The Aurora Public Library District is gearing up to renovate its West Branch as similar work continues at the Eola Road Branch.
Final plans for the $12.8 million redesign of the West Branch, which incorporated feedback from the public, were approved by the library district’s Board of Trustees last month. Notable changes will include a “substantial” addition onto the building, an improved reading area, a reworked entryway, better spaces for children and teens, an outdoor reading terrace, additional meeting rooms and improved signage.
While the branch currently does “really well” serving those who live in the community now, “every community changes,” said Library District Executive Director Michaela Haberkern.
“We’re seeing more and more kids and younger families on the West Side, and we want to be ready,” she said.
The Aurora Public Library District’s West Branch, which is set to be renovated, as seen on Jan. 5, 2026. (R. Christian Smith/The Beacon-News)
The improved children’s area is set to have vibrant colors on the walls up to the ceilings and spaces for “learning through play,” as well as a “book igloo” that is being custom designed for the West Branch library, according to Haberkern. The design feature is not only a place to display books, but also a place for children to play.
“We wanted to have some fun,” Haberkern said of the West Branch’s redesign. “We’ve learned that the customers there, and the staff, respond really well to that sense of play.”
The West Branch is also getting a new children’s programming room, something Haberkern said it currently lacks. The room is set to be a place for storytimes, craft events and anything else involving young children, she said.
Haberkern said one of the things the district heard a lot from public feedback was that “there’s no place for kids to be in this library.” So with the library’s redesign, the district wanted to embrace the fact that the branch is located right next to a middle school, she said.
A rendering of the “book igloo” being custom designed for the Aurora Public Library’s West Branch, to be installed during upcoming renovations. (Aurora Public Library District/Studio GC)
In keeping with that idea, the renovations will also move the teen area to be right near the front door. This will be a flexible space for socializing or studying, Haberkern said, with unique features on the ceiling to help dampen noise.
The noise dampening along with see-through physical dividers will help give the teen area a sense of privacy and separation without actually letting any teens go unsupervised, she said.
The large open reading and public computing area, which Haberkern said people call the “living room” of the library, will be made even more welcoming and inviting. Notably, the building’s skylights will be reworked to reduce some of the issues people have with them, such as heat and environmental concerns, she said.
A rendering shows what the open reading room in the West Branch of the Aurora Public Library is expected to look like after planned renovations. The furniture seen here does not necessarily reflect what the district will end up putting in. (Aurora Public Library District/Studio GC)
The building is getting a roughly 3,700-square-foot addition, taking the building closer to the nearby road, Constitution Drive. This addition is “substantial,” Haberkern said, as the building itself is only around 20,000 square feet now.
Adding on to the building will allow the library to offer four group study rooms as well as a new 10- to 12- person conference room and a maker space. On the other side of the building will be a large meeting room with seating for 80 people.
The renovations will also move the existing entryway closer to the road so that it opens up directly into the open reading area and so that people know that it is a library, according to Haberkern. She said one piece of feedback the district heard about the West Branch was that no one knew it was there, so this change along with others were made to address that issue.
The West Branch will also be getting a sensory room and a wellness room, along with completely renovated bathrooms, including single-user and family restrooms. The district is also taking the opportunity to do various maintenance projects the building needs, Haberkern said.
The plan is for construction of the project to be put out to bid in March, with construction hopefully beginning in the fall, according to Haberkern. She said that the timeline will depend on how many phases construction is split up into, but it will likely take 14 months to complete.
A rendering of what the outside of the West Branch of the Aurora Public Library is expected to look like after upcoming renovations. The signage shown here may not necessarily reflect what ends up being put on the building. (Aurora Public Library District/Studio GC)
The Library District will have enough money in savings to do the West Branch renovation, Haberkern said, so it doesn’t expect to ask for an increase in taxes to pay for the project.
Public information about the planned renovation project, including a website offering looks around the renovation plans through virtual reality, will be coming in the next few months, said Director of Marketing and Communications Miriam Meza-Gotto. Library officials will start going to community meetings in March, she said, and then will invite people to come see the renderings in April and May.
The West Branch is expected to stay at least partially open during renovations, similar to how renovations are currently being done at the Eola Road Branch.
According to Haberkern, the Eola Road Branch renovation project is expected to be completed later this year, around September to November. That’s longer than library officials originally expected it to take, but she said construction is moving along “really well.”
The district is trying to not overlap construction at the two branches as much as possible, Haberkern said, so that library services remain accessible to everyone.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
