The architectural report commissioned by the library’s board of trustees and submitted in May is unsettling. The report shows that even with the contemplated substantial expenditure to change the library’s floor plan, there still will not be enough room for the library’s books in five years. One board member went so far as to characterize the proposed improvements as “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”
Adding a second floor or expanding the library is not currently a viable option, but there may be an alternative. We should investigate leasing space at a nearby downtown location to gain the square footage so desperately needed. Two or three programs or services could be moved to this off-site facility, leaving the main collection in place. This very well could provide, cost effectively, sufficient room for the library’s entire collection.
Let’s step out of this box we seem to be locked into. We must explore options that address the real issue facing the Mt. Prospect Public Library today–lack of space. If an off-site proposal does not prove feasible, let’s not stop until we come up with an alternative that is. Spending money on a library remodeling plan without the vision to address this core issue will be as shortsighted as designing a passenger liner without enough life rafts.
