Salt Lake City Public Library facts for kids
The main building of the Salt Lake City Public Library system is a very special and modern building in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can find it at 210 East, 400 South. It's right across from the Salt Lake City and County Building and Washington Square.
Contents
History of the Salt Lake City Library
Where Did the Library Start?
The Salt Lake City Public Library first opened its doors in 1898. It was located inside the Salt Lake City and County Building. A kind person named John Quackenbos Packard gave land and money in 1900. This helped build a new library in downtown Salt Lake City. This older building is now a special historical place.
The library stayed in this building until the early 1960s. It had grown so much that it needed a bigger space! So, the city library moved to a new home. This new building was also across from the City and County Building. It was dedicated, or officially opened, on October 30, 1964. The old library building later became the Hansen Planetarium in 1965.
Moving to the Amazing Current Building
In 1998, the library celebrated its 100th birthday! Soon after, people voted to approve money for a brand new library building. This new building cost $84 million. It was designed by famous architects like Moshe Safdie and VCBO Architecture. The library opened its doors to the public in February 2005. The building that used to be the library is now The Leonardo, a cool museum of science, technology, and creativity.
One day in September 2006, a small explosion happened on the third floor. Luckily, no one was hurt. Only a window was broken. For safety, about 400 people left the building. The streets nearby were closed for a short time.
What Makes the Library Special?
Exploring the Library's Size and Collections
The main Salt Lake City library building is huge! It covers about 240,000 square feet. It has five stories. Inside, you can find over 500,000 books. There are also more than 60 different newspapers and magazines. Plus, it has 163 computers you can use to go online.
The building uses a lot of glass, especially for its big curved outer wall. It was designed by the same architect who designed the main library in Vancouver, Canada. You can see how similar they look, especially in the main entrance area.
Discovering Library Square and Its Features
The library is surrounded by a beautiful area called Library Square. This area has gardens and paved paths. Originally, there were plans for more buildings here. But the Mayor Rocky Anderson asked for it to be an open public park instead. You can find some shops and a radio station, KCPW-FM, in the Square. The ground of the Square is made of special limestone from Israel.
When you walk into the five-story building, you enter a space called the "Urban Room." It has the same limestone floor as the Square outside. This room goes all the way up through all five floors. At the very top, there's a huge skylight that lets in lots of natural light. More shops are located along one side of the Urban Room.
On top of the building, there's a lovely rooftop garden. It has trees, grasses, and many different kinds of flowers and plants. There are even beehives up there! The whole library is designed to use natural light as much as possible. This helps save energy by reducing the need for electric lights. A giant five-story glass wall brings in lots of daylight.
Here are some other cool things about the library:
- Fireplaces are on four of the floors. They look like a column of fire when you see them from certain streets.
- A special "lens" on the south side of the building helps warm it in winter. This saves on heating costs.
- An art gallery shows off works by local artists.
- There's a coffee shop with a special staircase. This staircase goes right to the Young Adult's Section.
- A special area just for children's books and activities.
- A spiral "grand staircase" and three glass elevators.
- The library has one of the biggest graphic novel collections in any public library!
- It also has a unique collection of about 1,500 zines. Zines are small, self-published magazines.
- The library was named "Library of the Year" in 2006 by a magazine called Library Journal.
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca pública de Salt Lake City para niños
