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Gamers play video games at the Alicia Ashman branch library, out of sight and earshot of other library patrons. - Isabel Alvarez

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With Nintendo Wii gaming controllers strapped to their wrists, four keenly focused boys whooped it up as they battled through a game of "Super Smash Brothers Brawl."

Assorted spectators, some waiting their turn at the video game, occasionally barked out appreciative or caustic commentary.

While it might sound like a sacrilegious activity to take place in a public library, the gamers didn't draw any dirty looks from librarians, let alone the dreaded "Shhhh!" In fact, that scene is common at libraries around Madison these days. Mere feet away, other patrons of the Alicia Ashman branch library were reading quietly, oblivious to the exuberant competition behind the door of the west side library's community room.

Libraries were once feared to be headed for obsolescence as the digital age made massive amounts of information accessible from a home computer. But now, in addition to helping patrons find the latest Michael Chabon novel, libraries have adapted -- and prospered -- by offering perks like free wireless access, gaming, computer skills classes and assistance in navigating the flood of resources on the Internet.

At the same time, library design has changed to emphasize multiple spaces to accommodate the diverse services offered to patrons, and to create an attractive location for a community to gather. Such changes will come to life in Madison later this year with the opening of the new Sequoya branch library in the Sequoya Commons mixed-use development at Midvale and Tokay boulevards.

And a larger example is likely in the works: The library board recently voted to solicit proposals to revamp the central library downtown at the corner of West Mifflin and North Fairchild streets.

"The big question in the 1990s was whether libraries would disappear," said Terrence Wall, the local developer who has proposed tearing down the current central library and replacing it with a $45 million mixed-use building that would house a new downtown library. "What we found was they were opening up access and becoming community centers. They're now interactive, not just book warehouses."

"The trend is increasing library use," said Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association. "Looking for a book to read is still the top reason why people use libraries. But it's also the new services that are providing a lot of the excitement that we're seeing."

The Madison Public Library system reported steady growth from 2002-07, with visits rising from 2.07 million to 2.24 million. In the same time frame, cardholders rose from 121,802 to 137,566 and book circulation grew from 3.63 million to 4.62 million. Meanwhile, Internet users shot up from 126,945 to 504,478.

Barb Dimick, director of the Madison Public Library, references the theory by Ray Oldenburg, author of "The Great, Good Place," that people need not only home and work but a "third place."

"In many communities the library is the third place," Dimick said. "It's where your kid goes after school. It's where community meetings are held. There is this whole social aspect that has grown in importance."

The digital age

Information still is central to libraries, but what has changed are the forms it takes and how it's accessed. Books, newspapers and magazines are as plentiful as ever, but today's libraries also typically offer as many computers as their infrastructure and space can handle, free wireless Internet access, and items such as e-books, DVDs and compact discs.

But for many, it's all about the Internet, which has turned out to be a boon for libraries. While most people surf online at home, others don't have Internet access or have clunky dial-up access. Serving that population is part of a library's critical public mission, library officials said. Even those with broadband at home visit libraries for access to databases that individuals either can't get, or would have to pay for to access from home.

The hallmark of any great library is resourceful librarians, Roy said, noting that they are much more educators today than they were years ago. Some libraries allow patrons to ask questions of librarians by online chat and instant message, called "co-browsing."

"We get a lot of questions at the reference desk, 'I've been looking on Google for over an hour -- can you help me find something?'" said Tana Elias, Web resources coordinator for the Madison Public Library.

Though electronic gaming has been perhaps the most controversial library offering in the Internet age, more than 75 percent of the nation's libraries now support gaming, the ALA reported this year in its annual State of America's Libraries report.

The controversy has lessened as some researchers have found that gaming has some benefits and not as many negatives as once feared. Still, the American Medical Association last year issued a warning about the potential dangers of excessive game playing, which might be addictive, and asked for further study of the long-term effects related to aggressive behavior in kids.

"A lot of the behaviors that people use during gaming have been found to be really related to literacy and supportive of literacy," Roy said. "People engaged in gaming spend four to five times as much time reading, and gaming communities are very social."

