Thursday, October 2, 2014
Thanks to a partnership between the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) and the Milwaukee Public Library (MPL), Milwaukee is one of the first cities in the nation to open a 24-hour, fully-automated library - MPL Express at Silver Spring. The new library from Envisionware features "vending technology to allow users to check out and return materials, browse the library's collection and pick up holds. MPL Express is stocked with popular titles of adult, teen and children's books.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, MPL Board President John Gurda, Library Director Paul Kiely and HACM Secretary-Executive Director Tony Pérez opened the new library to a crowd of local students from nearby schools, representatives from the community organization Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and many other city, library and housing officials.
The 24-hour library serves the recently redeveloped Westlawn Gardens neighborhood and surrounding areas and is the result of HACM's vision to build a modern, mixed-use neighborhood with quality schools and valuable community resources.
"MPL saw an opportunity to expand service to a neighborhood without a library in close proximity," said Library Director Paula Kiely. "With the nearest full-service library nearly two miles away, this area will benefit greatly from easy access to books and materials."
The site for the library borders the Westlawn Gardens neighborhood and is also a Milwaukee County Transit stop near a very busy interesection. The partnership between MPL and HACM provided funding from both institutions. The City of Milwaukee's capital budget funded the purchase of the 24-hour, automated library model and HACM funded the design and construction of the library shelter.
"This new community amenity represents both a continuation of the transformation of Westlawn Gardens and a tool that residents can use to transform their lives," said HACM Secretary-Executive Director Tony Pérez."Access to books correlates significantly with school reading scores, and the resources in this library can also assit adults in achieving their own educational, employment and health goals."
As a pilot project, MPL and HACM will measure the usage and success of the city's first 24-hour automated library and consider opening future Express Libraries throughout the city.
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