Valerie Zulevic, the youth services manager at the Tinley Park Public Library, said so many teenagers were in the library’s new teen area studying for finals this December that one day library staff ordered pizza for about 50 people.

Before the teen study space opened this year, Zulevic said teens never really had a “home” in the library, even though it offered teen services. She said their tendency to study in groups made them too noisy for some patrons in the general library area, but teenagers did not frequent the youth area, geared toward younger children, either.

The teen space is a part of the library’s $5.8 million renovation project that opened in July and includes spaces for teens, families and children, along with additional accessibility features — all with the aim to encourage people to stay and gather at the library.

Library Director Zach Musil said the staff has worked to accomplish this welcoming environment by offering an “everybody-oriented space.”

“Libraries are about relationships and really about serving people, so wanting to make sure that everyone in the community felt included was very important to us,” Musil said.

Discussions about the renovation project began in 2019, when library staff distributed surveys. Musil said the project was about $400,000 under budget and the largest renovation project in 20 years. The library used funds reserved specifically for capital improvement, without any additional cost to taxpayers, he said.

Zulevic said the teen space, which is sectioned off by a glass retractable wall, includes more collaborative tables for teens to study in groups and work on projects, along with chairs for videogaming.

Library staff also took feedback from the Youth Advisory Council. Zulevic said the teen group wanted to decorate the space with 1970s wallpapers and other retro items.

Renovations include a new carpet and furniture for the second floor, updated youth and teen program rooms, a dual-purpose room for nursing mothers and children with sensory needs, an interactive Lite-Brite wall, a 180-gallon saltwater fish tank, ADA-compliant restrooms and upgraded audio-visual equipment and assistive hearing devices in the meeting room.

A drive-up window will open in January for residents to pick up books they put on hold.

Zulevic said she has noticed moms becoming friends after story time events because instead of grabbing books and leaving, they now stay and let their children play in the new space for young children until lunch time.

Gabriella Palma talks with Charlotte Green while studying for exams Dec. 18 in the teen section at the Tinley Park Public Library. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

“I just feel that everything is kind of all brought together and used the way it should be used, making things easier and encouraging people to stay,” Zulevic said.

Musil said even teens and adults stop by the youth area to play with the Lite-Brite wall.

The entire space for younger children, he said, is meant to mimic the natural world and encourage imagination. He said the staff worked with the architect to turn the I-beams in the play area into trees.

He said part of the play space reminds him of rolling hills, and the ceiling reminds him of a sky, which he said took gallons and gallons of paint.

“It really looks like you’re outside,” Musil said.

Two moms talk while their children play together Dec. 18 in Tinley Park Public Library’s renovated play space. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

Sarah Schroeder, assistant director, said staff wanted to create a space to encourage children to use their imagination, which is why the space features so many interactive elements.

“At that age, those younger kids, play is such a big component of learning, we wanted to make sure we emphasized that,” Schroeder said.

She said she has noticed people staying longer in the area where families can bring snacks and gather with other families.

Besides the large saltwater tank, there is a separate tank for a new axolotl, named Dewey, in partnership with Rob’s Aquatics Fish Shop in Tinley Park, Schroeder said.

She said during the renovations, when parts of the library were closed, the staff livestreamed the library fish because so many children were worried about how they were doing.

Sarah Schroeder, Tinley Park Public Library assistant library director, Zach Musil, library director, Jessica Dyer, library marketing and public relations manager and Valerie Zulevic, youth services manager, in the updated youth program room. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

Schroeder also said the new accessibility features, such as automatic doors and even footstools in the bathrooms for younger children, have been well received. Zulevic said she sees a lot of parents use the automatic doors for strollers.

The renovations also included a new single occupancy restroom on the lower level for older patrons who need assistance in the restroom, Musil said.

The renovations were completed by SMC Construction Services and Product Architecture and Design.

Musil said he hopes to open an outdoor space by this summer, titled Prairie Garden and StoryWalk. The space will be constructed by Electric One, Inc. and HMR Construction Company this spring.

Schroeder said nursery rhymes would be interspersed to encourage a love of literature. The area would also include a community garden, a meditative labyrinth, different play elements such as musical chimes and an outdoor play kitchen and space for outdoor programming, she said.

Musil said staff visited nearby libraries for ideas, gathered requests and feedback from residents and even took the time to sit in more than 50 chair options.

“I sat in so many chairs that I didn’t know which was which anymore, but just to see the functionality and knowing how our patrons are going to use it was important,” Zulevic said.

awright@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/26/renovation-tinley-park-public-library/