Window to the World

Window to the World
Cleve J. Fredricksen Library Opens its Doors

by Brian Phillips

There is no frigate like a book to carry us lands away.
-Emily Dickinson

Somewhere in the clutter of childhood memories there is a very calm spot. A favorite book. A tiny corner in a well-lit room. A quaint and cozy building that held very little space and, in turn, very few books, but to young eyes seemed gigantic. Curious George leads to Homer, The Brothers Grimm makes way for Shakespeare, and “Where the Wild Things Are” prepares for Poe.

So. Why all these reminiscences and philosophic rambling? Simple. There’s a new library in town. And when MODE toured the new Cleve J. Fredricksen Library in Camp Hill last week prior to its January 11 opening, those childhood memories flooded the mind.

Seventy-three thousand volumes. That is the number of books that were crammed into the old West Shore Library. For those of you who never spent any time at the old building located at 30 North 31st Street in Camp Hill, that was a few thousand too many. Mary Beth Lake, Director of Community Relations, said, “for every new book we bought, we had to get rid of one.”

Space was the biggest factor in the decision to build the new $6.4 Million library. And the new site has plenty of that. The new building offers a generous 37,000 square feet — more than doubling the old 15,472. In addition the shelves will more than adequately hold the 73,000 volumes, allowing space to broaden the current catalog to more than 105,000. In addition to offering more shelf space, the new library has almost tripled the floor space for the Children’s Area, incorporating Isles of Escape (fiction collection), Sights and Sounds (Audio Visual), and a unique enclosed Reading Porch, which serves as a great area for Story Hour. The adult reading rooms are larger, the table and work spaces are no longer cramped, and the main walkway otherwise known as the “Gateway to Learning,” is reminiscent of the Great Hall in the New York Public Library.

The library still includes a computerized cataloging system, with easy access to the library’s collection, plus all the books in the whole Cumberland County Library System, a collection of local and national periodicals, a number of Internet accessible computer stations and a great selection of Audio and Visual selections, which includes the only collection of DVDs in the entire Cumberland County Library System.

In addition to all of the wonderful existing and new service that the new library has to offer, throw in a beautiful new building with all the comforts of a Barnes & Noble Bookstore (that’s right, coffee is allowed) and you will just start to imagine this new space. Designed by H2L2, an architectural firm out of Philadelphia with previous library design under their belt, this brick, green iron, and metal building is designed in the Arts and Crafts style. The high ceiling and the abundance of glass make this space wide open, comfortable, and filled with an abundance of natural light. Not one corner has that old dark and dreary feel that is so often associated with libraries. The furniture is basic, though colorful. The tables and chairs are constructed of oak, and the stain glass lamps that adorn each table are the perfect touch to an already beautiful design. Not only is the Fredricksen Library state-of-the-art and functional, but it is fun to look at.

To describe the new library as a sum of all of its wonderful design and all of its high tech features would be a great disservice to what this new library is. It is, of course all of that, but it is also so much more. It is a place where kids can find their passion. It is a place where award-winning and life-altering research can be conducted, and above all that it is a place where willing participants can see the world. Perhaps none of us will have the opportunity or the luxury of seeing the entire planet or meeting all the interesting people that the world and history have to offer, but if you have the desire, libraries offer you resources to explore your greatest passions. They provide a looking glass through which readers can see the whole world and its many facets through the eyes of others who have been there, both literally and imaginatively. It is my fascination for the world and my lust for life that make a library more than just a building to me. Libraries are the birth place of ideas, and ideas change the world. Without them, where would we be? Happy reading!