Matthew Kruntorad, partner with MSR Design, will copresent alongside City of Columbus city administrator Tara Visacek, Lincoln City Libraries director Ryan Wieber, and Mark Bacon, principal with BVH Architecture, at the 2026 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago.
The session, “From Stalled to Built: Navigating Library Capital Projects with Optimism and Consensus,” will take place on Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM.
Library capital projects are among the most transformative—and most challenging—investments a community can undertake. Whether new construction, expansion, renovation, or adaptive reuse, these efforts are shaped by escalating costs, political hesitation, deferred action, and growing expectations for sustainability, flexibility, inclusivity, and robust community engagement.
This session will provide a national perspective on the pressing issues libraries face when planning capital projects and share practical strategies for moving projects forward. Topics will include creative funding models, building political will, authentically engaging stakeholders, embedding sustainability goals, designing flexible future-ready spaces, and reframing libraries as multipurpose civic infrastructure.
