A renovation and expansion project at Carnegie Public Library will help meet the needs and wants of local patrons.

“When we first started looking into renovating we asked people what they wanted,” said Ruth Straith, director of public services for the library.

The most popular response from library patrons was more parking availability, Straith said. The expansion plans include much additional space for parking.

Another popular response was the addition of a large meeting room that could be used by the public.

“One of the biggest areas of improvement will be a large meeting room for the public that can hold up to 200 people,” said Sheryl Snyder, executive director of the library.

An additional suggestion from the public that is part of the renovation is the addition of a drive-thru return lane. This will allow patrons to drop of their rented items without having to get out of the vehicle.

“It’s not easy when you’ve got two kids in the back in car seats,” said Snyder, “and you have to get them out just to run in and return a book.”

According to Straith, the other comments from patrons were mainly that they wanted more books to be available. However, with the limited space in the library, it is difficult to bring in a lot of books at a time.

Snyder said that the best part of the expansion project will be the addition of space because it will allow for many opportunities.

“Having more space will allow us to have multiple copies of items and to host more programming,” she said.

The addition of more public space also allows the creation of a gathering area as well as a children’s craft area, said Snyder.

Additionally, with the added shelving areas, there will not be a need to use the top shelf, Straith said. This will increase the ease of use in the library for patrons.

Another part of the renovation is the inclusion of a public computer lab. Currently, the library has a few computers for public use, but the lab will expand this to holding between six and 10 computers.

“It seems you can have one computer and it’s not enough,” said Straith, “or you can have three computers, and that’s still not enough.”

In addition to the computer lab, there will also be computers available in the teen and children’s areas, said Straith.

Patrons wishing to use their own laptop computer in the library will also find the renovation project to be beneficial. Though the library currently offers wireless Internet service, it plans to make laptop use more convenient.

“One of the things will be that technology-wise, we will have the ability for someone to come in with a lap top and plug it in,” Straith said.

Currently, the library has very few, if any, open electrical outlets for laptop users to connect to.

The expansion of the library, as well as the renovations to the current part, will make the building completely compatible with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Straith said.

The building will have complete elevator access, the new restrooms will be equipped with handicap accessible stalls and all water fountains will have two sizes, allowing for access from a wheelchair.

The library project will primarily be paid for by a $7 million referendum from the city, but other funding projects are underway. The library is currently accepting donations for sponsorship of different sections of the library to area businesses and groups.

Some of the current sponsors include Mooney’ s Ford, Sav-A-Lot, Hutti’s Chiropractic Center and Hi-Cone, amongst others. According to Snyder, approximately $180,000 in donations has been collected at this point.

“Once everything is in place, there will be plaques up recognizing the substantial donations,” Straith said.

The library also sponsors fundraisers to help raise money for the project. The library recently sponsored a garden walk, which raised $1,300 to be used for landscaping purposes.

“It was very successful,” Snyder said. “We will probably do that again next year.”

This far, approximately $30,000 has been raised through fundraising. This money will be used to pay for the decor of the library rather than the construction, Snyder said.

“[The fundraising projects] keep people interested and involved,” she said. “It helps make it their library.”

Carnegie Public Library was built in 1902, and at that time, it contained only what is the main room of the library today. Since its construction, only two expansions have been done to the building until now.

In 1963, the North Room, which contains the non-fiction section, was added. Three years later, the construction on the Young People’s Area was completed. Now, 40 years after the last addition, the new expansion project will more than triple the size of the library.

The library is currently 9,000 square feet, and expansion plans call for a total area of 28,000 square feet, Snyder said. The expansion project also calls for the building to have two levels.

Once the expansion of the library is built, the staff will move the library into that section while the current part of the building will be renovated. The estimated completion date is January 2008, Snyder said.

“We’re very excited and looking forward to it,” said Snyder. “The hardest part is being patient.”

“I’m just excited that we’re getting this opportunity to expand,” said Straith. “I believe our patrons will be the people who get the full benefit from the project.”