Oak View library branch to reopen following extensive renovation

The statue of a young boy engrossed in the book he’s reading will greet newcomers and longtime patrons when the Siouxland Libraries’ Oak View Library opens after a four-month-long renovation.

The Oak View Neighborhood obtained funding to purchase the small piece of art, and a gift from the Paul Lansky estate contributed to expanding and enclosing the library courtyard. Enhanced children’s programming from birth to age 5 will be offered outdoors during warmer months.

The public can inspect the branch library’s changes when it reopens at 9 a.m. Monday. The library is at 3700 E. Third St.

An open house to celebrate the renovation and the library’s 20th anniversary will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Jan. 7. It will include games, tours, scavenger hunts and a photo booth to celebrate the learning and literacy that takes place within library walls, said Alysia Boysen, Siouxland Libraries director.

Total cost of the project is $1.2 million.

The changes at Oak View are apparent when first setting foot on the concrete sidewalk in front, said senior librarian Amy Larsen. The old sidewalk had experienced wear and tear; its replacement will be heated, making it safer in winter months.

The restrooms have been renovated to include a mother’s room and a large family room with an adult changing table. The branch library’s sole study room has been expanded to four room. That will increase student opportunities for quiet study and collaboration, Larsen said.

The circulation desk has been realigned for better traffic flow and sight lines so librarians can better view computer users. The staff workroom was enclosed for privacy and noise control.

Oak View now also will have a materials-return system that already has been placed in other branches. The automated material handling unit allows patrons to place the materials they are returning on a conveyor belt. The materials are  automatically sorted into bins designated for other branch libraries, freeing up staff time.

“We’re excited about that part,” Boysen said.

Oak View Branch sees about 20,000 users a month, Boysen said. With an elementary school across the street and a high school only a few blocks away, after-school hours are the busiest time.

Paul Lansky left 10 percent of his estate to Siouxland Libraries, according to library board minutes. Lansky died March 10, 2024, at the age of 91 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and left the Air Force in 1963 with the rank of captain.

Oak View is the only branch library to have a courtyard, and it has always been popular with library users, Boysen said. Residents of the Oak View neighborhood would use the tables that had been set up in the space.

In the past, people had to walk to the rear of the library to use the space. Now with the renovation, library users can enter and exit from the building.

Oak View is also a pilot location to try low-maintenance landscaping. Park officials will determine how low maintenance the landscaping actually is and whether it could be used elsewhere in the city to save on costs.