Eastgate Branch Library in Algonquin to be renovated instead of relocated

Renovations will keep library services on east side of village, expand services

The Eastgate Branch Library in Algonquin is getting renovated after library board trustees voted to update the building, which in turn will expand the library’s services, officials said.

Trustees with the Algonquin Area Public Library District approved renovating the building at a meeting in July, capping off more than two years of discussion, according to a district news release.

The changes to the building are expected to be “extensive,” according to the release. They include changing both levels of the library, as well as allowing more space for added staff, services and collections.

The changes will not require a referendum, officials said.

Renovating the building was chosen instead of relocating the library’s services, meaning services will remain on the village’s east side, according to the release. This was something the village expressed an interest in doing.

The changes will help bring the library into a “more modern age,” according to the release. The library should reflect the changing needs and interests of the community, Executive Director Sara Murray said in the release.

“Many people in the community remember this library building as the one they visited as a child, or that they took their young children to” Murray said. “Those children have grown and changed, as have libraries in general.”

The building was analyzed by engineers in 2021, who found the building to be structurally sound and “in good shape,” according to the release.

“There is still much planning to be done before visible progress is made, but we are excited to tap into the potential of the Eastgate Branch building and bring the community something new,” Murray said in the release.

The Eastgate Branch was opened in 1976 and was the only library in the Algonquin library district until 2001, when Main Library opened, according to the release.

Eastgate underwent renovations shortly after that, in 2002, and then again in 2018, officials said. The most recent one added a computer lab to the building, as well as new carpet and paint.

“The Board of Trustees is excited to take this step forward to improve services to the community,” Library Board President Stephen Schaaf said. “We will be soliciting community feedback to ensure that we are responding to real community needs and interests, and we have a lot of work ahead of us.”