Editor’s note: Because of incorrect information provided to The Blade, a previous version of this story misstated the total cost of library renovations.
The announcement last September that the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s downtown building was going to close for renovations was met with criticism, concern, and uncertainty.
But now that the community has weathered the proverbial storm of life without its central information center over the past 12 months, the library’s director said he hopes Saturday’s grand re-opening ceremony highlights why the library made the controversial decision it did back in 2018.
“Over the past few months, I’ve explicitly told some of my staff, ‘not a day goes by where I’m not thankful we chose to shut down,’” said Jason Kucsma, the library’s director and fiscal officer who oversees operations and finances of the main library and its 19 other branches.
“It would have been a mess if we tried to stay open during renovations,” he said.
Mr. Kucsma pointed to renovations in another urban city, Baltimore, where construction took place while the library’s doors remained opened. He says the decision to close saved time and money.
“If you look at the Enoch Pratt library in Baltimore, the building remained opened, so they had to work around people and it took three years and they spent over $100 million.”
Mike Graybeal, the library’s facilities and operations superintendent, who joined the library staff a few months after the project was already underway, agrees.
“I think coming into the project partial-way through, it was very wise to shut down,” Mr. Graybeal said. “This was a very logistically-complex project and I think that if they didn’t shut down, this would have drug on so much longer and I think the cost would have been drastically more. So being able to kind of pause, take a deep breath, let everybody do what they need to do to a majority of this building from an efficiency perspective is pretty crucial. I think it was very wise to shut down.”
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz admitted that the past year without a main library downtown has been an “inconvenience,” but says he “can’t think of a single person who isn’t excited” to have it opened back up.
“This is obviously a big deal for our community. The downtown library has been an iconic anchor in downtown Toledo for 80 years,” the mayor said Wednesday. “Something just didn’t feel right about our community over the past year. To have it closed has been unusual. Our downtown has been missing something. There’s a lot of people who rely on the library for various needs. It’s been a little disorienting.”
“It was definitely an inconvenience. But I think the end product is worth it. I’m excited and I think the community is excited,” he added.
The project totaled $12 million in costs. Renovations to the children’s library, something not included in original plans, were made possible after a large donation came from the estate of George K. Saloff a month before the library announced its plans to close and begin construction. For their donations, the library announced Wednesday it was naming its newly renovated children’s library after Mr. Saloff and his family.
While the children’s library, a new cafe, new meeting spaces, and new recording/editing studios will get most of the attention from new visitors, the building itself will have a new look right in its center.
Meg Delaney, the manager of the Main Library on Michigan Street, says a big concept associated with the renovations was the idea of implementing an “open,” main stretch that extends from the library’s main entrance all the way to its back entrance. She says this central strip is referred to as “Main Street.”
“I think what they’ll really notice are the open sight lines” she said, “and how we’ve tried to bring more people in and bring in more air and light as well.”
Ms. Delaney said the library has also adapted to the needs of changing platforms, noting that the library has the capability to accommodate the different needs of every resident. Some of the renovations include recording/editing studies and a “Make U” space, where members can create objects with a 3D printer.
“This is a place to go read books. This is a fabulous place to go read books,” Ms. Delaney said “...So, while yes we accommodate that very traditional activity, and books are our brand and always will be, we also recognize people want to do other things in their libraries today. People want to make things themselves.”
Patty Mazur, a spokesman for Toledo Public Schools, applauded the library for transitioning some of its programs used by TPS to other branches during the main building’s closure, but can’t wait for downtown location to re-open. Since 2016, 14,000 students have been given library cards after a partnership from TPS and TLCPL sought to provide “fine free” cards for all K through 8 students. The library has also waived accumulated fines on existing cards for students.
“The downtown building is such a gem, we’re very excited to bring it back,” she said. “Just the architecture of the building and the programs and resources that it comes with. I’m anxious to see what improvements they have in store.”
First Published September 26, 2019, 1:39 a.m.
