The new building has a projected cost of $8 million, with about half of that coming from donations, said Joseph Greenward, director of Lane Libraries. Jeffrey Sackenheim, a vice president with SHP Lead Design. said the building is expected to open by June 2015.
SHP Lead Design, the architecture firm designing the new library, solicited public input from patrons on what they most wanted to see in the new building. These included a reading garden, a drive-through for people to drop off and pick up materials, a dedicated teen area, an expanded Smith History library, an expanded children’s area, and a computer area. All these features have been incorporated into the new building.
“It’s a lot of fun for us to design libraries. It’s a great building type. In our opinion, it’s the last truly public building type in the country. We’re fortunate enough to do one of two per year, and we’re fortunate enough to have worked with Lane libraries for 40-some years. We designed this building a long time ago,” said Sackenheim, a Miami University graduate.
The first floor would contain media such as DVDs, along with the teen room, the children’s area and the reading garden. That garden would be located right outside the children’s area but the garden is for all users, said Jenny Gallow, an interior designer with SHP. The new building would be about 30,000 square feet — twice the size of the current one, Sackenheim said.
The second floor is where most of the books for adults will be kept, with most of the space dedicated to a adult reading room. The community meeting room and the Smith History Library will also be on the second floor.
However, the existing building and its contents won’t be entirely forsaken. Pieces of old books will be incorporated into the staircase support design, and “we have planned locations for some of the stained art pieces,” Gallow said.
Bob Johnson, president of the Oxford Friends of the Lane Library, said, “As you can imagine, the board is very enthusiastic about moving into the new library.” That organization has contributed about $20,000 to the children’s library, which is not part of the base budget, and the Friends will be conducting a fund-raising campaign as well.
“I’m excited about it. I used to work here for 37 years. (I like) having more space, having more parking, making it a comfortable place and an appealing place for people of all ages,” said resident Tari Tharp.
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