What will librarians of the future think?

With continuing advancements in technology, what role will public libraries play half a century from now?

The same as they do today, providing free access to literature and information, officials from the St. Charles Public Library said Sunday.

"The objective is to be a place of knowledge," long-time St. Charles Library Board member Norm Huntley said. "The library's role is to be a protector of our right to free speech. I don't think that will ever change."

Library staff members Sunday displayed the contents of a time capsule that will be buried in the front lawn, for excavation upon the library's sesquicentennial in 2056.

"We just want people to get a taste or flavor of what the library was like," said Vickie McFarland of the library's circulation staff, pointing to a books-on-tape selection, a compact disc and a book.

The library provides patrons with computers they can use at the library building, and with special library databases they can access from their home computers, McFarland said.

Yet, she believes the printed book will survive.

"People really like to hold a book in their hands and turn the pages," McFarland said.

A binder filled with information, letters from residents and artifacts from the library is the most significant item to be placed into a vault about a foot square, composed of a man-made substance similar to marble.

Library staffers made an effort to have the time capsule reflect current events. In addition to copies of newspapers, the book included is a copy of Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth."

The St. Charles Public Library was established in 1906 and the original building was constructed in 1908 -- a gift from the Carnegie Foundation. The structure still stands, flanked by additions.

The library was under the control of the St. Charles Township government until 1979, when voters approved the formation of the library district, library Director Diana Brown said.

The library district serves about 45,000 residents. That number is projected to rise to 75,000 by 2027.

The last addition was built after voters approved a referendum in 1988, Huntley said, suggesting that the library will need to expand again.

"The building is being stretched to its limits," he said.