By Kristen Burton
Correspondent
The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library – a staple in the Whitewater community for a quarter of a century – celebrated its 25th anniversary on July 28 with flowers, refreshments, souvenir pencils, and a Harry Potter party.
The library officially opened in June of 1991 but because July 28 marked the last day of this year’s summer reading program with nearly 300 participants, the two milestones were celebrated on the same day.
Twenty-five years ago, the White Memorial Free Library relocated from its original home at 402 W. Main St. (which now houses the Whitewater Arts Alliance) to more spacious quarters at 431 W. Center Street.
In honor of the generous contributions that helped fund its construction, the new library was named the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library. By the time the collection was transferred to the new facility, it had so outgrown the White Memorial Free Library that books were shelved on chairs placed at the end of rows and only one chair in the reading room remained available for human occupation.
The library has yet again outgrown its physical confines and the next time it relocates, it may come packaged with a hotel.
Stacey Lunsford, Director of the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, said there are talks with a developer about a private/public partnership for a combination public library and hotel, similar to the arrangement in Platteville.
Developer Troy Hoekstra broached the idea to the Whitewater Common Council this spring and will return with a building proposal.
Asked if the current budget climate is impacting the library, Lunsford noted costs are rising and it is difficult to maintain the same level of service without corresponding increases in the budget.
In the lobby of the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, patrons will find a display case devoted to the library’s past, and a bulletin board outlining its present and potential future – both displays created by Outreach Services Specialist Shirley Hapka.
The visual history highlights the movers and shakers that made a public library in Whitewater possible – Mary Flavia White with her initial endowment and exhortation to the citizens of Whitewater to support the library, James Leaver who was instrumental in pushing the proposal for the new library through city government, and the Irvin L. Young Foundation that provided $500,000 in seed funding for the library’s construction.
The display also references some of Whitewater’s quirkier past; for instance, Randolph the Rooster who made national news in 1965 for regularly crossing the road from his home in what was then “Library Park” to his vacation place in the yard of the Lutheran church on the other side of Main Street. The billboard on the library’s present /future outlines current programs and options for the new library.
Lunsford cited the explosion in audio/visual media as the greatest change in the library over the last 25 years. When the Irvin L. Young Library first opened, it offered one spinner of video cassettes and had albums for loan. Audiobooks really took off in the early 2000s but playaways – a device about the size of a deck of cards with one book on it – are the latest rage. Very portable and self-contained, playaways require no additional equipment to function.
Library patrons have access to digital downloadable books and audiobooks from the statewide collection.
“There is some decline in the use of physical books at approximately the same percentage as the increase in the use of digital books,” Lunsford said, adding however, the library’s “power users” utilize everything and access resources in all media.
Lunsford said the library’s primary charge is the “knowledge center for the community, and it supports community activities.”
Activities offered range from job searches, to genealogy, to organic seed propagation, to do-it-yourself projects; the library staff converted their boardroom into a Maker’s Space that supports sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, photography, digital media production, and other arts.
The library promotes early literacy through its 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program and ameliorates students’ “summer slide” through the summer reading program. It also promotes continued literacy for adults through its five book clubs. (A tip to busy book club members who need to catch up on the reading by the next meeting: audiobooks are an option.)
Additionally, the library provides onsite Internet access, and is part of a two-county area consortium providing access to about three million items.
“If we don’t have what you want, we can get it within a few days,” Lunsford said.
“We appreciate the support the community has given the library over the last 25 years and we are happy to be able to serve it,” Lunsford added.
“We are grateful to our patrons.”
