Take one step inside the Fountaindale Public Library and it’s easy to see its modern, environmentally friendly look. And while at home, clicking around the library’s website can reveal a wealth of new programs. 

In the past year the library has worked on plenty of new developments, one of which focused on going green.

Every roof is covered in sedum, a species of small, low-maintenance plants that can absorb storm water instead of having the library build storm water retention tanks underground.

The fritted glass windows let in 60 percent less solar radiation and the floors are made of recycled rubber. Low light-emitting fixtures in the parking lot and lights that are sensitive to changing levels of light also cut energy use inside the building.

Julianne Scherer, a project manager with Nagle Hartray Architecture, the company in charge of library construction, called the environmental-friendly developments “very successful.”

“I think we were responsible for choosing sustainable ingredients for the building of the project that mimic the community’s goals,” she said.

According to Tony Lucarelli, Fountaindale's senior adult services librarian for business and communications, the building hopes to achieve a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. At a budget of $39.6 million, the library successfully built the structures.

“We decided to really be the forerunner to do this kind of thing on a scale of this magnitude,” Lucarelli said. “We’re going for gold and we’re pretty confident we’re going to get it.”

Lucarelli said the board looked to the design of other libraries, such as Naperville’s 95^th Street Library and the Des Plaines Public Library for inspiration. Since the new library building’s opened in March, patrons have been able to appreciate Fountaindale’s new developments.

“People come in here and they are just overwhelmed with what the library could be,” Lucarelli said. “I am very thrilled to see this come to Bolingbrook.” 

Fountaindale also offers changes on its website, where two new programs were launched last month. The first, Mango Languages, offers 33 language-learning programs, from Spanish and French to lesser-known dialects such as Urdu and Haitian Creole. 

“That was a database we felt had a deep need for in the community,” said Debra Dudek, the library’s adult and teen services manager. “I’m always very pleased to see good usage and to see that people really enjoy it. It’s great for students and for teachers.”

With the database, a user can choose a language and follow the system’s courses, learning conversation skills at his or her own pace and own time. Dudek recently started with the Spanish program and said she enjoys learning the conversational phrases, as those can be used right away. 

Dudek called the second new program, Universal Class, an “exceptionally unique” database, as it provides more than 500 classes worth various amounts of continuing education units.

Users have six months to complete each class and submit assignments to professors. After completing a course, the user receives a certificate.

“It’s been fantastic,” said Dudek, who is currently enrolled in a genealogy course. “You can take a Universal Class and earn a certificate when you’ve finished it and that’s an accomplishment, to enrich your own personal and professional life. It’s brilliant.”

As the library continues to finish construction, patrons will find the new Fountaindale clean and energy efficient. For those interested in the databases, library cardholders can register on Fountaindale’s website.