Omaha Public Library is excited to kick off a new video series offering a behind-the-scenes look at Omaha’s new Central Library, currently under construction and set to open in the spring of 2026.
Through interviews with OPL staff, partners and community voices, you’re invited to explore how the new space will foster community, inspire collaboration and serve as a vibrant hub for connection.
Welcoming You to OPL’s Central Library | A Place for Community (VIDEO)
In this video, you’ll hear how inclusive gathering areas and innovative resources are key to reflecting and supporting the evolving needs of Omaha.
Read on for the full transcript of the video.
“This building is going to make a difference for so many people that we're never going to meet, whether it's life-changing, whether it's just a bright spot in their day. But really having a sense of this building isn't for, for us. It's not for me as a staff person. It's for the community. And it's going to make such a difference to people,” said Elizabeth Johnson, OPL’s senior manager of operations. “It's exciting to see it all come together because we've been working on this, by the time it opens, for five years.”
“So Central, I think, is so fun in that it was really designed, in my mind, as a mission enhancement, meaning that it has all the pieces that all of our branches have, but a little bit more,” said Stacy Lickteig, senior manager of community engagement for OPL.
“A Central Library is…The heart. I would say, some people might say the brain, but I would say it's the heart of a system,” said Rachel Steiner, assistant director of OPL. “But with this build in particular, we get to ‘yes, and’ that with great new innovative services that OPL has offered. But we're going to amplify offerings, right?”
A Place for Community
“On the first floor, we have a playscape area for our little ones, but we also have a cafe where, you know, maybe I want to sit down and get some coffee with my book club,” said Lickteig.
“And so having Zen there is just kind of playing off of our mission of bringing the community together in an area where, you know, we can provide the fuel for their futures and whatever they are starting for themselves,” said Abby McLeay, owner of Zen Coffee Company. “For me, the library, you know, is a community space. It is somewhere where anybody can go and, you know, meet, learn, read, you know, get access to so many different opportunities just within a local space.”
A Place for Gathering
“I think what I'm most excited about for the new Central Library is the variety of gathering spaces. We have so many that will be, you know, out on the floors, just in the regular public, you know, with Zen coffee and like, the children's area and plenty of places to mix and mingle,” said Maggie Petersen, outreach manager for OPL. “But a wide variety of meeting rooms for so many different needs, I'm hoping that it allows different community members to come use that space, maybe for something more practical of like, ‘oh yeah, we're just going to come have a meeting here’, but then that gets them in the door and then they can see all the other cool things that we have to offer.”
“The commons is in the middle of the first floor with this soaring ceiling, with these beautiful windows that look out to the city garden and that welcomes anyone in to come in and sit down,” said Lickteig. “We have a large community room.”
A Place for Technology
“We've got technology. We've got all kinds of stuff. As I go up to the second floor, clearly, there's a whole section that's kids. But I also have our Do Space hub that has all kinds of stuff from my little ones and the littles lab all the way up to, gosh, I hope we're getting some of our, you know, older generations coming in and telling us their oral histories, that we're going to do in the memory lab,” she added.
“So we've always offered technology since technology was on the horizon. But with this Central Library, we get a whole technology wing, essentially. And that means we get to experiment with new technologies,” said Steiner. “We get to figure out how those will work for our community, and then we get to figure out how we can bring them out into the branches for all the community to experience, even if they can't come to the Central Library.”
“Particularly. I like the third floor because that's our genealogy and local history,” shared Lickteig. “And this is where really we start to see Omaha come together and show its history, its future, what it is, and all the benefits of really digging in and saying what was and what could be, will happen in that space.”
A Place for You
“I think my biggest takeaway in working on previous libraries was understanding how vast the ultimate user group is,” said Ryan Fisher, with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture. “You know, there's the library group, there's all the community members, you know, there's just so many pieces and parts and people involved that it's sort of, you know, the previous work made me realize how much of a civic project it truly, truly is.”
“This was so special to us because it was our own community. And rarely do you get to do a library in your own backyard,” said Nancy Novak, with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture.
“Well, this Central Library will literally be in the center of the city. And it's a place that's built specifically for them,” said Nancy Novotny, program manager for OPL. “We've looked at the planning through all different kinds of eyes. How can this be welcoming and engaging to everybody in our community?”
“The people of Omaha value reading, value access to materials, but also value a sense of community,” said Laura Marlane, executive director of Omaha Public Library. “And a library is a place that anybody is welcome and can go to spend time, to spend the day and to connect with ideas and resources, but also connect with people. And Central is designed around the idea of being a space for people.”
“It's really a 21st-century building, and it encourages that kind of connection,” added Marlane.
“Our libraries today are vibrant places, and libraries are not places where librarians are shushing young people,” explained Jeff McWhorter, OPL’s senior manager of branches. “Our libraries are places where there are families engaged in activities. They are doing escape rooms. They're participating in storytimes, music and movement. There are people on computers doing research that they need to do. There are people getting their first library card.”
“I am excited for people to walk through those doors, to really just drop into that space in whatever way they want,” said Amy Mather, partnership manager for OPL. “They can drop in to reflect, to be by themselves, to be in community, to be connected to resources, to get inspired, to get motivated for the next quest in life, so many things.”
“We don't really worry about why you're here. We just hope we have what you're looking for when you get here. And also that everybody is welcome,” said Steiner.
“The point is, you should walk into that space and feel welcome everywhere that you're at. You should feel something that says you belong here. This is for you,” said Lickteig.
OPL’s Central Library Opening Spring 2026
As OPL prepares to open its new Central Library, the voices featured in this series will offer a glimpse into the heart behind the building, a shared belief in the library as a space for everyone. The Central Library is more than a building, it’s a reflection of OPL’s commitment to strengthening our community by connecting people with ideas, information and innovative services.
On November 18, 2021, the Omaha Public Library Board of Trustees approved a resolution to work with Heritage Omaha to explore opportunities aligned with OPL’s 2017 facilities master plan, which recommended a new central library on Dodge Street between 72nd and 90th streets. On January 28, 2022, project partners confirmed that the library will be located at the southwest corner of 72nd and Dodge. Learn more about the vision, design and progress at omahacentrallibrary.org.
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