It was like Christmas morning, and not just for me – a self-proclaimed library-lover and book nerd, – but for the entire La Porte County Community.
On March 10, after about a year of remodeling, the La Porte County Public Library main branch re-opened its doors to welcome the community to the new and improved library space.
Everything from the heating and cooling and electrical, to the brand new modern carpet was upgraded and improved to fulfill the library needs of the community
I was invited to tour the new space on Friday, March 24 with Director of the La Porte Library, Fonda Owens and Public Relations Director, Kristi Chadderdon.
When you walk into the library from the side entrance off of Maple Street, you either go upstairs or downstairs, where you are instantly greeted by friendly faces ready to help direct you to your destination.
“When people come in downstairs or off the elevator you see people, which was a really important thing we wanted,” Owens said.
There is also a self-check out station on both levels to skip the line. Downstairs includes some of the offices, but mostly houses the youth areas. To the right is the main library setting with all of the kid’s books stacked on shelves and an area with chairs and a large TV.
“We hold a pre-school story time class, where staff will read to them or hook up the TV to an iPad, so they can play songs and do other interactive things,” Owens explained.
Next to the area, is the little, little kid’s room called the Play, Grow, Read Room, where kids can touch and play with everything in the room. There is an iPad, computers, along with crayons, scissors, paper, and toys.
Then one more room to left is one of the most exciting new additions and one of Owen’s three favorite spaces, the Sparklabs Room. This space will be all about technology, where kids can do robotics, coding, soldering, spark technology programs, and much more. The floor is non-carpeted and there are tables and more computers to enhance the kid’s learning.
We headed upstairs and waved at the three staff members working the check-out desk. To the left I could see into the next favorite room of both Owens and Chadderdon.
The TEEN Room is a glass-enclosed, designated room for teenagers. Inside, is one long table, several moveable chairs, mini-workstation tables, and many, many electrical outlets.
“I love this,” Owens said looking around and sliding chairs back to an organized row. “This room was one of the things we really, really wanted; to have a place for the teens to have for their own. We even labeled it TEEN, really big.”
Surrounding the TEEN space is the main stacks of the library: The fiction, nonfiction, and information desk. Along one window-built wall is a reading area with chairs, tables, with a cool overhead light to put on once the shining sun dims down.
A quiet reading room sits off to the side and across the floor is the Indiana Room.
This is the third beloved room of Owens, and is Chadderdon’s favorite place to break and sit down in during the day.
“This is my favorite room because it was the least underutilized, even though it has the most information in my opinion,” Chadderdon said. “Now, it is awesome.”
Before the locked bookcases inside the cramped, stuffy room were so uninviting but this is not the case anymore.
The demolition of the room uncovered the original Carnegie building brick, which Owen decided to keep, adding character to the new airy, sunny, still-historic room.
“I love the view of the American Flag outside the window,” Owens said, pointing outside. “The flag and this is the Indiana room… it is almost like it was part of the plan.”
Head back to the main area and we could see from the front door of the library all the way to the back, thanks to new open arrangements. The remodel got rid of the upper levels to have room to add in more meeting rooms and a computer lab. The meeting rooms already have a waiting list, Chadderdon said.
At 9 a.m. on Friday morning, the library was already hopping with people studying, working on the computers, and checking out and returning books and while using the self check-out stations!
There are kinks to still work out and more furniture and decorations to add, but overall the staff and the community are happy to have their library home back.
“The community loves it, and knowing they missed us is great,” Chadderdon said. “When we opened that morning, I think had tears in my eyes.”
“It does blow my mind in a way because a lot of the things we heard from people, we are now seeing them using it!” Owens added. “You get that feeling, that it does make a difference and people are using the facility.”
Chadderdon and the staff totally “dig it,” she said and when you go there yourself, you’re going to “dig it” too!
To Learn More About The La Porte County Public Library, Click Here!