INSIDE THE ‘NEW’ DOWNTOWN LIBRARY

LIBRARIES RENEWED

The Central Library welcomes the public for the first time in over two years, and it’s been well worth the wait

The River Rumpus Playspace is

built for kids. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

What was previously known as Spokane’s Downtown Library has received a significant face-lift over the past couple of years.

In 2018, voters approved a $77 million bond, setting in motion plans to renovate four existing Spokane Public Library branches and build three new branches. The downtown branch began undergoing its transformation in March 2020, and now the updated Central Library is open and ready for the public to fill its halls again.

“This building originally opened in 1996,” says Amanda Donovan, director of marketing and communications for Spokane Public Library. “It was due for some major capital improvements.”

Obvious changes have been made to the building’s exterior and interior: floor-to-ceiling windows offer exquisite reading light, and an information desk sits proudly at the back of the main foyer staffed with employees ready to share knowledge with eager library-goers.

NOVEL IDEAS

The renovations — while still retaining the main purpose of a library, housing books — reflect the needs of the people of Spokane.

“We ran polls and asked the public what they wanted to be included in the remodeled branch,” Donovan says. “Many asked for more meeting and study rooms — the previous building only had two meeting rooms. Some requested more computers and upgraded technology.”

With three times the original amount of meeting space, the building has ample room to accommodate work meetings, study sessions and book clubs. Librarygoers can reserve rooms through the Spokane Public Library’s app. There, they’ll receive a code that they can then type into the respective meeting room door.

“The implementation of the codes was something extremely vital to this space,” Donovan says. “It’s what really brings us to the next-level library status and gives our guests complete privacy when they want it and a feeling of security.”

The ground floor houses 66 computers as well as a Bloomberg computer terminal, which offers access to Bloomberg’s investment data service, news feeds, messaging and trade execution services. The Central Library is one of the only libraries in the country to have this software available to guests; however, all of this cuttingedge technology can feel a bit daunting.

“We’ve ensured that each room in the library has an expert of sorts,” Donovan says. “For instance, our business lab has Mark Pond, our business services librarian, who works with entrepreneurs in the community and helps them with market research and starting their businesses.”

BY MADISON PEARSON

SECOND STORY

Hanging right above the main staircase is a commissioned art piece by Portland-based artist John Rogers titled “Shimmer.” Inspired by the Spokane River, the iridescent fragments of dichroic glass scatter light throughout the room below. It’s well worth participating in some neck craning to take in the beauty of the entire piece.

The second floor houses the traditional library offerings: books in hardcover and paperback, audiobooks, and five new study rooms. A new flora and fauna-themed children’s play area called the River Rumpus Playspace also lives on the second floor.

“We decided to include dedicated children’s areas in all of our new buildings,” Donovan says. “With the popular Garbage Goat just a few blocks away, we decided to incorporate it into the theme of the Central playscape.” ...continued on page 26

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CULTURE | LIBRARIES “RENEWED,” CONTINUED...

Sure enough, there’s a cartoon drawing of a billy goat scuba diving on the north-facing window. The playscape also features other iconic Spokane landmarks: a slide that resides in an upside-down Monroe Street Bridge structure and a mock-up Sky Ride gondola laying on its side that’s been repurposed as a submarine.

Above, tubes of LED lights wrap around the ceiling in curving motions, adding to the whimsical flair of the area. Though the building isn’t LEED-certified, decisions were made in regard to the lighting to make the new branch environmentally friendly.

“Lights will turn off if no one is in the room,” Donovan says. “And if there’s enough natural lighting in any given area, the lights will dim to accommodate for that.”

In addition to the greener lighting plan, Donovan mentions that solar panels have been installed on the roof, electric car charging stations have been installed in the parking garage below the branch and, in partnership with the Spokane Clean Air Agency, the library has air quality monitoring sensors that are able to test air quality both inside and outside the building during those smoky Spokane summers. and other costs associated with the move. KYRS Program Director Dana Matthews got started on applying for a grant through the state.

“We laid out our feeling about our importance to the community and the state agreed,” Matthews says. “It was absolute elation. We had spent so much time looking for properties to relocate to and we weren’t having any luck. When the library asked us if we’d like to have our own space in the Central Library, it solved all of our problems in one stroke.”

KYRS plans on holding workshops about audio production, podcasting and radio broadcasting from its new space, something that wasn’t possible in its previous quarters.

With visibility and accessibility in mind, the library has set up programs that can help local musicians and media folk record, produce and distribute content they create at the library.

“For example, guests can book a 40-hour week with our recording specialist and produce a full EP,” Donovan says. “All we ask in return is that you give 40 hours of your time back to the library in the form of volunteering.”

With another chapter of the library bond coming to an end, only two locations are left to be renovated: Indian Trail and the South Hill branch.

“The central branch renovations were the biggest project that we’ve had to tackle,” says Donovan. “The public was in mind every step of the way, and we’re overjoyed to be finally revealing the building to them and seeing excited faces discovering new things every time they visit.” n

KINDLING CREATIVES

A new feature called the Social Stair connects the second and third floors of the building.

“It’s just a unique space where we encourage people to come and hang out,” Donovan says. “There are outlets dabbled throughout the steps so you can use your laptop while drinking a coffee and spending time with friends, and we’ll eventually host programming here as well. We installed a projector across from the stair. I definitely see lectures and movies happening here in the future.”

The third floor’s most prominent feature is nxʷyxʷyetkʷ Hall. Pronounced inn-whi-whi-ettk, it’s a Salish word that means “life in the water” and another nod to Spokane’s Indigenous peoples and the breathtaking views of the river as seen from the hall. John Rogers’ art installation is a centerpiece of the “new” space. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

The space is the central hub for all things Lilac City Live, the library’s take on a late-night talk show that occurs once a month. The large stage provides more room for local musicians and special guests to perform.

