Remodel slated for Wasilla library

WASILLA -- The public library will soon be getting better book security, a little more elbow room and some fresher air.

While library advocates aren't getting the new facility they've been asking for in recent years, the city is preparing to go to bid for $150,000 worth of renovation work for its existing library. The project, funded by the city's capital budget, will include a new handicap access elevator, an improved ventilation system and a slight expansion of the building.

The work will most likely begin sometime in August or September, after the bidding process is concluded and the library has wrapped up its popular summer reading program. The library will be closed for about two weeks during the remodel to allow employees to update the book security system.

"Right now I understand we have quite a bit of theft of books," said Public Works Director Don Shiesl.

This is perhaps one of the most significant aspects of the renovation project. Because the elevator will allow handicap access to both floors through the main entrance, the library will be able to permanently close its back door. In turn, this will allow Wasilla Public Library to install its book security system, which will set off an alarm if a book that hasn't been checked out is removed from the building.

When the library is closed for two weeks this fall, library staff will install "tattle tapes" on all the books. These silver tabs will be desensitized during check-out and if they have not been, they will set off the alarm system.

"We are losing some by people intentionally taking them," said librarian Chester Simton, "but we're also losing some because people simply forget to check them out."

In addition to the heightened security, this fall's remodel will include a new ventilation system designed to relieve the library's stuffiness, caused by too much carbon dioxide accumulating in the building. In addition, the main building will be expanded, providing around 300 square feet of additional space for the library.

While some library advocates have said they are happy the facility is getting this upgrade, many continue to hope for a new or much-expanded facility. The city's 8,000-square-foot library was built in 1977 and last expanded in 1985. Last year, Wasilla considered moving the library into a local shopping center. The plan would have doubled the library's square-footage but would have cost nearly $2 million during the course of several years, and the council eventually rejected the option.