When the expansion project concludes next week at the Villages Public Library at Pinellas Plaza, the library will be larger by 1,214 square feet.
Administrative efficiencies due to the outsourcing of library operations, still controversial in part of the county, provided the ability to add space, said County Administrator Bradley Arnold.
The space will be used for five computer stations, six laptop stations, tables and lounge seating for 22 people and more shelving.
A small meeting room with capacity for 15 to 20 people also was added and can be reserved online by the public. Online reservations begin June 16.
Arnold said the efficiencies also meant less book processing time so library patrons can get the newest books sooner after their release date.
In a controversial decision at the time, the Sumter County Commission decided two years ago to outsource many library functions to Library Systems and Services (LSSI), a private firm in Germantown, Md.
Last month, a group of Lake Panasoffke residents showed up at a commission meeting to object to the county’s decision to evict the community’s friends of the library group from the local library.
Some residents said they still oppose the decision to outsource library operations. Lake Panasoffke is in the southwestern part of the county.
County officials said they evicted the group, including its Pages bookstore that sold discontinued books, because it did not provide enough support for the library.
Through April this year, The Villages Friends of the Library has donated 1,732 items and $14,644 to the library. The entire library system has spent $1.4 million during the current fiscal year, about half of its $2.8 million annual budget.
