The Library Renews Itself

The original building was one story and basement built from dark brown brick, with Bedford stone trimming and red tile roof. In the basement was a fair sized audience or lecture room, equipped with a small stage, besides which there were work, storage, lounging and toilet rooms. Above, was the library room, a spacious room the full size of the building, 70x37. At the rear of the room, sunken in the wall over a broad fireplace, was a beautiful bronze tablet bearing these words:
   "This Memorial Library is a bequest to the city of Delavan by James A. Aram, deceased, in memory of his children, Mary Elizabeth, Evaline and Marion Adell Aram, and made larger and more complete by the generosity of the public spirited citizens of Delavan."

Plans for a major expansion of the Aram Public Library were unveiled in December, 1986. The library would become accessible to the handicapped and its size would more than double (5,024 square feet to 12,112 square feet). As proposed, expansion of Aram would involve construction of a lower level and a main floor on the south side of the existing building, facing the public parking lot. A new entrance to the facility would be constructed, which would include an elevator to provide handicapped patrons with access to both floors.
Plans for the lower level included the construction of a modern meeting room, restroom facilities, and a storage room for valuable reference materials, along with renovation of existing space to provide room for book repair and mechanical operations. A public telephone would also be installed on the lower level.
Expansion on the main floor would include moving the children's library area from its current location on the lower level to the main floor. Library officials would be able to set up specialized areas for study, pleasure reading, research, and private listening cubicles. The existing fireplace would be maintained, and a new main desk would be located facing the new entrance area.
Also included in the plan was the implementation of a modern card cataloging system, which would use microfiche to maintain the records of the library.

Delavan architect Russell J. DePietro was contacted to prepare the expansion plan. Kick-off for the library drive was in April of 1989. The campaign had a goal of $600,000, which would be used to construct an addition to the present structure. The Delavan city council had committed the city of Delavan to provide up to $300,000 of this goal. Contributions were also expected from other local governments that are served by Aram Public Library. The balance of the $600,000 goal was sought through contributions from the community.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new addition was on July 11, 1990 at 4 p.m. Completion of the Aram Public Library's major addition and renovation of the older section was marked with an informal, short dedication program on June 13, 1991 at 7 p.m.

The present-day library now has the children's library on the lower level. The children's library has two public computers, one catalog computer, many children DVDs, CDs, audio books, and Playaways. It also has a small reference and Spanish section. Otherwise, it is overflowing with books. The lower level also houses a meeting room, circulation room, and a technical services room.
The main floor still has a pleasure reading area and tables for study. There is a large audio visual area, which includes DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and MP3 books. Playaways have also been added to the collection. Another area that continues to grow is the Graphic Novels section. There are 11 computers for public use and 2 for the computer catalog. The library also provides wireless service for patrons . Aram is continuing to meet the needs of an increasingly technology oriented society.

Return to Part 1 "The Founding of Aram Public Library"