Dear Community Members,
We hope you are enjoying your favorite summer activities! Here at the Kendallville and Limberlost Libraries, we are not only embracing the season but also preparing to update our facilities to better support your educational and exploratory needs.
On behalf of the Library’s Board of Trustees, we sincerely thank you for attending our public forums and taking the time to complete our surveys. Your valuable feedback on how you use our libraries has been instrumental in guiding our decisions, ensuring we continue to serve our beloved communities effectively and efficiently.
We’re excited to share that the winning renovation bid has been awarded to Schenkel Construction of Fort Wayne, IN. We look forward to working with them as we begin this important next chapter for our library system.
Renovations are underway and are expected to conclude around June 2026. We plan to remain open for business as much as possible during the renovation process and will do our best to minimize any disruptions. To ensure continued access, we’ll be converting meeting room spaces into browsing areas as work progresses. Updates will be completed one department at a time where possible. Materials will be relocated to designated meeting rooms for your convenience, and staff will be on hand to help retrieve anything temporarily displaced from its usual location.
We’re committed to doing everything we can to keep your library experience as smooth and enjoyable as ever during this time of transition.
Thank you for your continued support!
Warm Regards,
Mindy London, Executive Director
Kendallville Project Phases
Updated October 2025
Phase 1 - Children's Department Renovation, Cortex Renovation, Board Room Renovation, Adult Services Restroom Addition, (estimated July 2025 - December 2025) and Maintenance Building Addition (estimated July 2025 - January 2026)
Phase 2 - Teen Area Renovation & Public Restrooms Renovation (estimated December 2025 - March 2026)
Phase 3 - Circulation and Administration Renovation (estimated March 2026 - May 2026)
Phase 4 - Adult Services Renovation & Genealogy Renovation (estimated May 2026 - July 2026)
Phase 5 - Adult Services Renovation Continued, Friends of the Library Store Renovation, & New Gallery Flooring (estimated April 2026 - July 2026)
Limberlost Project Phases
Updated October 2025
Phase 1 - Study Rooms Addition (estimated July 2025 - January 2026) & Circulation Relocation (estimated July 2025 - December 2025)
Phase 2 - Adult Services Remodel & Small Meeting Room Remodel (estimated December 2025 - February 2026)
Phase 3 - Children's Services Remodel (estimated March 2026 - May 2026)
Phase 4 - Large Meeting Room Remodel (estimated May 2026 - July 2026)
Survey Results
Updated July 2025
Below are the online survey results and the board approved renderings that will be implemented based on public input.
LIMBERLOST BRANCH - Circulation Services
Information:
- The current desk is too small for current workflow, this new desk offers staff a larger workspace, easy entrance into their office, and a built-in display cabinet to showcase local history
- We have moved the computers to the corner outside of the meeting room and the copier/fax to the short hallway just off the CIRC/HELP desk to keep technology near each other. This creates easy access and an efficient workflow for those printing/faxing and needing staff assistance
- We kept a 'New Arrival's wall and it is now the focal point when you enter the building. The wall is flanked by two, small collaboration/study rooms for small groups
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you change anything? Overall, do you find the new layout appealing?
SURVEY RESULTS: “Love the lighting: not sure about all gray carpet”
LIMBERLOST BRANCH - Large Meeting Room
Information:
- The current room echoes profusely; we will be adding noise dampening panels to the walls and felt covers to wood beams in the ceiling
- The current pendant light is a nice feature that we want to keep the feel of but update to LED
- Will install a window covering
- Will add projector technology
- Old folding chairs will be replaced with stackables (not wheelable)
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you change anything? Overall, do you find the new layout appealing?
SURVEY RESULTS: “Appreciate the sound barriers”
LIMBERLOST BRANCH - Adult Area
Information:
- Adding a comfortable reading area in front of the window near periodicals and adult reading materials
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you change anything? Overall, do you find the new layout appealing?
SURVEY RESULTS: “thematic”
LIMBERLOST BRANCH - Children's Area
Information:
- Extending the wall to create reading nooks
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you change anything? Do your children find the space inviting? Would they want to read here?
