South Madison Branch Capital Campaign Kicks Off

The South Madison neighborhood is one of the oldest areas of the city. It began as one of the city’s first platted suburbs and was described in a 1902 Wisconsin State Journal article as a “suburban addition to the Capital City, beautifully located on the south shore of Monona Bay. It has a population of about 400, cosmopolitan in character.”  The area became home to working and middle class families whose members walked to work on the isthmus. The South Madison Branch Library was established in 1967 and moved to its present location in the South Madison Health and Family Center Harambee on Park Street in 1995.

As the neighborhood grew, the space deficiencies of the library became more prevalent. Spaces are lacking for additional computers and meeting spaces that will allow the library and community partners to offer additional classes, literacy training, writing assistance, and computer skills assistance to the neighborhood. 

Did you know that from 2007 to 2008, computer usage at South Madison increased by 22.9%? Visits to the library branch also increased 11.4% and the number of materials checked out from the library increased 8.2%. These numbers will continue to grow as the troubled economy drives more people into libraries. In fact, libraries across the country are finding an increase in usage up to 21% in some places since the Fall of 2008.

The authorized cost for the new branch library is $3.5 million. The City of Madison has committed $2.95 million for this project.  The Madison Public Library Foundation has embarked on a $700,000 capital campaign to fund features and spaces that will make the branch a dynamic neighborhood destination.