That was clearly the case at the Ashman gaming event, which brought more than a dozen boys together. Girls tend to turn out for games such as Dance Dance Revolution, said Margie Navarre Saaf, supervisor at the Ashman and Lakeview branch libraries.

Attracting kids

Perhaps most significant, Roy said, is that of those who come to libraries for gaming events, three-quarters return for something else.

Connecting with kids is a vital part of the library mission, and gaming is a great avenue -- particularly at Ashman and Lakeview, which have high local teen populations, library officials said.

That can be particularly crucial in a neighborhood like the north side, where Lakeview is located, and where there is a significant population of low-income families who struggle to afford necessities, much less electronic games and Internet access.

"We had a social services group bring a group of 35 kids to (Lakeview) for gaming and they couldn't wait to come back," Dimick said. "These kids wouldn't have access any other way. And when they're there they may trip over something else."

Anything that brings kids to the library is valuable, Navarre Saaf said.

"The goal is to get them to utilize all the services and make them feel comfortable to come back when they're older," she said. "We really want to be relevant for the entire scope of people's lives."

Branching out

Gaming will likely be one of the options at Sequoya, which will be built for as wide a variety of uses as possible, Dimick said.

The design by Engberg Anderson Design Partnership incorporated things learned in building Ashman in 2001 and renovating the Lakeview and Hawthorne branches since then, Dimick said.

Scheduled to open Oct. 1, Sequoya will include a family center; an emerging literacy center for very young children; a family reading area; a glassed in, two-story room for quiet reading; and a space for teens, which is particularly important, Dimick said, because teens like to work together, "and that's hard for us because other computer users may not be happy when a group of kids crowd around one computer."

The building will be equipped with wi-fi service, laptops and desktop computers, with comfortable seating and computer tables shaped like mushrooms. The plan is for Sequoya to gain silver certification under the LEED green building program and then to use its features as a learning opportunity for library users, Dimick said.

Sequoya in turn will aid in the potential design of a new downtown branch, as well as planned new branches on South Park Street and the far east side.

"Every one we do influences the next one right down the line," Dimick said. "Downtown obviously looms larger because it's the main library. And there are a few issues because it's more in an urban environment. But the actual use of the building by the public really isn't that different from a branch."

For downtown, one idea on the drawing board is a "Madison Room" focused on local history and "overlooking the Square so it's part of the whole downtown ambience," Dimick said. "This is really at its very elementary stage, but we've long talked about celebrating Madison."

Another goal is to provide more space for the public and less for storage, which currently saps 60 percent of the building's 98,000 square feet. Considering the value of downtown real estate, that does not make sense, Dimick said.

A downtown showpiece?

The ALA's Roy said cities like Seattle, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Vancouver, British Columbia have taken an innovative approach to the modern library.

"The sites include teen areas, cafes, auditoriums and social spaces," Roy said. "The new Vancouver branch also has an audio area like those at music stores for listening to CDs."

Modern libraries have put a greater focus on green construction, with solar, geothermal and glass energy features and sound control, Roy said.

Salt Lake City's new library includes a roof-top garden and six stories of windows, offering views of the city and the Wasatch Mountains.

And the newer projects have attracted star designing power: The principal architect of the new Seattle Central Library was Rem Koolhaas, while the Minneapolis Central Library was designed by Cesar Pelli.

One downtown library user has seen how an investment in a modern library can invigorate a community.

"Make it a destination, so you want to come even if you don't live downtown," said Todd Klassy, 40, who travels frequently for work and cited the Rapid City, S.D., main library as a model. "You could go anywhere in that library and your laptop worked perfectly. It had many, many more magazines than I was used to. It had a coffee shop, meeting rooms and conference rooms. It had audiovisual tools that you wouldn't normally associate with a library that people could check out.

"And checkout was instantaneous -- electronic swipe and go. It was 21st century. When you walked in that library even on a weekday when school was going on, it was incredible how much activity was going on."

"I think since the inception of public libraries in the late 19th century, we have reinvented ourselves every generation," Dimick said. "It's a continuum of change."