The first public library in Iowa to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is nearing completion in Marshalltown, a county seat of 26,000 people about 50 miles northeast of Des Moines. The current Marshalltown Public Library, a five-level Carnegie structure, was built in 1902 and expanded in 1974. The new 35,670 square foot facility, on one level, will double the space.

In a state with many other Carnegie buildings that need replacement, library director Carole Winkleblack (below, at the new building) has been fielding inquiries from other Iowa librarians. The lesson from Marshalltown, she says, is that civic involvement is crucial to fundraising, going green, and even moving the collection. “In today's economy, the new building is really a testament to Marshalltown's willingness to look to the future and embrace it,” she said.

Indeed, the $9 million “New Library for a New Century” will benefit during the November 21 Main Street “holiday stroll,” when volunteers move some of the library's 90,000 items to the new location five blocks away. After professional movers finish the job, the new library is scheduled to open on December 22. [For more on the story, including the library's new layout and efforts to go “green,” see LJMarsh.notlong.com.]

(Rita Ormsby, who grew up in Marshalltown, is a Librarian at Baruch College, CUNY)