The outside of the Odell Public Library on Main Street.
Christina Lyons
Board members Catherine Renshaw, Shannon Novotny and Joyce Kostal have led efforts to restore the building at 214 Main St. in Odell for the library.
Christina Lyons
The brick on the south wall of the building was exposed. New shelving was built and installed, as well as a counter area where guests can have coffee while reading at the Odell Library in the near future.
Christina Lyons
A map of Odell has been handpainted by Joyce Kostal in the library.
The Odell Public Library moved to 214 Main St. in late February.
In 2017, a teacher at the school worked with several community members to start a library at the Old West Trails Museum.
President Joyce Kostal said they knew within a year that they had outgrown their space.
“It had more space than nothing,” she said. “We knew it wasn’t big enough. You can go check out a book, but there is not enough space for the kids to hang out there. It’s just not the atmosphere we wanted.”
The building was built in 1900. It has been a laundry mat, a plumbing store and a meat market in previous years. Most recently it was a storage area for a construction company.
In 2020, a group began working on fundraising and restoring the building. They added a new roof, poured a new concrete floor and restored the south brick wall.
New shelving has been built and installed on the north wall, as well as rolling shelves.
Secretary Catherine Renshaw noted that people in the community have been very generous.
“We are lucky to have a number of volunteers and generous donors,” she said. “We just do what we can with the funds available.”
The restoration project has been a part of the Big Give Gage project for a few years.
The library will continue to operate with volunteers. They are currently open about 10 hours a week and hope to double the time available in the new building.
Vice President Shannon Novotny said they hope to be able to offer more community events within the new space.
“We’ve used space at the community center for a Christmas tea and other special events,” she said. “We hope to be able to do more events in this new space.”
A book club meets every fourth Monday of the month. Everyone is welcome to attend.
A counter space is built in the southeast corner of the building. They plan to have coffee available.
A dining table and chairs from a teacher’s estate are in the northeast corner of the library. Renshaw said her friend would be happy it was being used in the library.
Spaces for children and adults to sit and read will be added throughout the library.
Novotny noted that there are plans to do more fundraising in the future and add a makerspace area in the back room. A wish list on Amazon helped provide chairs for the library.
Kristin Jurgens and Amanda McKinney also serve on the board for the library.
The brick on the south wall of the building was exposed. New shelving was built and installed, as well as a counter area where guests can have coffee while reading at the Odell Library in the near future.
