Five Reasons to Visit the Daybreak Library

By Justin Adams

I recently made a visit to the Daybreak Library, where I met Leslie Schow, the branch manager. She was kind enough to give me a brief tour of the facility, with an emphasis on some of the unique features that our local library offers. Here’s what I learned.

The Create Space

One of the coolest things about the Daybreak Library is the ‘Create Space,’ a room dedicated to helping library users learn new skills and work on creative projects. It’s equipped with an embroidery machine, a sewing machine, a sublimation printer, a Glowforge laser cutter, a Cricut machine, a 3D printer, an audio-visual recording room, computers with the Adobe Creative Suite, and more!

“This is all part of learning,” explained Schow. “It’s not intended to support businesses or to do large scale mass production. This is a hobbyist space. The idea is that if you’re an occasional user, you can come in and use our equipment so you don’t have to buy your own. Or if you’re just starting to learn a skill, you can come in and try out before deciding if that’s really something you want to invest your money in.”

The Daybreak Library is one of five libraries in the County with a Create Space, and it is the most heavily-used out of the five, according to Schow. It especially gets a lot of use around the holidays, as people use its tools to create special hand-made gifts for their friends and family.

Outdoors Spaces

When it comes to the Daybreak Library, it’s not just about what’s inside of it, but what’s outside of it as well.

Many people know of the library’s rooftop garden simply from driving by the building. It’s a wonderful place to sit down and enjoy some fresh air and a beautiful view of the Oquirrh Mountains while reading that book you just checked out.

One couple loves the rooftop garden so much, they decided to have their wedding reception up there.

“We were closing up at the end of the day and found that some people were having a wedding reception up there,” recalled Schow. “And we were thrilled! It is open to the public and is available all the time.”

However, it can get a little windy here in South Jordan, so the rooftop garden may not always be the best option for outdoor reading. That’s where the atrium comes in.

“The atrium has proven to be a very popular space in the summertime,” Schow said. “People can go out there and eat their lunch in the sunshine. They can take their computers out there and work off of our Wifi. We have chess and checkers tables out there so people can play a little game. It’s also a good protection against the “violent winds” that South Jordan tends to have.”

Checking out Books and Much Much More

Obviously the first thing that people think about when it comes to libraries is checking out books. But as media technology has evolved, so have libraries.

“The library has actually grown really well alongside society. People sometimes think of libraries as just a place where you can check out books. But when video became a thing, we added videos you could check out. Same thing with CD’s and audiobooks. We move along with technology,” Schow said.

That holds true even in the age of streaming. With a Salt Lake County library card, you can access an endless amount of eBooks, videos, music, and even magazines which you can enjoy for free from your digital devices. Learn more here.

Programming

The library can also be a great place to make new friends. Daybreak is home to a lot of young families who take advantage of the library’s recurring storytime event. But it doesn’t end there. The library offers after school programs for kids and teenagers, like Lego Club and a Teen Writing Group. There’s also a bilingual storytime hour on Monday evenings and they’re also working on adding more adult programming, like a crafting club where participants can work on their own project while chatting and swapping ideas and tips with other crafters.

Aside from the regularly occurring clubs and programs already mentioned, there are also special one-time events catering to a variety of ages and interests. Here’s a little sampling of what’s coming up just within the next few weeks.

Little Bunny Fru Fru Puppet Show, presented by Utah Puppet Theater - Wednesday March, 27

Intro to Stop Motion Animation Workshop (for teens) - Tuesday, April 2

Beginning Taekwondo - Thursday, April 4

To see more events coming soon to the Daybreak Library, go to the Salt Lake County Library website events page and filter by location, then select Daybreak. 

Reservable Spaces

Need a quiet room to study, take a test, or do an interview? The Daybreak Library has five study rooms of varying sizes that can be reserved up to 30 days in advance and for up to two hours per day. These rooms get a lot of use, according to Schow, because of the many students in the area who take online classes. So reserving a room in advance is definitely encouraged.

There is also a large meeting room that can be reserved for certain uses. The room comes with tables and chairs, a podium, two wall-mounted TV’s and has a max capacity of 66 guests. Just know that it’s technically a public space, so if you reserve the room for a birthday party, for example, anyone who happens to be in the library at that time can join in on the fun.

One More Thing

This isn’t so much a reason to visit the library in and of itself, but it’s still pretty cool. Between its 512 solar panels and geothermal heating system, the Daybreak Library is nearly 100% energy independent.

“We are currently working on net-zero certification, which means that we don’t use any more electricity than what we produce. We’re not quite there but we are so very close. If we achieve that, we’ll be just one of a handful of buildings in the state that can say that,” Schow said.

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