Main Library Renovation Project
UPDATE: November 26, 2024
Smiling faces and brighter spaces greet you immediately as you enter the Main Library now. Our staff members are eager to say hello and answer your questions against a new backdrop of multi-colored art panels in different colors and textures. The new art installation dampens sound, reflects light when it's dreary and filters light in the hours when it's just a bit too bright.
UPDATE: November 18, 2024
New technology solves problems and makes the library more user friendly. New touchscreens make the library catalog more accessible and interactive. Skip the line at the service desk and roll right in to a study room you've reserved with these new check-in screens. Stay hydrated and keep plastic out of the landfill with water bottle fillers.
UPDATE: November 5, 2024
The lower level of the library now has a cozy reading area and a quiet reading room. Grab your book and head to one of the new comfy chairs in the fireplace area. Catch up on the world's happenings in the reading room with a magazine or newspaper. Or, snag a table in the tiled cafe area to enjoy a snack. New vending machines will be arriving in the lower level soon!
UPDATE: October 21, 2024
Nearly all the collections are in their new permanent homes on the shelves, we're just waiting on bookshelf end caps to finish off the look. New furniture keeps coming in with soft seating and new work spaces scattered throughout the main floor. We're nearing the finish line!
UPDATE: May 22, 2024
Soft seating, work spaces, study rooms, and new displays have been added to the teen section. We can't wait to meet the middle and high schoolers in your life as they use this space, specially dedicated to them.
The LEGO Lab is now available for reservation in its new location in the northwest corner of the first floor. The new larger space incorporates lots of natural light and allows more room for play.
Groundworks is seeing much more use as library users dream, learn, design and create with the many tools and resources available.
UPDATE: May 22, 2024
New Study Rooms have opened north side of the Main Library along 12th Street with seating options from one person to a group, for quiet study, small meetings, or gaming. Ask a staff member or reserve a room online.
UPDATE: March 18, 2024
The new Groundworks area is now open!
Stop by to check it out. If the garage door is open, that means we're ready to show you around and help you envision what you might like to create in the new space.
UPDATE: February 20, 2024
The new Children's Area is now open on the 2nd floor! Come explore the new space. We can't wait to show you around.
What else are we up to for the rest of February?
- Moving staff to various new or temporary offices so we can open and close other areas for construction
- Preparing the new Groundworks space to open soon on the Main Level
- Finishing up the new central staircase, which will replace the old spiral staircase and repair the area where water leaks were frequently occurring
UPDATE: January 21, 2024
New features are taking shape as construction Phase 1 ramps down and we prepare for Phase 2.
- A new row of floor to ceiling study rooms was framed out last week on the 12th Street side of the Main Library.
- A two-story play structure for kids on is nearing completion
- A fairy treehouse was installed in the Children's Area, as we prepare to open that section before Spring Break
UPDATE: January 15, 2024
Something special was installed this week. As we prepare for the children's area to open this spring, we're launching several new features for kids to enjoy. One of those new features is this fairy treehouse, designed by the Outdoor Discovery Center. Every side of the treehouse has a peep hole with something fun to view. Watch for more information on the children's floor re-opening upstairs soon.
UPDATE: September 12,2023
Main Library Renovation Projects
SMOOTHER NAVIGATION
Smoother and more intuitive navigation will be a key component of the renovated library. Just past the entrance, a designated returns area will be located on the left side, to the right of the elevator. Around the corner to the left, a new area for holds will be built into the wall. Further down that northwest side wall, you will find a new meeting room and a new LEGO Lab. Opposite that wall, open workspace tables will lead you into the stacks that hold the majority of the library's adult collections.
ADDITIONAL STUDY ROOMS
The north side wall, along 12th Street, will feature a row of study rooms in various sizes accommodating two, four, or six users. Each study room will have a glass wall that runs floor to ceiling. Two of the new study rooms will have additional insulation and will be set up for video gaming.
GROUNDWORKS
On the southwest side of the main level, to the right of the main entrance, you'll find a new and improved Groundworks digital learning and maker space. This new space will offer classes, workshops, and independent work stations for users to create their own projects using Groundworks resources.
IMAGINATIVE PLAY AREA
On the upper level of the library, a two-story imaginative play area reflective of the shops on Windmill Island will be built into the center of the south wall. The shop on the lower level of the play area will rotate through different types of educational toys allowing the space to serve as a grocery store one week, a garden shop another week, or whatever Holland area kids imagine the space to be.
COZY READING AREA
On the lower level, a double sided fireplace will be the centerpiece of a new cozy reading area. On the north side of the fireplace, a walled off quiet reading area will include magazines, newspapers, and seating. On the south side of the fireplace, you will find a newly renovated Book Nook used book store, operated by the Friends of Herrick District Library.
