current plans show the library will be more reminiscent of a collegiate library in design, addressing both the sonic and spatial concerns that were apparent in the old library. The plans show designated quiet rooms as well as ample resources. While the current Central Library boasts an abundant collection, it is still lacking in other resources. The current computer situation at the Central Library is inconvenient at best, and it is issues like this keeping the library from adequately complementing the city and the university.
But again, the new library has to be so much more to the community in order to justify its budget. The $37 million for Cieslewicz's plan is a hefty chunk of change. Much of that will supposedly be gathered through private fundraising, though the city's ability to secure that funding is questionable. More community outreach is needed for the literacy aspect of the project, but it also needs to prove economically useful beyond its means.
Of the proposed plans for the library, two include building another structure (a hotel and a condo structure) to help develop the city. Adding something like a hotel or condos may obscure the purpose of the library, but at the same time it will alleviate the economic stress of the project and, along with the proposed Edgewater building, help alleviate the hotel room shortage downtown.
But first and foremost, the library project is about literacy and the community. Speaking about the new library plans, Cieslewicz stated, ""Madison's Central Library should be the intellectual ground zero of a community whose economy and culture is largely built on education."" The city of Madison needs to set its own academic example, and renovating the library is a laudable goal for a growing city. Any other development associated with the construction of the library is a bonus.
