Two libraries next in line for updates in Dakota County

Two Dakota County libraries -- the Inver Glen Library in Inver Grove Heights and the Farmington Library in Farmington -- are in line for million-dollar updating and remodeling projects.

The County Board recently set aside $30,000 for Inver Glen and $32,000 for the Farmington library to assess what each building needs and plan improvements, said Ken Herrington, director of facilities management for Dakota County.

After architects assess needs and the county OKs plans, the work would begin in 2013 and conclude in 2014.

The county has nine libraries, and each is reviewed about every 10 years, Herrington said.

Improvements have been made recently at the Galaxie Library in Apple Valley, Wescott Library in Eagan and Burnhaven Library in Burnsville.

The Farmington library has leased 3,500 square feet of space with a separate entrance to School District 917, but the library now needs the space. During the remodeling it will be incorporated into the library, Herrington said. About $1.3 million has been budgeted for the work.

The Inver Glen Library lacks a meeting room, and a meeting room addition is envisioned during the remodeling, which is budgeted at about $1.8 million, Herrington said.

"It was the first library to have a computer lab; that was a good decision at the time," she said. "And the computer lab is always busy."

Since then, the role of the library has changed, and libraries now offer more public programs, especially since passage of the 2008 Legacy Amendment has made more money available for arts and cultural programs, Schouweiler said.

"Inver Glen has been a bit behind in their ability to participate at that level because they don't have a community room," she said. "It's one of the reasons why Inver Glen, being one of the newer libraries in the system, got moved up in the schedule for improvements."

How big the community room addition will be is one of the key questions for the needs assessment, she said.