LIBRARY REOPENS

AFTER $18.6 MILLION RENOVATION

By Jonathan Bilyk | Photos by Shaw Media

After more than a year away from their regular environs, the team at the St. Charles Public Library in mid-July at last welcomed the public back to its transformed space for reading, learning and gathering. While retaining its ties to its deep history, the library now boasts a host of new features, designed to not only meet the needs of patrons in the 21st century, but beyond. “The biggest benefit to our community is caring for a 115-year-old building and its additions, to last 100 more years,” said St. Charles Public Library Director Edith Craig. Since March 2020, the library has operated out of Haines Middle School while its building at the corner of East Main Street and North Fifth Avenue underwent a complete renovation and minor expansion. On the outside, the library expanded its parking area and added a drive-up window, providing enhanced ease of access for patrons simply picking up or dropping off materials. At the same time, the new traffic flow design allowed the library to make pedestrian access safer, library officials said. The exterior of the building also features beautified green spaces, with “prairie, meadow and river plantings,” Craig said, and a sunken terrace garden with outdoor seating. Inside the building, patrons will find more inviting and welcoming spaces, Craig said. Throughout the library, visitors will find improved seating areas for people of all ages and physical abilities. The main floor, for instance, has been rearranged to allow for a “grand reading room.” The youth services area in the library’s lower level will offer young users “more interactive play, more study spaces, and more places to meet up with groups,” Craig said. The library has dedicated a room specifically for teens to find space “to game, study and collaborate.” All users will now have access to what the library calls its STC Creative “maker space.” Modeled after similar spaces at other public libraries in the Chicago area and beyond, STC Creative will offer library users access to an array of technology and tools to aid in the creation of both digital and physical media. For instance, the space will offer access to a sound studio for podcasting and other digital projects, while also giving access to such tools as a laser cutter, 3D printers and a heat press, among other tools. But perhaps the most important aspects of the transformation may be seen and felt from improvements to the library’s physical infrastructure.

The library now boasts an abundance of natural light on all three levels, and efficient LED lighting throughout the facility. The HVAC system was overhauled, increasing the library’s fresh air intake by 30%, a key to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne pathogens. Accessibility was also boosted throughout the facility, Craig said, with more ramps; an elevator that reaches all three floors; and more handicapped-accessible parking spaces and seating. The project, Craig said, was further designed with technology at its core, including improved access to user technology throughout the library, and a new radio frequency identification system to allow near instantaneous check-in for returned materials.

The $18.6 million project is the result of more than a decade of planning and preparation. About 72% of funding came from money the library has saved through the years. The remainder, about $5 million, was raised through a bond sale in 2019. The project was designed by Donald J. McKay and Eric Penney of Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects. SMC Construction managed the construction work, overseeing more than 50 different contractors.

To see library hours and information, visit www.scpld.org.