this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2024
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This is a branch library in one of the poorer parts of an already depressed town, so they are wanting to use it as more of a free community activity center, and the community it’s in will need it.

The library is not gigantic. It was formerly a funeral home. But they did an amazing job fixing it up.

Some of the features this library has or will have soon:

  • A test kitchen with restaurant-grade equipment.
  • A workshop with a tool library for lending.
  • A clean-up room featuring a washer, dryer and shower free for use.
  • A playground and splash pad for kids.
  • A huge patio deck for reading, relaxing or whatever else you might want to do.
  • Just a pleasant place to hang out.

And, of course, the expected things like a children's area, meeting rooms, a teen area, a small computer lab and a small collection of books and DVDs.

Before you start complaining about how “libraries don’t have books anymore!” The book stacks are still a 10-minute drive/bus ride away at the downtown branch. The books aren’t going anywhere. Libraries are more than just books. They are one of the few places the community can get all sorts of resources and a place to access them for free

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Why would you hurt Leslie Knope like this?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

We're from Eagleton.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

This is incredible and is going to be such a benefit to the community. Your wife is good people and the world truly needs more libraries and "third places" for everyone in a community to use and feel safe in regardless of their socioeconomic status or education or anything else.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 15 hours ago

The clean up area... Amazing.

Being dirty was one of my biggest fears when I was homeless. I felt like if I passed the point where I couldn't clean myself anymore, it would just get so much worse from there.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 15 points 16 hours ago

We really need more wholesome stuff like this in Lemmy.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago

Dope. As. Fuck.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 16 hours ago

I actually feel like I'm going to cry right now. This is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard of. I wish every town had something like this

[–] [email protected] 7 points 16 hours ago

Congratulations! I love seeing new libraries show up! I hope you don't have to deal with authoritarian jackasses trying to ban books.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 17 hours ago

This is amazing! I love hearing stories like this. Keep up the fantastic work.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago

Congrats mate

[–] [email protected] 9 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

That is AWESOME! You both must be so proud!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 18 hours ago

We sure are, thanks!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 22 hours ago

Obviously I love books and complaining about not enough books. But actually who cares. This is badass. Every bullet point cooler than the last. A kitchen? A workshop?? A shower and wash room?!

Actually excellent. Congrats to your wife's hard work!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

I can't see any images or any link to an album. Using Boost for Lemmy app on Android

[–] [email protected] 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Try using the "Share" link to open it in your web browser. Lemmy apps can have trouble with off-site image galleries (doesn't work in Eternity, for instance.)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

I'm using eternity and see a link

Edit: I see what you mean. Can't copy it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 22 hours ago

The link is in the headline as always with these things, so I don't understand.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 22 hours ago

As a grumpy skeptic doomer, thank you! Keep doing this. I really hope it helps a great number of people.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

My god the world needs people like your wife. Man. Tell her that I said she’s amazing.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 23 hours ago

Thanks, I read a bunch of comments to her this morning and I'll read more to her when she gets home tonight.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago

Wow.. that's gorgeous. A real community center..

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just another wow post, make sure to tell her people from all over the world are grateful for her work:)

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago

I told her just before she left for work this morning about the positive responses she's received from Lemmings and she was really happy about it. She has worked so hard on this and I'm so impressed with the results. It was the first time I'd seen the inside.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Before you start complaining about how “libraries don’t have books anymore!” The book stacks are still a 10-minute drive/bus ride away at the downtown branch. The books aren’t going anywhere. Libraries are more than just books. They are one of the few places the community can get all sorts of resources and a place to access them for free

There's always interlibrary loans. I'm sure you can search for a book on the online catalogue and ask for it to be transferred from another branch.

Anyway, fantastic and very creative work. I wish I had a library like this near me growing up.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

You absolutely can. I've done it multiple times myself. Pretty much any public library (in the U.S. anyway) can do ILLs from what I understand.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

Libraries are the best shining examples of community service & thats the coolest library I’ve ever seen. props to your wife and who helped make it happen!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That's cool as shit, wow. I hope she's proud!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

She's very proud. And very tired.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

It's beautiful! The post isn't public on imgur or I would upvote you there too!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Elkhart didn't have the best libraries when I was growing up (80s), but they felt like the only decent lifeline to the outside world, before the internet. I regret not taking better advantage of them, but their selection was extremely old till they moved to a bigger building.

Farmers have a really weird love/hate attitude towards books.

Try to convince your library to get a 3d printer, and do demonstration classes, I think they'll find people really like them and kids can make projects for their parents or even school (our schools had 0 budget for anything, we legit learned on trash 80s in 1991).

Edit: looking through the pictures, would love to take my kid there, nice.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The main branch already does have a 3D printer! Also a laser cutter, an audio recording booth, sewing machines... all kinds of cool stuff.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 22 hours ago

That's really awesome!

I think things like this really help bring the community together, which is what we've lost the most over the past 3 decades, we've traded being "rich" (ie externally showy) for being comfortable and having a community. We compete with each other and drive ourselves apart.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

holy freaking cow this is the coolest thing ever! is there any way that we can (through sheer willpower maybe?) magically make one of these in every state?

stuff like this keeps me and my hope in humanity alive, thank you for sharing and thank you Mrs. Squid for being so awesome :)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

Talk to your library board!

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That looks awesome!

A few tips, based on what has worked in our local libraries:

  • A story-reading space where parents or caregivers can bring infants and toddlers to listen to books being read outloud. Librarians, parents, and volunteers take turns as book readers. Hugely popular. Absolutely packed them in. One branch even built a hand-painted replica of the "Goodnight Moon" set.

  • A separate, private space for nursing mothers.

  • If the budget allows it, a phone charging station.

  • Space for common government forms. Applications for welfare, disability, voter, and tax forms. If you can get volunteers to help, even better.

  • Was going to mention tools, but see you already have it. In ours, you can check out shovels, saws, wrench sets, gardening tools, etc, to take home for a few days. It got so popular they had to move into their own space.

We love our local libraries.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 15 hours ago

The government forms are genius

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

Tell her thank you. Awesome job. Now can we put one of these in every town?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

Very cool. Seems like it has all the things many modern libraries should pivot to offering where possible.

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