2018 will be a year of great change at the library.  Beginning next month, the library will undergo a major remodeling project with all new carpeting and flooring, new lighting and ceiling.  Omni Associates will be presenting their design ideas this week and with a little luck, the project will be bid out shortly after approval.  If things go well, it will get underway in late February.

               

Since we don’t want to close the library any more than we absolutely must, the project will be performed in stages.  As a result, sections of the library will be off limits at various times.  The logistics haven’t been decided yet, but we will post it when we know.  The conference room will be one of the first areas to get done, but since it is one of the few empty rooms in the library we will need it to move furniture and displays out of the next areas scheduled.

               

This will affect programming.  Our book groups will move out into the open areas of the library for the duration, but programs such as movie night will be put on hold during the project.  The goal is to get everything done before summer reading program commences in early June.  We are discussing extending checkout periods and numbers to help mitigate the difficulties, but nothing has been decided yet.

               

So please be patient with all the chaos for the next four months; the new LED lighting will be worth all the hassle.  No more dark corners and sections should make both patrons and staff happy. 

               

Since we will have no storage for the next four months, we can no longer accept donations of books until after June 1st.  That is the reason for this week’s book sale.  Also, we cannot book meetings for the conference room during that period, but please remember that the library’s electronic resources are available 24/7 and only require a valid library card and an internet connection.

                

This will require a lot of work on the part of the library staff and although we are approaching this with a tinge of apprehension, there is a lot of excitement as well.  We will be taking advantage of the situation to move some collections around as well as consolidate some work areas, and free up some space for small meetings.

               

So, don’t be perturbed at your next visit to the library when you can’t get to the mystery collection, but the front magazine section is brightly lit with colorful flooring.  Change comes to libraries just like everything else.