The Appleton Public Library Board of Trustees remain committed to the plan for a new library to serve this community. While the Appleton Common Council voted last June not to support the Lawrence Street site, we have heard from many community leaders who are committed to a new building for our much loved, much used library.
We heard what the Common Council had to say this past year and respect their decision. We also respect that the council has a number of initiatives in progress that may influence the ultimate location of the library — the parking study, the downtown mobility study and the overall plan for downtown Appleton.
As these plans provide more clarity, the library board will work with council leadership and the mayor to finalize a process that allows us to determine a site that is satisfactory to the council. It is our hope that all the information that comes forward will inform and facilitate a plan for a new location for the Appleton Public Library.
It is our goal to create a new library that will reflect the pride we have in our community — a library that will create a vibrant, safe place for life-long learning.
Over the past months, my fellow trustees and I have dedicated ourselves to review and reflect on the process used to determine the amount of space we need for the library’s programs and services. We continue to review current information about libraries of the future, and have focused our discussions on the future plan for a new library building for Appleton.
We have also spent time analyzing how our community uses the Appleton Public Library, from items circulated to public computer use to programs attended. Through this analysis, we found that, in 2014, the library provided over $24 million in programs and services. We also found that for every city and county tax dollar invested in the library, the community received a public service return on investment of $5.95.
Appleton is a vibrant community that prides itself in being welcoming to all, and providing community services that create an exceptional quality of life for all who live in the Fox Valley. Public libraries are a vital component of a community and need to be poised to meet the needs of all people residing in the city and surrounding area.
A wealth of knowledge and information can be accessed in the library. Additionally, our library is an active place where people can meet, interact, create and give energy to new ideas that benefit all. Our plans for a new library provide enough space so that we no longer have to turn families away from children’s programs or turn community groups away when they need meeting space.
Our goal is to be a library that provides programs for all ages and all needs. We want to provide a building that enhances the lives of each and every person that walks through our doors.
A new building for the Appleton Public Library will meet the needs of an ever-changing population. With a larger, more accessible, streamlined footprint, we will be able to provide programs, services and resources that will energize Appleton. Imagine a place that comes with unlimited new beginnings.
We know about the incredible return on investment our library provides. According to recent Pew research data, 95 percent of those surveyed believe libraries give people a chance to succeed and change their lives.
The Appleton Public Library wants our community to see the library as a place where futures are created each and every day. We look forward to a year of working together and creating a new future for the Appleton Public Library.
-Nancy Scheuerman, Appleton Public Library Board of Trustees