VIDALIA &045;&045; No offices, a tiny workspace and a small children’s area are just some of the reasons for the proposed expansion of the current Vidalia Library.

The library board received approval for the expansion from the police jury Feb. 23. And the board also received permission to borrow money to add an additional 5,000 square feet, if needed.

But, library director Amanda Taylor said she hopes they don’t need it. The library board is taking the same approach to the Vidalia expansion as they did with the Ferriday library renovations &045;&045; save the money to pay for the entire project.

The library receives money from an upgrade in the millage, which started in 1998, and the library has been putting that extra money back to pay for the upgrades. Taylor said the board did not want to ask for more money, &uot;just manage the money the people have already given us.&uot;

The architects from the Ferriday renovations also will work in the Vidalia expansion.

&uot;They did a beautiful job here,&uot; Taylor said of Ferriday.

Paul Stewart, the architect from Monroe, already has looked at the site but the Dallas-based architect from Phillips Swager and Associates, who specializes in libararies, will come check out the building at the end of the month.

&uot;They just do libraries,&uot; she said. &uot;They have the feel for the service area, how to serve patrons well.&uot;

Stewart has already drawn out sketches and the Dallas-based architect will walk through the existing facility to make recommendations.

But working with the architects could take a bit of time. In Ferriday, Taylor said they worked with them for almost three years.

&uot;We hope that we’ll let the bids out the very last of 2005 or the beginning of 2006,&uot; Taylor said. And the entire project should be finished by 2008, when the millage runs out, she said.

The library has been in the old courthouse since 1980 and will stay there, Taylor said. The library board conducted a survey of patrons in Vidalia, who preferred the current location instead of relocating to the riverfront.

&uot;We always want to do what our public wants us to do,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;They want us to stay right there.&uot;

The new facility is proposed at about 7,500 square feet and will include a number of amenities the library needs.

The current library is only 2,300 square feet.

The size of the facility was based on a standards and formulas based on a 20-year projection of population.

&uot;We just need more space and a larger program room,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;Large attendance but don’t have enough room. The library has to be very easy for people to use.&uot;

The renovations will include a large program room, a larger area for public access terminals and more of them, a larger children’s area and a place for people to sit and read in the library.

But the library’s only entrance, after renovations, will be from Texas Street. So the library will have to be in two levels with ramps from one to the other, Taylor said. Not two stories but two levels due to the difference in the height of the building and the ground.