Library Millage - good or bad idea?

2

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  • edited July 2008
    That's kind of the point, though. CADL would get more out of East Lansing joining than East Lansing would get out of joining CADL. I'm not arguing against an entirely regional system, but I can definitely see why East Lansing would want to stay independent of CADL.

    As for MSU, are their any public university libraries that are part of a municipal system? I can't think of any. I don't think it would make any sense given that public universities are essentially wards of the state. I'm not sure if it'd even be legal to have a municipal/regional operation overseeing a state operation.

    That said, there are plenty of public universities that partner with municipal library systems. I know that WSU's historical collection partners with Detroit Public Libraries.
  • One thing that disappoints me is that their top choice site plan has the parking lot facing the Shiawassee & Capitol intersection, the most prominent intersection of the Oliver Towers block. Site Plan C is better I think, but it should be mirrored so that the long sides of the building face Capitol and Shiawassee.

    Option A (2 Floor Impression 5, 3 Floor CADL):
    CADLA.jpg

    Option B (Same as A except Impression 5 sits atop ground floor parking):
    CADLB.jpg

    Option C (2 Floor Impression 5, 3 floor CADL):
    CADLC.jpg
  • I agree, though, I'd much rather see the two buildings face both Shiawasee and Capitol in an "L" shape, hiding the parking on Seymour and Ionia.
  • I will need to read more as I am still undecided (haven't read in the Pulse yet, etc.). I also think that it would be nice if East Lansing was involved with CADL but can certainly see why they are not. The Pulse listing of "what we currently pay" in county millages (Not including local and school taxes) makes that number look more favorable due to not including those things, so that while the county number they have may note a total of 20.9714 millages for 2007, a Lansing resident could already be paying for as much as 56.8282 mills already.

    As for the location plan options...using less space by ground floor parking is sometimes nice, such as in Option B, especially if it adds to the presence of a building, but I don't know about that in this case. I agree with LMich and Hood about the site plan. C is nice, but facing Shiawasee and Capital just seems better aesthetically to me. For others reference it would look more like this: cadldmg7.jpg

    Also, with the costs of this all going to taxpayers, whom had paid for the building of the current headquarters, what would become of any money from sales or lease of that?
  • That is a good question, and the City Pulse seems to imply that CADL hasn't really much thought about what they'd do with the current central library branch, which seems kind of odd. You'd think they'd have thought that part of it over, as well.

    BTW, as for the new central branch, I'm wondering why they are so dead-set on having the thing face Ionia Street. It just seems odd, to me. Every single conceptualized site plan shows the thing facing Ionia, which really should act more as the back of the property more than anything else. Shiawasee and Capitol are a prominent corner, and one the library shouldn't want to have its rear-end facing.
  • I forgot that a CADL member can request materials from both East Lansing and MSU libraries through the MeLCAt system, so I guess technically they are still connected in a way.
  • edited August 2008
    Yeah, I've got books through MelCAT from the MSU library before. It worked really good, except the $2 fee that I got for a day late.
  • The current main library building is owned by the Lansing School District. It's a holdover from the deal when CADL was formed: Local communities were to provide the buildings, while CADL was to provide the staffing and materials.
  • Well it looks like the CADL proposal did not pass... its a shame, I understand the reasons against it. I am pleased to see that the Detroit Zoo got some love from voters.
  • I did not expect it to be beaten so handily.
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