A New Chapter for Fayetteville’s Families

Fayetteville Free Library Announces Plans for New Youth Wing Renovation

The Fayetteville Free Library (FFL) is beginning an exciting new chapter. In 2026, the Library will renovate the final unfinished portion of its historic building to create a vibrant new Youth Wing, designed to serve children, teens, and families for generations.

This project is the result of a long-term master plan launched in 2017 and shaped by years of input from patrons, staff, trustees, and community partners. Completing this space brings the library closer to the full and ideal use of its main floor, purchased by the FFL in 2002.

Thanks to a generous bequest from longtime supporter Dan Kirkley, along with New York State Construction and CREST Grant funding secured by library administration, the Library can move forward without impacting taxpayers—meeting the needs of a growing and active community.

What the Youth Wing Will Include

At the heart of the Youth Wing will be a welcoming Children’s Room with children’s collections, interactive play and learning areas, and comfortable seating for kids and caregivers. Nearby restrooms and a dedicated care room will improve accessibility and comfort for families, including those with sensory sensitivities.

Next to the Children’s Room, a new Youth Programming Room will host storytimes, crafts, STEM activities, and other hands-on programs. Moving youth programs into this space will free up the Community Room for more adult education, partner events, and community gatherings.

The Youth Wing will also feature an “In-Between Space” for middle-grade students, offering a mix of collections, social seating, and quiet study areas. A future phase of the project will add a dedicated Teen Space, providing teens with a safe, welcoming place to study, collaborate, and connect.

These changes will allow the current Children’s Room to later become a new, expanded Makerspace, open to all ages. The new Makerspace will provide greater capacity and accessibility for advanced technologies like 3D printers, laser engravers, and more, as well as hands-on instruction, and collaborative workspace —supporting a wider range of projects and users as they build workforce skills, prototype ideas, and turn creativity into real-world opportunities.

The current Makerspace will transition into the new Teen Area, and the former Teen hallway will become a shared Quiet Zone for peaceful reading, study, and focused work.

Looking Ahead

FFL is launching a capital campaign to help furnish the Youth Wing and complete the Teen Space, Makerspace, and Quiet Zone. The campaign will include meaningful naming opportunities, allowing donors to create lasting legacies while investing in learning, creativity, and community connection.

More details about the project, timeline, and ways to support the renovation will be shared as work progresses.

For more information, contact Heather Matzel, Executive Director, Fayetteville Free Library, at hmatzel@fflib.org, or (315) 637-6374.

2023 Preliminary Concept Master Plan
2023 Preliminary Concept Master Plan



FAQs

Construction on the Children’s Room, Youth Programming Room and In-Between space is expected to run from February through July 2026.

The Makerspace and Teen spaces will be moving into their new locations in late 2026-early 2027.

Renovations are primarily occurring in an unfinished portion of our building. However, construction noise may be audible as the work occurs, and we may experience temporary service disruptions as we work towards this next exciting chapter.

As needed, we will put notices out about service disruptions to our community on our website and social media.

Funding for construction of the Youth Wing has been fully secured by library administration through two grants: a New York State Construction Grant and New York State CREST Grant, and through a generous bequest from former avid library user, Dan Kirkley.

Design details will be shared over the coming months – stay tuned!

These renovations will broaden our capacity to respond to the evolving, increasing needs of our community. Not only will the new Youth Wing allow for the expansion and improvement of the Library’s programs and spaces for young people and families; at the same time, this new wing will free up existing areas of the library to better serve adults.

Highlights & Benefits for Youth/Families:

  • A bright, welcoming Children’s Room built to provide improved access to our collections, interactive play areas, convenient bathrooms and care room, and comfortable seating options
  • Adjacent Youth Programming Room thoughtfully designed for storytimes, crafts, STEM programs, and hands-on activities for children and families – with built-in sink, storage, and more
  • New “In-Between Space” for tweens, with books, hangout areas, and quiet study nooks, perfect for the needs of middle grade kids
  • Future Dedicated Teen Space planned as a safe, supportive place to study, relax, and connect with friends – instead of just the hallway space the teens have now!

Highlights for Adults:

  • Expanded access to adult programs, partner events, and community meeting space- as availability our existing Community Room for these will increase with the creation of the Youth Programming Space
  • Improved, Accessible Makerspace: Creating a new Children’s Room will free up our existing Children’s Room to become a state-of-the-art Makerspace, designed with user needs in mind
  • Additional Quiet work and study space- Building teens their own dedicated Teen Space will allow for the creation of restful, relaxing communal quiet work and study space in the current teen area

For those who would like to leave a lasting mark on the Library, the development of the Youth Wing will offer many unique legacy and memorial naming opportunities. Supporters can honor loved ones or celebrate family milestones while contributing to spaces that will inspire learning, creativity, and connection for generations to come. For more information, contact Heather Matzel, FFL Executive Director, at hmatzel@fflib.org or (315) 637-6374 ext. 307.