Library to provide services for area residents, students

Morgan Conklin/Summer Reporter ALMOST FINISHED: Construction of the joint-use library to be used by the Tippecanoe Public Library and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana nears completion. The library is expected to be open for public use in the fall.

By Morgan Conklin
Summer Reporter

The Tippecanoe Public Library and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana have combined efforts to construct a joint-use library for area residents, but are still looking for donations to support the new facility.

The campaign to fund the library hopes to collect $2 million from donors, and thus far, more than $1 million in donations have been collected, said Amy Paget, foundation librarian.

By donating money to the library, Dennis Lawson, the college's librarian, said, "It will give an opportunity for people to support an innovative and experimental venture, and that is always exciting."

The joint-use library is a relatively new concept. Lawson said there are no other systems such as this in Indiana, and there are only a few others in the country. "Oftentimes individuals are looking for something different to donate to, and this is definitely not the same old type of hum-drum donation," he said.

There will be a wall in the library that will feature all the donors' names, said Paget.

Though the library will be located on Ivy Tech’s campus (at the corner of U.S. 52 and Creasy Lane), both students of the college as well as the general public will be able to use its resources.

"The biggest challenge of having this library will be making sure the message is out, that it is a library for everyone, not just students," Paget said.

Lawson said, "The biggest advantage of this library is going to be the expanded resources available to both the college community and the public. This will create a melting pot for different needs and interests of people."

Although the library is not located near the Purdue campus, Lawson said. Purdue students are invited to use the facility. "Any (Purdue) students living in that part of town are encouraged to come in. It won’t compare with Purdue, but the resources available will provide some assistance to students," he said.

The new library will also provide limited employment opportunities for the community. Lawson said Ivy Tech will be taking its current staff to the new facility; however, Paget said, the public library will be hiring clerical workers along with paraprofessionals. Anyone interested in applying for a position should go to the Tippecanoe Public Library.

The library is expected to open this fall, in time for the return of Ivy Tech students to classes; both Paget and Lawson are looking forward that. "We (the Ivy Tech library staff) are going into it with our eyes wide open," said Lawson. "We are not sure exactly what is going to happen, but we are anticipating only good possibilities and a lot of excitement."

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