Library Renovations

Update: Feb. 23

Phase 3 is well underway and moving along smoothly! We’re right on schedule to finish this phase of the renovation in early April.

Demotion of the Phase 3 area is complete and construction crews are now framing walls, hanging drywall and painting. Tile is being added to the outside walls of the elevator shaft and a gorgeous acoustical ceiling grid is being installed in the main atrium area of the 2nd floor.

Construction crews also finished up some final touches in the Phase 1 and 2 areas recently. This includes everything from paint touch ups, to addressing sound dampening in the Study Rooms, to adjusting the large folding glass door between Teen and the Program Room, and more.

While Phase 3 is the final phase of our 2nd floor renovation, we do have an elevator modernization project that will take place as soon as this phase is complete. This will take our public elevator out of service for a while. The public stairs will be back open while this work is done, and we’ll offer accommodations for anyone who requires use of an elevator.

We’re so excited to be nearing the end of this renovation and can’t wait for you to see the beautiful final product on our 2nd floor. Be sure to stay tuned for final renovation details, and more information about the elevator modernization and how that will temporarily affect access to our 2nd floor.

Update: Jan. 15

As demolition for Phase 3 of our renovation begins, we are blocking off some parking spaces along the southern end of the west side of our Central Library to accommodate a dumpster. The accessible parking spots usually in this area have been temporarily relocated to the northern end of the west side of the building. We anticipate this change to parking spaces lasting for 2-3 weeks. Thank you, as always, for your continued patience.

Update: Jan. 9

Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 10, the stairs to the second floor of the Central Library will be closed for Phase 3 of the renovation. (We anticipate Phase 3 wrapping up in early April.) During this time, to access the second floor, you’ll need to use the elevator. We know this may be an inconvenience for some and appreciate your patience.

Update: Jan. 2

The third and final phase of our renovation is just days away!

Phase 3 will include construction crews erecting more temporary walls as they work on the main atrium as well as rooms and spaces along the west side of the 2nd floor.

Here are services we anticipate being unavailable during Phase 2:

• We’re still putting the finishing touches on newly created areas like Teen, Tech Lab, Innovation Hub and new restrooms. We’ll work to make some of these spaces available as we can, but they’ll most likely not be available until the project is complete in the spring.
• The stairs and elevator will have intermittent availability. We’ll be sure to post directional signs to help you access our 2nd floor during these times.
• The 2nd floor service desk will be temporarily located north of the stairs and elevator. (Make a complete U-turn once you’re on the 2nd floor.)
• The newly created Local History Room will continue to serve as a temporary space for teens.
• The Adult Classroom and Rasmussen North will continue to serve as temporary workspaces for some staff members. We still have a full slate of programs planned, we’re just utilizing other meeting room spaces, our branch locations and taking advantage of the still very popular online program option.
• The existing 2nd floor restrooms will have intermittent availability. The 1st floor restrooms will be available throughout the project.

Thank you for your continued patience throughout this project. We know it’s challenging to find what you’re looking for and to use our spaces while we’re renovating, so we truly appreciate your support.

You can always keep an eye on the progress of our renovation with our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook.

Update: Dec. 12

Work on Phase 2 of our renovation project is winding down and we’re on track to begin Phase 3 just after the new year.

We’re excited to announce that our Study Rooms are now available for use.

• You can reserve a Study Room for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours.
• You can view room availability and make reservations from tablets stationed next to each Study Room door. You can also reserve online, or with our staff in-person or over the phone.
• When you reserve a Study Room, you’ll receive a unique door code. This grants you access to your specific room throughout your reservation time. This means, if you want, you could leave your items locked in your Study Room while you use the restroom or find materials, and then let yourself back into your room.
• The large screens with connecting cables are ready to use, and whiteboards will be installed soon.

We’re also working to install special shelving that will make portions of our non-fiction more browsable. This means some of the books will be moving again. Thank you for your continued patience. We know it’s a challenge when some books are unavailable, or you can’t quite find what you’re looking for. Please ask a staff member whenever you need assistance.

Stay tuned for an update about Phase 3 soon, so you’ll know what to expect as we transition to the final phase of this renovation project. As always, you can see the progress of Phase 2 by peeking through the windows in the temporary wall, or by flipping through our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook.

Update: Nov. 10

Our 2nd floor renovation continues to run on schedule and on budget. This means we’ll be starting work on Phase 3 of the project right after the new year, while wrapping up work in the Phase 2 area.

We’re working hard behind the scenes to make the new study rooms available to you. We know these are in high demand and we’re excited to open them up as soon as we can – hopefully within the next month.

