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New furniture, lighting part of West Chicago Library's $400,000 renovation

Renovations have begun at the West Chicago Library with an eye toward brightening the 23-year-old building, improving wireless Internet access and creating new areas for patrons to use mobile technology.

Director Benjamin Weseloh said officials have been discussing improvements to the library for years.

"The library was built in 1993," he said. "It was not built for much flexibility. Back then, when you think about it, the Internet was not even that big of an issue."

In recent years, the lack of accommodations for electronic devices has resulted in visitors sitting on the floor so their devices could reach an outlet or stretching power cords in ways that posed a tripping hazard to others.

Library officials realized there were ways the building could be reconfigured and redesigned to help accommodate the needs and wants they were observing from patrons, including more power outlets, faster Internet, more gathering spaces, a new study room and updated technology.

The West Chicago Public Library District Foundation covered the cost of a new wireless system that was installed in the fall. Weseloh said officials knew that change was needed as soon as possible, after West Chicago High School District 94 started distributing Chromebooks to all students.

Other renovations, which are being paid with about $400,000 from the library's reserves, are expected to be complete in March. An open house celebrating the work will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 15.

Reference stacks already have been removed and replaced with computers from the library's Internet lab, which is being turned into a large study room that can accommodate 10 to 12 people. A large reference desk also has been eliminated from adult services to create more space.

"We've created this environment now where it's a much more open floor plan," Weseloh said.

In February, new furniture will be delivered to the library, including chairs with large arms that patrons can rest their laptops on. New TVs with news feeds are now scattered throughout the building and a high counter will be installed in the alcove under the stairs, providing patrons another place to plug in their devices.

In addition, new LED lighting is being installed in the lobby and other sections of the library and youth services now have bright, new flooring. There are plans to put improved seating, a SMART Board for programming and a gaming area in youth services in the coming weeks.

"How we serve people and what they want here is completely changing from what it was," Weseloh said. "They want to pull up chairs and meet as a group. People come here to interview for jobs, tutors come here. There are a lot of different reasons they use us. If you haven't been here for a while, you ought to try it, because there are a lot of good things going here."

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