Romeoville Library Reopens to the Public Today

The Romeoville branch of the White Oak Library District at 201 W. Normantown Road will reopen to the public at 10 a.m. today (Monday, June 18). The library district’s director, Scott Pointon, couldn’t be happier about the event.

“It should be a wonderful morning,” said Pointon.

In 2010, White Oak Library District purchased the building, which was built in the 1970s, from the Fountaindale Library District.

Before the renovations began, the library's lower level was an unused basement. The completed renovations, which cost $6.3 million, allowed the library to double the building’s usable space and occupy the entire 46,000-square-foot building.

As construction at the library continued over the past year, the staff acted out its own version of “Upstairs, Downstairs.”

When renovations to the building’s lower level were completed last December, the facility closed for two weeks so the staff could move operations to the building’s downstairs, which would house the Adult Services department, a new teen room, quiet reading room, computer workstations and lab, study and meeting rooms and the district’s administrative offices and technical services department.

The circulation and children’s department were also moved to the lower level on a temporary basis while renovations began on the building’s upper level.

The library's lower level reopened to the public Jan. 5, 2012, and up until the first week of June, contractors were busy putting the finishing touches on the building’s upper level - painting, installing new tile and trim and landscaping the building’s outdoor spaces.

On June 1, the library again closed to the public so staff could move the circulation and children’s departments (including all children’s books and materials) back upstairs, and rearrange the lower level to its planned layout. The upper level is also home to the library’s audio/visual department and several meeting rooms.

And now that all the pounding, painting, sawing and sanding are done and the books and materials are neatly arranged on their permanent shelves, the library is ready to open its doors to the public once again.

Pointon said members of the Friends of the Library will be on hand to greet patrons as they enter the new and improved library Monday morning.

As for the newly renovated building? Pointon described it in just two words.

“It’s gorgeous.”