Library Board Asks Public To Name The New Branch

Library board asks public to name the new branch

New facility on Oak Valley Drive set to open Oct. 29

BY KATIE WALTON

News Staff Reporter

Ann Arbor citizens this fall are getting the chance to voice their opinion on more than their choice for president. They can also cast their ballot in the naming of the new Oak Valley branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, said Josie Parker, library director.

“We felt it was a fun thing to involve as many people as we could in the naming,” Parker said.

Patrons can submit their ideas electronically on the library’s Web site, Parker said. She said only suggestions submitted in this way will be considered.

Ed Surovell, library board president, said the board has all but run out of branch-name ideas and hopes for some inspiration from the public.

“When you think about it, putting a name on a branch is not easy,” he said. The current branch names aren’t very exciting, he said. “If we can, we’d like to do better.”

The board hopes to have the name selected before the branch’s ground-breaking ceremony on Oct. 29, Parker said. The 14,600-square-foot branch will be located on Oak Valley Drive in Pittsfield Township.

Although the board will look at patron suggestions, there is no guarantee it will pick one of them as the branch’s name, Parker said.

So far Parker said she has received fewer than 50 ideas. While some of these have been obvious pranks, Parker said most ideas have revolved around the names of favorite teachers or variations on the name “Ann Arbor.”

“The people who know about the history of the library are wracking their brains trying to think,” she said. “A lot of thought is going into this.”

So what are some of the suggestions?

Parker’s not telling. She said the submissions will be kept secret until the library board votes on which (if any) they will accept.

“We’re trying to keep it casual and fun and flexible,” said Parker. In keeping with this, Parker stressed that this is not a contest and that there will be no “winner.”

Although the chance to suggest a name for the new branch does not come with the possibility of a prize, Jennifer Balfour of Ann Arbor said she thinks it’s a good way for the library to relate to patrons.

“I think the library here has done a great job compared to other cities I’ve lived in (in) maintaining a connection with the community,” she said.

Residents can submit then-ideas on the Ann Arbor District Library Web site at http://www.aadl.org/.

Contact Katie Walton at kwalton@annarbornem.com or (734) 994-6937.