B&N Store Becomes Illinois Library

The Rockford Public Library (RPL), IL, will move into a space vacated by Barnes & Noble—and it's planning to keep many of the elements that have made B&N so popular with readers. This month, RPL plans to start reworking a 23,000 square foot space for its new East Side branch, which will replace the much smaller Northeast branch.

The move relocates the five-branch system's busiest library from the back of a bilevel strip mall to a stand-alone structure in a centrally located shopping district. Moreover, Barnes & Noble is donating most of the bookstore's fixtures, including shelves, desks, seating, and a checkout counter, which will help to reduce costs. The B&N relocated to a larger space in the local mall.

RPL bought the building for $3.175 million and estimates another $1.5 million in upgrades before the new library opens within a year. “The design is very open, and the visibility is huge,” spokeswoman Emily Hartzog told LJ. “We're going to be able to have program and community rooms and computer rooms that are separate. In a small branch, it's like a one-bedroom apartment.”

Converting the bookstore into a library won't require too many changes, said Hartzog. Some elements RPL needs require retrofits, including a programming room, meeting space, staff offices, and a place to return books and handle holds.

A popular B&N feature is, of course, the café, which will, thanks to patron demand, remain. Unlike at B&N cafés, the wireless Internet at RPL's javashop will be free. A spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble couldn't confirm whether other libraries around the country are moving into B&N spaces.