"New" library set to reopen on March 17

Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Staff are rushing to put 33,000 books back on the shelves in time for the March 17 reopening.

The Mountain Home Public Library will resume service in its newly rebuilt facility on March 17, Librarian Luise House announced this week.

The library hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

A formal dedication ceremony will be held March 25 at 2 p.m. to show off the $1.5 million expansion project to the community. That event will feature a special program by the area's Masonic organizations, refreshments, entertainment and a Visual Arts Council display of local artists that will be including in a silent auction of artwork that to be held in the library the following week.

In August of 2004 voters approved a bond issue to finance a major expansion of the old library, more than doubling its size. Cristobal Construction of Mountain Home won the bid to build the addition, which has resulted in a virtually new building.

In December of last year the library, which had been operating with a reduced collection out of space provided downtown by the Western Elmore County Recreation District while the construction took place, closed its doors to begin the move into the new facility.

The library staff has spent that time rushing to put more than 33,000 books back on the shelves -- in proper order -- and working on developing a database of all the books that could lead by fall to having a computerized card catalog system in place.

The library will put out a call some time around mid-April for volunteers to help with the database project, but no volunteers are being sought right now to put the books back on the shelves as that requires specialized skills in library cataloging systems.

The new library has an informal reading area at the front of the building that also will feature a Moxie Java kiosk, so library patrons can enjoy a cup of coffee in a relaxed environment.

The hugely popular public access computer labs have been greatly expanded. The new library will open with nine adult machines, five computers for children, and one to three computers dedicated to senior citizens, a considerable increase from the four machines it previously had. Computer access also will be available in the independent study area and the entire library is now wired for wi-fi access, for those with wireless free internet portable laptop computers. There is room to add more computers as funds become available.

The new library also features a greatly expanded juvenile area, including a special area, with tiny tables and chairs designed specifically for children, where programs such as Storytime and the bilingual Leyando Mano y Mano reading programs can be held.

In fact, the first Storytime in the new building will be held March 21 at its regular hours, 11-11:30 a.m. and 3:30-4 p.m.

The Leyando Mano y Mano program also will be starting up again soon. The library has hired a bilingual employee to assist with that program and with patrons who speak primarily Spanish. The library has a growing Spanish-language juvenile collection and is beginning to develop a Spanish-language adult collection.

The librarians said they are happy to be able to resume a full set of outreach programs that had to be cut back during the construction project, and to expand the library's programs.

The summer reading program, for example, will be increased from four to six weeks this year.

A number of special programs for senior citizens are being developed, some in cooperation with the city Parks and Recreation Department, and the staff is developing a full slate of future programs aimed at both adults and children for the coming year.

"We're planning on being pretty busy," House said, praising her staff for the work they have been putting in to develop the programs.

Another feature of the new library is the return of the public meeting room, which has been unavailable for several years after the library dedicated the old room to the Parks and Recreation Discovery Program.

The new meeting room, which can accommodate up to 55 people, will be available for public use and features a code-lock system that will allow people to use the room after library hours.

The library board of trustees currently is working on a set of policies and fee schedules that will govern the use and availability of the room.

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