Nichols Library closing for work on stairs, stacks

Nichols Library in downtown Naperville will close Aug. 1 and 2 as part of a renovation project that will move some book stacks away from the windows for a more open view of the Riverwalk and install more electrical outlets for visitors to plug in wherever they sit. Daily Herald file photo

Naperville's Nichols Library will close Aug. 1 and 2 for some noisy and dusty work to improve the downtown facility.

The closure will allow book stacks to be moved, doors to be replaced, carpeting to be removed and lighting to be added in the main staircase of the 30-year-old building at 200 W. Jefferson Ave., Nichols Library Manager Olya Tymciurak said.

The two-day closure is part of a $2.3 million project to lighten up the library, provide more outlets for visitors to plug in their electronic devices, make safety and accessibility improvements and add new furniture, flooring and meeting spaces.

"People will just be struck with the spaciousness" of the building when renovations are complete in late September, Tymciurak said. "There will be an overall lightness people will feel."

During the closure, a large lift machine will set up in the main staircase to allow installation of suspended lights below a high-ceilinged skylight. Those lights will improve visibility on the staircase, which isn't well lit at night, Tymciurak said.

With no patrons inside, workers will tear out the sliding glass doors that allow people to progress from the upper-level lobby into the main floor space. The sliding doors, which often freeze during the winter or become immovable when road salt gets stuck in their sliding tracks, will be replaced with typically opening doors equipped with an automatic opening button for use by people in wheelchairs or with mobility challenges.

Stacks of nonfiction books, currently located on the west side of the upper level, will be on the move during the closure, too, Tymciurak said. A contractor is bringing in a special forklift to move the stacks to the center of the floor, while preserving an open feel and a view of the Riverwalk to the south.

"We are moving everything away from the windows to give our customers the beauty of the outdoors because we're situated in such a gorgeous area of downtown Naperville," Tymciurak said.

Carpet under the nonfiction stacks will be pulled up, releasing clouds of dust that would have been a nuisance or hazard if the library conducted the work without closing for a couple of days.

While the closure will be an inconvenience to the public and library employees, Tymciurak said it will be safer and quicker to conduct the work without people in the building.

Library-sponsored events taking place outside the Nichols building on Aug. 1 and 2 will go on as scheduled, such as the Harry Potter-themed Quidditch Tournament for teens from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at Wil-O-Way Park, 1408 W. Jefferson Ave., and the Evening on the Riverwalk with stories, songs and a puppet show for children at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Riverewalk Ampitheater near Eagle Street.

Nichols is the second of the three Naperville library branches to see upgrades, after Naper Boulevard Library received roughly $1 million of work completed in April 2015 to provide new computers, flooring, furniture, lighting and accessibility improvements to the lower-level restrooms.

Library officials now are turning their renovation focus to the 95th Street Library, which is showing wear and tear to its furniture and flooring after roughly a dozen years of heavy use -- especially by students of nearby Neuqua Valley High School.

"It's a good time to start rethinking how space is used," Tymciurak said.

The library is working with Williams Architects of Itasca and IPRM Construction Management of Downers Grove on what's expected to be a $2 million project to ensure there is enough space for group work and collaboration as well as quiet study and reading. Both firms have been involved with the Naper Boulevard and Nichols projects as well.