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Library's Expansion | Project Overview
Building for the Future
The City of Leominster has a rich history of library service
to the community dating back to 1856. The desire for
information and intellectual growth, which led to the
founding of the public library in 1856, is more evident
today than ever before. In a city of rich ethnic and
socio-economic diversity, the library is the only municipal
institution that serves the entire community.
The library continues to be one of the most popular
destinations in the center of the city, with an average of
over 3,500 patrons visiting weekly. These patrons, from
Leominster and surrounding communities, enjoy the library’s
small-town ambiance despite its urban setting.
The library’s original building is an architectural gem in
the downtown area. This two-story Roman brick structure with
limestone trim was built in 1910 with partial funding from
Andrew Carnegie. It is one of the contributing structures to
the Monument Square Historic District, which is listed in
the National Register of Historic Places. A 10,000 square
foot warehouse-like addition was opened in 1966, with the
expectation that the facility would meet the needs of the
community for the ensuing 20 years.
Thirty-eight years have elapsed since that time.
Leominster’s population has grown from 27,929 to 41,895,
making it the second largest city in Central Massachusetts.
During that time, the library’s circulation has increased
from 124,319 to 303,200 and its collection has increased in
size from 59,122 to 124,357. Additionally, in the 3,301
hours the library was open to the public in FY04, the staff
answered 25,102 information/reference questions, presented
390 programs attended by 14,165 residents of all ages,
provided 26,556 sessions of public computer use (averaging
31 minutes per session), and offered meeting space to
several hundred community groups and organizations.
On a typical day, patrons may be found using the public
computers to conduct a job search, read a foreign newspaper,
email a family member, research a medical condition, or make
reservations for airline tickets. On the first floor,
patrons can be found browsing the video and DVD sections,
while a family borrows a pass to any one of a number of area
museums. At the Information desk, the librarian may be found
helping a local businessman find the contact information for
an elusive company in British Columbia, while parents and
young children are visiting the Children’s Room to check out
summer reading books or to attend the “Amazing Animals!”
program. Teenagers are sure to be found in the library’s
Robert Cormier Center, checking out the latest Japanese
“manga” comics or relaxing with their favorite magazine. On
the library’s second floor, patrons are usually found
reading or studying, many with laptops at hand. And finally,
a couple could be found in the library’s historical and
genealogical area researching their family history. At the
Leominster Public Library, books truly are “just the
beginning” of the materials and services available to the
community.
Due to increased patron demands, a greater variety of
resources and services, and the advent of electronic
technology, the current facility has become increasingly
inadequate. There is insufficient space for the library’s
collection, limited public seating, inadequate areas for
library programming and community meetings, limited
handicapped accessibility, severe limitations in adapting
the current building to new technologies, improper space to
house the library’s local historical and genealogical
collections, health, safety, and security problems,
inadequate parking, and inconvenient access to the building
from the parking area.
In 1999 the library hired a nationally recognized consultant
to work with the Board of Trustees and staff to develop a
Building Program. This program, projecting service to the
community for the next 20 years, determined that the library
would best serve the community by remaining in its current
location, but would need to more than double the size of its
existing facility.
A Feasibility Study Committee was appointed in 2000 to hire
an architect to conduct a feasibility study and develop a
schematic design proposal, using the library’s Building
Program, for an expanded and renovated library facility. The
committee hired Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates, an
architectural firm with considerable library design and
historic preservation experience.
The proposed project will expand the library to 44,513
square feet with 55 adjacent parking spaces by removing the
existing addition, renovating the 1910 building, and
constructing a new 34,434 square-foot addition creating
entrances on both West Street and Pearl Street.
An expanded library facility in its current location is
essential in order to provide both traditional services and
new technologies. The proposed project will double public
space and maximize the efficiency of library staff. This
expansion will provide for:
• Expanded popular children’s services area
• Improved security and safety for public and staff, as well
as library materials
• Greater space for large and small community group meetings
both during and after regular library hours
• Increased access to new technologies and computer training
• Expanded nationally recognized young adult services area
• Centers for Career Information and Business Resources
• Preservation of irreplaceable local historical and
genealogical documents in order to prevent further
deterioration
• Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Restoration of historic building
• Greater space for quiet study, literacy tutoring, and
library programming
• Expanded shelving and displays for both print and
non-print collections
• Additional user seating
• Enhanced vitality of prominent building in Leominster’s
downtown area
• Catalyst for urban renewal in Pearl Street area
• Increased parking and access.
In November 2002, the library received notification from the
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners of the
provisional award of a $3,021,441 competitive state
construction grant to help fund this $10.8M project. In
order to be awarded this state construction grant, the
library was given until November 7, 2003 to secure the
necessary local funding for the project.
A televised public informational meeting before the City
Council regarding the project was held in March 2003. In
August 2003, the City Council held a public hearing in
preparation for voting on the authorization to bond for the
project. Public support for the project was overwhelming.
Many residents and area business owners wrote letters and
called their City Councilors, while others waited in line at
the public forum to speak directly to the Council. This
public testimony, attesting to the importance of the library
in the lives of the residents, and the value of the library
to the community, lasted nearly 3 hours. In September 2003,
the Leominster City Council voted unanimously to borrow the
funds to provide the local support needed to accept the
state grant and move the project forward.
In November 2003, a newly appointed Library Building
Committee was formed by the Mayor and approved by the City
Council. Through a Request for Proposal process, the
Committee voted to hire Adams & Smith (who previously worked
on Leominster’s project while at Burt Hill) in collaboration
with Beacon Architectural Associates. The Committee selected
this excellent architectural team based on their reputation
in the state of Massachusetts, their previous public library
work, and their experience designing and constructing
libraries requiring major additions to historic buildings
located in crowded downtown areas.
In May 2005, the library moved to its temporary location at
Crossroads Office Park, 690 Mechanic Street. A July
groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of the
project. Construction is scheduled to be completed in late
2006, and the newly expanded and renovated library will open
to the public in early 2007.
A final key component in bringing this project to fruition
is private fundraising. The library has begun to
work on this aspect of the project, which will include
naming opportunities of space within the facility.
The Leominster Public Library has served the community with
distinction for nearly 150 years. As a new century begins,
this expansion project is necessary in order for the library
to continue to provide quality service to its residents, and
create a comfortable, pleasant and inviting environment for
patrons to visit. This plan will allow the library to
preserve its past, and look to the future, enabling it to
remain a vital, responsive community service. This project
will be our legacy for future generations.
It is the partnership between the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, the City of Leominster, foundations, area
businesses and private individuals that will create a
state-of-the-art library that will be the cornerstone of our
community. |
