Courtesy Photo Click the image for a closer look The Brunswick Branch Library is getting ready to move to the Brunswick Shopping Center so a library five times bigger can be built. This illustration show exterior views of the new library.

Branch Administrator Amy Whitney reassures patrons they will still be able to find books, computers and library staff. Staff will order materials that don't have a place during the temporary relocation to smaller quarters.

Whitney was informed in October the library will move temporarily from 915 N. Maple Ave. to a storefront in the Brunswick Shopping Center on Souder Road. The temporary location housed a video rental business.

All this is part of building a bigger library for the city. When construction at the current site is complete, the library will be five times bigger.

The plan is to build a 15,000-square-foot one-story building on the site of the existing 2,800-square-foot library.

It will be a challenge to fit everything in the temporary space near SuperFresh, Whitney said.

"We're working on the floorplan right now."

Although there may be some difficulties, Whitney is certain the long-awaited, expanded facility is worth the temporary inconvenience.

Bidding for the estimated $5 million project closed Nov. 10. Whitney expects the county's bid selection process would allow construction to start in the first few months of 2010 and last 12 to 18 months.

Residents asked for the new library quarters to be "an environmentally responsible building," Whitney said.

The plan went forward for construction that meets the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council. The building will achieve USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

"We're kind of excited about that," Whitney said.

She listed several features that qualified the building for LEED certification:

n Water savings: use of native planting species; toilets and lavatories that save water. --

n Recycling at least 75 percent of demolished building

n Using recycled material and material produced within the region to reduce fuel consumption needed to transport it.

n A pre-occupancy commissioning process to test all energy-using systems.

n Improved indoor air quality: use of materials with low contents of hazardous volatile organic compounds, and construction practices that limit the amount of dust and chemicals in the air from the construction process.

n Building systems that allow staff to have high degree of individual lighting control; a heating/ventilation system designed to a higher standard for thermal comfort.

n A very light colored roof with a high solar reflectance to reduce heat reflected into the atmosphere and to reduce heat in the building, reducing air conditioning costs.--