Lake Villa Library expansion sharpens focus

What was previously a fuzzy picture of where a new or expanded Lake Villa District Library might be built is becoming more focused, officials said.

The library board has decided to narrow the site to within one mile of the current building at Grand Avenue and Deep Lake Road. The motion was passed unanimously at Monday night's meeting.

"This at least gets everyone talking in the same direction," library director Bob Watson said Tuesday.

Library officials have realized the need for expansion in recent years but have debated the location of a new building. They've also discussed creating an addition to the current 32,000-square-foot facility instead of starting from scratch.

The details on whether to build a new building or expand the current one have yet to be worked out, but the agreement on the location is a big step forward, Watson said.

Many patrons don't realize the need for more room because the place doesn't feel all that crowded, he said.

"It's not obvious to many people, but statistically we should be in a building twice the size of the current one based on the number of people we serve," he said.

There are 35,000 people within the district, and most are in Lindenhurst. Others live in Lake Villa and the northern parts of Round Lake Beach and Round Lake Heights.

A cost estimate for a new facility is almost impossible to gauge at this point, Watson said. A complicating factor is how the explosion of digital media might affect space requirements.

The advent of e-books and other electronic devices for reading could have a significant impact on space needs.

"The Internet is changing things in a big way," Watson said. "The implications are huge."