If Thursday was a typical day at the Vancouver Community Library, more than 1,500 people came through its doors. Many were looking for books, or participating in traditional library programs such as summer reading for schoolkids. But some were searching for jobs, or working on a résumé. Parents and young children were headed to the third floor, home to an early learning center, the largest of its kind in the United States.
It was hot, so some came to the library because of its air-conditioned spaces to talk and relax. And a few likely made the trip to see the Fort Vancouver Tapestry, a hand-sewn, 108-foot long textile that illustrates our local history. Due to its size, it hadn’t been on public display here in three years.
But Thursday was also a special day — the third anniversary of the library’s opening. In many ways, it seems like the modern five-story building has been on the corner of Evergreen Boulevard and C Street for so much longer.
Those with institutional memory will remember opponents decrying the plan as, in the words of one 2009 Columbian letter-writer, “an edifice to ego and waste.” But a $5 million gift from Steve and Jan Oliva helped jump-start construction of the $38 million structure.
Start just inside the front door, where the public meeting room has hosted all kinds of events. Before the tapestry was placed on exhibit last week, it hosted the regular C-Tran board meeting. The room is equipped with cameras that can be used to show the meetings on cable television.
When the cameras are off, the meeting room provides event space for the monthly downtown Art Walk. The Vancouver Watersheds Alliance uses it for its film festival. Not long ago, Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, used it for a job assistance workshop. Not long after it opened, enthusiastic supporters of Ron Paul’s presidential campaign held their rally there.
And that’s just the first thing inside the door. The building is an outstanding example of what a modern library should be. It’s received several notices for its architecture, most recently an award from the Society for Experimental Graphic Design for the “wayfinding design” of its signage.
The building complements its programs. Librarian Jackie Spurlock is quick with a list; many of them can be found on the calendar available at the library and on the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District’s website. There are film festivals, conversation circles for English- and Spanish-learners, book groups, and dance parties for parents and kids.
There are some statistics illustrating our love: 574,019 visits in 2013; 781,037 items checked out; 1,424 programs held; 62 Internet terminals used for 94,015 hours. In many cases, these are more than double the use the old, overcrowded library saw in 2010, its last year.
Some things could be better, of course. The “temporary” parking lot, a tiny space at the wrong end of the building, seems destined to stay for much longer than expected. The plan is to build a public-private parking garage to the south and connect it to the library lobby via an elevator. But lagging demand for downtown real estate has slow-tracked it. Meanwhile patrons can expect to get wet slogging to the door.
But a wet walk is a small price to pay for the richness inside. In just three years, the Vancouver Community Library has worked its way into our hearts as a year-round center of community life.
