BROOKINGS — A new look is coming to the children’s and teen’s sections of Brookings Public Library thanks to a $120,000 donation from Lowe’s. The library received one of 100 grants this year from the Lowe’s Hometown Project — a program funding facelifts at nonprofits around the nation.

“We nominated the library towards the beginning of the year,” Nancy Swenson, technology services librarian and programming supervisor, said. “From there, we were notified we were one of 200 organizations selected to submit formal proposals. They said thousands of organizations were nominated, and we were selected as one of 200 (finalists). That was pretty competitive just to be at that stage.”

In March, finalists submitted detailed budget proposals including pictures, videos and vendor quotes.

“They encouraged us to submit a couple different options,” Swenson said. “They had $10 million to give to 100 organizations nationwide. Some organizations may only ask for $60,000 while some may ask for higher amounts. We gave them three proposals, and the $120,000 option was our middle option. … So we got more than our basic plan, which is really awesome.”

She said a new look for the library’s interior is long overdue.

“If you look at much of the furnishings in the building now, it’s largely from the remodel of 1999-2000,” Swenson said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but it’s been like 25 years. So we’re always looking at what could change and how those changes could happen. … We started getting quotes on what (a remodel) would cost and realized it was a lot more than we thought. Library furniture is wildly expensive, so that’s when we started looking for opportunities. We’re always keeping our eye open for grant opportunities, and this was perfect timing.”

She said they hope to make the children’s and teen’s sections stand out better.

“Right now they match all the other shelving, and it can be loosey-goosey telling apart the kid’s area from the adult’s area,” Swenson said. “This will let us make those areas more defined by purchasing endcaps — that’s the ends of our shelves — and canopies to go on top. In both cases, they’ll be bright colors instead of the honey oak we currently have throughout the library. It’ll be quite clear visually that these are different, distinct spaces.”

They’ll also install some kid-specific shelving.

“We’ll be replacing the easy picture book shelves,” Swenson said. “The youngest readers get those picture books, and right now they’re on the shelves spine-out — so you have to read the title on the spine to see what it is. Those little readers can’t read those yet, so we’ll have face-out shelving where the picture books have their covers facing outward. Kids and families can browse and see the picture book covers. It makes things more engaging for the littlest readers, helping them find what they’re looking for more easily.”

The teen’s area will also be refurbished.

“Our teen’s area is right inside the doors of the building, and it doesn’t really look like a teen-specific space,” Swenson said. “Adults sometimes start hanging out there, and then teens don’t want to go in. … So we’ll be getting new endcaps and tops in bright colors to show this is a different section. Our hope is to paint a design or mural on the back wall to also better define and distinguish that space. Then we’ll replace much of the seating in the teen’s area with types of seating that’s more engaging and welcoming for teens, in bright colors.”

She said behind-the-scenes work has begun.

“We’re actually rolling right now — working on quotes and deciding exactly what to order,” Swenson said. “Once we order things, it’s like 10 to 12 weeks before it all comes in. It’s a whole lot of ‘hurry up and wait.’ … Then we’ll make a plan for how to install and rearrange everything. We’ll probably be closed a couple days, because it’s a pretty disruptive process. We also get to have a volunteer day for Lowe’s employees — which is fun and exciting — where they’ll come in and help with the project. We’ll be working with the store manager to figure out details.”

She said they hope to celebrate a ribbon-cutting sometime before mid-November.

“We are thankful that Lowe’s is investing in the communities they’re in … and giving us — and 99 other organizations — the opportunity to make some really meaningful changes,” Swenson said.

Now in its fourth year, the Lowe’s Hometown Project is a five-year, $100 million program aiming to provide 10 million square feet of renovations to nonprofits nationwide.

Contact Jay Roe at jay.roe@brookingsregister.com.