The Livingston County Library system has a new branch, the Lillian DesMarias Youth Library, and we could not be more honored to have been their architectural and design team. The building that is now a destination for the youth and young families of Livingston County was a former Walgreen’s building located in the heart of Chillicothe, MO. The budget for the project was low, so we designed cost-effective solutions that create an immersive environment without a large investment. For instance, we re-purposed most of the existing rooms as administrative and storage space and added minimal walls to complete their programing needs. The new space has two large rooms for library and community events and programs, a sensory space, a story-time room, two acoustically private study rooms, a mother’s quiet room, a maker space and multiple lounge areas for teens, middle-readers and families of young children. The goal was to have separate spaces, but to have visual access throughout. We created a cost-effective screen element that we used throughout the center of building that allows staff to be able to see into each space, while maintaining psychological boundaries. Our favorite feature, however, could be the child-sized entrance to the sensory space. The goal is that it will empower the children’s sense of discovery and give them their own doorway to an environment that inspires creativity and learning.