Jenkintown Borough is seeking a design and engineering consultant to help decide whether to expand or reorganize its historic library.
Library use is booming, according to Jenkintown’s request for consultant proposals: Almost a third of the borough’s residents are active patrons, owing in part to new apartments within walking distance, borough officials wrote. Visits from Philadelphia residents are also up 28% from last year.
But the 187-year-old building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is not suited to the needs of modern library users. The building, which includes additions from 1909 and the 1970s, has just six computer stations and no quiet study areas. Originally designed as a lecture hall, the library also lacks energy efficiency and accessibility.
“These spaces were designed for a very different era,” borough officials wrote.
Jenkintown won a state grant for $81,900 to fund the master plan process, which the borough will match with its own money under the grant requirements.
The consultant will assess all of the library’s facilities, including fire code compliance, the electrical system, and architectural elements, and identify short- and long-term facilities needs.
The community would then be presented with the consultant’s recommendations for two options: either expanding the library or reconfiguring the existing space. The consultant would use the community feedback to create the final master plan.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
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