Dundee Twp. Library names new director

A new appearance isn't the only change planned for the Dundee Township Public Library.

Library board trustees on Monday appointed Roxane Bennett, 53, as director of the Dundee Township Public Library District. Bennett will replace Elisa Topper, who resigned in late 2008 after five years in the post.

"Roxane is very well-qualified and it was a unanimous decision that we wanted to hire her," Library Board President Lenore McDonald said. "She has experience working with different departments of the library and also with newer technology."

McDonald said Bennett's contract is still being negotiated.

Bennett, currently library supervisor of the Punta Gorda Public Library in Punta Gorda, Fla., grew up in the Elgin area.

As director at Dundee Township Public Library, she will oversee the day-to-day operations of the library, which serves Carpentersville. East Dundee, West Dundee, Gilberts, Sleepy Hollow and parts of Barrington and Algonquin.

"I am very excited to come home," Bennett said. "The area has some challenges in regard to library services and I am looking forward to working with the board to address those."

When Bennett begins Oct. 26, the building will have a new look.

Earlier this week, the library began a $1.8 million renovation prompted by a 2008 study that found the building at 555 Barrington Ave. in East Dundee could not accommodate current technology and that several areas did not meet local building codes.

Renovations will include extensive mechanical updates, as well as upgrades to the ventilation, and sewer systems.

The library, which has not been renovated since it was built in 1973, will pay for the renovations with cash reserves. It will continue to operate during construction, but the building is scheduled to be closed from Aug. 5 to Aug. 10 while the library moves temporarily into a trailer.