SOUTH BEND – Beginning Nov. 25, the Center Branch Library at 1150 E. Kern Road will close for about a year for a $1.5 million renovation that will include the creation of new study spaces, upgraded meeting rooms and an outdoor storytelling trail and a nature playground will be constructed. .
It is the first of several major upgrades the St. Joseph County Public Library will make to its branches. The ten-year 'Our Next Chapter' plan aims to modernize the branches, after the city center's main library was recently expanded and renovated.
The Center Branch will receive new energy-efficient lighting, updated carpet and furniture and new interior paint, according to a recent announcement from the library system.
The study rooms offer quiet places for individual work, group study and collaboration. The outdoor trail and nature play area will feature native plants.
“The updates at Center Branch are just the beginning of our larger vision for SJCPL,” said Stephanie Murphy, executive director of the library system. “After years of planning, we are thrilled to see this renovation come to life, and we are confident these improvements will be well worth the wait.”
When input was requested in 2023: The St. Joe County Library is asking for your word on the future for nine branches
The Center Branch is expected to reopen in the fall of 2025.
You can read more about the proposed upgrades in the “Our Next Chapter” plan at www.sjcpl.org/our-next-chapter. The site's timeline suggests work could focus on the Western, LaSalle and Lakeville branches by 2025.
This article originally appeared on the South Bend Tribune: Center Branch Library will close for renovations to the nature playground
