RAILS Member Announcements

Thomas Smith, who in 1885 wrote a guide called “Successful Advertising,” said people must see an advertisement 20 times before they actually will purchase the touted product.

In between the first and 20th viewings, he said, a person’s reaction to an ad ranges from not even seeing it, to getting irritated with it, to asking friends and neighbors if they have tried the advertised product,  to finally making the purchase.

So I understand the concept that it takes a lot of repetition for people to start to notice a product, and even more to buy into it.

Of course, the big product I am now “advertising” is the new Main Aurora Public Library, which I think I can now say is “under construction,” because we had a hugely successful and well-attended groundbreaking May 1.

So I had to laugh last week when I read a comment on the Aurora Public Library Facebook page under a photo showing a piece of heavy equipment on the library site. Someone wrote, “What is this for?”

Makes me wonder if I’m really doing my job! Even though there are dozens more ways to get the word out now than when I started my career in newspapers some 30 years ago, it’s still tough to reach everyone. Or, should I say, “anyone.”

And then there are those who have waited, dreamed and planned for this new library for so long that they can hardly believe it is happening. I have been watching the proceedings for just three years, but I must say I am thrilled to be a part of the process and to be able to watch the building go up from start to finish.

And whether it was luck, a good omen, or the library gods shining down on us, the weather could not have been any more enticing to call people out from their offices, schools and homes to witness the first shovels being thrust into the ground to begin this momentous project.

And for those now scratching their heads and saying, “What in the world is she talking about?” I will give you the lowdown:

The Aurora Public Library is building a $28 million Main Library on a parcel of land at the corner of River and Benton streets that was purchased by the library in 2009. The site formerly was the home of The Beacon-News, from April 1953 until March 2008.

Completion date is late 2014 or early 2015.

The firm of Cordogan Clark & Associates is the architectural firm for the project. Joining that firm are R.C. Wegman Construction Company as the construction management team, Schoppe Design Associates as the landscape architect, Outsource Solutions Group, Inc. as the technology design consultant and KDI Design Interiors as the interior design firm. Owner’s representative on the project is Barbara Kattermann.

There are no plans at this time concerning the current building at 1 E. Benton St., on Stolp Island, which opened in 1904 and was built with a $50,000 grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

And thank goodness for Mr. Carnegie. Because of his repetition in giving money to build libraries, cities all over the world were able to offer books to their residents. Because of the countless individuals who believed—and still believe—in the power of reading, my job as a marketer for a library is relatively easy. But don’t make me say it 20 times.