BOZEMAN — There are many different renovations taking place at the Bozeman Public Library. One of the renovations is will take the little coffee shop and bookstore by the North entrance and transform it into a nutrition and art lab.
“A kid’s cooking class would be amazing, I’m all for that,” says Jillian Robinson who has been a nanny in Bozeman for many years.
Robinson says a big part of her job is keeping the kids entertained.
“So the library has always been huge resource for us with the activities,” says Robinson.
The executive director of the Bozeman Public Library Foundation, Janay Johnson says there are more activities and learning opportunities on the horizon.
“Libraries are not just about books anymore they’re opportunities to come together with your neighbor, meet new people, learn new things, and enjoy hands-on activities,” says Johnson.
The current renovations are focused on building new meeting rooms, quiet reading areas, and a new central seating area.
The project will cost $5.6 million dollars. It’s almost entirely funded by donations, including 50,000 dollars from Bozeman Health to create more learning possibilities at the library.
“And it’s going to be called the Kitchen Table,” says Johnson. “It’ll have a full kitchen in it where we can do cooking and nutrition classes, and we can also do art classes too because it’s a really easy cleanup.”
Robinson says this is something she’s excited about.
“The kids I nanny would love that,” says Robinson. “Sign us up.”
Johnson said there will be all kinds of classes and activities for kids and adults, which is perfect for Robinson who loves being crafty just as much as the kids she nannies.
“I did a leather working class once and It was amazing, so add that to the list…hint hint,” says Robinson.
Johnson says they’re in the early stages of planning exactly what kind of events and activities they’ll have at the Kitchen Table.
“Maybe there’ll be a Thai night or an Indian night where we can get a chef from that area to come teach people how to make their food,” says Johnson.
The library also plans on working with Bozeman Health to teach nutritional classes.
“So people learn how to eat healthy and maybe for different health conditions like if you have diabetes,” says Johnson.
This is just one of many different learning labs that will be open to the public in the late fall of next year. Other labs will feature 3D printing and other technologies like a recording studio. Thanks to this new technology, the library will also be able to teach online classes for those who cannot attend in person.
Robinson says she can’t wait for the renovations to be complete.
“It looks amazing, I’m all for any kind of growth and establishing something new and exciting,” says Robinson.
