A wealth of opportunity awaits when the new Johnson County Public Library branch opens next year in Whiteland.
Of course, patrons will have access to the entire library collection of materials, while programs such as story time, crafting classes and guest speakers provide opportunities to improve reading and other life skills.
But leaders also envision features such as a sculpture celebrating the women of Johnson County, a nature trail and a community garden being part of the new branch.
“The thought of enhancing (the library) more brings more attention to the library and the multiple areas it can be used for,” said Diane Black, a member of the board of the Johnson County Public Library Foundation. “We’re showing people the diversity of what the library can be used for today.”
To help fund these special projects, and enhance the new Clark Pleasant branch of the library, the Johnson County Public Library Foundation is kicking off a new fundraising campaign in July. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that funds innovative enhancements to the library’s programs and services.
“Enhancing the Story” will raise money for amenities in six special project areas, which will be announced during a public event July 15.
The hope is to bring the entire community together in learning.
“The Clark Pleasant community has its schools as anchors. But there isn’t really a community center or gathering spot,” said Jan Fredbeck, vice president of the library foundation. “Part of the purpose of this campaign was to put some enhancements on the building that will draw people in.”
Construction of the new branch started in March. The $8.8 million library will sit between Brier Hill Drive and Clearwater Boulevard just east of U.S. 31, about 1.5 miles from the current branch on Tracy Road in New Whiteland.
When it opens in early 2022, the new building will feature the Adult Learning Center, which will move from the Library Services Center in downtown Franklin. Also, the branch is set to include study rooms, a robotics maker space, a dedicated area for teenagers and an Early Childhood Learning Center.
“We wanted to have meeting space for people — where groups can come and meet, places for teens to hang out, having a robotics lab where kids can learn engineering skills … So it becomes more than a community hub than the current branch is able to provide,” Fredbeck said.
The new branch replaces the current Clark Pleasant location, a former 10,000-square-foot office space that does not provide enough room to fit many of the features officials hoped to include.
“That branch building was never intended to be a library. They’re out of space. They have to cut off sign-ups for programming because they can’t fit everyone who wants to come. There are some serious drawbacks to that building,” Fredbeck said.
With the opportunity to start from scratch, the Johnson County Public Library Foundation wanted add some personal touches that would make the beautiful new building specific to the Clark Pleasant community.
With the structural elements of the library already paid for through about $1.4 million from the library’s savings and the other $7.4 million from a bond issue made possible by a property tax increase, the library foundation felt they had an opportunity to provided additional features to truly make the new branch special.
“When you look at a budget for constructing a building, a lot of it goes into the structure itself. These are things that can enhance the building itself, or magnify what goes on inside the library,” Black said.
Plans are in place to create a community garden, where public plots can be used to grow fresh local produce. Patrons will be able to learn about native Indiana wildlife and plants on a proposed nature trail. Equipment and interactive materials for the teen area and children’s section are also part of the wish list.
The library also is planning public art projects, where families and individuals can decorate their own ceramic tile, which will be installed as decoration at the new branch.
“The whole point is to make it inclusive to the Clark Pleasant community,” Fredbeck said. “They’ll have a piece of their artwork in the display.”
One of the most stunning features will be a sculpture by artist Kimberly McNeelan, a skilled woodworker and Whiteland native. McNeelan’s piece will be an open book, with a woman emerging from the pages.
The piece will serve as a welcoming centerpiece to all visitors.
“There’s been such a resurgence and intentional effort in this county on public art, which I think is beautiful,” Black said.
Foundation members are already reaching out to the community to spark excitement and secure donors. Meetings have been held with potentially large donors for different opportunities to contribute.
Last week, a letter campaign aimed at public art at the library targeted about 300 women leaders throughout the county, spotlighting McNeelan’s sculpture and asking them to donate directly to that project.
Already, the foundation received its first donations from that campaign, Fredbeck said.
A more public start to the campaign comes on July 15, with Donors and Doughnuts. During the kick-off event, library foundation officials will reveal the six special project areas that the campaign will focus on. Each project area will be unique while providing something special for the new branch, she said.
People will also learn about opportunities to donate and have naming opportunities for aspects of the new branch. A virtual tour of the new branch construction will be held later that afternoon on Facebook Live.
The library foundation is also working with Clark-Pleasant schools to get students involved. Once classes resume in the fall, coin jars and other fundraisers will give children a chance to contribute.
Their involvement is important, since the library is naturally an extension of work that’s done in school, Fredbeck said.
“The school libraries close at the end of the school day,” she said. “Some of the ideas of having these things at the new branch were, you can continue that work or that hobby at the library branch.”
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Donors and Doughnuts
What: A kick-off event for the Johnson County Public Library Foundation’s new fundraising campaign, “Enhancing the Story.” The campaign will provide amenities to the new Clark Pleasant branch.
When: 10 a.m. July 15
Where: Existing Clark Pleasant branch, 530 Tracy Road, New Whiteland
What to expect: Officials will name the six key projects of the campaign, introduce donors and detail naming opportunities.
Tour the new location: At 4 p.m. July 15, the library will host a Facebook Live tour of the new branch. View the event at Facebook.com/JCPLFoundation.
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