A $70 million facelift is being proposed for the Richmond Public Library’s Main Library in Downtown.

First unveiled at a March 1 community meeting, the plans on the drawing board call for replacing the west side of the building with a modern addition that would include a parking deck with 70 spaces.

Though still preliminary and at least several years away, the goal is to create a space that would make the Main Library a more visible landmark, eliminate physical barriers inside and outside, improve the use of interior space and also reduce carbon emissions through the addition of solar roof panels to generate a significant share of electricity.

Scott Firestine, director of the Richmond Public Library, said library officials are still gathering feedback, but expect by the fall to submit to the city a finished plan to replace well-known areas of the library, such as the Gellman Room, a community space best known for small concerts.

Essentially, he said the historic portion of the library that dates to 1928 is the target for redevelopment, with the 1972 expansion that fills the east side of the building at 101 E. Franklin St. remaining. The addition would have a rooftop terrace that would be open to the public, with the planned solar panels being placed on the roof of the existing building.

According to Mr. Firestine, the new development would allow the library to improve public access to books and other media in its collection and enable it to be more than just a large, publicly available book depository.

Ever since their inception, libraries have sought to have the biggest and best collection of books, but the computer and internet revolutions have ushered in major changes. To remain relevant, libraries are focusing more on offering services that the public wants and needs. That includes beefing up interlibrary loan services and providing better navigation to essential materials, Mr. Firestine said.

He said the makeover would allow better shelving of the collection, increase the number of multipurpose rooms and simplify the public’s ability to move through the building by eliminating unneeded staircases.

The Main Library’s book collection already has dropped from 800,000 volumes to 500,000 volumes in the past 15 years, while the number of computers available to the public has increased.

The New York-based architecture firm Steinberg Hart and Richmond-based Kei Architects are handling the design.

According to Mr. Firestine, the library would seek to be included in the city’s capital budget plan in the coming years to secure a big chunk of the money. He said the library also would be applying to foundations and corporations for support and would undertake a major fundraising campaign to seek private gifts.

Raising the money will take time, but the hope of the library is to have the work underway within three to five years, he said.