The Bloomington Public Library began a new chapter Thursday as staff along with government and business leaders held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its renovated and expanded facility.
"This successful project will further help us in our vision to enrich and inspire a diverse and evolving community," library board president Catrina Parker said during the dedication.
Before the ribbon was cut, library director Jeanne Hamilton detailed what has changed in the building.
“Those spaces include a drive-up window, expanded parking, three community meeting spaces, two large children’s programming rooms, nine group study rooms, a computer lab, an innovation lab, two recording studios, an interactive kid’s discovery zone, a calming room, a nursing nook, wider aisles and more accessible shelving,” Hamilton said.
Construction took two years, but planning for the expansion/renovation went on for nearly two decades as the library explored several options and sought the city’s financial support, which came in 2021.
“There are many people over the years who have helped get to this point,” said Bloomington mayor Mboka Mwilwambe. “From staff to board members, to donors, to advocates, to architects and contractors who executed the vision.”
The library and renovations were not just made for the community, but designed with ideas from it. According to Hamilton, community input was ingrained into the renovation process from the very beginning.
“Way back in 2015 there were community focus groups, and then along the way we continued to hear feedback from the community,” Hamilton said. “And then staff were involved, we showed them tentative designs and drafts, and they helped give ideas to add on from the things that they’re hearing day-to-day with the patrons.”
The last building additions came in the 1970s. Since then, the city’s population has doubled. According to Hamilton, the facility was designed with additional growth in mind.
“We really tried to look at the plans and make flexible designs so that as the community needs adapt, we can change our spaces,” Hamilton said. “We try to look very forward thinking, so we can adapt in the walls we do have.”
The state also contributed more than $7 million for the project through the Illinois Public Library Construction Grant program.
“For me here as a resident of Bloomington, I’ve sorta had a role in the fact that we use this library all the time,” said state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington. “I’ve been living here for 15 years now, I’ve been visiting it, getting books from it, my children have been able to come to it... In terms of what I do in my position, [it’s] Sen. [Dave] Koehler and I just making sure that we are able to get the funds from the state directed to here, which is really big, too.”
The cost of the renovations totaled about $25.4 million. The city approved $14.2 million in borrowing to be repaid over 20 years. About $3.4 million came from library reserves, and the community donated $700,000. The facility now totals 57,000 square feet.
Hamilton said the library held off on some minor features to keep the project within budget, but is prepared to add those later as funds become available.
"We were really able to include all of the spaces. There were some cuts along the way, but we tried to focus on things that could be cut later," she said.
The library, which had a soft opening in late May, has is exceeding pre-COVID attendance levels, said Hamilton.
