Megan Craig, TribLocal reporter
Construction on a new section of the Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee is set to begin in mid-October, but patrons and staff are already preparing for changes in the building.
With the Oct. 14 start date looming, packing, moving and reorganizing have begun in force, said Jan Marsh, head of communications for the library.
Although the library district is only 37 years old, this will be its third major building/renovation project, Marsh said.
When the Gurnee Women’s Club decided to build the village’s first library in 1973, it was a small brick building that housed enough books for its patrons at the time. But as the town – and the library’s circulation – grew, its collection had to grow as well.
“There’s not a lot of land left to work with,” Marsh said. “We asked, did the community want a branch somewhere? They said ‘No, stay where you are.’”
So plans to add to the existing building – again – began.
Meeting rooms are in large demand, Marsh said. To accommodate the many small nonprofit groups that use the space free of charge, as well as larger groups that rent the space, the new addition will be made up mostly of meeting space. That will free up other areas of the building for more reader-focused areas.
Overall, Marsh said, the library’s circulation is up about 9 percent over last year – a common theme for libraries in communities across the country, which are “busier than ever” because of the floundering economy, she said.
“It’s free. It’s a free community center and a place for people looking for answers and entertainment,” she said.
Within the existing space, the library’s 50 computer stations will be directed to one dedicated area, with a separate computer lab for group use and another specifically for teens.
“Book Ends,” the Friends of the Library’s used book store, will move to a more prominent location toward the front of the building.
The nonfiction collection will be rearranged, and the young adult section will expand.
“We’re really just making better use of space,” Marsh said.
New self-checkout stations – an additional two, at least – will allow for a faster, easier checkout experience for some of the more than 1,500 people who walk through the library’s doors on any given day.
Patrons may be disappointed to see the Quiet Reading Room closed starting the second week in September, but the room will reopen about 10 months later, better than ever.
A new, smaller vending area will take the place of the K-Sweets Cafe, which closed in August will not re-open when construction is complete.
“It will be worth it,” Marsh said of all the moving and expanding.
Although the library won’t be closed for any extended periods of time during the building and renovation processes, it will close for a few days here and there while large bookshelves are being moved, only for public safety purposes, she said.
