South Elgin library welcomes guests back after expansion: ‘Now it feels like the home library’

Bigger, brighter and with more services for children and adults, the South Elgin Branch of the Gail Borden Library reopened Saturday after an eight-month expansion and renovation.

“It really does feel now that this is the library for South Elgin, whereas before, it always felt like a satellite location to the bigger district,” said Danny Rice, Director of Branch Library Services. “Now it feels like the home library for the community.”

The size of the library at 127 S. McLean Blvd. has tripled from 4,300 square feet to roughly 12,000 square feet.

The library held a grand reopening celebration Saturday with a ribbon cutting, prizes, live music, crafts, a scavenger hunt and more.

Additions to the library include a dedicated children’s section with a bigger collection, a play area, a baby garden and a separate room for programming.

Adults and teens will also find a bigger collection, a business center, and a laptop dispenser where you can check out a laptop for use in the library. In addition, there are more study rooms, including two-person study pods.

The Hoffer meeting room, which is used for larger programs, classes and concerts, has been expanded.

Stacy Rausch, division chief of community services and the branch’s former director, said the improvements came from resident feedback.

“This is what the community asked for — children’s and family services, study rooms, classes, a larger collection,” she said. “It’s very exciting, and it’s been a long time coming. I think people are going to be surprised by how much bigger it looks, how bright it looks and everything we have to offer.”

Rausch said the renovation makes the space about the same size as the Rakow Branch of the library.

The library closed in August 2024 for work to begin on the roughly $4 million project, which was funded through the library’s general operating fund and large donations.

The branch was purchased in 2015 and funded largely through donations from the Hoffer Family Foundation and Jack and Marlene Shales, among others. The doors opened to the public in July 2016.

The branch had over 41,500 visitors in the fiscal year 2023-24, a 10% increase over the previous year.

Hours at the South Elgin and Rakow branches will also expand. Both locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250620/news/it-feels-like-the-home-library-south-elgin-library-welcomes-guests-back-after-expansion/