Ironwood Carnegie Library

Ironwood Carnegie Library

The mission of the Ironwood Carnegie Library is to strive to provide equitable access to materials and services that support the educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of the entire community.     

The Ironwood Carnegie Library is a public library founded in 1901 with the support of Andrew Carnegie. A cornerstone of the downtown and the community as a whole, the library is an entity of the City of Ironwood, operating as a Class 2 city library.   

 The library recognizes its uniqueness as a cornerstone of its community and works hard to serve its residents' needs.  Programming is a priority for the library, from the “littles” to the seniors. 

• Early literacy programs for babies/toddlers, with an Early Childhood Resource Room offering educational games, toys, and books.
• The Awkward Stage Youth Drama Club for grades 6-12 providing a creative outlet where young people develop their public speaking skills and improve their self-confidence/social skills.
• The Next Chapter Book Club, providing a supportive environment for adults with developmental challenges.
• The Caregiver Resources program providing memory kits, games, and puzzles for seniors struggling with aging challenges. A current grant through the American Library Association is allowing ICL to conduct community conversations to develop additional services and programs.
• Summer Reading Program provides art, science, and reading activities for children of all ages. The library offer 3 to 4 onsite programs each week along with 1-2 community outreach programs during the summer months.
• Adult programs including book clubs, writing groups, author visits, etc. including multiple Big Read and Michigan Read grant-funded programs.
• Outreach to area schools/ daycares with programs, story times, etc.
• ICL l has brought personal narrative writing programs to their alternative high school, creative writing to their grade schools and a variety of art and cultural activities to young students. 

The library is a unique place where social workers come with families for supervised visits, senior citizens visit for books and companionship, and teens can simply "be" and feel included, safe, and respected. The sound of giggles is heard daily from the children’s area, sometimes making them “the noisiest library in town”, a title spoken endearingly by almost all of their patrons.     

The community center will serve as a wonderful addition to the beautiful historic Carnegie, creating a clean, accessible, universally designed space that allows 21st-century activities to be enjoyed by all at a location that celebrates the history of the community. The Ironwood Community Library Community Center project is a significant investment in the future of Ironwood's downtown and the entire community. Ironwood, and the community it serves, lack an adequate community center space for activities that help to build a sustainable economy while helping the communities residents, young and old, to thrive.    

The community center will provide a space where people can learn, connect, meet, and create. It will also help to attract new businesses and residents to the community, providing space for workforce development, early childhood literacy and youth programs, resources and programs for older and vulnerable adults and those who care for and about them, and more. People struggling with the effects of poverty will have a center that offers resources and opportunities to access services and supports.  The center will offer resources and programs that are available not only to library patrons but to the entire community. The project will provide:

• Increased space for public computers and job-seeking resources, including classes/presentations for basic literacy development, job-seeking skills, employee recruitment/job fairs, etc.
• Increased space for the Early Childhood Resource Program and children's/teen resources, moving them into a new addition from their current non-accessible century-old fieldstone basement location.
• Space for senior services and resources, which are currently contained within a very small area in the non-fiction room that has no space for seating or programming.
• Quiet area/room for those seeking a spot to work, conduct job interviews, etc.
• Public space for gathering, for larger programs, and for meetings.
• Teleconferencing technology for long distance learning, job interviews, etc.
• Main-level accessible restrooms
• Off-street parking area
• Energy-efficient heating/cooling and lighting
• Exterior public garden seating area
• Increased security
• Revamping of current space to flow with new area, promote accessibility, workflow, and universal design
• Updated plumbing/electrical as required for new design   

Programs that will be available include:

• Workforce development programs, including basic literacy training, resume writing, and job seeker support
• Job fairs/employer presentations
• Senior/dementia-friendly programs including arts, crafts, cultural, and social activities conducted by the library or other organizations such as MSU Extension and Aspirus Health Systems. Caregiver Support Programs to information and resources to those caring for or about an older adult.  These will be conducted by organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association.
• After-School and Summer Programs for youth ages 0-18, including story times, art, and STEM programs offered by the library and other organizations such as Gogebic Community College, North Lakeland Discovery Nature Center, and Gogebic County 4-H.
• Early Childhood Literacy Programs including Cuddlebug Story Times, playtime, and educational programs for parents.
• Recreational and educational programs for all ages.   

Officials hope to serve approximately 1,000 persons through our programming within the first year of the Community Center opening, with programs being available to library patron and the community at large.