Greg Werner remembers the library renovation his company, Mortenson Construction, tackled 10 years for the village of Tinley Park, a suburb of Chicago.
Back then, Mortenson had to spend little time on designing computer labs or kiosks at which customers could quickly check their e-mails or Google a fact.
That has changed. Mortenson recently completed an $11.2 million gut rehab and expansion of the village of Deerfield’s — another Chicago suburb — public library. This time, evolving technology played a key role. As soon as patrons walk into the library’s front vestibule they see a counter full of computers.
“They can go online as soon as they walk into the library,” said Werner, vice president and general manager with Mortenson. “That’s a big change in library construction. Today, one of the firt things on patrons’ minds when they step into a library is Googling something or sending e-mails. That was not the case 10 years ago when we did a library job.”
This is a trend that’s not slowing. Companies taking on library renovations and construction jobs today need to account for the world of Facebook, Pinterest and iPads. Libraries are evolving to stay relevant in the digital age. And construction companies are playing a major role in this.
One of the big changes? Libraries might not need as much space to store physical books and magazines as they once did. Libraries today offer electronic books, and as more consumers latch on to tablet computers and ereaders — Gartner reports that tablet shipments will eclipse the combined shipments of laptop and desktop computers as soon as 2015 — more of them are renting electronic versions of Tom Sawyer from their libraries instead of physical ones.
The Deerfield project — the renovated library reopened to the public on June 23 — is a good example of this change. In addition to the computers that greet consumers as they walk into the vestiuble, the library boasts a state-of-the-art computer lab. Patrons can also access the library’s collection through iPads, Kindles and other devices.
“The evolution of technology has been the biggest change in library construction,” Werner said. “The end goal of creating a library experience that will meet patrons’ needs hasn’t changed. But thanks to the change of technology, patrons’ needs have evolved.”
The Deerfield job was no simple one for Mortenson. Construction took 12 months. And Mortenson faced challenges because it wasn’t building a new library from scratch, but was instead renovating an existing facility. The library was closed during construction, with patrons having to rely on a temporary facility. This put pressure on Mortenson to complete the renovation as quickly as possible.
“Handling the logistics was a challenge,” Werner said. “It’s easier to work on a greenfield site where you are building something that is brand new. This is more complicated.”
The project included two additions to the existing Deerfield Public Library that totaled more than 10,000 square feet. The resulting library now boasts more meeting space and a greater number of quiet zones and study labs. The renovation also added an automated checkout and return station, another nod to evolving technology.
Mortenson replaced the library’s mechanical electrical and plumbing systems with a variable refrigerant flow system, a system that will dramatically improve the building’s energy efficiency.
“The people at Mortenson have been a dream to work with,” said Mary Pergander, director of the Deerfield Public Library, in a written statement. “To have a project come in on time and on budget is just amazing.”
