Library Stories in the Media
Crain's Detroit Business - October 15, 2007
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Library takes home honors
APRIL LEHMBECK; C & G Staff Writer
Published: October 17, 2007
HARPER WOODS - It's been a couple of years since the completion of a
major Library renovation, and the hard work continues to pay off. The Harper
Woods Public Library recently has received a couple of honors. Recognition for
customer service and its environmentally friendly facility are two of the latest
news items that Library officials can boast about.
"It's been a really exciting month," Library Director Dale Parus said, adding
that the recent recognition stems from the Library's updated facility. "The
building was a vast improvement over the old Library. We were able to do a
lot more here," he said. "We've been really fortunate to be able to offer a lot
of the services that we do."
The Library of Michigan gave a certificate
to the Library for meeting Essential Level requirements, but Parus is shooting
for reaching the next level up next time. The top of the three levels of
certification was given to four libraries this year and would require more
funding for Harper Woods, but Parus thinks that with diligence, the second of
the three levels is an attainable goal.
The Library of Michigan has a checklist for
each level, and libraries are judged on different areas like technology, public
relations/marketing and collection development, according to a press release.
"By focusing efforts on these key areas, our
Library has shown a strong commitment to customer service," Parus said.
"We are proud that the Harper Woods Public Library has done such good work in
providing services deemed 'essential' by the Library of Michigan," Library Board
President Terri Larrew said.
The Library wasn't able to keep up levels of programming in the old facility with limited space, and it shared space with other city departments.
"We were getting bumped out of our own space," Parus said. The Library sees from
50,000 to 60,000 visits each year. "It keeps us hopping," Parus said. The new
Library has more space, a lower level for the children's section, a teen area, a
lounge area in the front and a sitting area in the back with a fireplace. The
new facility has an architectural design that allows for a great deal of natural
lighting.
"We get a lot of comments about how nice it
looks, just how the building itself works," Parus said.
"What people are amazed by when they come in
here is the sense of space, the openness," Adult Services librarian Suzanne Kent
said. "We have some room to grow, too," she added.
While the Library gets a lot of patrons and
the computer section is always busy, one of the services the Library hopes to
promote more is the large print readers, which were donations. The Library has a
large collection of VHS tapes, including a number of "M*A*S*H" episodes that
were donated to the Library, in addition to its audio books and other items. One
of its customer-friendly services is its delivery to some home-bound seniors.
Kent delivers to a couple of seniors, one in her 90s.
"They look forward to you visiting and you
talking to them," Kent said.
The Library also has recently been informed that it has been granted
certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
program through the U.S. Green Building Council. When the Library was revamped,
attention was given to make the building energy efficient and environmentally
friendly.
"It really helps us to get our focus on making a building that's going to be extra comfortable and also sustainable for the future," Parus said.
The impact has already been felt by the
Library since it has seen energy costs remain stagnant when compared to the old
facility, even though the new one has increased lighting for a larger facility.
Other good news for the Library came from Target, which offered it another
$1,000 grant this year.
"The Library thanks Target for continuing their support of Library programming,"
Parus said. "The grant is going to help us keep our programs going even in the
face of cuts in state funding."
Copyright, 2007, Advertiser Times (MI), All Rights Reserved.
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| October 16, 2007 |
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http://michiganconstructionnews.com/October%202007%20News/harperwoods-libr.html |
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metromode, 10/25/2007
Harper Woods is getting a green thumbs up now that its public Library has been awarded silver LEED certification for environmental design by the U.S. Green Building Council.
LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design , certification is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. The recent improvements and expansion of the Harper Woods Public Library feature a number of environmentally friendly features.
"The basic building is still here but we have totally renovated it," says
Suzanne Kent, the adult services librarian for the Harper Woods Public Library.
"Everything is new."
Every stage of the renovation demonstrated the Library's commitment to
sustainable practices: More than 91 percent of the construction debris was
diverted from landfills and recycled. The building utilizes low-flow toilets,
faucets and other water-saving technology, cutting the Library's water usage in
half and saving nearly 100,000 gallons of water each year.
It also installed
high-efficiency lighting throughout the structure, using motion sensors and
other technology to save electricity.
Furthermore,
the building has been heavily insulated and is equipped with
high-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners, making it 36 percent more energy
efficient than what is required by current energy codes. Its exterior glazing
also helps cut down on how much heat is absorbed from the sun, helping keep it
cool during the summer months.
Of the construction materials, 17 percent were recycled, including much of the
building's steel, glass and drywall. Construction workers also reused 87 percent
of the original building's materials. And as if that weren't enough, nearly half
of all materials came from within 500 miles of the Harper's Woods, cutting down
on pollution caused by transportation.
Overall, the building nearly tripled in size from 6,400 to 17,750 square feet by
making the first floor and basement accessible to patrons, along with adding a
west wing. Voters approved a $3.1 million millage in 2003 to renovate and expand
the Kennedy Memorial Library, originally built in 1964. The project took a
little more than a year before it reopened in October of 2005. The LEED
certification completes the renovation.
Source: Suzanne Kent,
adult services librarian for the Harper Woods Public Library
Writer: Jon Zemke
