OMAHA — A proposed agreement between the City of Omaha and a local nonprofit would commit the city to spend millions on a new central library and lead to the further integration of a philanthropic group into the library system.
Under the agreement, the city would commit $20 million to a new central library planned by philanthropic fundraising group Heritage Omaha for the southwest corner of 72nd and Dodge streets. The project is estimated to cost upward of $100 million.
If plans for the new library move forward, the nonprofit Community Information Trust would be incorporated into the Omaha Public Library Foundation, which for decades has served as the fundraising arm of Omaha’s public libraries.
Community Information Trust (CIT) was created by Heritage Omaha in 2015 to oversee operations of Do Space, a digital library constructed through Heritage’s fundraising efforts.
The merger of CIT and the Library Foundation would ensure the technology offered by Do Space is fully integrated into Omaha’s public libraries, said Rachel Jacobson, president of Heritage Omaha.
Though details of the merger are still being discussed, Jacobson said the foundation would still function as it currently does, serving the libraries through fundraising, advocacy and special events.
“I think a lot of this vision is about strengthening the philanthropic support to the foundation, but also having that potential for innovation through the kind of work that CIT has always done,†Jacobson said.
The agreement had a first reading before the Omaha City Council on Tuesday. If it is ultimately approved in July, CIT would be responsible for the design and construction of the library. Once the project is complete, the nonprofit would be absorbed by the Library Foundation and the new library would be given to the city.
The merger proposal comes after the Omaha Public Library Board earlier this month approved the formation of a 10-member advisory committee that will include city and library officials, the CEO of Do Space and a representative from CIT.
The decision was contested by a number of Omaha residents who raised concerns that the creation of the committee grants too much control and long-term influence to a private philanthropy group.
Library Board members and city officials supported the move, which they said would bring diverse expertise to the shaping of future library operations.
The committee will define and recommend priorities for the new library and the overall public library system, including potential revisions to the “library’s mission, vision and values as determined through the Advisory Committee research, Library Strategic Plans and input from stakeholders,†according to the resolution that created the committee.
Omaha residents will have a chance to speak on the proposed agreement between the city and CIT during a City Council meeting July 19.
A drone photo of the southwest corner of 72nd and Dodge streets in Omaha, current site of the Do Space digital library and proposed site of a new central library, with an estimated cost of more than $100 million.