JERSEYVILLE – Winter weather hasn’t stopped the progress being made at Jerseyville Public Library, where a major expansion project is getting closer to completion.
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As “finishing touches” are being made, the library will be temporarily closed from Monday, March 3 to Friday, March 7, 2025. The library is set to re-open on Saturday, March 8 from its regular Sunday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“As you may have noticed when driving past the corner of Pearl and Liberty streets in Jerseyville lately, an impressive construction project has been in the making for the past several months,” library staff wrote in a press release. “The Jerseyville Public Library is in the midst of a long-awaited expansion project and part of that project requires the Library to be closed to the public to put some finishing touches in the building.”
While library patrons wait to revisit in-person, they can still access all the online resources that come free with their library card – including downloadable and streaming ebooks, audiobooks, movies, television shows, music, and more on hoopla, Libby, Freading, Kanopy and CloudLibrary. Also available is a selection of animated children’s books via the library website and Tumblebooks.
S.M. Wilson is handling construction services on the project. In a progress update on Wednesday afternoon, they shared photos of a spacious new interior which will allow the library to reorganize some of its most popular sections for ease of access.
The library’s front Service Desk will greet patrons in a large front lobby area. The Adult Fiction collection will move from the second floor into the expanded space, and the Teen collection and Study Rooms currently in the back of the building will also move into the new area. The library’s “large print” collection and assortment of DVDs will also be housed here, as will brand-new bathrooms.
The expanded section of the library, which also serves as its new facade, has steadily taken shape since a groundbreaking ceremony involving local leaders and library supporters was held last summer. The frame of the building could be seen standing by September of 2024, though it has truly taken shape in 2025 – despite heavy snowfall in recent weeks.
The latest construction progress marks a significant milestone in the most comprehensive transformation of the building’s front entrance since 1987. Featuring two prominent columns on both sides of the front door, the redesign will bring a sense of architectural consistency between the library's historic Carnegie section and the newly expanded entrance.
While an exact Grand Opening date hasn’t been set for the expanded section, library staff added “exciting Grand Opening celebrations” are being planned for the “near future.” For the latest Jerseyville Public Library news, stay tuned to Riverbender.com, as well as the library’s Facebook page and website.
