Old Lyme — The Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library's board of trustees is proposing a renovation project to update the library's infrastructure and add more meeting space, an expanded children's area and an outdoor patio, among other features.

Three information sessions on the proposal will be held at the library, with the first scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday.

The board is proposing the renovations both to make infrastructure repairs needed after the last major renovation project about 25 years ago and to reconfigure the library to provide more services and continue to meet the demands of the community, library Director Katie Huffman said.

The project calls for addressing ongoing maintenance concerns, including painting, carpeting and the HVAC system, and replacing the fluorescent and incandescent lighting with more efficient LED lighting, she said. The project also would fulfill goals from the library's strategic plan that include increasing parking, adding meeting space and providing better customer service.

All the renovations would be done within the building's footprint but 400 square feet of public space would be added by shifting staff offices and functionalities to other parts of the building, she said.

Under the proposal, the library's circulation and reference desks would be combined to provide one service point for library patrons; three additional small study rooms and a conference room would be added; and the technology area would be expanded and consolidated into one spot.

The project also would expand the children's area and create a designated space for story time, as well as set up a separate space for young adults adjacent to the children's area, Huffman said.  

The parking lot would be reconfigured with an additional nine parking spaces. A new patio, with about seven tables, would be installed to overlook the gardens — which will be moved to the front of the building — so people can sit outside and read or use the Wi-Fi. The patio also will serve as a venue for music and theater programs, she said.

The proposal comes at a time when people increasingly are using the library as a meeting space and for reference services, according to Huffman. She said the library always has been a space for people to study, but more and more people are looking to the library as a meeting space, whether for college interviews or business meetings, as more people are entrepreneurs working in their homes.

People also are turning to the library for one-on-one assistance with using technology, whether it's to format their resumes, set up an email account or download an app for eBooks, Huffman said.

"With that has come a significant increase in the inquiries we get at the reference desk," she said.

People are using eBooks, audiobooks and video streaming more and more but that hasn't resulted in a decrease in use of physical materials, she added. People still come to the library and take home a stack of books, particularly in the case of children's books.

The renovation project is expected to cost just over $3 million, Huffman said. The library was notified it would receive a $1 million state grant for which it had applied. The library's proposal is to then ask for $1.75 million from the town and look to fundraise about $300,000.

First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder said the information sessions will give the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance a better indication of the will of the people on this matter. If the boards approve funding in the future, it ultimately would go before residents at a town meeting or referendum for a vote.

Huffman said that if everything goes according to plan and the town approves funding, the renovation work would begin in December or January. The library anticipates it will be a six- to nine-month project.

The plan is to do the work in phases and keep the library open during the process, Huffman said.

"We are committed to continuing to provide service and stay on site," she said.

"My hope is that the library will continue to grow as a place for people to participate in community activity and to connect with one another and that the library has a solid infrastructure and foundation to continue to provide the educational and cultural resources, that it's known for, for the next 25 years," Huffman added regarding the renovation project.

k.drelich@theday.com

Library meetings

According to a notice on the library's website, bit.ly/OLLibraryMeets, the information meetings will describe the project's rationale, proposed improvements and financials, and will include a tour of the library and question-and-answer session. The meetings will be held at the library, at 2 Library Lane, at:

- 4 p.m. Sunday, April 15

- 7 p.m. Monday, April 30

- 7 p.m. Thursday, May 3