Meredith Public Library Closing to Move into New Addition

MEREDITH — The last day to pick up items before the Meredith Public Library closes is Saturday, June 19. The library will reopen July 13 in the new addition. Feel free to take out as many items as you like from now until June 19. They won’t be due until July 13 and every item that is checked out is one less item that has to be moved.

A couple of people generously volunteered to help with the move, but the trustees are contracting with a professional library moving company. There are over 37,000 items, shelving, and furniture to move with no air conditioning until we move into the addition. The trustees felt it better to hire someone for that difficult task. Staff will be packing up their personal items and will assist the movers with where things should go. Because of that, there will be no curbside pickup or homebound deliveries while we are closed. 

Once the library reopens on July 13, the historic and 1980s addition parts of the building will not be accessible to the public as they undergo renovation. The entire project is not slated for completion until mid-September. The only way in and out of the building will be through our new ADA accessible entrance on the High Street side of the building. The new parking lot will be partially available to patrons. Most of the parking lot will still be taken up by construction, but the spaces closest to the library will be for patrons.

The new meeting room and private study rooms will not be available to the public until project completion in September. What will be available?

• The brand new children’s room. Story time and craft area, the collection and bathroom all in one space on the first floor. 

• A few patron PCs. The new PC area will be used as the temporary circulation desk until the move back into the historic library.

• The entire adult collection: books, audio books, DVDs and magazines.

• Part of the teen collection. Since the new home for the teen room will be in the 1980s addition, Mr. John has designed a temporary space in the new meeting room on the first floor. The most popular parts of the teen collection will be available.

• A few seating areas scattered throughout the addition.

Things to look forward to in September

• The new state-of-the-art teen room, innovation space, and media room

• Adult PC area

• Four private study rooms

• A new meeting room available after hours

• Historic reading rooms with working fireplaces

• A quiet study/genealogy/reference room

Visit www.meredithlibrary.org or www.facebook.com/meredithlibrary for news and updates about the building project including video walk-throughs. A new one should be available soon.