[Michlib-l] Capital Area District Libraries - Williamston Branch: A Public Library in a School Building

[Duimstra,Scott]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share with you the news that our Williamston Branch<http://www.cadl.org/about/hours-and-locations/williamston> moved to a new location! We're very excited about the move because we've been working for a long time to get them moved into an adequate space. The move allows us to expand the space of the library from 2,500 sq ft to over 5,000 sq ft, along with the ability to offer more services to the community. But, the main reason I wanted to share this move with you is that it's unique in that the library moved into the middle school of Williamston Community Schools. There are other library systems that have done similar moves, so I wanted to share our experience in case others would like to pursue this option in the future.

For the space, we were fortunate that it was separate enough from the main school building to allow different entrances for the school and the library. That allows for no direct access between the school and the library, which was a major concern for us and for the school system. For students wishing to use the library, they exit the school and enter through the library's entrance. There is a shared hallway between the library and the school, but the doors are locked at all times, and they can only be used as an exit from the school in case of an emergency. Also, this project was not meant for the library to become the school's library. While we will be an added resource for the school, the branch is to function as any of our other 12 branches and is open different hours from the school's hours.

The project went fairly smoothly because we worked with a fantastic municipality in the City of Williamston and an outstanding school system in Williamston Community Schools. For our part, we had to do an informational campaign to the community and our patrons to help dispel some of the safety and access concerns, and we're not done with that campaign. When school is back in session in the fall, I'm sure there will be questions to address. But, for our part, we were overjoyed to get a library space that doubled the size of the branch while having a wonderful partnership with two strong community partners to complete the project.

If you're planning a similar project, feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to hear about our process. When we started the project, I reached out the Clare Membiela at the Library of Michigan and she was very helpful with information on potential problems with having a public library branch in a school. Thanks Clare!

Thank you,

Scott Duimstra, Executive Director
Capital Area District Libraries - Administration
401 S. Capitol Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933
517-367-0813| duimstras at cadl.org<mailto:duimstras at cadl.org>
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