MONTICELLO - Ten months after receiving a bequest of nearly $2 million from a former patron, the leaders of Allerton Library are carefully considering how to spend it.

"We are at the very beginning of planning," said Sue Gortner, president of the public library's board. "We haven't got that far in the process. We are exploring the various options."

The only formal decision taken by the board has been to hire Fred Schlipf, a library building consultant and former director of the Urbana Free Library.

The board has met with Schlipf twice to discuss various topics including the possible location and specifications of a new building. Other issues discussed include collection sizes, shelving, study rooms, aisle sizes, furniture, lighting, electrical outlets, security and parking.

Gortner said the board has great confidence in Schlipf, who has consulted with about 90 libraries on building and remodeling projects.

Schlipf said his fee for the entire consultation will be a maximum of $6,500, plus travel expenses.

The library received $1.990 million in January from the estate of Max Hency, a former Monticello resident, who died in 2005. Hency was a retired Navy commander who was not married and had no children.

Gortner said the money is safe, invested in a variety of certificates of deposit at First State Bank of Monticello, backed by the FDIC.

The board president said she believes the investment in Schlipf is a reasonable expense, especially considering the possibility of large library changes.

"We just want to be good stewards of the money," Gortner said.

Schlipf plans to take the ideas of the board and library staff members, and put them into a report of about 150 pages, which will spell out what the board hopes to accomplish. This report could later be used as a guideline for an architect.

One repeated theme Schlipf has heard from library leaders is that the current library, housed in a former downtown opera house since 1897, is too crowded.

"Now we are looking at the space needs," Schlipf said "The book aisles are narrow. There is not a lot of space to sit and read in the library. The library is crowded."

"It will be a very careful process," Schlipf said. "There is no tremendous rush."

hfreeman@herald-review.com|421-6985