Public Libraries in Very Different Cities

This blog is going to be a two-part series.  I spent many hours throughout several days visiting multiple libraries in order to best evaluate the existing partnerships within these communities.  The libraries I will be writing about are the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, the Chicago Public Library System, and the Elizabeth M. Cudahy Library at Loyola University Chicago.  I also spent time at the Molstead Library at North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene and Foley Center Library at Gonzaga University.  While the latter two are indeed interesting libraries that serve specific communities, I did not end up evaluating these libraries for this blog.  I'm excited to see what y'all think about my evaluation of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, the Chicago Public Library System, and Loyola University Chicago's library system.

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I recently moved from Chicago to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  For those of you who don't know where that is, it's waaaaay North in the panhandle of Idaho, smack dab in between Washington and Montana along the I-90.  I love this area.  Not that I didn't love Chicago, but a concrete jungle just can't compete with a gorgeous freshwater lake (let's be honest, Lake Michigan is more like an ocean, and it's not very clean), blue skies, pine trees surrounding you, and clean air.  Summertime on Lake Coeur d'Alene is the most incredible experience.  And in the winter, Chicago isn't even comparable.  It's cold, it snows, it sleets, it rains, or it literally gets too cold to snow (ahem, -42 degrees this past winter).

Where Chicago has somewhat of an advantage, however, is its libraries.  Being a massive metropolitan area, and serving a HUGE population, Chicago has more resources than the local library here in Coeur d'Alene.  For starters, there are actually different branches of the Chicago Public Library.  Chicago Public Libraries have the unique opportunity to connect with their patrons through several different sites.  Different users flock to different sites, and each library can "put its best foot forward," so to speak.  Patrons can pick and choose which library they wish to visit, based on the merits the patrons themselves apply to each space.  For example, depending on the availability of reference materials, the environment in which I wanted to study, or the area in which I was previously out and about in the city, I would choose to go to a different library depending on my needs.

Each library does not have to have physical access to everything in each location, because their network allows for the collections to be shared or loaned between libraries.  Therefore, each library is able to foster partnerships with its specific patrons, and often even the communities (or in Chicago's case, neighborhoods) in which they are located. This allows for the many libraries that make up the Chicago Public Libraries to move forward as a single institution while catering to and building partnerships with the different neighbors of the city.

In Coeur d'Alene, there is only one library.  This institution does not have the luxury of offering multiple venues and homes for the libraries' collections.  The Coeur d'Alene Public Library has to put its best foot forward and attempt to connect with as many patrons as possible through only one space.  The recently redesigned home (read: new building) for the library has helped the Coeur d'Alene Public Library develop a stronger connection to the community it serves.  The Coeur d'Alene Public Library has always been located in the downtown area of the city, but has not always been very easy on the eyes.  The new building, which opened its doors in 2007, is beautiful, welcoming, still located downtown, and overlooks a multi-million dollar park.

The creation of this park was the ultimate goal of the city, in order to create a more cohesive area for the public to frolic.  The back wall of windows in the Coeur d'Alene Public Library looks out over basketball and tennis courts, baseball diamonds, dog runs, open space, and multiple playgrounds for children.  The location of this park has helped foster a feeling of community, not just being physically located IN a community, between the public and the public spaces of the park and the library.  The library has really embraced the park, and now offers programming that complements recreation schedules.  As such, there is greater loyalty, more visitation to the library, and a stronger connection between the public and its library.

The Chicago Public Libraries system and the single public library in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho are extremely different.  However, this has not stopped them from creating and fostering partnerships within their respective communities.  While Chicago libraries can highlight different areas of the overall collection and appeal to different patrons individually, the Coeur d'Alene Public Library has piggybacked on the success of the new public park, and its flexibility and adaptability have allowed the library to redevelop a sense of community between the public and its public spaces in Coeur d'Alene.