By Mike Templeton
The work of the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition is most often accomplished with the help of community partners around Greater Cincinnati. One of our most important and long-standing community partners is the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. Indeed, the Public Library is a central and indispensable community partner for the entire city. As many people already know, the downtown branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library has recently unveiled its new look and its new features after a long period of intense renovation. UACC has a man on the inside to help us around the library whenever we need to get things done or find some key information. Readers may remember our profile of urban Appalachian David Siders, the Civic Engagement Coordinator for the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, and he offered us some of the highlights of all that is in store for your next trip to the library.
If you have visited the downtown library recently you have seen that much has changed. The long wait for the changes and renovations has been worthwhile as our downtown library is clearly a new place altogether, though the real business of the library is what is going on within and around the stacks. We certainly encourage everyone to pay a visit (or many visits) and see for themselves what is in store, but if you need a little help to nudge you back into the library, we have a thumbnail of some of the things going on at the library and a few of the branches. One of the first things you might encounter when you visit the Main Library is the “Phronesis Light Sculpture” located on South Plaza. Seven of the pillars of this sculpture by artist Jen Lewin, whose work has appeared in the downtown Blink Festival, are located on the Vine Street entrance to the library. Another pillar is on the inside as you enter the building. Phronesis is a Greek word that means understanding or practical judgement, and the eight pillars that make up the sculpture are meant to symbolize the pillars of ancient Greek Wisdom: humanism, the pursuit of excellence, the practice of moderation, self-knowledge, rationalism, restless curiosity, the love of freedom, and individualism. The sculpture is grounded in classical antiquity and the virtues that have formed the basis of Western intellectual and creative traditions for centuries. Yet, as a distinctly modern light sculpture, Lewin’s work clearly points to the future and the ways our public library has historically embodied traditional virtues while continually adapting to a changing world while holding onto these virtues as a kind of immutable ground for all they have to offer.
If you are the type that enjoys the library for a quiet spot to sit and have lunch, read, or just take some time to be still, the new Reading Garden on the first floor of the South Building is ideal. There is a fountain amid the plants and birds in the garden to create a kind of hypnotic atmosphere. The Reading Garden is an ideal spot to spend hour away from the constant bombardment of electronic distraction and general fuss of the city.
While in the South Building, you will not be able to miss the Story Walls that tower over the atrium. Each Story is over two stories tall and are titled “Aura,” “Lotus,” and “Story Arc.” They make up yet another feature of the ways the renovated library incorporates works of art into the structure of the building itself. The towering images and architectural features help surround visitors in the library environment in ways that seem to invite us in further to keep exploring.
The Public Library has long provided what is called the MakerSpace for patrons, and its new configuration continues to provide this priceless resource. The MakerSpace consists of large collection of equipment and tools like 3D printers, audio recording studios, digital creation stations, laser cutters and engravers—the list goes on. There are even sewing stations to help support your textile projects. These are things that were unheard of in a public library for some of us old-timers, and the new library just keeps growing these kinds of modern tools. The MakerSpace is ideal for school, small business, and non-profit projects. The one at the Main Library downtown is obviously part of the renovated buildings, but there are MakerSpaces at five other branches around the city.
The Main building downtown has been the center of attention, but branches around town have also gone through some tremendous changes. David Siders informed me that the Price Hill branch, which has worked directly with UACC on a number of projects, “reopened after a year-long project that more than doubled its square footage. The branch is now fully accessible and includes updated spaces for adults, kids, teens, meetings, and quiet study.” Siders explained that the front lawn of the Price Hill Branch has been transformed into a parklet that includes “the original work ‘Off to See the Wizard’ by local artist Michael Coppage.” In addition to the Price Hill Branch, there have been renovations and upgrades at the Deer Park, Forest Park, Madisonville, and Mount Healthy Branches. All of this is part of the ongoing Next Generation project of the Public Library.
The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library is one of the jewels of greater Cincinnati. Our public library has long been at the center of the cultural life of our city, and it continues to re-make itself to meet the demands of a world that changes fast. Retaining the very best of what has always been the essence of a great library while keeping up with technological evolutions that compel us to change the ways we engage our world; our library is ahead of it all. The Urban Appalachian Community Coalition has always valued our public library as a resource and as a central community partner. We can specifically thank urban Appalachian David Siders for helping us keep up with the goings on with the public library in his official capacity as Civic Engagement Coordinator and simply as a friend of UACC. There is far more to discover at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library than we could possibly cover, and if you would like to take a look yourself, you can click on this link: chpl.org/blogs/post/40-things-to-explore-at-the-main-library. An even better suggestion would be to go visit the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library and see for yourself.
Michael Templeton is a writer, and independent scholar. He is the author of The Chief of Birds: A Memoir published with Erratum Press and Impossible to Believe, forthcoming from Iff Books. He is also the author of Collected Apoems, forthcoming from LJMcD Communications and the awaiting of awaiting: a novella, with Nut Hole Publishing. Check out his profile in UACC’s Cultural Directory. He has published numerous articles and essays on contemporary culture and works of creative non-fiction as well as experimental works and poetry. He lives in West Milton, Ohio with his wife who is an artist.