Nearly $1.3 million in renovation work at the Naper Blvd. Library, including the addition of a public family restroom and improvements to the staff areas, is to start this fall, Naperville Public Library Executive Director Dave Della Terza said.
Improvement plans for the 2035 S. Naper Blvd. building, which will require the temporary discontinuation of activities held in the program room, were approved this past week by the Naperville Public Library Board, Della Terza said.
“Our departments have changed sizes and tasks so some of the staff areas are just not working well,” he said. “We want to update them so staff has the space they need to produce quality work our residents have come to expect.”
The project begins in late October, when furniture and other items are relocated to make way for the start of construction in November. Work should be finished by May 2024.
During the construction, the program and study rooms will be closed and used as staff work areas and renovation staging areas, Della Terza said.
Residents will still be able to attend in-person programs at the 95th Street and Nichols libraries.
“We will have take-home craft kits and scavenger hunts throughout the library available during this time too,” Della Terza said.
Beyond that, there will be no restrictions to the library’s collections during the construction.
“We’re just really excited to get working on it and make sure that we have the space that we need,” Della Terza said.
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The Naper Boulevard library is the city’s second library. It opened in 1992 because of the rapidly growing population.
The last major renovation took place in 2014, when more than $1 million was spent to remodel the building. Work included a revamped program room and creation of a teen area with computers and a movie viewing area. The computer lab was moved into a more open space, individual work stations increased from 13 to 24, wireless upgrades were made, new electrical service added for computers and flash drives, and new LED lighting, carpeting, flooring and furniture installed.