The staff at the Leeds Jane Culbreth Public Library have put their thinking caps on and they are asking the community to do the same. The purpose for all the brainstorming: a brand new public library that will provide the public with a more modern and visitor-friendly experience.

The staff at the library is eyeing a new 12,000 square-foot facility that will feature the main library reading room with shelving, along with a lobby, two administrative areas, a courtyard, and a community meeting room. This all comes with a price tag of about $2.4 million. The building will be situated at the corner of Second Avenue and Sixth Street in downtown Leeds.

According to Karen Carroll, an employee at the library, the need for a new facility is long overdue.

“We are simply out of space. We are eliminating perfectly good books from our shelves to make room for our new books. We are also limited in hosting the programs we want to feature for our visitors and the community,” Carroll said.

There are also technology needs that the current structure simply will not allow. Carroll said visitors are often being placed on waiting lists to use computers. And, when the allotted time is up, it is time for the user to give up their seat at the computer.

“We have only five public computers and two laptops … they stayed covered up, especially after school. For a lot of kids, these are the only computers they have access to so they do their school projects here. We also have people who come here to search for jobs,” she said.

But, for Carroll and the other employees at the library, a new facility with adequate space will allow them to engage the public in new ways.

“One of the first things we need is a place for our teenagers,” Carroll said. “I want to draw them into the library and give them a place where they can hold their meetings, expose them to books and have programs designed for them.”

There’s also crowding issues when it comes to providing services for other age groups. For example, the weekly Tot Time program is often over-crowded simply due to the space available at the current library.

Then, there are the structural problems that come with an aging building. Battling leaks has become a chore in itself at the library, according to the staff.

Davis Architects has already begun work on designing a new Leeds library. That phase of the project is being funded through a $50,000 grant. The staff will meet with the architects soon to discuss more specific needs that should be addressed with the new facility.

To keep the project moving forward, the library staff, along with the Leeds Public Library Foundation, is working to keep additional funds coming in … regardless of the amount.

Among the fundraisers the library is hosting is a monthly SpeakEasy Art event. For $20, participants are instructed in painting a piece of art in a fun, social atmosphere. Of the $20 fee, $15 is going straight to the building fund.

“We had a lot of fun and we are hoping to see the group continue to grow,” Carroll said.

There is also an “Opportunity Quilt,” with chances to win a locally-produced quilt that was donated to the library. Every dollar raised through the sell of quilt tickets will go to the library building fund.

Carroll said the library continues to think about what they can do raise a few more dollars for the fund.

“We are working on the philosophy that every nickel and dime counts; the 50 cents we get today is 50 cents more than we had yesterday,” she said.

She added that, at some point, bigger money would have to come through.

“Grants will probably be the key … getting grants will be the only way we will make this happen,” Carroll said.

Carroll said the Library Foundation and the city’s grant writer will play a big role in helping apply for grants, but that the library has to be prepared to have matching funds available.

“Everything that happens here at the library is done for the community. We are really hoping that the community will share this vision with us and help make it a reality,” Carroll said.

Library staff said donations are welcome at any time and that they welcome clubs and organizations that might like to hold a fundraiser of their own on behalf of the library.