Thanks to public involvement, Tulsa City-County Library’s new temporary location in downtown Tulsa will be called the Librarium.
“Libraries belong to the community so we felt it was fitting to involve our employees and customers to name this new location,” said CEO Gary Shaffer. “It’s great to see so much involvement by the public during National Library Week and we’re thrilled with the new name.”
The public was invited to submit name ideas for the new location in March. Library staff and Commission members selected the final three names based on their fit for the organization’s mission as well as the location of the temporary facility. Metro Station and Information Station were the other two names the public could vote for. The Library Commission officially approved the name during its regular meeting April 18.
As part of the naming contest, the library is offering prizes for residents who submitted the final three names. John Byrne submitted the winning name and will receive a Kindle Fire. Paul DeShane and Ezy Siqueiros submitted the runners-up names and will receive Kindle e-readers. The winners have been notified and will claim their prizes at Central Library.
“We appreciate the creativity our customers and employees showed during this contest and we thank each of them for their contributions,” Shaffer said.
The Librarium is a 22,000-square-foot building located at 11th and Denver and will provide select services for library customers while Central Library, located at Fourth and Denver, undergoes remodeling. Central Library will close in September 2013 in preparation for an extensive renovation process, which will last approximately two years.
About Central Library Renovation
The Tulsa City-County Library’s current Central Library building, located at 400 Civic Center in downtown Tulsa first opened in 1965 as part of a campus of civic buildings surrounding a hardscape plaza. The 135,000-square-foot structure was designed by Charles W. Ward with Joseph Koberling. Preparation for the $47.8 million renovation project is scheduled to begin in September and will last approximately two years. The plan calls for complete replacement of mechanical systems, new technology, new and improved meeting space, and increased parking to better serve the changing needs of customers.