The Library as Dynamic Gathering Place

The Muscatine Public Library's vision statement reads as follows:

     "Our Vision is to become a recognized center of pride for our community as a resource center for knowledge and as a dynamic gathering place."

That last phrase, "dynamic gathering place," has gotten quite a bit of attention since Peter Press became the library's director nearly five years ago.  The vision blows away the old stereotype of people silently searching dusty book stacks, interacting little if at all with each other.

"Libraries are becoming dynamic gathering places for the community.  We still are providers of information but we're becoming cultural centers," Press explains.

Among current examples of this cultural emphasis at the Musser Public Library are the annual Hispanic Festival and Tuesday 2@the Library programs.

The Hispanic event has drawn more than 1,000 people and helped build community relations in a city where at least one of every seven residents has a Hispanic heritage.

The popular Tuesday2@the Library program, in its fourth year, offers free concerts featuring a variety of talented individuals and groups from around Iowa and even Illinois.  Tuesday of this week, it was "The Beggarmen," an Iowa City-based group that performs traditional Irish music.  Nearly 100 people enjoyed the one-hour performance.

The Tuesday evening concerts, the Hispanic Festival, as well as all the free children's programs and summer reading projects, are provided within a $9,000 annual budget category.

That seems like a lot of bang for the taxpayer buck.

Press has long-range hopes for seeing an even more dynamic Musser Public Library.  The present library is just over 30 years old but is obsolete in several areas by today's standards.

Press and library board officials are working with the Muscatine Art Center Board on ideas for a new facility that would include a cultural center.

It all costs money, of course.  And it's never easy selling the taxpayers on another addition to their tax bill.

However, the planners are doing extensive homework before presenting any proposal to the community.  It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

Libraries, like many institutions and businesses, need to embrace change as technology and patrons' needs evolve.  They need to be affordable and accessible to all people.  Otherwise, they risk becoming less useful and relevant and could become obsolete.

And certainly Muscatine would be less of a community without such dynamic public gathering places...places were ideas are exchanged and people of different backgrounds get to know and understand each other better.