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News / Clark County News

New Woodland Community Library becomes modern hub for community

Local artwork, spaces for all ages, accessibility are among features

By Brianna Murschel, Columbian staff reporter
Published: December 31, 2024, 6:05am
4 Photos
Senior library assistant Christy Hughes leads family storytime on Dec. 17 at the Woodland Community Library.
Senior library assistant Christy Hughes leads family storytime on Dec. 17 at the Woodland Community Library. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Since the opening of the new Woodland Community Library, 358 people became new library card holders and computer sessions increased by 75 percent.

FVRLibraries broke ground in June 2023 on the 7,560-square-foot library at 411 Lakeshore Drive, near downtown Woodland. The library opened Oct. 12 with modern designs and features. The project cost about $10.2 million.

“What makes my heart so happy is to see the spaces in the library being used the way they were designed and envisioned by the whole team,” said Jennifer Hauan, Woodland’s branch manager.

The library offers accessible power and laptop tables with comfortable seating. The Friends Bookstore has gently used books and other materials for sale. The main space consists of self-checkouts and a copy center. Patrons can use desktop computers in the technology area. A Nintendo Switch and games are available in the teen room.

“We came from a 1909 two-story building, and it often broke our hearts when people would come in in a wheelchair, for example, or a walker. Our children’s area was upstairs,” Hauan said. “To have those same patrons now coming into our new one-story library with beautiful spaces and accessibility is really impressive.”

She said the Woodland Care Center, an assisted-living facility, brought its residents to the new library for the first time. They expressed their excitement about the accessibility.

The library hosts a range of activities, from family storytimes and filmmaking classes to study sessions and business meetings.

Hauan said the Tuesday family storytime sessions have exploded, with about 40 people attending in the community room. It’s targeted toward families with children 5 and younger.

The community room has seating for 60 people and displays local art on the walls. More art can be found in the children’s area with Phonic Bloom, a ceiling sculpture made out of book pages. Washington State University Vancouver digital media students developed an augmented reality app connected to the sculpture. Early next year, library-goers can digitally interact with the art piece and learn more about phonetic sounds.

In the spring, look out for an abundance of tulips to bloom. FVRLibraries Executive Director Jennifer Giltrop said Holland America Bulb Farms donated 2,000 tulip bulbs to plant around the library.

When the weather warms up, the Woodland Community Library will host outdoor activities, such as games, story walks, and performers in the courtyard area and on walking trails.

“A modern-day library is about books, but it’s so much more than the books. It’s about all the different spaces for the different age groups. It’s about a place for the community to come together and collaborate and learn together,” Giltrop said. “I think that we’re really just scratching the surface of what will be possible with this new library.”


Editor’s note: The map has been updated with the correction location of the library. 

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