NASHUA – The Nashua Public Library invites residents to learn about an upcoming space needs and feasibility study and share their ideas and preferences at two public input sessions.

They will be held at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on March 26 in the library’s theater at 2 Court St.

The six-month study, led by designLAB architects, examines options to address the library’s aging building, including renovating the space or building new, and a comprehensive cost model and estimates for each approach. The results could pave the way for a revitalized library that better serves our community.

Attendees can share what services, collections, and programs are important to them, ask questions about the study and tour the library.

The Nashua Public Library, a 57,000 square-foot building constructed in the mid-century architectural style known as “brutalism,” is in urgent need of renovation. A 2022 technical facility assessment revealed numerous significant infrastructure needs, including repairs or replacements for almost all of its major life systems and multiple life safety, building code, and accessibility deficiencies — including a lack of automatic smoke detection and sprinkler systems. Its concrete frame and single-pane windows are also thermally inefficient.

Other than a roof replacement in 2008 and the 2017 renovation of the Chandler Wing meet room spaces, the building has not undergone a major renovation or any infrastructure upgrades since it opened in 1971.

Additional opportunities for public feedback will be made available online at nashualibrary.org/renovation over the next several months. When the study is complete, the architect’s recommendations will be shared with city leadership and the public on the library’s website, newsletter and social media.