Among the usual downtown hustle and bustle, the ambient music of Brian Eno chimed gently under the drizzle of March rains and the conversation of students, transients and library regulars.
The music, which can now be heard most days at the Downtown Eugene Public Library, is part of a new effort by library administrators to cultivate a friendly environment for library users.
Administrators say they want to improve the outdoor atmosphere. Their strategy includes ambient music outside, a smoking ban on the building’s street block, more frequent powerwashes to improve cleanliness on the sidewalks and more stringent enforcement of existing prohibition of using bicycles or skateboards.
Signs propped up on the sidewalk around the library inform pedestrians of the upcoming ban on smoking, effective March 12.
LeVena Nohrenberg, the library’s customer experience manager, said she had heard complaints about outside smoking.
Eugene police spokesperson Jenna LaBounty said officers would patrol the area more frequently to help enforce the library’s heightened tranquility standard.
“We have some permanent officers assigned to that area of downtown already; the number of patrol officers varies depends on staffing levels and crime trends,” she said. “As the need arises, we can allocate additional officers.”
Library administrators began brainstorming ideas last summer to improve the ambiance of the downtown location.
Nohrenberg said the idea behind the smoking ban was to generate a more family-friendly atmosphere at the entrance of the library. She said the ban would cover the entire half-block the library occupies, including all the surrounding sidewalks and the alley behind the building.
“The smoking ban does the job of protecting all of the children who come out of the library, which we feel is important and in the public interest,” she said. “We think this really will provide a pleasant atmosphere for library users.”
Nohrenberg declared the music an early hit with library users.
“We have been flooded with positive comments,” she said.
The library staff will pick from the roughly 22,000 CDs in the library’s music collection to fill out the daily playlists. Nohrenberg said she liked having the music available for checkout if people hear something they like upon arriving at the library.
“I think it’s cool that we’re predominantly playing music that’s part of the substantial collection of CDs we have here, which are available to check out,” she said. “All one would need to do is stop in and ask the person at the information desk.”
Joshua Franks, who canvasses in front of the library, said he appreciated the daily soundtrack.
“Sometimes, it kicks on, sometimes it doesn’t. But most of the time they play really chill music like this, and I enjoy it actually; it puts me at peace,” Franks said. “Yesterday they were playing a bunch of acoustic music, like early ’70s rock and roll covers. They played some Metallica covers, but all acoustic. And they played Led Zeppelin. That was
pretty cool.”
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