By David Pan/Lynnwood Today editor

The Lynnwood Library will be closed for much of September.

The library will be undergoing some basic renovations and also will be adding a new space called Creative Commons. As a result, the library will close on Sept. 6 and potentially remained closed until Sept. 29.

But the library may reopen earlier if work is completed ahead of schedule, according to Sno-Isle Library Communication Director Ken Harvey.

The renovation and building maintenance includes new carpet, some interior painting, restroom work and the restructuring of service desks.

What may be of more interest to library patrons is the new Creative Commons area. The 1,000 square feet work area will feature various computing resources and other technology designed for individuals to come together for collaborative learning and creation.

“For some, it will be exposure to additional technology that may not be easily accessible,” Harvey said.

Creative Commons will have individual workstations with production capabilities, including scanners. Audio and video equipment also are planned.

“People can do their own presentations and even develop some of their own media creations,” Harvey said.

The area also will facilitate group classes. The target audience for Creative Commons includes students, business people and entrepreneurs. The Marysville Library also will be adding a Creative Commons area.

Though anyone will be able to use the Lynnwood Creative Commons, it’s being introduced in part to service the business community.

“Individuals using it can insure they keep up with their own technology knowledge,” Harvey said. “They can continue to be employable. … More and more customers need access to technology that is equipment based versus virtual access.

The timing of the closure, at the start of the school year, wasn’t by design. It just worked out that way because of the various contracts.

The renovations to the building, which is owned by the city of Lynnwood, are estimated at $250,000 and the city is paying a portion of the renovations through a shared building reserve fund. The Creative Commons projects, both Lynnwood and Marysville, are budgeted for a combined $200,000.

Sno-Isle is making arrangements to have an old Book-mobile vehicle to be at the Lynnwood site. Patrons may pick up items on reserve but will not be able to return material. Harvey encourages everyone to use nearby libraries in Brier, Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds and Mukilteo.

Lynnwood Library staff has been reassigned to work at other libraries during Lynnwood’s closure. Lynnwood is the busiest library in the system. Patrons checked out 947,000 items last year.