MADISON, Wis. -- The city of Madison on Thursday held the first of four public meetings for residents to give input on the design of the new central library.

The architectural team said Thursday's meeting is the first step in the design process and it wants to hear what residents want in the new library.

The Madison Common Council approved $37 million for a new library in November, but that plan fell through when the developer and the city couldn't come to terms on costs.

In April, the city decided to move ahead, building a new library building on the existing site.

Officials said they want the project to have a fresh start.

"Everything that's preceded us tonight in regard to the history of this project is history. We are moving forward and we're not going to let historical events be a tourniquet to creativity," said Jeff Scherer, of Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle. "This is not about resurrecting any political skeletons or any cynical comments about political processes. This is about creating a great public library."

The architectural team said there is a need to increase usable space by 21,000 feet.

As design plans move forward, the architectural team is hoping to make residents happy by creating the new library they're asking for.

While some ideas from residents include creating a rooftop garden and creating a stage for presentations, some said they fear too much will run up costs.

"We shouldn't be diverting a lot of funds to sort of special interests groups that want to add things on to the library that don't really target the service needs," said resident Charles Kime.

Several residents presented ideas on the library's appearance, asking it to match the Overture Center across the street.

"The white look and the glass -- it should reflect that same feeling. It's very close," said resident Ruth Yarborough.

Ultimately, ideas might be worked into design concepts, but not every idea will make the cut.

"We can't guarantee that we will incorporate everybody's wishes. But we will do our best to find the right balance between all the special interests that people have towards the building," Scherer said.

Officials said they must build for the future and that computers will be incorporated into the new facility. The design team also cited a study showing the largest growing group using print sources at libraries is teens.

The city said the architectural team will now split into groups and put together four development concepts that will be presented at the next meeting on Sept. 9.

In September, people will get a chance to take a look at those concepts and give their input on which one to proceed with.