Downtown library to give free co-working space

Entrepreneurs and others looking for co-working space in downtown Milwaukee will soon have another option — and it’s free.

Milwaukee’s Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave., is converting 3,800 square feet on its second floor into work space for people who work remotely, students, artists and others.

That space, set to open in October, will include WiFi, conference rooms and other services typically found in coworking offices, said Joan Johnson, library deputy director.

People using the co-working space will “be able to take advantage of expert librarians,” Johnson said during a Thursday presentation to the Milwaukee Public Library Board of Trustees’ Building and Development Committee.

The library also plans to create partnerships with organizations, such as United Migrant Opportunity Services Inc. and Service Corps of Retired Executives, to provide job training, small business support and other services to people using the space, she said.

The space will seat up to around 90 people.

While it’s a new use, the idea of providing co-working space fits the library’s mission, Johnson said.

“The library, by its very nature, is the original co-working space,” she told committee members.

The Milwaukee area, including downtown, has seen a surge in new coworking spaces in recent years.

For a fee, they typically provide work space for shorter term stays.

Many co-working operations feature open spaces where people can work and interact, along with private offices.

They also provide meeting rooms and other services.

The open seating arrangement at the library co-working space, with booths, modular furniture and individual work stations, is a harbinger of other changes planned at the Central Library, said Paula Kiely, library director.

The traditional layout of “tables and chairs lined up” is “not the direction where we want to go,” Kiely said.

The library’s co-working area is using space that last held periodicals which have been converted to digital formats, said Jennifer Meyer-Stearns, assistant library director.

The project is being funded with a $100,000 foundation grant.