Review: Salt Lake City Public Library

A vital part of any thriving metropolis is its public library. Of course, this opinion is coming from a former English major, so it may be tainted, but I believe it to be valid. After all, my love of books came from the frequent trips made to the public library in which my mom encouraged each of my siblings and I to check out our own books with our own library cards. I would imagine that many families have the same tradition. So, I feel validated in my claim that the library is an important part of any city.

Yesterday afternoon I took my niece (almost 3 yrs old) with me on my first trip to the Salt Lake City Library. I had heard that it was impressive and that it had a good children's section, so I went to find out for myself. Before leaving and a number of times on the way there, I reminded my niece that in the library we need to use our quiet voices. I was a little on the nervous side since I didn't know if she would be bored or not and, consequently, how much noise she would make. Turns out, my worries were unnecessary.

The first place we went to was the children's section. Since it is its own floor (smart planning on their part) the noise level wasn't so much of a worry. Secondly, I had trouble convincing her to explore the rest of the library. They had a few different rooms that were strictly for playing. One, called "The Attic" had a ton of fun little architectural elements, such as low, exposed beams, exposed brick, etc., that made it feel as though it were an attic in an old farmhouse or something, even though we were in the basement of the building. There were a number of stairs and steps all lined with carpet which she had a blast scooting along.

Once I had convinced her to leave that Attic, we discovered another little room with a row of computers, all placed at child's size, as well as another playroom. Similar to the attic room, this one was called "glacier ice" and was appropriately decorated with stairs and steps through which she could explore. Most impressive to me, however, was the selection. There were as many bookshelves in the children's section as there were in the adult general fiction section.

In addition, the young adult literature was on another level of the library. This was an excellent decision! Most young adults do not wish to enter into the adult sections of the library because they anticipate them being boring or too difficult to read. However, they do not wish to be associated with children. Having the young adult section on a separate floor helps to make the distinction that they are more advanced, more mature readers, which fosters self esteem and encourages reading.

While the selection in various genres of non-fiction was not as impressive as other libraries I've seen, it held its own. There were also ample places to comfortably sit and read as well as the various computer stations and laptop work stations. Along with the coffee shops on the first floor, the library was a very encouraging environment to sit and read—unless of course you were distracted by the threat of paying $1.25 per half hour for parking. (Thankfully, the first hour is free.)

The most impressive aspect of the Salt Lake City library, however, has to be its architecture. The entrance is not just a vaulted ceiling, it is the only part of the library with no floors above it. When you enter, on either side of you, you see 5 floors of glass walls towering above you on either side. Even the elevators and the stair walls are glass. I suggest that if you are afraid of heights, you take the elevator and stare at the door! :D

Overall, I found the Salt Lake City Public Library to be a beautiful building, with beautiful accommodations. If you can find a cheaper place to park, it's a wonderful way to spend a day.