Camas library to kick off renovation

The Camas Public Library is getting a makeover for the first time in more than 20 years. The library will kick off a two-phase, $2.1 million renovation project June 29, expanding its children’s area, renovating its outside courtyard, and installing new flooring and interior lighting. “We’re very excited,” said Connie Urquhart, the library’s director. “We get people coming in at least a few times a week complimenting us on what a beautiful building it is. It is (beautiful), and we want to preserve that feeling of a traditional older library, but at the same time, we want to stay current.” The first phase centers on the creation of the Learning Hive, a redesigned children’s area featuring three distinct spaces: the Early Learning Center for children ages birth through 5, the Discovery Hallway for movement-based learning and the Studio, a project-based learning space for students in grades three through six. Urquhart said the renovated space will let the library host small meetups for parents of young children and offer STEM and homework-help programs, changes she believes will modernize services while strengthening the sense of community that parents and caregivers value in Camas. “I read with my babies (the youngest is now 34) in that area, and it needs some TLC to reengage the kiddos,” said Marilyn Boerke, a Camas city councilor and member of the city’s library board of trustees. “I am excited about it because that section will match the magnificence of the fireplace room and welcome even more residents into that warm hug.” The initial phase will also include new flooring in the adult nonfiction area and interior lighting upgrades aimed at improving visibility, safety and comfort for library users while modernizing portions of the 86-year-old facility, which was last renovated in 2003. “It’s been difficult for people to be able to see the books on the shelves, and we want to make sure they can do that,” Urquhart said. “When they’re bending down to look at those lower shelves, the light doesn’t always hit down there.” The second phase, tentatively scheduled for early 2027, will renovate the library’s courtyard, transforming what city officials describe as an underutilized fenced area into an accessible pocket park and community gathering space. “I think the original design for the courtyard was for it to kind of feel like a secret garden. I think it was a little too secret,” Urquhart said. “People often don’t know it’s there or feel like they can’t go in because it’s got that gate around it. We already do some programming out there during the summer, but there will be more programming when weather allows. This will almost provide another room for us.” The upgraded courtyard “will provide outdoor education and reading spaces” and “expand the space available for people to enjoy the library,” Boerke said. “The library is an important location for community connections, as evidenced by not being able to book a space because it is always full of events,” she said. “Further evidence is the families sitting on the lawn during downtown events, particularly the farmers market and the people disappointed the market had to move this year due to the fire station construction.” Camas council members approved the project in November 2023, with the interior renovation phase budgeted at $1.32 million and the exterior improvements phase at $781,000. Funding includes city dollars, a $710,000 Department of Commerce grant for exterior work, a $100,000 Friends and Foundation of the Camas Library grant, and other grants and donations. Boerke said the improvements will be well worth the investment. “There are few things more important to growing humans than literacy, especially early learning literacy,” she said. “People who struggle to read will struggle with math and other subjects — including life — because the written word is how our world operates. Investing in a space that will serve our youngest learners and hopefully instill in them the love of learning and reading has incalculable value.” Library staff members are temporarily relocating thousands of books and materials throughout the building to accommodate the project. To help create space, they’re encouraging patrons to “borrow big” by taking advantage of increased checkout limits available on every library card. Each library card may check out up to 150 items at a time. “We’re expecting that everything will happen as usual,” Urquhart said. “The summer reading program is the foundation of public libraries, so we wouldn’t mess with that. We don’t plan to close, so everything’s a go.”

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