The North Lake County Library will start the New Year moving forward with a major renovation project. The library’s board of trustees recently selected Martel Construction to oversee the $2 million project, and director Abbi Dooley is optimistic construction could start in March.

The library was built in 1988 by the City of Polson, and also housed the Sandpiper Gallery, which has since relocated to Main Street.

Plans to remodel the structure were first hatched about 15 years ago. “Then the recession hit and changed everyone’s perspective,” says Dooley.

Instead, her predecessor, Marilyn Trosper, decided to champion the creation of a library district, with the ability to levy up to 11.14 mills a year to help support library operations with a more reliable funding stream.

When Dooley became director in 2018, the board and library foundation again revisited renovation plans. The four-year fundraising process, punctuated by a pandemic, is now close enough to the finish line to push forward with the project.

The renovation brings the 20th century library into the 21st century, with many amenities that will suit a more tech-savvy audience.

“The way libraries are moving I think we’ll always have books for as long as people still want them, but with this renovation we’re pushing toward that community hub … a gathering place for everyone in the community,” says Dooley.

Plans, developed by Helena-based Mosaic Architecture, call for a new entryway on the east side of the building, which will bring patrons into the former gallery space with its northeast-facing wall of windows.

The entrance area will include a processing room for returned items, the large-print section, a coffee kiosk and comfy seating area with an electric fireplace, and a new maker space equipped with the library’s 3-D printer.

The new entrance will be at grade level, eliminating the ramp that currently leads into the library and can pose accessibility challenges, especially for people in wheel chairs or with mobility issues.

The former entryway will be leveled out and integrated into the larger library and will house the nonfiction section. The new configuration will include study/meeting rooms, a special section for teens, and more computers.

The popular seating corner overlooking the lake will get new windows and a major facelift, while the children’s section will almost double in size and gain a pirate-ship play area. A gated infant and toddler nook will help keep the little ones corralled.

The restrooms and staff work space are also in line for significant improvements. The meeting room will occupy the same space but get freshened up with new paint and flooring and better technology.

Safety, accessibility, technology

According to Dooley, the most important aspects of the renovation are improvements to accessibility and safety. The building was constructed prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and everything from the entrance ramp to restrooms to space between bookshelves can prove daunting for patrons in wheelchairs.

“It’s really important to make sure everyone can literally get in the library,” she says.

Ensuring the safety of staff and patrons is also a consideration. “The way the building is configured now, we don’t know when people come through our door, we don’t know if they’re here, if they’re in the restrooms, or hanging out in the foyer,” Dooley says. “Often when there’s a problem, we don’t find out until much later.”

Dooley says the emphasis on technology reflects changes in how people use their local library.

“Prior to the internet being widely available in homes, people would come here to do research,” she says. “I did, as a high schooler.”

Now, many users come in to use computers and access the internet, whether it’s to research a topic for school, fill out job applications, type up resumes, check social media or print tax forms.

“Books have not gone away,” Dooley adds. “There are still a lot of people, younger people included, who prefer a book in their hand.”

And for those who don’t, the library offers digital books, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, and even a free streaming service. “We have so many free things that people don’t know about.”

Offerings also include wi-fi, technology classes, children’s programming, a copy/fax machine, and study rooms for those need a quiet space or a private setting to connect to a Zoom meeting or conference call.

The library employs six full-time and four part-time workers to serve approximately 6,000 cardholders and sees between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors a month.

Trustees selected Martel Construction from among four candidates for the project “for their overall approach to the project and their subcontractor bidding process,” says Dooley. The firm will bid the project this winter and anticipates starting construction in March with the goal of completing the library in September or October.

Take a box of books

Dooley says the library is currently looking for temporary lodgings during the construction phase to make the transition easier on employees, patrons and builders. But if they can’t find a place to temporarily relocate, plan B calls for building out the new entrance area, and then condensing library operations in the meeting room while the rest of the project is completed.

“Our goal is to not have to be closed, to be open somewhere, somehow for library services during the renovation,” Dooley says.

Readers can help by borrowing books – lots of them – and keeping them until the library reopens in its revamped space. “We’re hoping the public will come, take a box of books for the library, and hang on to it,” says Dooley. “It’s a great opportunity to grab a whole series. The more people who will do that for us, the less we’ll have to pack.”

Plans are on display in the library. To donate to the Next Chapter Capital Campaign, visit the North Lake County Library Foundation’s website at www.polsonlibraryfoundation.org.