KALKASKA -- There may be a move in the future for the Kalkaska County Library.
The small library building -- fewer than 5,000 square feet -- currently is in downtown Kalkaska, where the shelves are packed, the media center bulges and there's virtually no space for patrons to sit and read a book. That's why a feasibility study is under way to determine whether a move to the second floor of the county's Kaliseum complex would make financial and logistical sense.
"If I buy a new book, I have to take another book off the shelf and it's been that way for years," said Kathleen Mosher, library director.
An architect was hired to study whether the Kaliseum's second level floor will hold heavy stacks of books and whether its roughly 10,000 square feet could effectively be used as library space.
It appears the floor will hold the stacks, so it's a matter of space design and humidity control, said Michael Fitzhugh, the architect from Traverse City.
A plan should be finished within a couple of weeks for library officials to review and then seek public input, he said.
The combination of public uses in the Kaliseum building could prove beneficial for a variety of reasons, Mosher said.
The Kaliseum is closer to the public schools in Kalkaska, is just off the main highway into town and very visible. Also, a large parking lot would make it easier to accommodate library patrons, Mosher said.
"I think it would make the building so much more viable," she said.
The idea of using existing space may also appeal to county taxpayers, rather than building a new library from the ground up, Mosher said.
The combination also might benefit from dual exposure, meaning library patrons would be exposed to Kaliseum programs, said Alan James, Kaliseum director.
"I think it would be an interesting junction to combine the two," said Kathy Sheahen of Kalkaska, who recently brought her two children to story hour at the library.
The question is whether it would cost too much to move library operations across town, she said.
"They do need the larger space," Sheahen said.
In August, voters approved a millage renewal request for the library at 0.25 mills for five years. County officials are asking voters to approve 0.25 mills in November to help fund Kaliseum operations.
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