ALEXANDRIA — Although there is still a lot of work to be done, plans for what the new proposed Douglas County Library could look like have been revealed.
On Monday, Oct. 28, at Broadway Ballroom in Alexandria, JLG Architects presented conceptual drawings for the design of the new library to a room full of people, including library board members, staff, members of the Friends of the library, two county commissioners, steering committee and many more.
Before the presentation, Becky Albright, president of the Douglas County Library Board, thanked many of those in the room for their commitment not only to the library, but also to this project. She also thanked Brent and Sally Smith again for their generous donation of 10 acres of land along Jefferson Street that has been designated as the site of the proposed new library. The Smiths had prior commitments and could not attend the event.
After the meeting, she told the Echo Press that the library board also thanked the Friends of the Library for their monetary contribution that helped with the contracting of JLG Architects to do the work on the conceptual designs and activities for the future library.
Albright also reminded everyone that the designs being shown that evening were just conceptual.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us to come up with the different aspects of what it is going to look like, but these are to just get us thinking about what could be in the library and what could be on the 10-acre site that we have,” she said.
She also reiterated that the capital campaign is in the works and that more will be coming on that. For now, though, she asked everyone to keep the library project in mind when they are planning for their annual gifting. On the Community Giving website, there is a dedicated spot for people to donate to the library. It can be accessed by visiting communitygiving.org/fund/douglas-county-library-capital-campaign-fund . The Douglas County Library website also has info on the plans for the new library and how people can donate – douglascountylibrary.org/services/a-new-chapter-library-2028 .
More info from JLG Architects
Rob Remark with JLG Architects shared a presentation with slides about the library project. Before getting into his presentation, Remark said, “Thanks for this opportunity. It’s been a real joy to be able to come and meet with the community and to gather and to listen to everybody and to hear different design vision ideas.”
Throughout different brainstorming sessions, referred to as charrette events, Remark said JLG has taken the ideas and information presented and created some illustrations and concepts that can be built upon to get to the final design.
“Whenever you design a project, you want to create something for everybody that will allow them to see themselves, their family or their friends in that space,” Remark said.
At first, he said it may not be perfect, but the conceptual designs are there to build on and design a vision that helps the community see what the project could be.
In one of his slides, Remark talks about the Douglas County Library “ripple.” The information on the slide included: “Inspired by the people and the place, the Douglas County Library embodies the collaboration and inclusivity of the region. Situated in a future park, the library serves the entire county…each individual, like a pebble dropped into a still lake, contributes their unique energy to this vibrant place, creating ripples that extend and overlap well beyond its walls…”
This is one of the slides presented by Rob Remark from JLG Architects during his presentation about the new proposed Douglas County Library.
Contributed / JLG Architects
He said that although the project is going to end up in the city of Alexandria, it serves the community at large and just like a rock being dropped in water, it ripples out to reach far beyond.
In his presentation, Remark showed the diagram of a possible floor plan that included space for adult collections, shared collections, young adults, children’s area, staff offices, storage, meeting rooms/maker space, Friends of the Library and restrooms. There were also some covered outdoor spaces.
In a handout provided at the event, a timeline showed the capital campaign would be in 2024-2025; starting in 2024 and continuing would be exploring supplementary funds such as grants; groundwork for voter referendum in 2026 and construction set to happen in 2027-2028.
This conceptual drawing, done by JLG Architects in Alexandria, shows the layout of what the new proposed Douglas County Library could include in its building space.
Contributed / JLG Architects
This conceptual drawing shows how the new proposed Douglas County Library could sit on the 10-acre donated plot of land located along Jefferson Street in Alexandria.
Contributed / JLG Architects
This conceptual drawing, from JLG Architects of Alexandria, shows what the landscape and building of the new proposed Douglas County Library could look like.
Contributed / JLG Architects
This drawing is a conceptual design of what the inside of the new proposed Douglas County Library could look like. The design is still in the early stages and nothing has been finalized at this point.
Contributed / JLG Architects
This is one of the slides presented by JLG Architects in Alexandria, presented about the new proposed Douglas County Library. It shows what the inside could potentially look like. The designs are just conceptual at this point and not set in stone.
Contributed / JLG Architects