SURVEY RESULTS: “love the fun reading nooks”
LIMBERLOST BRANCH - Electronic Marquee
Information:
- The current sign and its software are technologically outdated, if something were to go down we would be hard pressed to find a software program to work with the hardware
- Would like to replace the sign with updated technology and software that is cloud-based and help the sign to match the building
Questions:
What are your impressions of the sign? Would you change anything? Overall, do you find it appealing and visible from the road?
SURVEY RESULTS: no comments
KENDALLVILLE LIBRARY - Adult Area
Information:
- You asked for more comfortable reading areas/furniture and we wanted to refresh the space in front of the fireplace to offer a more cozy atmosphere
- Imagine another reading nook in the far back corner with comfortable seating for one
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you recommend rendering A or rendering B? Why?
SURVEY RESULTS:
The majority preferred image “B” with the pendent lighting. Image “B” will be incorporated into the remodel.
KENDALLVILLE LIBRARY - Adult Area
Information:
- Our small study rooms are consistently in use but need sound dampening panels to make them better for virtual conferencing; we will be looking at ways to add sound dampening materials
- Small groups of individuals who do not necessarily want to use a large meeting room look for space within the library to meet but often have to meet in the open parts of the library because the one study room large enough for 3 individuals is full; in this rendering we have added two collaboration spaces for small groups
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you recommend any changes?
SURVEY RESULTS:
One respondent said, “this is different but useful.” Another commented, “Add shelving for displays to the outside walls of the new meeting rooms.” And a third comment read, “no, it’s fine.”
KENDALLVILLE LIBRARY - Teen Area
Information:
- Will be removing a large and rarely used desk
- We will be adding a small collaboration room and a sensory room
- New furniture will be added; not necessarily these colors or styles
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you recommend rendering A or rendering B? Why? What kind of furniture and colors would you or your teenager like to see here?
SURVEY RESULTS:
The majority preferred image “B” with the pendent lighting. Image “B” will be incorporated into the remodel. Comments included, “B is more inviting with it’s low hanging lights and open seating in the middle.” Those who voted for “A” commented that they also liked the pendent lighting over the seating area.
KENDALLVILLE LIBRARY - Children's Hallway Entrance
Information:
- We love our fishy friends and want to offer an appealing entrance into our Children's area by refreshing the entrance to the hallway
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you recommend rendering A or rendering B? Why? Would you recommend a blend of the two? Would your children like to see this when visiting the library?
SURVEY RESULTS:
Option “A” was recommended over option “B”.
KENDALLVILLE LIBRARY - Children's Hallway
Information:
- Here is a blend of the renderings above
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you recommend one of these over the others? Do you prefer the gray wall or the cyan wall?
SURVEY RESULTS:
Option “A” was most liked. The Cyan wall “makes the space feel more immersive”, “is for children”, and “draws the eye more.”
Another look…
KENDALLVILLE LIBRARY - Children's Play Area
Information:
- The play area sees a lot of action and the theme from the hallway will be carried throughout the play area
- Imagine more adult seating
Questions:
What are your impressions of the space? Would you recommend rendering A or rendering B? Why? Would you recommend a blend of the two? Would your children like to play here?
SURVEY RESULTS:
Option “A” was most liked. A blend of the two renderings will carry through to renovation.
KENDALLVILLE LIBRARY - Maintenance Building
Information:
- In order to meet code we need to store certain chemicals outside of the library building and a small maintenance building would give us the space to store them
- We could make small repairs on furniture, our library vehicle, and LOT items in this small building instead of outsourcing all of those
- In the future, the plots of land North of the library have the possibility of being reimagined, this building will be easy to add onto should the library need restrooms near an outdoor literacy area
Questions:
What are your impressions of the building?
SURVEY RESULTS:
The overarching consensus is to make sure it matches the exterior of the main building so that it is uniform and aesthetically pleasing. Materials are being sourced to match the façade as close as possible.
ADDITIONAL SURVEY COMMENTS
It is expressed that the library needs more cozy furniture to sit and read in both the adult and children’s departments.