The new media rooms, which consist of a recording studio, a video studio and a production studio, were implemented for all of the creatives out there.

In hopes of becoming more visible and amplifying more voices from the public, KYRS-Thin Air Radio has moved its broadcasting station into the new branch and is ready to bring community radio to anyone who will listen.

In order to move into their new space, the KYRS team needed a grant for new equipment

Mo’ screens, mo’ problems?

SCREENED OUT

Do more computer monitors actually make you more productive?

BY NATE SANFORD

My digital workspace used to be limited to a 13-inch laptop screen. It was cramped and maybe bad for posture, but investing in a second screen felt like admitting to a sort of failure — accepting that the computer plays a significant role in my life. When I pictured multi-monitor setups, they generally belonged to people who spend 12-plus hours a day playing MMORPGs or, worse, trading stocks.

But the pandemic dragged on, and the tiny laptop screen started to feel more like a prison. I admitted defeat and bought a (surprisingly cheap!) computer monitor on Craigslist. It was an instant game-changer. I suddenly had more than double the screen I had before. Thousands and thousands of pixels. I could have my Zoom lecture open on one screen, while doing homework for a different class and checking Twitter on another. I felt like Neo hacking into the Matrix. It was awesome. The second monitor made me feel twice as productive so, naturally, I bought a third.

Switching between tabs on a single screen takes just a few milliseconds, but it’s more than enough to derail a train of thought. Multiple monitors solve this by having all the tabs spread in front of you simultaneously. To switch between them, you just have to turn your eyeballs a few millimeters to the right or left. It’s like having a messy stack of papers strewn across your desk; even if you aren’t actively reading them, a part of your brain is still thinking about it.

In 1588, Agostino Ramelli invented the bookwheel, a rotating bookcase-like contraption that allowed scholars to quickly switch between multiple, open books. Today, Windows 10 can run up to 14 monitors from a single device. Virtual reality takes it even further. Technologist Paul Tomlinson has a good essay on Medium about his virtual reality workspace, which can simulate dozens of displays the size of an IMAX screen. Spending eight hours a day strapped to VR goggles sounds dystopian, but all those screens must make you so much more productive. Right?

My current three-monitor setup allows for a shocking number of things to happen at the same time. To my right: Slack, email and calendar. To the left: a word document, notes app and interview transcripts. Below that: more notes, documents, webpages and miscellaneous tabs.

It’s a neat setup, but in recent weeks I’ve started to question what those extra monitors are really doing. I’m obviously not three times more productive, even if I’d like to feel like I am. Yes, the extra screens make it easier to quickly access information, but at what cost? Switching between tabs is a distraction, but so is having them all in your face at the same time.

The fallacy at the heart of the digital age is that more access to information is fundamentally good. More text, more pixels, more scroll, more notifications, more knowledge — it’s all supposed to build toward something. But what?

I wrote a lot of this piece while backpacking in the Cascades. When I turn to the left there’s no additional screen with pages of notes and reference documents, just a frozen lake and snow-capped mountains. It’s not necessarily better, but it’s not worse either. I’m starting to think that the rush to fine-tune attention and maximize productivity might be an unwinnable battle. An increasing amount of labor involves writing words on a computer. You can choose to do it on one screen or 20, but at the end of the day it probably doesn’t matter. The human capacity for distraction will always win. n

THE BUZZ BIN

COOL FOR LIFE

The most recent season of Barry, HBO’s hitman dramatic comedy (or maybe comedic drama), builds winningly on its first two seasons, and the strengths of its lead and co-creator Bill Hader are a big reason why. But with each passing season, it’s more clear how loaded the cast is with folks able to straddle genres, from the ruthless Fuches (Stephen Root) to the touching Sally (Sarah Goldberg) to the hilarious NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan). In the season that just wrapped up in June, HENRY WINKLER just might be the best of them all. As Barry’s acting coach Gene Cousineau, Winkler’s character has moved from buffoonish sideman to a man bent on vengeance to, eventually, a complex guy trying to make up for past transgressions against seemingly everyone in Hollywood. Winkler’s a lifetime member of the cool kids’ table thanks to his role as the Fonz, and the fact he delivers just as well on a show nearly 50 years later is a testament to his chops. (DAN NAILEN)

WORLD WILDLIFE TOUR

African hippos riding ocean waves. Adorable white lemurs leaping across craggy spikes in Madagascar. Sea turtles emerging en masse from the sea to lay their eggs. This and other footage in OUR GREAT NATIONAL PARKS is stunning, thanks to drone technology and ultra-sensitive microphones, with musical scores subtly integrated. If you’re a nature doc fan (or of narrator Barack Obama), this five-part series on Netflix is for you. Virtually visit places you will likely never travel to in real-life, and in a way that doesn’t impair the existence of those places… while they still exist at all. (CARRIE SCOZZARO)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST

Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online July 15:

LIZZO, SPECIAL. After becoming a megastar with 2019’s Cuz I Love You, Lizzo looks to keep the party popping with more dance-ready hits.

INTERPOL, THE OTHER SIDE OF MAKE-BELIEVE. The veteran post-punk band might not be as alluringly darkly detached as it was during its Turn on the Bright Lights/Antics peak, but there’s still enough brooding edge to garner a listen.

BEABADOOBEE, BEATOPIA. Rising London power-pop youngster Bea Kristi expands her Harry Styles- and Taylor Swiftapproved sound with more catchy hooks on Beabadoobee’s sophomore LP. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

JULY 14, 2022 INLANDER 27