So Much More Than Books

By INDIA YARBOROUGH | Photos by JOHN BURNS

Books aren’t the only items that guests will find at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library (TSCPL).

The library is now home to the Level 2 Tech Center, which will be two years old in August. This high-tech facility features a digital art studio, two recording studios, 30 computers and five meeting rooms.

Debbie Stanton, the library’s public services manager, said that they never could have imagined how many amenities the Level 2 Tech Center would have by the time it was ready to open. When they were planning the center, she and her staff created “personas,” or fictional descriptions of the type of people they expected to use the Level 2 Tech Center, to give them a better sense of what the facility should include.

Some of those personas, like a teenage YouTuber, an aspiring podcaster and a graphic design student, were a clear sign to the team at TSCPL that the Level 2 Tech Center needed to be more than just a computer lab. It needed to have technology for different purposes and needs — such as recording music.

“There is a group called the Sweet Adelines, a female barbershop group, who comes in. They use our recording studio,” said Stanton. “They also just practice in there because they like the acoustics. You’ll turn the corner sometimes and hear barbershop music.”

Located on the west end of the library’s second floor, the Level 2 Tech Center has become a valuable resource for hobbyists, entrepreneurs and everyday users. In addition to the center’s studios and meeting rooms, it features a 3D printer, a Cricut machine, a laminator and Mac and PC computers where guests can access the entire Adobe Creative Suite library of software.

Zan Popp, the library’s public services supervisor, said that the only limit you’ll find at the Level 2 Tech Center is “your own imagination.”

INTRO TO ADVANCED

Staff at TSCPL have seen library guests use the Level 2 Tech Center for anything and everything.

Stanton said that one woman used their Cricut machine to create designs for a wedding. Popp saw a young man use their on-site video recording room to create content for his show on the Twitch livestreaming platform. Other guests have used the center’s 3D printer to create prototypes, quirky gifts and more.

For Popp, the Level 2 Tech Center is a place where the community can use tools that they may not have access to at home. It’s also where people can try equipment or software for the first time, as well as explore new technologies, in a low-pressure setting.

Newcomers can undergo an orientation to learn how to use the center’s tools. The center also provides access to online training, including free LinkedIn Learning courses.

“It’s a place to play and explore, knowing that they can go as deep or as shallow as they want,” said Popp. “It’s that idea that you don’t have to have a membership or pay a fee to go try it somewhere else.”

Anyone who has a library card can reserve equipment or a space at the center, up to seven days in advance, by visiting the Level 2 Tech Center page at www.tscpl.org. In February, the center received a total of 715 online reservations, which doesn’t include the 1,127 people who came in to use one of their 30 computers.

“It’s also a neat place to see some of our resources come to life,” said Stanton.

A guest who checks out a book about graphic design might find themselves using software like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign at the center’s digital art studio. Meanwhile, someone who picks up one of their pamphlets about podcasting could end up in the recording studio.

“People grow and build their knowledge,” said Stanton. “We have a few people who have come in every day, for like a month, and taken two to three hours during the day to watch videos. They’re working on it, building up that knowledge set.”

COMMUNITY CENTER WITHOUT A POOL

Stanton sees the TSCPL as a place where all are welcome. “It’s a space that I think people of a lot of different backgrounds feel comfortable coming to,” she said.

Stanton also said that when the library was preparing for the Level 2 Tech Center’s debut in August 2022, staff was focused on how individual people would use the center. However, pairs and small groups have turned out to be some of the center’s most common users, such as the Topeka chapter of SCORE Business Mentoring.

SCORE Business Mentoring is a nonprofit group that encourages small business mentorship. They now host free drop-in sessions in one of the center’s meeting rooms, where guests can drink coffee and chat about business.

“In all honesty, we are so much more than books,” said Popp, talking about the library. “It’s the programs. It’s the people. It’s the tools. It’s the resources. It’s a chance to meet somebody, have a cup of coffee. I mean, it’s a community center without a pool.”

The library is also a place to get work done. Many people, including remote workers, come there to find a quiet place to work or take a video conference call in one of their meeting rooms.

“In this day and age, you might not have an office, but you’ve got a library,” said Popp, adding that libraries have evolved to fit how people use them.

Both the library and the Level 2 Tech Center plan to keep evolving, adding new technology and resources. Popp said they plan to add a digital memory lab by late summer or early fall. Guests will be able to use the new lab to convert analog “memories,” such as film photographs and VHS videos, into digital files.

They also plan to add a large-format printer for poster-sized projects. TSCPL works closely with Washburn Tech and the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning & Careers to make sure that the Level 2 Tech Center’s offerings align with programs across the city.

“The idea was to start with the digital arts,” Popp said. “But there’s always discussions within the team of what’s the next step.”