National Register of Historic Places

By Reference Librarian Anne R.

 

The building that houses the Downtown Lansing Library is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Lansing Downtown Historic District. While that’s an honor we are proud of, we also strive to keep pace with the changing needs of patrons who use our library for their information and entertainment needs.

 

For example, we recently closed the second floor of this building to make some renovations to the second floor. Now that the dust has settled, we are back with all of our usual services and invite you to stop by soon to check out our improvements.

 

One thing you’ll notice when you come off the elevator or out of the stairwell is that the reference desks have been moved to the north side. Now they are the first thing you see. And although they may look new, they are actually the same desks that librarians greeted patrons from when this building opened in 1964! Refurbishing them was part of the renovation project.

 

The shelving has been redesigned so that call numbers have a more logical layout. We have opened up more space on the west side for patrons to move around in-you may be amazed at how spacious it looks. We also moved our book displays to more prominent places. 

 

Another improvement we made was in response to changing technologies and the increasing demand for computer and Internet services. With money from a federal grant, we were able to add 12 new computers to those we already had in the computer center and reference area. That gives us a total of 40 public use computers at the Downtown Lansing Library. And computers will no longer be out of service during scheduled computer classes. We also upgraded our software, so that the computers now run Microsoft Office 2010. It’s similar to the 2007 version but even easier to use. 

 

Come in soon and check out all the ways we’ve improved to serve you better. And by the way, if you’re interested in seeing pictures of the Downtown Lansing Library from the 1960s, be sure to visit the Michigan Modern site at michiganmodern.org. In the menu at the top, point to “Buildings.” Scroll down to “Ingham County” and click on it to bring up a list of area buildings. We’re listed as “Lansing Central Public Library.”

 

The Capital Area District Library Reference Department is located at 401 S. Capitol Avenue in Lansing, MI. Contact them at 517-367-6346 or by e-mail at reference@cadl.org.