Joliet library remodeling moves ahead with city loan

The Joliet Public Library will move ahead with plans to modernize its Black Road Branch after city approval of a $3.5 million loan to finance the project.

The Black Road Branch opened in 2002, a relative youngster compared with the Ottawa Street Branch that opened in 1903 and underwent a major remodeling three years ago. But officials said the Black Road Branch is in need of a remodeling to keep it up to date with public use of library services.

Changes planned for the library this year and extending at least into early 2026 include:

• Isolated separation of the youth section, which now lies in the pathway for almost everyone who comes into the library

• Additional space for private study space and meeting rooms

• A general upgrade that includes new paint and carpeting in the buildings

The planned changes were readily understood by library patrons interviewed at the Black Road Branch on Wednesday.

“I think it will be good for the kids to have their own space,” said Tim Spore of Joliet.

Spore, a Joliet Junior College student, said he often uses the library to study and meet other students for group projects.

Rooms are not always available for group study, he said.

The public library has become a meeting place for reasons that range from group study sessions to visitations in divorce cases, said Megan Millen, executive director for the Joliet Public Library.

“It’s the third space,” Millen said. “It’s not home, and it’s not work. It’s a third place and a neutral place.”

The library provides spaces for students to meet, adults to get access to computers, and children to gather for story times and other activities.

“It can be distracting at times,” said Brandon Foster Carter of Joliet, who was using a library computer Wednesday,

Foster said he welcomed the plan to create greater separation between youth and adult sections of the library. Story times and other youth activities can get loud, he said.

The renovations are expected to start in late May and continue for eight to 10 months.

Millen said the Black Road Branch will remain open for most of that time, although there may be a few days that it has to close.

The remodeling does not include a new coffee shop.

The coffee shop at the Black Road Branch closed at the end of 2023. The former shop has been converted to community meeting space and will continue to be used for that purpose.

The $3.5 million loan to the library was made in a unique arrangement with City Hall.

City officials said the library will pay an interest rate tied to U.S. Treasury bonds, which otherwise would be used as an investment for the money.

The council approved the loan in a 6-3 vote, with some members questioning the unique arrangement.

“I cannot support this,” council member Joe Clement said. “I feel that this is a precedent we should not set. I don’t believe we should loan money to anybody.”

Other council members were in favor of the loan.

Council member Pat Mudron pointed to the Joliet Public Library renovations of the Ottawa Street Branch, which were termed Project Burnham.

“I support this project entirely,” Mudron said. “I think the library has already proved itself with the Burnham project and how well they did.”