We appreciate your continued patience throughout this renovation. Be sure to check in on the progress of Phase 2 by peeking through the windows in the temporary wall, or by flipping through our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook.

Update: Oct. 30

Progress continues on the renovation of our Central Library’s 2nd floor:

• The temporary walls on the 1st floor (needed to cut through the ceiling to work on plumbing for new restrooms) will come down this week.
• Additional lighting was installed in the Phase 1 area, near open seating areas.
• New computer tables will be installed in the Phase 1 area this week.
• Work in the Phase 2 area is right on track: construction crews are wrapping up framing and have begun hanging drywall.

Overall, the project remains on schedule and on budget. We’re hopeful that the project will be done, as planned, in April 2024, and can’t wait for all the amenities we’ll have available for you.

As always, you can view photos from the renovation in our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook.

Update: Oct. 11, 2023

Take a peek through the windows in the temporary wall and you’ll see lots of progress in Phase 2 of our renovation! Demolition is complete and constructions crews are framing walls for our new tech lab and media studios, as well as spaces for staff offices.

You’ll also notice temporary walls on our first floor, across from the checkout desks. This is so crews can cut through the ceiling to work on plumbing for the new, additional restrooms that will be located closer to the top of the stairs and elevator.

Be sure to take a look at our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook to stay up to date on all the progress being made!

Update: Sept. 12, 2023

Phase 2 of our renovation has officially begun! There is another temporary wall on the 2nd floor of our Central Library, this one running east to west, blocking off the southern part of the floor. A fun new feature for this phase is the addition of windows in the wall, looking into the construction zone! Now you can stop by and peek in on the progress anytime.

We’re putting some finishing touches on the area we worked on during Phase 1 and then that area will be open for you to use! Not all services will be available quite yet, but here’s what you’ll find in that newly renovated space when we open it up later this week:

• Our nonfiction collection
• Public computers
• Open seating at tables
• Print/copy/scan/fax stations
• Microfilm reader
• Teen area – temporarily located inside the new Local History Room

Study rooms 1-3 (near the public desk) remain available for all ages, and we hope to make some of the new study rooms available to use sometime during Phase 2.

So what, exactly, are we working on in Phase 2? We’ll be creating and updating a lot of spaces during this phase, including an innovation center, a teen area, a program room and a technology center, plus adding more restrooms and reconfiguring and updating staff workspaces.

Wondering how things look? Stop by or view our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook to see all the progress that’s been made recently.

Update: Sept. 5, 2023

Our renovation continues to run on schedule, which means we’ll be starting Phase 2 of our project later this week!

As we transition to work on a new area of our Central Library’s 2nd floor, we’ll be moving our public computers. These computers are scheduled to be unavailable for use on Wednesday, Sept. 6, and possibly into the morning of Thursday, Sept. 7. A limited supply of laptops will be available to use inside the Library. You can also use your own device on our first floor (you can even print, scan or fax from your device to our print stations!) or visit our branches in Hanover Park and Hoffman Estates for access to public computers on these days.

Additionally, some finishing touches are being made to the new Local History room. We plan to use this as a temporary space for our teens and hope to have that available to you around Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Be sure to take a look at the 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook to see all the progress that’s been made recently.

Update: Aug. 31, 2023

Our books are on the move! Our nonfiction collection shelves are being moved to their new, permanent home on the 2nd floor. While this is an exciting milestone in our renovation, it does mean these items will be unavailable for you to browse now through Wednesday, Sept. 6. Please ask a staff member for assistance retrieving an item, or if you know a specific item you’d like to borrow, please place a hold through our catalog and we’ll notify you as soon as it’s ready to pick up.

In just a few more days, you’ll be able to step inside parts of this newly renovated area to see first-hand just how great it looks!

Update: Aug. 21, 2023

One of the keys to a successful renovation: flexibility!

We took another look at how we're utilizing spaces during the fast-approaching Phase 2 of our renovation, and identified some changes we can make so we can better serve our teens during this phase.

Now, during Phase 2 (Sept. 7, 2023 - Jan. 9, 2024), our new Local History Room will be a temporary Teen Place, including a desk for our Teen staff; some tables and chairs for teens to study, work and hang out; a small book display; the Makertable; the supplies cart; and a dry erase board.

Our new Study Rooms will serve as temporary workspaces for our Teen and Tech Learning teams, and will also house some equipment and supplies, like our 3D printer.

For a complete overview of other changes coming with Phase 2, please refer to the update below, posted on August 9.

Major kudos to all staff in our Teen, Maintenance/Facilities, Tech Learning and IT teams for taking a closer look at this and taking action to make these changes!

