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Dreaming of the Future: What the Future Holds for Our Community’s Library Building
Background and History:
The Library moved into its current building on Highway 150 in 2010. In 2007, as part of the planning for this building, a consultant advised the Library Board of Trustees that, based on the population and expected growth, a building of 26,000 square feet was needed. The initial plan presented to the community was for a building of that size, but in the end, the taxpayers approved funding for a 13,300 square foot building. That is the building you see today.
While the building is a beautiful structure, which has held up well in its first 15 years, population growth and the heavy usage of the building have made expansion necessary. Some of the issues we’ve experienced include:
- The children’s area is jam-packed with kids and their adults, especially after programs.
- Demand for the meeting room and study room far exceeds the capacity of our existing rooms.
- We do not have sufficient quiet spaces for those wanting to work or study.
- Library shelves are filled to capacity and the total size of our physical collections barely exceeds the minimum amount for our population size, according to state standards.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, library users showed enthusiasm for programming held outdoors. Unfortunately, we have little shade for such events.
Planning for the Future:
In 2019, the Board of Trustees and staff began a wide-ranging process to determine the greatest needs for a library building designed to grow with the community over the next 20+ years. A fourfold plan came out of several meetings with a library consultant and architects, including:
- A new Children’s Library with a dedicated Teen Space
- A large, dividable Community Room for library programming and community use
- A covered Outdoor Patio/Program Space for library programming and community use
- Future expansion of the Adults Stacks and Teen Space, including additional study rooms. This portion of the project will be built later.
Areas in grey indicate existing Library; White areas indicate new spaces
New Children’s Library and DEDICATED Teen Space
The largest and most prominent part of the expansion will be a new 7200 sq. ft. Children’s Library with a dedicated Teen Room. The children’s area is the most heavily used, and most crowded area, in our existing Library. The new space will have more room for children to read and participate in activities, and a glass wall will separate this area from the main body of the Library to help reduce sound in the rest of the Library. This space will take up a new wing located north of the existing children’s area.
Dedicated Teen Room
Libraries across the country have found that making a dedicated space especially for teens makes it far more likely that teens will use the library. We want our community’s teens to know that we welcome them and that we have a friendly space for them to use.
The portion of the main Library where our Teen Space currently sits will be redesigned to offer a second study room. This study room will be open to the whole community.
Large, Dividable community Room
The Edgar Room, our only community room and programming space, is booked daily for library programs and public use, often hosting multiple events in a single day. The addition of a significantly larger community room that can be subdivided into two rooms, will double the number of groups we can serve.
The area that is currently the Edgar Room will become a social space for the community – a warm and welcoming room with comfortable chairs and lots of sunlight where the public can visit or have informal gatherings such as bible studies or book clubs. This room will also offer a place to eat and drink while being productive.
Patio and outdoor programming space
One lesson we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is that our patrons really enjoy outdoor programming during warm weather months. Unfortunately, the Library just doesn’t have any shade to offer protection from the sun during these events. A covered outdoor patio will provide space for programs, concerts, and even studying or working outdoors.
future addition: expansion of adult stacks and teen space
This portion of the project is expected to take place at some point in the future, as funding allows. This phase includes an expansion of the adult collection space, seven new 1-2 person study rooms along the eastern wall, and an expansion of the teen area to include additional study space for teens.
expected cost and funding
For several years, the Library has been seeking funding through the Public Library Construction Grant Act program of the State of Illinois. Although the Library has qualified for a grant every year, the program itself has not been funded by the state legislature. At this point, it is uncertain that grant money will become available anytime in the near future, and the Board of Trustees has decided to move forward by seeking local funding.
Library staff and Board have taken the following steps to ensure that the Library can complete the expansion, maintain the entire facility and cover operating expenses while keeping a solid financial foundation:
- An architect and engineer assessed the current facility and created a 20-year capital needs assessment, projecting all expected repairs and maintenance costs.
- A financial consultant worked with library staff to create a 20-year financial plan with projected revenues and operating expenses.
- The library’s architect re-estimated the cost of the expansion itself with the most recent data available and assuming that construction begins in 2027.
The total cost of the library expansion, including ten years of projected repairs and maintenance on the existing building, is estimated to be $10,550,000. The Board of Trustees has committed to finding the first 15% ($1,625,000) of these costs through a combination of library reserves, voluntary donations from the community and grants.
The remainder of the costs would depend on passing a bond referendum in March 2026, asking for bonds in the amount of $8,925,000. Payments on these bond would begin immediately after the retirement of bonds on the existing library to minimize the increase in taxes. Current estimate of the impact on taxes is $5.33/month on a $300,000 house.
moving forward
Assuming the community passes the public referendum in March 2026, we expect to break ground in the spring of 2027 and move into the new portion in time for summer 2028 programming.
For more information, or if you would like to help, please reach out to John Howard, Library Director (director@mahometpubliclibrary.org) or Susie Baker, Board of Board of Trustees President (sbaker@mahometpubliclibrary.org).