The Manitou Springs Public Library is one of the few remaining Carnegie Library buildings that have continuously operated as a library. This library has evolved into a community center; in 2008 over 36,000 people visited! Built in 1910 when the population was 2,000 people, this 2,829 sq. ft. building today has no accessibility for our handicapped community members and tourists to this area. The expansion project will expand the current space to 10,000 sq. ft. to better serve our community of 5,000, with special focus on our reading programs for children (we are located across the street from the town’s only elementary school), community meeting space, meeting current structural standards for safety and the American Disability Act (ADA) guidelines, and support for the economic development improvements underway in this National Historic District.

The Friends of the Manitou Springs Library (Friends) is a 501(c)(3) organization of all volunteers. We have raised over $300,000 in grants and contributions for the historical and structural assessment, construction designs and actual construction for exterior renovation. As renovation begins for this 1910 building, we now focus on the building expansion. The Library has less than half the minimum square footage recommended for communities of this size by Colorado State Library Standards and is too small to provide traditional library services, let alone the expanded services now available from libraries.

To provide and grow library and community services, it is now necessary to look at the space demands and the physical constraints of the current building which has an occupancy rating of only 19. All community members in this project want to ensure that the historical legacy of valuing intellectual freedom continues for today’s generation and generations to come. Expansion will solve these problems:

Issue: No access or accommodations for the handicapped (zero ADA compliance), no      handicapped parking and library is built on a hill

Issue: Children on waiting list for the reading programs due to space limitations

Issue: Building occupancy is 19, exceeded most days October – May, and everyday during tourist season May - Sept

Issue: No separate space for community meetings, all meetings are conducted “in the stacks”

Issue: Space limitations for computers limits the number we have, waiting lists are used

Issue: This library barely meets the standard guidelines for a community this size, due to a root cause of space limitations

The project has several components---education and literacy, arts and culture, a resource for senior citizens and children---that will enhance and strengthen the Library’s new role as a community center as well as library. Today, we hope to identify organizations whose mission may permit them to participate in our restoration and expansion and with whom we can discuss our project in more detail.

We will expand the building to 10,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $2,000,000. The building exterior will be historically correct. Areas for children’s activities, reading, offices, meeting rooms and community activities will be enlarged or added. The library will have state-of-the-art technology and comply with all federal and state regulations.

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