Update: Aug. 9, 2023

The renovation of the 2nd floor of our Central Library is moving along right on schedule! The walls are up and painted for our new Study Rooms and Local History room, and electricity is in place for public computers plus plenty of outlets and charging stations so you can use your own devices. Soon, construction crews will be working on the flooring and ceiling as the area currently under construction will once again be home to our nonfiction collections.

We’re now just one month away from ending Phase 1 of this project, so we’re getting ready to transition to Phase 2!

Phase 2 is Sept. 7, 2023 – Jan. 9, 2024. We anticipate more open seating on the 2nd floor and the nonfiction collection being relocated to its permanent new home. Also, we’ve affectionately nicknamed our temporary 2nd floor public assistance desk “Mega Desk” as you’ll find reference, teen, tech and public assistance staff all working from this one desk at the top of the stairs and elevator!

Here are services we anticipate being unavailable during Phase 2:

• Study rooms 4-9
• Study rooms 1-3 will remain available for all ages. We also have study rooms at our branch locations you can use. (The new study rooms will be completed but will be serving as temporary workspaces for staff as staff offices are renovated and relocated.)
• Some public computers and print/copy/scan stations.
  • You can head to, you guessed it, our branches for computers and all your printing/copying scanning needs! We also have a print/copy/scan station on the first floor of our Central Library.
• Adult Classroom, Rasmussen North and Local History Room
• These will be temporary workspaces for some staff members. We still have a full slate of programs planned for this time, we’re just utilizing other meeting room spaces and taking advantage of the still very popular online program option.
• Teen Place
• Teen staff will still be available to assist teens, and our teen collection will still be available, there's just no special space for teens to work, study and hang out during this time. We do still have a calendar full of teen programs planned as well, using other spaces in our buildings.
• Digital Production Studio and Computer Lab
• Please check in with our tech learning staff (you can find them at Mega Desk!) for any questions you have about available technology during this time. We’re looking forward to updated digital studio spaces when the renovation is complete!

Be sure to head to our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook to check out all the progress that’s been made recently.

Update: July 7, 2023

Construction crews have been working hard over the last month! Demolition is complete for the Phase 1 area of the project (the northeast corner of the 2nd floor) and workers have been running data and electricity lines and updating heating and cooling needs. They’re also building walls for our new local history room and study rooms!

Within the next month, the Rasmussen Room will be transitioned to a temporary workspace for staff members in preparation for Phase 2 of the project, where we’ll be working on some staff-only areas in addition to more public areas along the east and southeast side of the 2nd floor. We still have a full slate of programs planned, we’re just utilizing other meeting room spaces and taking advantage of the still very popular online program option.

Keep an eye on the progress with our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook.

Update: June 9, 2023

Our entire non-fiction collection has been moved to its temporary location on our second floor! We anticipate the shelves to be in this location until just after Labor Day.

And demolition is underway. Temporary walls are in place to help contain dust, debris and noise. Construction crews are currently working on the area that, once the renovation is complete, will include the study rooms, local history room and our entire non-fiction collection, plus some seating and public computers.

Thanks for your patience with us, especially as we moved our shelves. We know it can be frustrating when things aren’t what you expect them to be, and our second floor is definitely looking different these days. You can always ask us for help – in fact, our service desk is now right at the top of the stairs and elevator, so staff members are easy to find.

Be sure to check out our 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on Facebook to track the progress of the project.

Update: June 1, 2023

We now have a 2nd Floor Renovation 2023 photo album on our Facebook page. Check this album for regular photo updates so you can see the progress of the project. (You do not need a Facebook account to view these photos.)

Update: May 22, 2023

Starting this week, you’ll notice we’re moving items in our nonfiction and reference collections on the 2nd floor as we prepare for the renovation. If you need help locating an item, please just ask.

Next week, after Memorial Day, we’ll be moving the shelves on our 2nd floor to temporary locations around the 2nd floor. During this time, for about 10 days, you may not be able to browse these collections, but our staff will be able to retrieve items for you. If you know in advance any items you want or need, we recommend placing them on hold so our staff can get those items for you and bring them to your preferred pick-up location.

Demolition is scheduled to begin on June 7. Crews will begin their work at 6 a.m. and will try to get noisier work done before we open at 9 a.m., but this will definitely be a noisier time at our Library. If you need quiet space to work, study or read, please visit our Hanover Park or Hoffman Estates branches.

