Highland Park library project well underway, and fundraising portion nears completion

The future of the Highland Park Public Library is taking shape, as anyone traveling near Laurel Avenue and St. Johns Avenue can attest.  

While new services and expanded spaces are emerging and a January 2027 completion date is looming, the library continues its push toward a $1 million fundraising goal for its Reimagine Your Library Capital Campaign.

Library officials say they’ve raised 82% of the goal, meaning approximately $180,000 is left to go before the campaign ends on June 30.

“With the tremendous response we’ve received, I feel very confident that we’ll be able to exceed that goal,” Library Executive Director Heidi Smith said. “That remaining 18% of the fundraising goal is 2% of the total project goal – so it’s a significant amount.” 

The Record previously reported the library received two six-figure gifts in September 2025 to support the $10.81 million project, a total that library officials in March increased from $10.01.

Since then, the library has approved multiple donations for naming rights — for a library nook, book display, a community room and more — in the expanded library, according to Smith. 

As of Monday, April 13, the library has collected more than 250 individual gifts to reach to $820,000 raised, Smith said. 

“That means one out of 100 Highland Parkers have made a gift to make this possible,” she said. “That’s successful.” 

While the fundraising campaign is helpful, the project’s primary funding sources were included in the last two years’ budgeted and include the library’s special reserve fund, bond sales and a state grant. 

Recent changes 

With the ongoing construction, the library’s Youth Services will transition to a temporary Mini & Mighty Youth Library on April 20, which is a smaller space with a curated collection and staff.

In preparation for the move, Youth Services will be closed through Sunday, April 19, while staff relocate materials and set up the new temporary space. 

The Mini & Mighty Youth Library will feature a curated collection of books, DVD’s, video games, magazines, special collections and materials, full access to the digital collection, staff, easy access to catalog to locate items, during regular library hours. 

Phase 2 of construction will begin in May, when a majority of the Youth Services Collections will be stored away.

The community will be able to realize some of the benefits of the project in the fall. 

Phase 3 will happen in the fall and include connecting the main floor to the main lobby. The work will also include building out a guest work space and an archive. 

The full scope of the improvements will be available to the public in January 2027, barring setbacks. 

The capacity for certain programs, like story time for kids, will be improved to accommodate parents and caregivers who want to stay.

The community meeting room will be doubled in space, allowing large programs, concerts and speakers to use a less intrusive space away from the main floor. 

“These changes will be an improvement to the quality of services we’re able to offer,” Smith said. 

A year from now 

By this time in 2027, the Highland Park library will be a place where people can come for community and resources and to calmly pass the time, according to Smith. 

The new spaces will include an area, the Youth Commons, dedicated to middle-schoolers; a discovery room with picturebooks and an activity hub for children and caregivers; new and larger community rooms for programs, meetings and after-school study sessions; a makers space with 3D printers, sewing machines and other devices; an archive and research space to “review treasures of our community,” Smith said; and a book and jewelry store with art and historical materials. 

City officials and the Library Board built a plan to financially sustain and support the expanded library long after the project is complete. The library’s 20-year-plan addresses how the improved library will age and at what point support intervention maintenance services may be needed. 

“We want to make sure that at the end of the project we have a solid financial foundation to move forward with to maintain the facility,” Smith said. 

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