Established 1876 Branches 8 Website wichitalibrary.org Budget 8.342 million USD Population served 353,878 | Director Cynthia Berner Phone +1 316-261-8500 Date founded 1876 Staff 148 (116.3 FTE) | |
Address 223 S Main St, Wichita, KS 67202, USA Hours Open today · 1–5PMSunday1–5PMMonday10AM–8PMTuesday10AM–8PMWednesday10AM–8PMThursday10AM–8PMFriday10AM–6PMSaturday10AM–6PMSuggest an edit Profiles | ||
City of wichita newsnow wichita public library april 2017 update
The Wichita Public Library is the local public library system in Wichita, Kansas. It consists of a central library located downtown and eight branch locations distributed throughout the city.
Contents
- City of wichita newsnow wichita public library april 2017 update
- Wichita public library transforms jerusha s story
- Locations
- History
- Programs
- Other Wichita area libraries
- References
Wichita public library transforms jerusha s story
Locations
Four district/regional branches (Alford, Evergreen, Rockwell and Westlink) offer a mix of basic research tools and popular materials for education and entertainment, while the neighborhood branches (Angelou Northeast, Comotara, and Linwood) offer mostly popular fiction and media titles in their limited spaces. The Linwood Branch is located in a recreation center. The Comotara Branch Library, located inside a Dillons Supermarket, was the first branch library branch in the United States to open in a grocery store.
History
Local business owners funded the establishment of the library in 1876. In 1915, it expanded into a Carnegie library that would remain open until the establishment of the current Central Library in 1967.
On October 16, 2007, the Wichita City Council decided on the preferred site for a new Central Library. The site is at Second Street and McLean (Geographical coordinates: 37°41′15″N 97°20′50″W). The initial building program resulted in a projected budget exceeding the amount allotted, forcing the Library to consider alternatives. In 2011, a study found that expanding the current Central Library facility would be possible, but would be more expensive than building a new facility and would not resolve building access issues. In 2012-13, the Library's Board of Directors considered a phased construction approach. The City Council authorized a request for qualifications, with a presentation by a preferred design team in summer 2014. In January 2015, Wichita City Council voted in favor of a funding agreement with the library foundation to perform the design phase.
In December 2014, the "Orchard Park" branch inside Orchard Park Recreation Center at 4808 West 9th was closed.
Programs
The library offers a wide range of programs free of charge and open to the public. Annual events include events in celebration of African-American History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and the Academy Award Shorts (see below).
The library's summer reading programs for youth reach more than 10,000 children annually. In winter, the library offers a reading program for adults. Each fall since 2008, the Library has hosted "The Big Read Wichita", a series of programs built around one book title.
The WPL's "Academy Awards Shorts" program is, reportedly, the oldest annual, complete, free public screening, outside of Hollywood, of the full array of short documentary, live action and animated "short" films (under 40 minutes) nominated for an Academy Award ("Oscar"). The films are normally presented, free, at the library and in local theaters and other venues around Wichita, shortly before the Academy Awards ceremonies.
Other Wichita area libraries
See listing at Directory of Wichita Area Libraries
Notable Wichita-area libraries include: