New year to bring like-new library to Eola Road

Patrons visiting Aurora's Eola Road branch Library on Jan. 2 will be greeted with a new look for the new year.

Main library coordinator Elizabeth Bumgarner says the library is preparing for a $100,000 interior renovation project scheduled for between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2 to give the 15-year-old facility at 555 S. Eola Road a "more sophisticated look" and a "more familiar feel."

Beginning in late December, crews will begin disassembling and moving the current circulation desk away from the main entrance and putting it off to the side. A much smaller welcome kiosk and self-checkout stations will be added.

"We have about 50,000 patrons checking out 50,000 items a month so we have a lot of traffic, most of it moms and children," Bumgarner said. "So we're giving them an unobstructed entry into the library and a more comfortable area to move around in. It will be a better situation for everyone involved."

The youth services department, which encompasses much of the first floor, also will be reconfigured with a new angled shelving system that will make materials more accessible to patrons and patrons more accessible to library staff.

"Right now, everything is in a maze of shelves and our staff cannot easily see patrons in the aisles if they need help and patrons cannot easily see us at the desk either," Bumgarner said. "The new configuration will make it easier for everyone to see everything."

Behind the scenes, several new work areas and cubicles will be constructed for the growing staff.

"I think everyone will be very surprised at all that has changed when they come back for the first time after Jan. 2," Bumgarner said. "The behind the scenes stuff won't mean much to them, but the rest will be eye-opening."

The library, except for the computer lab and the study rooms, will be closed Dec. 24 through Jan. 1. The computer lab will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 26 through 31.

Materials will not be available for checkout at the Eola Road branch. Materials may still be returned to through the parking lot, patio, or hallway book drops, which will be checked throughout the construction period.