August 17th. Finally, the last MAPS Project is opening! I can't wait to see it!

---------------------------


Offering a wealth of knowledge
by Heidi R. Centrella
The Journal Record
8/2/2004



The $24.5 million Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library will open Aug. 17, offering a wealth of resources for business leaders and the community as a whole.
With 112,000 square feet, the four-story, MAPS-funded library boasts175,000 volumes of books, CDs, videos and periodicals, a 138-seat theater with a state-of-the-art sound system for meetings and programs, more than a dozen computers with high-speed Internet access, an atrium and, in the near future, a cafe/snack bar.

In addition to the MAPS money, the library system spent $4.3 million of its own for furniture, fixtures and equipment.

Aside from the contemporary aesthetics and amenities, what also may be of interest to downtowners are the databases the library subscribes to, such as the Associated Press photo archive that goes back some 75 years, Facts on File, First Search, Health Source, the local history of Oklahoma County building index, SIRS Researcher, Reference USA and Business Source Elite, to name a few.

The business database includes more than 1,100 scholarly journals including 450 peer-reviewed publications.

"Our goal is to please Oklahoma County as much as possible," said M. Scott Carter, director of marketing. "We try to meet the needs of the business community, and we have worked many times with the small business development center to offer information and classes."

In meeting those needs, the library may offer something its quasi-competitors can't - knowledge. The staff of more than 30 is more than qualified to find anything anybody could want to know, Carter said. Unlike visiting a local Barnes & Noble or Borders, where patrons can sit in an oversized chair, sip cappuccino and peruse periodicals, those who visit the library can have just about any question answered by its staff.

"The difference between what you're getting there and what you're getting here is when you come see a librarian from Metro, you're getting somebody with a master's degree, and you're getting somebody who's trained to help you track down the information you need," Carter said. "

"They're there to sell books, and we're here to provide information. And the difference is in how the staff performs."

The new library also will offer computer classes on a variety of software programs. In addition, the Downtown College Consortium - comprised of Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City, Redlands Community College, Rose State College and the University of Central Oklahoma - will hold classes on the fourth floor, complete with a defacto student union.

Other features unique to the library include "The Oklahoma Room," which is designed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright and houses only volumes that either have been written about or by Oklahomans, and "The Holocaust Resource Collection," which was donated by the Oklahoma City Jewish Foundation.

A large reading room surrounded by glass extends over the building at the corner of Hudson and Park, offering a view of the Arts District, even the Chihuly exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The reading room also houses a large public board room.

Architect Don Beck designed the building and took special interest in creating the children's area. He asked local school-age children what they would want in a library. When all was said and done, they got just what they wanted. A yellow-carpet road leads to a castle at the back of the children's area, as trees line the path and clouds hover above. Several computers are stationed along a curvy, brightly colored work table for kids and parents.

Library hours are 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday.