Franklin Avenue Library Renovation Project
For more information about this project or for information about commemorative
gift opportunities, please call the Foundation Director at 248-6402.
Franklin Avenue Library customers can look forward to a fun and unique temporary location for their library during its planned renovation. On Tuesday, May 19, the Des Moines Public Library’s Board of Trustees voted to move the Franklin Avenue Library to Merle Hay Mall. The library will be located in the south wing, near Target.
Library officials are busy planning the move. The Franklin Avenue Library will close on Friday, June 19 at 6:00 PM and reopen in its mall location on Monday, July 6 at 10:00 AM. This is a great time for customers to check out that epic novel or heavy historical fiction, as DUE DATES on printed materials will be EXTENDED during the closure. HOLDS for Franklin customers (between June 20 and July 5) can be picked up at Forest Avenue Library.
The proposed Franklin Avenue Library renovation is projected to take 18 months to 2 years. Renovation plans will expand the current library to more than 25,000 square feet, and include:
• A larger, designated children’s area
• Family friendly storytime room
• A separate teen area
• Quiet study rooms
• Increased number of public-use computers for easier access
• Multipurpose room for community meeting use
• Additional meeting rooms for small groups
• Drive-Up Book Return
• Warm and comfortable reading areas with a fireplace and lots of natural light
• Expanded restrooms
Customers can expect to find most of the library’s collection available at its temporary location. Regular library programs are also planned, including the many summer reading activities, storytimes, and book discussions, as well as some special events and celebrations.
An exterior book return will be installed in the Merle Hay Mall parking lot west of the storefront location. Telephone numbers will remain the same. Other services and programs will continue as space and staffing allows. Consult the library’s web site often for updates and further details on the project.
Benjamin Design and David Milling Architects have been selected for the upcoming
renovation of the Franklin Avenue Library.
Folks in the Franklin Avenue neighborhood have gathered at several informational meetings this summer to discuss renovation plans for the Franklin Avenue Library. Five design workshops, guided by the firms of Benjamin Design Collaborative and David Milling Architects,have been held so far, to gather input from library customers and community members to shape the library's plans for the future.
As the busiest branch of the Des Moines Public Library, this is an eagerly awaited phase in the
Des Moines Public Library’s ten-year system-wide facilities improvement plan that has already
built a new Central Library and renovated four other branch libraries.
Current plans call for an additional 10,000 square feet to be added to the branch, which has an annual circulation of more
than 440,000 items.
The building’s exterior and entrances will be greatly enhanced and the expanded interior will be redesigned for better service. Major improvements will include designated areas for expanded children’s services, two meeting rooms, new study rooms, cozy reading spaces, and more
convenient book returns.
The Des Moines Public Library Foundation is continuing to raise funds and anticipates having
funding in place to begin construction in 2009. Library officials are exploring potential locations
to offer services temporarily during construction.
A budget of $6.2 million has been allocated for
the renovation of the Franklin Avenue Library. The project is funded by a public/private partnership between the City of Des Moines and the Des Moines Public Library Foundation. It’s an exciting
project for our community and we appreciate the community’s input. If you have any further questions
or comments, please feel free to contact me or to contact the Library Director, Saul Amdursky. Should you have questions regarding funding, please contact Shirley Patterson, Foundation Director.
If you're looking for a book just for you, there's no better place to find it than the Franklin Avenue Library.
With a collection of more than 100,000 books, audio books and CDs, music CDs, CD-ROMS, DVDs, videos, and more than 200 magazine titles, the library remains ready to meet your daily needs. Bilingual patrons also benefit from Franklin Avenue Library's extensive collection.
Want to get your children interested in reading before they begin to walk and talk? Bring them to our lapsit story time for ages 0 to 18 months. We also offer events for older youth as well, with year-round programs, clubs and events available for children and teens. For after school activity, youth are free to search the Internet and do homework with our computers in both the teen and children's areas.
Book discussion sets
Find everything you need for your next book discussion at the Franklin Avenue Library! With the library's book discussion sets, you can check out eight to fifteen copies of a current or classic book from a selection of more than ninety different titles, all for free.
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