NEWINGTON - The Newington Library Board is looking to expand in about every aspect of the library’s 26,000 square foot building, but how that will fit in with still-developing plans for a Town Hall renovation is yet to be seen.

       But the dialogue has begun, with members of the Town Hall Project Building Committee taking a tour of the Library Board’s facility last Tuesday. The Library Board then came to the Town Council that same night with a layout of some of the restrictions posed by the building’s limited space.

       â€�"In fact, the overall congestion has worsened--not just with the books and CDs, but behind the scenes as well,” said Anna Eddie of the Library Board of Trustees.

       The most obvious issue has been parking--both the Town Hall project and the Library Board’s plans envision the addition of some more spaces--with voices on both sides of Mazzoccoli Way pointing to congestion in both the lots.

       â€�"There are many days when I come in and there’s no parking because there are meetings at the Town Hall,” said Library Director Masten during a presentation given at last Tuesday’s Council meeting, Jan. 13.

       Not only would the Board like to add spaces, but Masten thinks that the lot could use a pedestrian walkway. The property already has a crosswalk, but at times people don’t use it, she said.

       â€�"They walk between the cars, and it’s pretty dangerous if there’s a lot of traffic,” Masten said.

       The library’s exterior also has a handicapped ramp-another component that Masten said could use some improvement.

       â€�"It’s very uneven so it’s hard to maneuver,” she said. â€�"And in the winter, because of snow and slush, it’s very dangerous.”

       The presentation turned to the inside of the building, which lacks the amount of space to meet demands in just about every area, according to the board.

       Masten started with the library lobby and circulation desk.

       â€�"If we have a large program, it becomes very congested, which makes it very hard to operate the circulation desk,” Masten said of the lobby.

       Then there’s the community room, which groups can reserve for meetings. That has a 60-person capacity that, too often, events exceed, she said.

       â€�"It’s a constant problem,” Masten said.

       In the past it has prompted library staff to move programs to Town Hall, but the auditorium is currently offline because it is not up to the fire code--an issue that has been highlighted in the discussions regarding renovation of the building.

       Similar issues emerge in other parts of the building, such as the Children’s Programming Room. The library has three study rooms and a larger meeting space that are in high demand, as well.

       â€�"They’re used constantly,” Masten said. â€�"As soon as school lets out, they’re filled.”

       Architectural firm Kaestle Boos performed a space needs analysis for the library in 2010. Its assessment was based on state library system standards, said David King, the architect for the Town Hall Project Building Committee.

       â€�"You give them what you have, and they tell you where you should be,” King told the Council last Tuesday.

       What the library has is a 26,000 square foot building. Based on the 2010 assessment, the Library Board will want to add 24,800 square feet, King said.

       It’s early, but King presented tentative plans that include a one-story addition, a new entrance and a community room twice the size of what’s there now.

       Regarding the latter, Councilor Terry Borjeson thought that they should go bigger, but urged the Board to see how the Town Hall side of renovations plays out.

       â€�"I’m fully in support,” Borjeson said. â€�"But we need to see how it fits in with everything else we’re trying to do.”

       Building Committee member Rod Mortensen had similar thoughts.

       â€�"There’s no question that the library needs more space,” he said. â€�"I think we need to look at the big picture. I think the hard part is, we’re both going to have to really show how this is going to progress.”