Four stories of red bricks and towering windows comprise the exterior. Marble floors, a coffee shop at ground level, rows and rows of books and a grand spiral staircase showcase the interior.
But this is not the Knight Library.
The new Eugene Public Library, which opened Dec. 16 on the corner of West 10th Avenue and Olive Street, shares many characteristics with the Knight Library, right down to the architects who planned them.
When local design firm Robertson-Sherwood Architects chose to collaborate with Boston firm Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, one of the oldest architecture firms in the United States and a specialist in building libraries, they didn’t look farther than the University.
Robertson-Sherwood Architects approached SBRA because of its renovation work on the Knight Library.
“We knew it would be an important building downtown,” Robertson-Sherwood Architects’ Senior Associate Randy Nishimura said.
John Erickson, a field tech from Tech Logic, works out bugs in the new Tech Logic book sorting machine in the new Downtown Eugene Public Library.
SBRA architect Geoff Freeman said the goal of the new building was to create an open and encouraging environment.
“We wanted something that would glow, something that spoke to the community,” Freeman said.
The new library is about 130,000 square feet, while the old one was only 38,000 square feet — the new children’s section alone is larger than the entire main floor of the old library.
Until the library needs to expand, the fourth floor will be rented out for city offices and will be closed to the public.
Nishimura said as the two firms designed the new library, they paid a lot of attention to energy-efficient and environmentally healthy methods, like the strategies being used in the new Lillis Business Complex construction on campus.
The University’s Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory, located in the Center for Housing Innovation, provided energy consultation by studying daylighting and ventilation systems inside the library and using a special kind of paint glaze on the outside.
“It’s a challenging building,” said G.Z. “Charlie” Brown, professor and director of the ESBL.
Library patrons are finding that bookshelves near windows are positioned to maximize the light in each aisle, which also saves energy. On cloudy days, the library’s electric lights adjust automatically.
These improvements came
from ESBL research and recommendations.
Of all the additions to the new library, including art, self-serve checkout stands, heated floors, and more books, staff and space, the most expensive one won’t even be seen by the public.
The new fully-automated book return system is the first of its kind
in Oregon, and it cost the library $2 million, Library Director Connie Bennett said.
Previously, librarians checked the books in by hand. Now, three conveyor belts take books from return slots, reactivate their sensors, measure their size and determine their spine direction in order to place the book on the right reshelving cart.
“It’s very special,” Nishimura said. “It will reduce stress demands on staff and save on staff time.”
One drawback to the new library, at least for drivers, is a lack of free parking. Sixty-four metered parking spaces are located below the library, and there are several hundred metered spaces and paid garages within three blocks.
“People expect to find paid parking downtown,” Nishimura said.
Library officials suggest taking a bus — Lane Transit District’s downtown station is located right across the street. There are also more than 100 covered bike-parking spaces around the library.
Eugene Public Library hours
Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m -8 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
SOURCE: Eugene Public Library
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