UPDATE: August 11,2023
Demo is underway for some of the new spaces!
Former Study Rooms - Main Level
New Staff Offices - replacing offices formerly along the west window wall. The west wall will now feature public spaces.
Future Groundworks Space - Main Level
UPDATE: June 29, 2023
HDL's Main Library Renovation: Phase 1
HDL's Main Library Renovation Project will take place over 12-14 months in three phases. The first phase begins in July and lasts through approximately October. NOTE: The Main Library will remain OPEN during the renovation project.
First Phase:
- Collections in the southwest corner of the main floor have been temporarily moved to the north side of the same floor.
- Children's collections will soon be moved to the auditorium and the teen areas.
Entire Project:
- Library materials are not going away. They will be available throughout the renovation. Ask any staff member with questions - we're here to help!
- Groundworks will be closed throughout the renovation. Groundworks staff time and equipment will be available for scheduling 1-on-1 appointments after July 10. Appointments will meet inside the library, just not in Groundworks.
- The Book Nook Used Bookstore will be closed beginning June 25. The library is not accepting any used book donations until after the renovation is complete.
- There will not be a wall of community info/event postings during renovation.
- Meeting rooms will not be available to the public until after the renovation; meeting rooms will be storing relocated materials and staff during the renovation.
Sentinel Column 1
Holland Sentinel: 5 things to know about HDL's renovation
Sentinel Column 1
Here's how to navigate the Main Library during construction
UPDATE: June 11, 2023
Not Sure You Want to Navigate the Main Library's Construction? Here are some options:
North Branch
HDL's North Branch - If you haven't been yet, it's time
24-Hour Libraries
HDL's 24-Hour Libraries
Curbside service
Curbside Service at HDL
UPDATE: March 18, 2023
After two-and-a-half decades, Herrick District Library’s flagship building at 300 S. River Ave. is due for plenty of updates and a few exciting improvements.
At its September meeting of the HDL Board of Trustees, the library voted to award a $5.7 million construction and architecture contract to Lakewood Construction for improvements to the main library.
The renovation project will be paid for through the library’s existing operating budget rather than through a bond. The library’s 2016 millage promise was to expand the now renovated North Branch, followed by this renovation of the main library.
Infrastructure upgrades
The majority of the budget will cover infrastructure upgrades. A new roof, doors, floor coverings, and improvements such as family restrooms are on the project list. In order to make necessary structural changes, the library’s main staircase will be moved and replaced.
“The roof has served us well but is now at the end of its life,” says Library Director Diane Kooiker, noting that regular library visitors will be familiar with the building’s leaky roof and the wastebaskets placed under drips during rainstorms.
An employee-designed aqueduct system has been a stopgap do-it-yourself solution to redirect water above the drop-in ceiling until the renovation could begin.
“It is time for upgrades,” says Kooiker. “Water and books just do not go together.”
Renovation and improvements
The renovation also provides an opportunity for a few improvements, Kooiker says.
“How people use the library has changed over 25 years. Technology is much more of a library focus now. What could it look like to bring Groundworks upstairs or highlight our technology services in new and different ways?” she says. Groundworks is a community space that provides the tools and technology needed to create new things, advance personal and professional projects, and meet, share, and collaborate with others.
Community members will be invited to offer input and share feedback on renovation concepts this spring. Input will be collected through interactive opportunities inside the library building, through social media and website surveys, and through email communications to library cardholders.
Additional study rooms, a popular offering at HDL, are in the tentative plan. Improvements under consideration based on the budget include adding a mother’s/wellness room, comfortable seating, moving the LEGO Lab and Groundworks to a more visible location on the main level, a possible fireplace element, and an update to the Book Nook, a used book store operated by the Friends of HDL organization.
Improvements are also in the works for the upper level. Research in recent years shows young children learn through play. Early literacy initiatives are a key component of the library’s strategic plan. New imaginative and creative play elements for children will help the library meet goals for early literacy education.
Open during construction
Over the past few months, staff members have prepared for the project while working through the initial phases with Lakewood. Construction is likely to begin mid-summer with a goal to complete the work by the end of 2024.
The building will remain open throughout the multiyear project, allowing library users to continue to access library materials. The library will continue to offer programs during construction, which sometimes may take place at partner organization sites or at the library’s North Branch.
Parts of the building may be temporarily closed for part of the project while under construction. Meeting rooms will be unavailable to the public to enable library collections to move to those areas when other parts of the library are closed. Watch for signage and communications for information on where to find library materials during construction, but know that your friendly library staff will also be ready and waiting to help users find what they seek with every library visit.
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