OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — As the Omaha Public Library gets closer to closing the doors of the W. Dale Clark Branch, plans to relocate the central library to 72nd and Dodge are getting started.
In a press release on Friday, the City of Omaha; Omaha Public Library (OPL) and the Omaha Public Library Foundation (OPLF); Do Space and the Community Information Trust, which operates Do Space; and Heritage Omaha provided the update on the exploration phase of a new central public library.
The partners and stakeholders are focusing on the southwest corner of 72nd and Dodge as the potential location for a new library.
Laura Marlane, executive director of OPL, said they ultimately landed on this location because of its importance to Omaha.
“In so many ways, that’s really the heart of the community, it’s a place where people go and gather and it’s like a hub," Marlane said. "And libraries are community centers, community hubs.”
The property is currently home to Do Space, a free technology library. If the preliminary plan becomes reality, Do Space's services will become part of the central library.
“The ultimate vision is to bring together Do Space technology and tradition library services, and marry those two things in one big beautiful building," said Rebecca Stavic, CEO of Community Information Trust, which operates Do Space.
Do Space would move to an interim location during construction.
Marlane said the collaboration with Do Space would be similar to OPL's relationship with Metropolitan Community College.
Technology is a big motivation for the move away from the current central office at the W. Dale Clark Branch. Marlane said the building struggles to house Wi-Fi, has noisy acoustics and inconvenient storage options.
“We need to bring library services into the 21st -century, really fully, and this is the opportunity for us to do that," Marlane said.
The location is also on the ORBT line, making it accessible to public transit users. Preliminary plans would add more parking for the library and incorporate green spaces.
“A new central library provides OPL with an opportunity to welcome its patrons at an accessible location, offering collections, programs, and services that they value and expect while incorporating flexibility and technology that will help meet their needs well into the future,” Marlane said.
The current central library, in the heart of downtown Omaha, is often a space that serves as a temporary shelter for some Omahans experiencing homelessness. Marlane said this would not be lost at the new location.
“I feel very strongly that all our branches are welcoming spaces for everyone in our community," Marlane said. "And that is one of the biggest things we strive to do, is to bring in everybody and make them feel welcomed and at home there. So yes, that's something we'll definitely be doing in our new locations and it is something that is important for us to do every day."
The Omaha Central Library said on its website that the focus on 72nd and Dodge doesn't guarantee that the project will move forward, but these steps enable greater opportunity for stakeholders and the community to contribute to the process.
“I feel very strongly that this project will move forward," Marlane said. "There’s so much here for the community, there’s so much that I think some people don’t even realize what an asset this will be."
Marlane said tentative plans mention 2026 as an opening date, but that's a very loose projection. A price range has not been set yet for the project either.
In the meantime, administrative services currently housed at the W. Dale Clark Library will be moving to 84th and Frederick. The downtown branch will be moved into a location at 14th and Jones St. Both locations are pending final approval from the Omaha City Council, scheduled to vote on Feb.1.
Rachel Jacobson, president of Heritage Omaha, said the exploration phase will engage library staff and the community to help develop a central library that integrates books, community spaces, technology, and programming, among other ideas.
“We’re so appreciative of the opportunity to further this exploration with the community and the partners,” she said. “Omahans recognize the need for a beautifully-designed, world-class buzzing hub that inspires people of all ages and communities to enter, explore, learn, and create.”
A new central library project website was launched this week at omahacentrallibrary.org, with ongoing project updates and opportunities for future community engagement.
In the press release, the partners said their exploration of a new central public library is separate from the city’s and OPL’s work to transition the W. Dale Clark Library downtown library to 14th and Jones.
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