The Crete Public Library, Crete, Nebraska

We visited the Crete Public Library in October 2021. We were in Nebraska to speak at the state library association conference, aptly named “The World Turned Upside Down.” Crete was part of a five library road trip we took from our base in Omaha, and man, was it worth it!

Crete is a city of 7,000 people in Saline County. It’s about 30 miles southwest of Lincoln. As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw an attractive modern library situated in a green, park-like expanse. While there is no scheduled public transportation in Crete, there is an on-demand transit service that costs $2.00 per ride. It’s possible there are ride-share options as well, but we didn’t investigate them this trip. The library is located in a relatively densely populated neighborhood and is just a short walk from the town’s elementary and middle schools, as well as Doane University.

The Crete Public Library.

The building houses both the public library and a community center. As you approach the front door, the library is to the left and the community center to the right. Entering the building, there is a comfortable cafe seating area. There is no service point at the entrance, but we were clever enough to turn left and see the library. What a welcome sight!

We stopped by the desk, as we typically do, and began asking questions about this clearly new (and beautiful) library. We were quickly introduced to Joy Stevenson, the library director. Joy’s name is so fitting! She was full of energy and excitement about the library and the ways it serves the community. She asked if we’d like a tour and away we went!

We started in the community center portion of the building. There is a large community/meeting room, a kitchenette, and bathrooms (more on bathrooms in a bit). Thanks to the building’s configuration, the community center is accessible outside of library hours. One thing we noticed was the wind rating for the building. Being from Massachusetts, this isn’t something we see very often, but in tornado country, it’s not uncommon. Because the community room has outside windows (apparently made of bullet-proof glass), it isn’t an “official” FEMA shelter, but the walls are built to take some major wind. 

The big bird.

Heading to the library portion of the building, we noticed a wall recognizing donors to the library’s construction. Many rooms and spaces within the library are sponsored by local families, businesses, and generous patrons. It’s always great to see a community rallied around its library. There was also a giant newspaper-inspired bird sculpture, just one example of public art seen throughout the library.

The library was opened in January of 2020 but closed shortly after due to Covid. The condition is still near pristine, and all the furniture and fittings are super interesting and really top-notch. There is an excellent selection of spaces, including a great teen area, a children’s section, lots of nice places to read or relax, study rooms, and a really great adult reading room with a gas-powered fireplace. We both joked that we would gladly take this space as a cozy reading room on a cold winter’s night. We liked the fact that meeting and study rooms can be booked online - and that accessible spaces are clearly marked. There is just an astonishing array of multi-use spaces.

And those are just the inside spaces. There’s a nice - fully-enclosed - reading porch off the children’s area, as well as a path that tells a story as you walk around the library grounds.

Part of the story walk.

During our visit, a group of TEENS was sitting and chatting by the fireplace in the ADULT reading room. We asked them about their library use, and it turned out this was their first visit! They were as effusive as teens can be, saying things like, “yeah, it’s pretty nice, I guess.” You tell ‘em kids!

The nice fireplace reading area.

We were next taken into part of the library’s back office. One thing that we don’t often see was a drive-up pick-up/return. Our first sighting of this amazing phenomenon may have been in Bloomington, Indiana. Are they common elsewhere? We don’t know, but we’ll report back when we find more. We were impressed by the variety of spaces - lots of work surfaces and plenty of storage. Because we were in the midwest, there was also a giant space devoted to housing the library’s many cake pans! (Did you know lots of libraries stock them?)

CAKE PANS!

Regular readers will know that we pay close attention to restroom quality. The situation in Crete is above average. Not only are there plentiful bathrooms, but there are some really notable parent and child facilities.

Interesting implementation!

Making our way through the library’s physical space, we found it to be comfortable and relaxing. It was quiet during our visit and we loved the natural light streaming through huge windows. We were impressed by the variety and comfort of the furniture. We didn’t count the number of chair types, but it’s pretty dang high. Everything from rocking chairs to rocking horses - and in so many fabrics and colors! Despite their differences, they all work together to create a cohesive and comfortable space.

You had us at orange.

The Crete Public Library is a great example of a library built for the 21st century. It struck us as a very flexible and adaptable space.  BVH Architecture designed the building. It was the first time we’d seen their work and were really impressed. We’d love to visit some of their other libraries to see if there are common themes and qualities that appear in different contexts. 

All our interactions with the library staff were positive. They welcomed our questions and were really patient with us. We observed other interactions and all were very friendly. There’s just a really warm and congenial atmosphere.

The collections seemed large for a community of this size. Its presentation included many outward-facing covers and themed displays. We really liked the fact that multilingual materials are interspersed with English-language materials. The collection is supplemented through interlibrary loans. One strange feature of ILL at the Crete Public Library - and that we understand is common in Nebraska - is that borrowers need to pay for the postage (one-way) to receive materials. Weird.

Speaking of multilingual, it was great to see that the library offers bilingual storytime for kids. Programming is largely in-person at this point (during our visit masks were required), but there are hybrid offerings as well.

The library has a pretty standard mix of technology available for patrons: public computers, print/copy, wifi, etc. The library’s website is part of the town’s broader digital infrastructure. It’s functional and makes relevant information - hours, catalog, calendar, etc. - available efficiently, but is pretty utilitarian. 

Reflecting on the visit many months later, we continue to be impressed by what we saw and learned. Crete Public Library is a thoroughly modern library with all of the accouterments and services we’ve come to appreciate in so many top-flight institutions. It’s also a great example of a smaller community that has created a marvelous public library space. 

If you find yourself anywhere near Crete (say, for a University of Nebraska sporting event or culture gathering in Lincoln), take the “street” to Crete. Which, if you’re coming from Lincoln, say, would probably be to take 6 down to 103; but, at the same time, you could always take 77 south and take a right in Centerville. Either way will get you there, the important thing is that you go!