The Penn Hills Library might get a refresh as it nears the end of its second decade along Stotler Road.
Organization leaders recently met with several design firms that specialize in libraries and plan to meet with several more in the coming weeks to hash out the basics of a renovation.
Possible improvements include new carpeting, a fresh coat of paint and rearrangements to make more space for programming as well as updated electrical and heating and cooling systems.
The goal is to craft a finished report by May that can then be used to bid out construction contracts, possibly around August, library board chairman Larry Choby told TribLive.
A letter from the library initially listed April 1 as the target date to wrap up design work.
The community's expectations of the library have significantly changed since it opened in 2007, Choby noted.
"I think, 18 years ago, libraries were looked at as a place to get a book," he said.
These days, the Penn Hills Library has become known not just for its well-stocked stacks but its frequent and varied programming.
The library has or will host yoga, an African American genealogy workshop and toddler dance parties in February -- and that's just a small sample.
Save for Sundays, most days are routinely booked with a mix of children, teen and adult programming.
Children's activities, in particular, have grown in popularity since the library moved from Aster Street. Attendance has risen from just shy of 12,000 in 2023 to more than 16,000 in 2024.
Adult attendance is up over this span, too, from fewer than 5,300 patrons to nearly 6,200.
Teenagers have bucked the trend a bit, with their attendance only climbing from just over 1,400 to close to 1,500.
Choby said library leaders will look at how to incorporate programming more attractive to teenagers going forward.
In addition to keeping up with trends, "it's just time after 18 years to take a look at where you are in terms of your physical structure, your mechanical, your electrical," Choby said.
The library won't be able to do all of that on its own dime.
Choby said the state's Keystone Grants for Public Library Facilities program could be a key funding source.
Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the program covers up to 50% of eligible costs to plan, acquire, construct or rehabilitate public libraries. To be eligible, municipalities must work with their local library board to develop an application.
Library leaders aren't counting on municipal funds beyond their annual allotment of $572,000 to make the project work, Choby said, though staff and elected officials have shown their willingness to cooperate as needed.
While the library transitioned in 2021 from a municipal department to a nonprofit, elected officials still have a say in its governance, namely through the mayor's control of board appointments, renewals and dismissals with majority support of council.
"It's seems the library has fared well so far," Mayor Pauline Calabrese said.