LAFAYETTE, LA (AP) — The renovation of the main branch of the Lafayette Public Library will continue into the new year with a new completion date in April.
After breaking ground in May 2013, the original shell of the three-story building remains, but the layout has been altered to include new amenities like study rooms, a genealogy collection and a technology lab.
"With any kind of construction, you run into some delays," said Sona Dombourian, public libraries director. "Until the building is finished and turned over to us, there will still be delays. We have to coordinate times with not only the contractor but with the furniture manufacturers and the movers."
Dombourian told The Advocate’s Jessica Manafi the intricate shelving system is awaiting inspection, and the service desks are being installed.
Included in the renovations are plans to purchase new titles to update the book collection. Before the library opens, at least 20,000 books will be purchased and added to the existing 200,000. The Friends of the Library donated $13,000 to rebuild the children's book section. More than 75 public access computers will be available, which almost doubles the original 38 computers.
Modernizing the 41-year-old building's construction alone cost about $10.5 million.
The project has been funded by a $40 million bond measure that voters approved in 2000 to renovate the main library and build four new regional branch libraries.
"The library is 65,000 square feet, so it feels like we are moving into two 30,000-square-foot houses," she said. "It just doesn't happen overnight, but we can see the finish line."
