We are extremely pleased to announce that our W.J. Niederkorn Library has been selected as one of the recipients of the Flexible Facilities Program grant that we applied for through the Wisconsin Department of Administration! This grant is funded through the U.S. Department of Treasury Capital Projects Fund as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act.
We have been awarded $1,093,348 to use toward partial renovations in our library for study rooms, space enhancements, and improved technology infrastructure – including improved internet access. Job and health resources will be highlighted as we as a community – both local and at large – share the goal of bouncing back after the coronavirus pandemic.
Much more info to come!
THANK YOU profusely for awarding these grant funds to our library, Gov. Evers and the DOA!
Press release available here: Press Release: Gov. Evers Announces $115 Million in Grants to 35 Local and Tribal Communities for New Construction and Renovations of Public Libraries and Community Centers (govdelivery.com)
Grant Info: https://energyandhousing.wi.gov/Pages/AgencyResources/FlexibleFacilities.aspx
FAQs (added 10/21/24):
Architect selected for our library remodeling (added 1/23/25): PRA – Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP
PRA Partner in Charge: Jason Puestow, AIA, NCARB
City of Port Washington staff contacts: Roger Strohm, City Engineer, and Tom Carson, Library Director
Conceptual designs (added 1/23/25), including the following projects:
- Updated Quiet Room (expand the current space of the Quiet Room, half of the new space will remain quiet study)
- Added computer lab (expand the current space of the Quiet Room, half of the new space will become the computer lab with sliding doors)
- Upper floor Circulation Desk will be scaled down and moved to the south wall
- Added study rooms and conference room in the northeast corner of the upper floor
- Remodeled and open concept kitchen in the lower level Community Room
Mark your calendars! Grant Info Session: Wed, Feb 19 @ 6pm. Library staff and architects will be sharing about the grant projects and conceptual designs. The general public is invited to attend.
Grant projects timeline coming soon! (The plan is to begin with the upper floor in the summer of 2025 and then shift to the lower level in the fall of 2025. This will allow the Community Room to be utilized during our busy Summer Reading Program months on the lower level)
Latest Interior Renderings (added 3/6/25):
Latest updates (added 5/5/25):
- Construction contract awarded through bid process to Duffek Construction (April 2025)
- Renovations on the upper level estimated to begin in mid-June 2025
- Display case rentals will end after May 2025. The wall space where the display case currently is will be utilized by the Friends’ booksale instead
- Renovations on the lower level estimated to begin in August 2025
- Community Room reservations will be on pause beginning in August 2025.
- More info coming soon!
Renovations to begin Mon, June 16 (added 5/16/25)
- We will remain OPEN as much as possible during the renovations. We’ll share more details and any short-term closure information as soon in advance as possible.
- Areas on the upper floor will start to shift around as we clear space for the renovation area
- Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during this exciting time for our library!
Latest updates (posted 6/11/25):
- The upper level entrance may be closed intermittently the week of June 16 – June 20 while the construction crew is doing demolition of the quiet room/computer area. The lower level entrance will still be accessible.
- Our microfilm reader and microfilm will be inaccessible from June 12 – early Aug 2025.
- Our general curbside pickup of items will be unavailable from June 12 – early Aug 2025. If you have extenuating circumstances requiring curbside pickup, please contact us directly to see how we can best assist you.
- We anticipate our main stacks to be closed off in mid-July for approximately 1 week while new carpeting is installed on the upper floor.
- Our upper floor community jigsaw puzzle will be on hiatus this summer, beginning June 11, due to limited table space.
- Donation barrels for The Food Pantry and The Lions Club (eyeglasses, hearing aids, & cell phones) have been relocated to the lower level hallway for the time being.
- Cart with free items has been relocated to lower level hallway.
- Majority of shopping carts and walkers have been moved to the lower level hallway.
- More updates to come as the summer progresses. Thank you again for your flexibility and understanding.
Latest updates (posted 7/25/25):
- The upper floor timeline has been bumped back with a new end date projected to be by the end of Sept 2025
- Services on pause (including curbside pickup; microfilm reader; and community jigsaw puzzle) are to be determined when they will be available again
- From July 25, 2025 to approximately July 30, 2025 there will be even more limited seating on the upper floor on the east side due to painting taking place. Shelving has been pulled away from the walls with limited access to some small sections of the collection. Please ask a staff member if you need assistance.
- More updates to come. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding!
Latest updates (posted 8/15/25):
- Our outside book drop will be closed from Sun, Aug 17 @ 5pm to approximately Wednesday morning, Aug 20. The indoor book drops will remain open during our open building hours. You may also return materials to other Monarch Library System libraries. Please call us at 262-284-5031 if you have extenuating circumstances.
