$1.1 Million in Renovations Planned for Glen Ellyn Library's Youth Department

The addition of more technology and more room for special programs will make up a $1.1 million renovation project planned for the Glen Ellyn Public Library’s youth department, the Daily Herald reports.

“I think just like our tagline -- we’re so much more than books -- it’s really true for youth departments, too,” Director Renee Grassi told the Daily Herald. “So much of what we do is promoting literacy and promoting reading, but along with that is being a community space for families to come and engage with us and connect with each other.”

The library will double the capacity of a programming room with more tables installed for play and picture books will be placed in bins to allow readers to search by cover and subject, according to the newspaper.

There will be a special room for middle school students who are not quite ready to graduate to the teen section upstairs, the Daily Herald reports.

A 3-D printer will be on display and also on display will be several designs created by the printer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The renovations will also include the addition of a custom puppet theater, interactive magnet board, discovery activity table, and a walk-up Lego wall, according to the newspaper.

“We’ve seen that children design differently when the (Lego) board is on a vertical surface. They will step back and really take a look at how their design is coming together and get really involved with their creation,” Grassi told the Chicago Tribune.

Renovations are expected to get underway in September and continue through December, the Chicago Tribune reports. During the renovation project, the youth department will be moved to the the library’s meeting rooms.