Libraries: A Place for the Community

by Heather Seyfarth 

As Tony Hiss explains in his book The Experience of Place,

We all react, consciously and unconsciously, to the places where we live and work, in ways we scarcely notice or that are only now becoming known to us.  Ever-accelerating changes in most people's day-to-day circumstances are helping us and prodding us, sometimes forcing us, to learn that our ordinary surroundings, built and natural alike, have a continuing effect on the way we feel and act, and on our health and intelligence.  These places have an impact on our sense of self, our sense of safety, the kind of work we get done, the ways we interact with other people, even with our ability to function as citizens in a democracy.  In short, the places where we spend our time affect the people we are and can become.

In recognizing that our surroundings play a significant role in shaping who we are and how we operate as a community, planners face the challenge of creating spaces that provide for the practical, aesthetic and psychological needs of the people they serve.  The development of a public library, a place defined in the Traverse City Master Plan as a "dynamic education center whose services and resources must be easily accessible to the largest number of potential users," (http://www.ci.traverse-city.mi.us/cityplan/contents.htm) is one example of a place that requires careful consideration of placement and design.  The meaningful presence that the Traverse Area District Library (TADL) has in the Grand Traverse community demonstrates this point.

Traverse Area District Library and Environs Aerial View (2003 photo)

Choosing a site for a library is a process that must take into account a variety of factors including appropriate parcel size, environmental conditions, and how the facility will connect with the community.  Decision makers involved in the TADL process originally considered placing the library at the Cherryland Mall or a parcel along Airport Road.  The site near 8^th Street and Woodmere was ultimately chosen because it met size requirements and was closest to the regional center, an important condition to Traverse City.

Traverse Area District Library Building

In essence, the library breathed back life into this location.  For example, the reconstruction of Woodmere Avenue became a high priority for the City to increase public access to the facility.  After an involved public planning process, Woodmere was rebuilt with the installation of bike lanes and brick pavers for safer pedestrian movement.   This created a multi-modal approach to the building and helped reconnect Traverse Heights to the City, a once declining neighborhood that is now gaining attention as a desirable place to live.  Furthermore, businesses, such as professional offices, have chosen to locate near this intersection and a new residential development is now in the planning stages.  As City Planner Russ Soyring summarizes, "quality public investment is driving higher quality private investment."

Children's Garden View to Boardman Lake

One aspect of the quality public investment relates to the architecture and landscaping of the library.  The TADL was designed through an extensive public charrette process, which was facilitated by an architecture firm from Milwaukee.  Airy, comfortable, and inviting, the final design uses the beauty of the Boardman Lake and emphasizes public access through its multi-modal approach.  In the end, the library meets the public's design criteria and serves as a community gathering space - a place where the public can easily engage in an exchange of information.

In effect, the placement and design of the building helps the library meet its mission, as TADL Director, Mike McGuire succinctly states, to "share information."  Further, Mr. McGuire explains that "one of the ways we are doing that now is face to face.  We are a public forum."  Features such as the children's garden, the library lawn, the common space outside the library gift shop and the community meeting rooms are all spaces that allow the sharing of information to happen.  Meanwhile, community programs and public meetings hosted by the library formalize the exchange. 

Recalling the words of Tony Hiss, these spaces foster our "our ability to function as citizens in a democracy."  Without "comfortable" and "inviting" spaces to gather in, a community is without one of the necessary tools needed to perform democratic processes.  In the world of planning, such spaces are vital in meeting community needs and planning for their futures.

Clearly, it is important for planners and community leaders to recognize the impact that the placement and design of such an institution can have on a community.  In the case of the TADL, the development of this library has improved the both physical conditions and increased information sharing opportunities for the Grand Traverse community.  The decisions involved in site planning and quality design have combined in the TADL the right ingredients for a usable, accessible, and enjoyable public facility and a key component of our region's "quality of life."

A resident of Traverse City, Heather Seyfarth is a sociologist and planner with the Land Information Access Association (LIAA). She is particularly interested in urban environments and how communities work.