The Upland Public Library is beginning a new chapter as they look to expand their building in the upcoming months.
Funded by the Lilly Endowment, the project aims to double the library’s square footage, Andrea Masvero, the executive director of 1846 Enterprises, said. Though the timetable remains tentative, Masvero expects to break ground in 2025 and hopes to complete the project by 2026, she said.
The library will remain at its location on Washington and North Main Street. Possibilities for the expansion include building out into the vacant lot south of the library or adding a second floor onto the building, Masvero said. She also mentioned the possibility of reconfiguring or relocating the town hall, in which case the library would move into that unused space.
1846 Enterprises, the organization overseeing the Lilly Grant, is allotting $2 million to this project which includes the library expansion and modifications to the Upland Town Hall.
Masvero said(remove comma) this project received priority in the Main Street Mile Initiative because of the library’s significant impact on the community.
“The library is not a large space now, but the staff has done an amazing job of really leveraging the space that they have,” Masvero said. “It's one of the most-used libraries on a per capita basis in the state…So when we put the Main Street Mile Initiative proposal together, that was a really important public space that we wanted to expand and make it another asset for the community.”
Aubrie Wickham, the director of the Upland Public Library, said she agrees that Upland residents need more space than what the library provides.
She hopes the expansion will include meeting and study rooms, spaces that are often requested by patrons but the building is too small to provide. Larger areas for programming and play would also be great additions, she said.
Wickham added that she would like to see growth in their book collection, particularly in the children, juvenile and young adult sections.
“Those (sections) are areas that I have to weed when I shouldn't, because we just don't have the space for the amount that the people here read,” Wickham said.
1846 Enterprises has assembled a four-part team to complete the project.
After an extensive interview process, the organization selected CSO Architecture, an Indianapolis-based architecture firm, HCW Engineering, Context Design and Veridus Group to help with the Main Street Mile’s “master planning.”
“Veridus group has a really strong history working with Indiana small towns on projects like public libraries,” Masvero said. “...So it’s a multifaceted team.”
During construction, Upland locals could see the library’s browsing collection temporarily shut down, Wickham said. However, Wickham assured library patrons they will still be able to access the items they need. She envisions reverting to COVID-style library operations, offering pickup options when visitors are not allowed in the building.
Alternate options remain up in the air for their various programs, such as their weekly Lego club and Brick Builders. Still, Wickham is confident the library will be able to provide patrons with what they need.
“I have a really excellent staff that are very good about being flexible and figuring out how to make things work,” Wickham said. “So I don't see a lot of issues with people getting materials.”
Wickham said the library expansion has elicited excitement from the Upland community. Their most frequent patrons are looking forward to the new spaces and opportunities such a change could offer.
The community held a listening session about the expansion Jan. 28. The session was well-attended, Wickham said, and several locals gave positive feedback surrounding the change.
Ultimately, Wickham said she hopes to create a space that fulfills the needs of their patrons, bringing more resources and opportunities to the Upland community.
1846 Enterprises is also looking forward to crafting a space for locals to both gather and learn.
“We hear from the library leadership that libraries are used for things well beyond books,” Masvero said. “People use them for meeting spaces, for gathering for book clubs, for creative endeavors–lots of different things. And so it's exciting (for) us to imagine how the library might be used in the future, beyond typical and expected uses.”
