In the Smithtown Library's namesake branch, its directors pointed to the back wall to show how far water traveled across the basement's bowels after it was hit with historic rainfall.

The Aug. 18-19 storm, which dropped up to 10 inches of rain across Suffolk's North Shore, flooded the building's basement on North Country Road. The library closed for nine months.

“This wall right here caved in, and then the water, like the Colorado River, just filled up eight feet high in this area,” Rob Lusak, the library's director, said in a recent interview. He was joined by Eileen Caulfield, the assistant director.

The flood burst through doors and upended shelves, desks, computers and other equipment. The waters also damaged books, CDs, DVDs and historic documents. The branch reopened on May 5. The main floor is open, but the basement and upper levels remain closed during construction work.

Now, library officials are asking the public to approve a $16.5 million bond proposal on July 1 to renovate the building. The money would also fund space for new programs and services.

The damage from the storm is projected to total more than $21 million, according to current estimates. 

Annual library district taxes, which average about $392, would rise by about $36 if the bond is approved, according to a library mailer.

Library officials said they expect the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse most of the expense. The district would also use reserve funds. The library must have a financing plan in place to qualify for reimbursement, district officials said.

The library seeks to renovate the basement to house its LearnLab, where patrons can use 3D printers. The renovations will also allow the library to make space for a podcast studio for community use, study areas and a literacy program for adults.

Since the storm, the library has installed sump pumps and a backup power generator. The bond would cover other mitigation efforts, too. There are plans to regrade the parking lot and raise the top of the building's staircase to better guard against water intrusion. The library would also build an outdoor play and garden area with permeable ground to absorb water better.

Library officials see the renovations as a way to highlight, and reintroduce to the community, its archive of historical documents.

The lower level will feature the newly established Government Services Department, currently on the main floor. It will also house both the Patent and Trademark Resource Center and Passport Acceptance Facility, and store the library’s new Federal Depository Library collection. 

The Richard H. Handley Collection of Long Island Americana, or the “Long Island Room, which houses many historic books, documents, maps and other artifacts, would be relocated from the basement to the main floor.

The library would also purchase displays with museum-quality and UV-protective glass to showcase historical artifacts on the main floor. Those include the original deed for Smithtown signed by Thomas Jefferson and town founder Richard Smith. The library also plans to display Daniel Denton's "A Brief Description of New-York: Formerly Called New Netherlands," known as the first book written about the state in English. It was published in 1670.

The storm "has raised so much more awareness" about the library, Caulfield said. "From anyone writing a book or looking at their family history and the history of their homes, there’s a lot more interest in what we have to offer.”

If voters approve the bond, the renovations are expected to start by the end of the year, Lusak said.

Since the storm, patrons have shared stories about what the library has meant to them over the years, Lusak and Caulfield said.

Lusak said he hopes that will translate into support for the renovation plans.

“We felt really privileged that people value their library that much,” he said. “And we know now that in the end, when we rebuild this lower level, that our patrons are going to really be excited about how this all turned out.”