Located in the Blackstone District, the Hi-Fi House is a strictly musical library for the purpose of a broader education of various genres, artists and mediums. “Hi-Fi House is a social listening library where people gather to share their love of music,” said founder Kate Dussault.

Omaha’s Hi-Fi House is the first of many in the country despite the fact that it’s not even officially open yet. As of now, Dussault and her team are merely experimenting with the concept. It is strictly for students and the senior community, by appointment, and it additionally becomes an exclusive club at night for private members. These members make payments that help support the functionality of daytime activities.

The Hi-Fi House is most well-known for its impressive collection of vinyl. The space includes thousands of records from thousands of different genres and artists. Patrons can listen to these records on high-end audiophile stereo systems.

“We love music and wanted to share a refined listening experience with others, particularly students and our senior community,” said Dussault. “We believe good listening skills are critically important to success in any relationship, whether business or personal. We employ music to foster better listening skills. We are practiced in the art of listening.”

Dussault sees music as a “universal language.” Hi-Fi House is a place where people can talk about and study music, meet artists and simply share their “love of music with like-minded people,” Dussault said. “It gives us all a place to begin conversations based on a healthy respect for our ‘universal language’ which is music. It’s often said that listening is the most sincere form of respect and we want to help people learn to be good listeners. We believe it will positively impact their lives.”

Dassault fell in love with a music at a young age, which inspired her to establish the Hi-Fi House. “The Beatles had a huge influence and brought out the writer/poet instincts in me. The Rolling Stones appealed to the rebellious me, and early on I found the Blues which inspired me to play music. As I attempted to learn to play I developed a respect for the best players and that led me to jazz greats like John Coltrane and Miles Davis…I love Punk, Metal, New Wave, Rock, Indie Rock, Funk, Singer/Songwriters, Electronica you name it. It’s impossible to pin me down on favorites.”

Currently, Sebastian Becerra, senior, is a volunteer at the Hi-Fi House. He considers music one of the major aspects of his life that he’s passionate about. Becerra is the first of volunteer of its kind at the Hi-Fi House, “It’s a really positive environment…I’ve gotten to know most of the people who work there,” said Becerra. “It’s really a bunch of music nerds just talking about music.”

Becerra was introduced to the Hi-Fi House through the IB Program. He has to create a presentation based upon a specific genre of music within the library. Within the presentation, he can give suggestions as to how the Hi-Fi House should expand their library. “I chose New Wave, so bands like Devo, the Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, Blondie, and a bunch of other ones from the late 70s, early 80s,” Becerra explained.

As for the future of the Hi-Fi House, Dussault said, “We hope to grow into a master library, the first of its kind in America and open that to the public.”