Building the Future

We are doing a renovation! Construction began in February 2021 and is on target to wrap up in mid/late-June.

We are committed to ensuring the library remains a popular destination and a lovely gathering space. To that end, we continually examine how the building can best support library services, and we have saved money for the past decade to pay for renovations.

The library building is the backbone of what we do and it also provides a lovely space for our residents. It is important that the building be updated to look and feel modern and to stay relevant to our community. When we did our last renovation in 2010, we renovated the library to meet the needs of our community at that time. As we know, times change quickly! With this in mind, we asked for your feedback. In 2017 and 2019, we held focus groups and sent out community surveys. While residents continue to use the library in traditional ways, we also heard that you want more space for programming, studying, and gathering, plus more emphasis on technology. We have been working with Product Architecture and Design to develop a plan that meets the community interests, providing more, exciting public spaces for everyone!

Follow along here and on our enews and social media for updates about the project.

Updates

The library did a search for an architectural firm in fall 2019. Nine architects submitted proposals and three firms were interviewed. The board chose Product Architecture and Design (PAD) PAD is a boutique firm in Chicago that has extensive experience designing and building libraries. The board started reviewing design ideas in January 2020. In February 2020, a floor plan was approved along with a budget of $1.3 million. The project was paused when COVID struck, but design work started up again later summer.

October
The trustees approved installation of a pickup window on the west side of the building. This new feature was planned as part of the renovation. With the growth of curbside delivery of materials, the trustees saw the need to get the window installed immediately rather than wait.

November & December
The construction work and furniture and shelving went out to bid. The bid costs came in at lower numbers than expected. In December the board awarded the contracts with a new project cost of $1,141,645.

January
Lo Destro Construction Company is doing the construction, and they set a start date of February 15. The project is organized into three phases.

Phase One
During phase one, all current services still are provided to the public.

First Floor

The café and the area where the Checkout Desk and holds are located in order to enlarge the staff space
The Adult Services workroom will be demolished and work will start to build the new maker space
The two study rooms in the south end of Adult Services will be demolished.

Second Floor

The Youth Programming Room will be expanded into the area where LittleTown was located
The Kids & Teens workroom will be demolished to create space for the public in that location
Two conference rooms will be built along the corridor

Phase Two
Phase two is currently scheduled to start April 12 and run through April 23. During this phase, the library building will be closed. We are still determining which services will be available.

Among other things, the contractor will be working on

The lobby and the stairway
Building new study rooms on the first floor
Building out the new café area

Phase Three
Phase three includes painting and installation of new carpeting. The library will reopen with most services available.

Construction is expected to end sometime around the first week in June.

Photos

Construction on our pick-up window happened in October. Click on the images for a larger view.

From demolition to wall construction, a lot has been happening since construction began. We can't wait to see how the spaces transform. Click on the images for a larger view.

Photo 1: A view of the former Checkout Desk area, this new area will be a staff workroom.
Photo 2: Formally our workroom for Kids & Teens, this new space will be home to Littletown and Early Literacy, a place parents can enjoy with their children.
Photo 3: We knocked down the wall between our old programming room and Little Town. This space will be our new Youth Programming Room to offer more programs for the community. This also serves as a community meeting room and additional study space. Little Town will be part of the new Early Literacy area.
Photo 4: This area previously served as staff offices, but it will be part of our new Maker Studio, an exciting place for our guests to learn and create.
Photo 5: Our CDs and DVDs were located here. In our new space, Marketplace, which will showcase new materials and collections.
Photo 6: Our CDs and DVDs were located here. In our new space, this will be our Guest Services Desk, a one-stop customer services desk.

Photo 1: The bottom of the stairway was demolished and will be redirected straight ahead instead of turning as it does now. The stairs also will also get new flooring.
Photo 2: The stairwell is getting beautiful new flooring. The entire staircase got a makeover. The bottom of the stairway was redirected straight ahead instead of turning.
Photo 3: On the first floor, two large conference rooms were removed, and four, two-person study rooms are in the process of being constructed.
Photo 4: The north end of the café where "trenching" is happening. This will provide electrical outlets in the floor. The location of the café take advantage of the windows and providing more seating for work, study, and gathering. The café is donated by the IPPL Foundation & Friends.

First Floor Plans

Click the thumbnails to enlarge.

Rendering of the first floor.
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First Floor

We’re selecting new furniture for the first floor including study tables and chairs, lounge chairs, computer tables, and furniture in the café.

As people walk in they will see the “Marketplace” which will provide more opportunity for browsing by expanding the new materials collections and highlighting trending topics in a bookstore-style manner. We’ll also feature Tech Takeout and kits in this area. The tile in this area will be replaced with carpet.

The Checkout Desk and the Adult Ask Us Desk are being combined into one Public Services Desk near the elevator. This will provide more seamless service for our patrons and more floor space for public seating.

The bottom of the stairway will be redirected straight ahead instead of turning as it does now. This creates a more seamless transition into the collections and services of the first floor rather than placing people in the lobby. This also cuts down on congestion in the lobby. The stairway flooring will be replaced.

We will be featuring artwork from second-floor gallery exhibits in various spots on the first floor.

There will be a designated passport office.

The vending café will be moved to the north end of the building, taking advantage of the windows and providing more seating. Magazines and newspapers, plus the Foundation & Friends book sale shelves, will be next to the café.

Public computers, scanning, and printing will remain in the same general area as with the Technology Services Desk nearby.

A wall will be built several feet out from the public restrooms to provide a divider between the restrooms and the public area.

A new maker space is being built to provide opportunities for all ages to learn and create with a wide variety of making and technology equipment, activities, and classes.

At the south end, more seating is being added. Plus, the two large group conference rooms will be removed and four, two-person study rooms built.

More outlets will be added to aid in charging laptops, phones, and devices.

The staff workroom behind the current Checkout Desk will be expanded while the Adult Services workroom, located at the north end, will be part of the redesigned public space.

Second Floor Plans

Click the thumbnails to enlarge.

Second Floor

The current staff workroom at the south end of the Kids & Teens Department will be removed. LittleTown and LittleShop will be relocated to this area. These learning and play areas for little ones will be enlarged and will be adjacent to each other, along with books for this age group.

The lounge space for mid-kids will generally be in the same area it is now but will be enlarged and include a gaming area. The study area for this age group will be next to it along with relevant collections.

A new teen space will be located right at the entrance to the department and will include a gaming area.

The two, current large conference rooms will remain and we’ll be adding two more conference rooms on this floor to allow for groups up to six people to meet.

The second-floor hallway, Board Room, and staff spaces on the second floor will get new carpeting.

The Youth Room in the Kids & Teens Department will be enlarged, providing an additional large space for library programs and community meetings, plus additional study space as needed.

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Building the Future

Updates

Updates

Photos

Photos

First Floor Plans

First Floor

Second Floor Plans

Second Floor