St. Charles library begins moving to temporary location at Haines
In preparation of an $18.6 million expansion and renovation, the St. Charles Public Library has begun moving its collection to a temporary home across town.
Roughly 238,210 books and 66,000 audiovisual items are being packed up and taken to the former Haines Middle School at 305 S. Ninth St., where the library is renting space during its more than yearlong construction project.
Plans for the library headquarters at 1 S. Sixth Ave. call for modernizing and reconfiguring the entire property, including the parking lot and an adjacent church site.
But before contractors can begin gutting the building next month, all staff members, materials, bookshelves and furniture must be relocated, Director Edith Craig said.
The library shut down Monday to accommodate the move and is expected to reopen April 6 at the St. Charles Unit District 303 facility. All services and collection items will be available - but not in the way most patrons are used to, Craig said.
Bestsellers, new releases and other popular items will still be kept on the floor for browsing purposes, she said, but a majority of the materials will be kept behind the scenes and only called up as visitors check them out.
The Haines site will have a computer lab, as well as some space for small-scale gatherings and internal meetings, Craig said. However, most programming will take place elsewhere in the community, including local businesses, other school district buildings and park district facilities.
The library expects to operate for 12 to 14 months out of the Haines building, parts of which are being repurposed by District 303. It'll then close for another three to four weeks to move back into its Sixth Avenue facility, Craig said.
The lease agreement with District 303 allows the library to stay in its temporary location for $22,822 per month. The deal, in effect through May 31, 2021, results in a significant cost savings for the library, which would have had to otherwise rent retail space or continue operating around construction, Craig said.
The latter option would have required the project to be broken into multiple phases, leading to more frequent closures and extending the construction timeline to at least two years, she said.
"That's the beauty of having the benefit of moving out of the building," Craig said. "We're very thankful to District 303 for the opportunity."
In addition to infrastructure improvements, the library project includes creating a new entrance, a drive-up window, a makerspace, a teen room and additional meeting and study rooms. An updated children's area will look out to a new sunken terraced garden, officials said, and the main floor will be rearranged to create a "grand reading room" with fireplaces, tables and furniture.
The historic Carnegie Library, originally constructed in 1908, also will be incorporated into the renovation as a quiet research area.
Parts of Walnut and Sixth avenues will be shut down to create a "neighborhood campus" with better pedestrian access, more parking and an efficient traffic flow.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 5. The event, which is open to the public, will include family-friendly activities and remarks by city and library officials, Craig said.
In the meantime, patrons can access library resources online, place a hold on materials and pick them up at other libraries in the SWAN consortium. A list of participating facilities can be found on the SWAN Library Services website.
St. Charles library staff members will continue monitoring the main phone line at (630) 584-0076 during regular hours.
• Daily Herald photographer Brian Hill contributed to this report.