Link to April 25 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article, Milwaukee library proposal calls for fewer but larger libraries, mixed uses".
Excerpt: More than half of Milwaukee's city libraries would be dramatically reshaped by a 10-year, $18.1 million plan to merge some neighborhood libraries into regional centers and move others into buildings shared with housing, stores or hotels.
Struggling with increasingly tight operating budgets, Milwaukee Public Library officials are trying to avoid rising maintenance costs by replacing aging facilities with a new array of libraries more in tune with a digital world.
But they will have to overcome skepticism from residents and some aldermen, who cherish the network of 13 libraries, spaced no more than three miles apart.
The Library Board is proposing to replace some of its 12 neighborhood libraries with two or three larger area libraries; three mixed-use facilities that would combine neighborhood libraries with housing or other uses; and two or three miniature "express libraries" in supermarkets, coffee shops or other high-traffic spots, leaving three to five traditional neighborhood libraries. The plan wouldn't affect the Central Library downtown.
Related articles:
Library board solicits community input. (7/22/2009)
Tough decision at Milwaukee Public Library. (5/17/2009)
Alders express concern over branch closures. (5/1/2009)
Alderman, library board president clash over closures. (10/11/2008)
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