by Clelia Sweeney

If you have visited the library in the past few weeks, you know the changes we have been going through. Over half of our building has been inaccessible as we tear up the decade-old carpet and replace it. You may have heard banging construction sounds or smelled carpet glue while you were picking up your holds. You may have glimpsed heavy metal devices on wheels, equipped with jacks to lift up long ranges of shelves loaded with books and wheel them across the floor. 

As the project wraps up, we are all excited to see the building’s facelift. Staff are also excited to get back to our regular spaces and routines!

Before construction started, all the departments were in a flurry of activity. In Adult Services, we pulled all of the book display stands off the shelves to make everything as secure as possible for moving around the floor. We assembled grab ‘n’ go bags of materials ready to check out in the lobby. I had a great time with these. My favorites I made were black and white horror DVDs and funny celebrity memoirs.

During the carpet project, someone has been stationed at the front door to answer questions and direct traffic. Our brave Youth Services staff took on this role while their section of the library was inaccessible. 

The Adult Services Desk has been in the Gallery while the main Adults Services area has been closed. To get to our service desk from our offices, staff members have had to cross through little-used back hallways that feel like secret passageway through the walls. To avoid stepping in glue during the first week we went through the first floor, up and down many more stairs than usual. While we haven’t been able to help customers browse the shelves, we have been placing and pulling holds.

Many things did not change throughout the project. The Library continued to be a space to hang out or get work done during the day. We opened our meeting rooms as study spaces when available, and converted the Danfoss Room into a 10-station computer lab. 

We’re happy the disruptions are almost complete! The work went much faster than we could have hoped; Youth Services has already reopened, and Adult Services is about to reopen too. Thank you for your patience through this project. We hope you enjoy the carpet refresh!