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Cabling bids might sound like a mundane aspect of library construction, but think again.
Essentially, if Warsaw Community Public Library is to be a high-tech body of knowledge, cables linking all of the computers could well be considered the spine.
In a waiting game of sorts, library officials held off on making a decision about installing the spine as long as possible to learn the latest technological changes in the computer industry.
"It's a significant project," said Terry Lancer, spokesman for The InterDesign Group, the library's architect for the expansion.
"There are more and more companies getting into the business" and the technology is becoming more sophisticated, Lancer said.
When bids were opened Monday, six companies sought the right to provide cable.
Bids ranged from $146,000 to $76,000. Most of the bids were under the library's estimate.
The library board is expected to select the winning bid within a week or so, and another company will be hired to install the cable.
The library, constructed nearly 80 years ago, has been recabled three or four times, and library officials want to avoid that in the future as much as possible.
"We've sort of been biding our time, waiting to do it once right," said Joni Brookins, assistant director.
What officials hope to also avoid is realizing after construction is complete that they didn't plan for enough computer data outlets.
When officials began planning for the expansion, they made a wish list of how many data outlets would be needed. Several outlets are usually grouped together like an electrical outlet with several sockets.
The initial list topped 1,000, and that was trimmed to a realistic 435 outlets officials believe will be needed in the next two years, said library director Ann Zydek.
A few dozen more "holes" will be available for future outlets.
The new library will include a state-of-the-art computer lab featuring computers using CD-Rom and linked to the Internet. Terminals providing automated card catalog information will be spread throughout the library.
Cabling will be centralized, and the same wiring for computers will also serve as phone lines. Future considerations are also being made for fiber optic technology, Zydek said.
"We're trying to allow for full-term growth potential," Zydek said.
