Wow! Many thanks to those who responded to my query. I had no idea there were so many wonderful older library buildings around the state, although, in my biased opinion ANY library, old or new, is a BEAUTIFUL thing. The input and suggestions are MOST appreciated! Looks like we need to start planning a few road trips... ;-) Thanks again for all your help! Best regards, Mary Ferguson, Collection and ILL Mgr. Northfield Township Area Library 125 Barker Rd. Whitmore Lake, MI 48189 734-449-0066 mferguson@northfieldtownshiplibrary.com On Thu, Jan 30, 2014 at 2:36 PM, Mary Ferguson < mferguson@northfieldtownshiplibrary.com> wrote:

Hello all,

The Northfield Township Area Library resides in a large, 150-plus year old house that is just not quite large enough anymore, so we are in the preliminary stages of planning to build an addition.

The house is not designated as an historic building, but is a popular and beloved landmark in the community, so tearing it down and building a new structure is not an option. Our goal is to find a way to build an addition that somewhat maintains the architectural aesthetics, yet gives us more room for books, Internet computers, a teen area, study space, etc.

The building committee would like to schedule some visits to similar libraries that have successfully added on to their old and/or historic buildings (preferably in the SE quadrant of the lower peninsula), to get some ideas, and would very much appreciate it if anyone could recommend libraries we could contact to do so.

Thanks!

Mary Ferguson, Collection & ILL Mgr. Northfield Township Area Library 125 Barker Rd. Whitmore Lake, MI 48189 734-449-0066 mferguson@northfieldtownshiplibrary.com