Update: May 10, 2023

Things are happening! Some of our staff are preparing to move to temporary workspaces as early as next week. We’re still set for a June 1 start date with our construction company. The first things you’ll notice right away in the beginning of June include:

• Some temporary walls on the 2nd floor to cordon off areas under renovation.
• Shelving units moved into temporary locations on the 2nd floor as we work to keep as much of our collection accessible to you as possible.
• A trash chute from the 2nd floor down to the parking lot at the north end of the building.

As work gets underway, we’ll do our best to direct you with signage, but always feel free to ask us for what you’re looking for – we're here to help.

Update: May 1, 2023

We are officially one month away from the start of our renovation! Over the next couple of weeks, you may notice a little activity at the north end of the second floor as we begin to prepare some areas for construction.

This renovation project is divided into three phases. Ahead of each phase we’ll post an update here with which services may be temporarily unavailable. We’re working hard to minimize disruptions to you, but it is a renovation and so there will be some temporary inconveniences.

Phase 1 is June 1 – Sept. 6, 2023. Here are services we anticipate being unavailable during that time:

• Most open seating on the second floor
• We have lots of open seating on our first floor, or you can take advantage of our Hanover Park and Hoffman Estates Branches for places to work, read or study.

• Study rooms 4-6
• Study rooms 1-3 and 7-9 will remain available. We also have study rooms at our branch locations you can use.

• Some public computers and print/copy/scan stations
• You can head to, you guessed it, our branches for computers and all your printing/copying scanning needs! We also have a print/copy/scan station on the first floor of our Central Library.

• Adult Classroom
• This will be a temporary workspace for some staff members. We still have a full slate of programs planned for this time, we’re just utilizing other meeting room spaces and taking advantage of the still very popular online program option.

• Computer Assistance Desk
• Our Computer Assistance team will be available, working out of their office located next to the Computer Lab.

Update: March 30, 2023

After meeting with our construction management company earlier this week, we have decided to push the start date of our Central Library’s second floor to June 1, 2023.

Why the change in start date? There are two main reasons:

• Being good financial stewards of your tax dollars is a top priority. When some bids for work on the project came in higher than expected, we had to take some steps to ensure we keep this renovation on budget. After a re-bid process and a conversation with our construction management company, we're right on track to stick to the budget.
• Supply chain slowdowns are still happening. As our construction management company looks at availability of and lead time to receive materials for the renovation, they felt it best to delay for a month. They could certainly start demolition on time, but then spaces would remain construction zones for longer periods of time as we waited for materials to arrive to finish those areas.

We anticipate the project will be completed in June 2024.

Update: March 3, 2023

One of our favorite parts of the renovation planning process: seeing the architect’s renderings! These computer-generated images give us an idea of what our second floor will look like once the renovation is complete. While some of the colors and finishes might not be exactly what we’ll see in the end, this will help you know what to expect. Use the orange arrows to flip through the renderings and join us in getting excited about all these wonderful new features coming to our Library!

Update: Feb. 13, 2023

As we prepare for our second floor renovations, requests for use of our meeting rooms will be affected. Right now, our meeting rooms are available to community nonprofit groups and requests may be made up to 90 days in advance (with a minimum of 3 business days of advance notice). Our Meeting Room Policy and request system will remain in effect through July 15, 2023.

Beginning May 1, the Adult Classroom will be unavailable for public use. Beginning July 16, both the Adult Classroom and Rasmussen Room will be unavailable for public use. Reopening of meeting room requests is still TBD but we hope to resume room requests in late February 2024.

So, for now, request away! Please just be aware of the limited availability of these rooms in the coming months.

Update: Jan. 27, 2023

If you’re thinking, “Again? Another renovation?” We hear you. We did just wrap up a renovation of a portion of our Central Library’s first floor in the fall of 2020. While that project completed the work of updating the first floor, the second floor has not seen much change since the building opened in 1998.

Due to the size of our Library, we split our renovation projects into phases to be sure we can continue to serve you while also improving our facilities. All these projects are part of an architectural master plan for our building that looks to accommodate the changing ways you use our Library.

It’s important to remember that our Central Library is about 25 years old! And we’re fortunate to have a well-loved Library that gets a lot of usage, and that just means we need to make some updates from time to time, to keep things in good working order for you. And we also want to be sure we’re keeping up with the times and offering you all the things you want and need from your Library.

The renovation is scheduled to begin in May 2023 and we anticipate it taking a full year to complete all the work. We’ve once again partnered with Product Architecture + Design for this renovation – check out some of their work.

And if you’re wondering how we’re funding this project, the answer is through excellent financial stewardship. Thanks to the guidance of our Board of Trustees, we’ve been planning for this renovation and accumulating reserve funds, allowing us to complete renovation projects like this without any additional financial impact to you or our community.