Elk Grove library considers second-floor expansion

Elk Grove Village's one-floor public library could expand to a second level, creating more room for meetings, study spaces and places to read, officials said.

The library board is considering adding a new floor as it prepares to approve more than $1 million worth of construction work for a new roof.

"The idea (for a second floor) has always floated around, but since we're at this crossroads with doing the roof, this would be the time to seriously talk about it," Library Director Debra Nelson said.

The second-floor addition wouldn't cover the entire area of the existing 63,000-square-foot library, but about a quarter of that, Nelson said.

The addition could be built in the front of the building over the administrative offices, or over the circulation and technical services departments, she said.

How much an addition would cost still isn't known, but library officials are exploring that and other questions to report back to the board, which will decide if the add-on is warranted.

The board's buildings and grounds committee will meet 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, to discuss the prospects of an addition. A final decision is expected soon, since work to replace the roof is scheduled to begin this summer.

If a second floor is installed, it would mark the second time it's happened in the history of the Elk Grove library. A second-floor addition was constructed in 1977 on the previous library building at 901 Brantwood Ave. to accommodate more books and meeting room space.

The current library at 1001 Wellington Ave. opened in 1990, doubling the size of the old one.

The roof being replaced is the original one. Construction would take about a month, but the library won't close as work goes on, Nelson said.

The last major renovation project at the library took place last year, with a remodeling of the technical services area. The circulation department underwent renovations in 2007.