- Our upper-level (main) entrance will be closed on Mon, Aug 18 and Tues, Aug 19 due to work on the flooring in the foyer. Our lower-level entrance will remain open. Thank you for your understanding. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Upcoming temporary building closure (posted 8/28/25):
In order to install carpeting on the upper floor and begin demolition of areas of the lower floor, we need to close our library building to the public from Thurs, Sept 18 – Sat, Oct 4. We will reopen to the public on Mon, Oct 6 at 9am. For everyone’s safety and for the construction crew to work most efficiently, this is necessary.
What does that mean for materials and events?
- Book drop: Our outside book drop will be OPEN during the building closure time. Some of our staff will still be here to get items checked in.
- Due dates and hold expiration dates: These will be extended, so you should not see these as being due/expired during the closure time. Please check your account at search.monarchcatalog.org or via the Monarch2Go app. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.
- Events: Some of our library programs will still be taking place OFFSITE during the couple week closure. Please see details on our events calendar: wjnlib.events.mylibrary.digital/
- Digital resources: Even though our physical building will be closed, our digital resources are available 24/7: wjnlib.org/resources/
Reopening after temporary closure (posted on 10/2/25):
We’re excited to see you in the library again! We reopen to the public on Mon, Oct 6 at 9am. A LOT of progress on renovations has been made during this temporary closure. Is everything complete yet? No.
- Upper floor projects: Estimated to be completed by the end of Nov 2025
- Lower floor projects: Estimated to be completed by the end of Jan 2026
To see photos of the progress, check out our Library Facebook page.
Temporary library building closure extended (posted on 10/5/25):
Our crews have run into some unexpected delays over the weekend. Unfortunately, that means we need a couple more days than originally anticipated to prepare the library space for public access again. Our new projected reopening date to the public is Wed, Oct 8 at 9am.
We sincerely apologize and thank you in advance for your understanding.
Material due dates will be extended. Outside book drop will remain open.
Reopen to the public as of 10/8/25 at 9am (posted on 10/9/25):
We are officially OPEN again and are excited to see you! Stop by to see the progress of our exciting renovations! What to expect:
Computers: We do have a few public computers available for use. Our large computer lab is still being finished up. WiFi is also available throughout the building. Printing/copying/scanning is available. Faxing is currently on pause.
Events: Many of our events will be back on site at the library again. Find details on our events calendar at https://wjnlib.events.mylibrary.digital/.
Study spaces: Our new study rooms are still being finished up, but we do also have tables and seating throughout the building to utilize.
Restrooms: The lower-level restrooms are fully gutted and out of commission right now. The upper-level restrooms are available. Both floors have drinking fountains available.
Holds pick-up and check-out desks: Our holds pickup is available on the upper floor. Curbside pickup is still not available at this time, however. Our new desks are still being finished up, but each floor has temporary desks set up and self check-out machines available.
Collection layout: Some of our collections have shifted around a little. You’ll mainly see a difference in Adult Fiction. The endcap signs have been updated.
Parking: Our parking lot is open as usual. You may see some construction vehicles parked there at times to unload supplies, but generally speaking this area is prioritized for public usage.
Donations: We are still not accepting books or other material donations due to a lack of space at this time. We have limited storage areas, and many things are still shifting around during renovations. It’s amazing how quickly an open table/shelf/space fills up! But thank you for thinking of us. 🙂
As always, please ask our library staff if you need assistance. We are here to help!
Temporary Children’s Library closure (posted on 11/3/25):
- Due to work on the lower-level restrooms, our Children’s Library will be closed on Wednesday, November 5, and possibly longer. It will be loud and dusty. Our upper level will remain open. Storytime on Nov 5 will take place upstairs instead of in the Children’s Library. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility.
- Update: Our lower level will remain closed through Thurs, Nov 6. Thanks for your patience!
- Lower-level entrance and Children’s Library are OPEN again as of 9am, Fri, Nov 7.
Temporary lower-level closure (posted 11/21/25):
- Due to demolition and retiling of the staircase and lower-level hallway, our lower level, including the Children’s Library, will be closed from Mon, Dec 1 – Tues, Dec 9. Our upper level will remain open.
- In general, renovations are loud and dusty. Thank you for your understanding! Dec 1-2 will be especially loud since those are the demolition days.
- Events scheduled in the Children’s Library (storytime and Ugly Sweater event) will take place on the upper floor instead.
- We will have a ‘mini’ Children’s Library available on the upper floor with a small selection of materials. You may also place holds on items. Our staff will be pulling requested items at certain times of the day as staff coverage and the renovation schedule allow.
Update on 12/8/25:
Surprise! We’re ahead of schedule & will reopen the Children’s Library TODAY 12/8 @ 12pm! (instead of 12/10). The staircase and lower-level restrooms are still closed.
Questions or comments? Please contact Library Director Tom Carson at tcarson@monarchlibraries.org or 262-284-5031.