In the heart of the city’s western gateway, the Des Moines Public Library’s new central branch is surrounded by businesses large and small. As a result, the library has added resources and meeting spaces that cater to the business community’s needs, and library employees have seen a jump in circulation as downtown workers visit over lunch or after work.

Yet library employees are waiting to see if many surrounding companies use it for business purposes. Being open just six weeks, the library doesn’t have all its programs and facilities up and running. Library employees also recognize that many larger companies have their own research and meeting resources.

“We don’t have a long track record here,” said Lorna Truck, deputy director of the library. “We’re still just getting on our feet.”

But librarian Deb Kolb already has seen a world of difference from the previous downtown library.

“When we began planning the building, the intention was for it to be a community center for community organizations and businesses to use,” said Kolb. “We’re light-years away from the old building. There’s no comparison.”

One of the biggest changes will be the library’s 3,000 square feet of meeting spaces, which is a huge jump from the small third-floor meeting room in the old building. Currently small groups can congregate in one of five study rooms for up to two hours a day. Two public conference rooms, one with eight chairs around a table and the other with 14 chairs and a table, both with data/voice connection, will be available for use starting July 1 and interested groups already can reserve the rooms through the librarian’s desk.

On Sept. 5, a central meeting room capable of holding 210 people in a theater arrangement or round-table banquet setting will open. The large meeting space can be divided into three sections as well, with a café foyer to gather outside and catering facilities. By July 10, organizations can start booking the space. Fees will apply to private, non-profit and for-profit groups.

“We have seen groups from businesses in the library and we’ve received many requests for meeting sites,” said Truck. “We’re not quite ready to book meeting rooms yet, but we’ve had a lot of inquiries.”

Besides adding meeting spaces, the library has jumped from 5 computer terminals in the old library to 78. Of those, 34 are for adult Internet use, including accessing the library catalog and databases, and eight computers have word processing programs. A computer lab with 28 computers will open to the public in the future, but for now it’s designated for library classes, including a basic computer course and library catalog training. People using laptop computers can also access the network on a wireless connection, “a pretty popular” feature according to Kolb.

The library also expanded its electronic databases. ReferenceUSA offers access to telephone numbers, addresses and business information of companies nationwide, and EBSCO Host provides an electronic magazine database. The library creates its own index for local newspapers, which allows users to search by topic and obtain local information faster. People can access all databases from a computer terminal, laptop with a wireless connection, or from the comfort of their own office.

With free parking under the building and a pick-up window open from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, the library has become more convenient for people in the area to use.

“We have a much broader cliental than before,” said Kolb.

Many nearby large companies, such as Meredith Corp., ING Groep and Allied Insurance, already have company libraries, research departments and meeting spaces, making it unlikely they’ll need the space for business purposes, beyond an occasional off-site retreat. Smaller companies may need access to library resources more often, but some specialized businesses, such as law firms, have their own specialized libraries.

The real draw for many has been the library’s location, which attracts several employees seeking books, CDs, or DVDs for personal use.

“I have seen a lot of associates heading over there during their lunch hour,” said Mike Palmer, communications director for Allied Insurance, “to check out books or take advantage of the café.”

Kolb notes that circulation has increased by the thousands, which she attributes to the less-isolated location. About 7,000 people attended the library’s opening-day festivities.

“Circulation has increased quite a lot,” said Kolb. “I think people in Des Moines are pleased to have a cutting-edge building to represent Des Moines.”

“We’ve heard employees say how it’s nice to have such a wonderful facility so close to us,” said Megan Boettcher, corporate communications representative for Meredith Corp. “We’re a part of the western gateway project as well. It’s nice to have some more attractive businesses close by that we can walk to.”

James Spellman, an attorney whose office is located a block away, said he’s had lunch a couple times at the new café and has a current library card, but isn’t sure he’ll use the library a lot for legal research. Yet he still is excited to have it close by.

“I like the design and architecture,” he said. “I think it adds to the Gateway.”

The trend may change as meeting spaces become more available. After the regulations on the meeting rooms themselves are in place, Truck said that the library plans to do some publicity on the available business facilities. She also expects the library to add more amenities as it becomes more organized, and Kolb hopes that the operating hours can be extended.

“It [the library] is much more usable and comfortable for people to use,” said Truck. “I think many are really enjoying the building.”