Turning the page

This fall, the Trussville Public Library will open its doors to offer patrons more space for however they choose to use the library: studying, classes, programs, quiet readingand more.

The library’s expansion and renovation has been a multi-year project, with initial planning in 2014 with Williams Blackstock architects. Assistant Director Jason Baker said the rainy early months of 2017 slowed down some of the construction, but it kicked into high gear with the library’s closure in July. As of the end of August, Baker estimated the work was about 75 percent complete and he expected to reopen in mid-fall. 

It’s not just about doubling the library footprint at 201 Parkway Drive to roughly 25,000 square feet, but how they plan to put that space to work, Baker said. The expansion will house a 200-seat auditorium, two meeting rooms, study rooms, a boardroom, administrative offices and cataloging, as well as a bookstore for Friends of the Library.

Rather than putting programs and events in the middle of the children’s department as they have done in the past, Baker said the library will now be able to put those events in separate rooms to leave the rest of the library undisturbed. 

“They’ll really like having the programming separated from the browsing,” Baker said. “All the noise-generating activities can happen over there in the small meeting rooms or the auditorium, and the people who are in here studying, etc., can get a quieter environment.”

Having a large event space also means being able to handle crowds for their most popular programs, like summer reading.

“Most of the time we’ve had to double-book, so we’ve had to have two sessions in order to accommodate the number of people, particularly in summer reading,” Baker said. 

Moving programs and offices to the expanded area will mean that the original half of the library will have room for two walled-in computer labs and new study carrels and furniture for every area of the library. This includes a lounge area for teens, bar-style seating along the back wall of the adult section and window seating and shelves in the children’s section, which required moving the back wall of the library out about three feet, Baker said.

Putting the computers in their own rooms, instead of being part of the main collections area as they previously were, will make computer classes far easier to host.

And at the core of the library is, of course, the books. Baker said interest in downloadable books and movies is increasing, but most of their patrons still want to read a physical book. And the renovation will add about 25 percent more space to the library’s shelves.

“In a public library like ours, collection space is at a premium,” Baker said, adding that their collection is constantly revolving to keep up with tastes and new best-sellers. “Books and programming: that’s what they want, and that’s what we give them.”

While the expansion will keep the same design style of the original library — with the addition of more windows — Baker said he’s excited to see one small feature in the interior. The new carpet will be dyed to reflect the nearby Cahaba River, with a blue “river” running through the main walkway of the library with brown and green “earth” carpet tiles on either side.

In the months that the library has been closed, Baker said the staff has been working in temporary offices on new programming and policies and procedures for the many clubs and groups that gather at the library throughout the year. 

As of Cahaba Sun’s press date, a final opening date for the library had not been set, though Baker could predict that “come October, there’ll be significant progress.” 

A grand opening event will be scheduled to celebrate the major renovation, Baker said. And if there’s a book sitting on your shelf that you forgot to return before the library closed, don’t worry — the staff is extending due dates to Dec. 1 for everything currently checked out. 

Keep up with the expansion and news about the opening date at facebook.com/TrussvillePublicLibrary.