Library will be formally dedicated Saturday

Patrons flocked to the library when it opened last week, many taking advantage of the new children's area.

The staff and trustees of the Mountain Home Public Library are inviting the public to attend the formal dedication of the new $1.5 million expansion of the old facility this Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m.

The library reopened its doors last Friday, after being closed during the three months it took to move from its former temporary location at the WECRD offices downtown, where the library had operated while construction of the expansion that doubled the size of the old library was underway.

And based on the response of the more than 600 people who showed up Friday (over 100 in the first 30 minutes), the wait was worth it.

Over and over again the staff heard praises about the beauty of the building and the new facilities available, which include a Moxie Java kiosk in the informal reading area. "The library has become a fun place to go," one patron said.

"It was really crazy and busy," said Assistant Libraran Robin Murphy. "People were really happy and patient with us. We had a good time, and we hope they did, too."

This Saturday, special ceremonies will formally dedicate the building.

A ribbon-cutting by the Chamber of Commerce will be held at 1:45 p.m. for the Moxie Java kiosk, and at 2 p.m. the formal dedication ceremonies for the library will be held, probably on the front patio area if weather permits. Bleachers will be set up by the Parks and Recreation Department for public seating.

Following an invocation, the local Boy and Girl Scouts will present the flag and lead those attending in the pledge of allegiance.

Librarian Luise House will offer some brief remarks thanking those who make the expansion project possible, followed by Mayor Joe B. McNeal giving a brief speech and then introducing leaders of the local Masonic organizations.

The Masons, combining all the local Masonic groups, will march from their lodge on American Legion Boulevard to the library prior to the dedication, and their participation in the dedication will be one of the highlights of the event, as they will conduct special consecration ceremonies.

Barricades will be set up at 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of E. Eighth North and N. Tenth East streets to handle the Masonic march and the expected crowds. Detours will be set up to work traffic around the intersection. The barricades will be removed at 3:30 p.m. Parking will be available at East Elementary. The library parking lot is being reserved for VIPs and handicapped patrons.

A time capsule will be placed in the library at the end of the ceremonies.

Following the dedication hot dogs and other refreshments will be served by Parks and Recreation, an art display by the Visual Arts Council will be set up in the library, music and other activities will be held in the library, and a special Storytime will be held in the Children's Reading Area. Storytime is normally held at the library on Tuesdays now from 11-11:30 a.m. and from 3-3:30 p.m.

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.

The Moxie Java will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The expansion project, approved by the voters in August 2004, more than doubled the size of the library. The new facility features 16 public access computers in four different computer areas, for children, young adults, adults and senior citizens, and large audio-book collection, magazines, large-print books, Spanish-language sections for both adults and juveniles, special expanded juvenile and children's sections, a new public meeting room designed for up to 55 people, and an expanded circulation desk and book collection.

By fall, a computerized card catalog should be on line, and the library already is linked through a special inter-library loan program with the computerized catalogs of a number of other librarys in the state.

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 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.

In addition, 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.