Port Moody Public Library will soon close for almost two months for renovations.
And library staff hope that will be a bonanza for voracious readers when it shuts its doors on Nov. 10 and a boon for the whole community when they reopen on Jan. 2.
Until the library closes and crews begin their work, borrowers will be able to take home up to 100 items, although some items such as holiday books and storytime kits will still be restricted. As well, the loan period is being extended to Jan. 4.
Lynne Russell, the director of library services, said the complete closure is necessary because of library’s size and the scope of work that needs to be done.
“Because we’re small, the whole library becomes a work zone,” she said. “The work has to be done all at once.”
That work will reconfigure the library’s 13,000 sq. ft. for the digital age by creating more open space that can be adapted as needs change, adding more digital work stations with accessible power and USB plug-ins as well as converting much of the central information desk into a digital creation station where users can digitize old analogue items like photos, slides and video.
“Our business is changing,” Russell said. “The new literacy is digital literacy and we have to ensure people have the skills to get online and use the resources.”
But books and other traditional services people expect from libraries aren't being left behind. The renovation also includes more and better quiet study areas, as well as more shelving for children’s books.
“The book is still strong,” Russell said.
The timing of the closure and subsequent reopening is no accident, Russell said. November and December are two of the library’s slowest months, and January is one of its busiest.
Staff will keep busy while the doors are closed. As workers replace old carpeting, repaint walls, run new wiring and widen doorways, librarians will still be managing the library’s electronic collection of more than 100,000 items, processing holds that can be picked up at the Port Moody recreation complex as well as taking in items that can be dropped at a 24-hour drop box in front of the library. They’ll also continue their work in the community at pre-schools, schools and even the food bank.
“Our focus is on helping the public through this,” Russell said.
While she said she has yet to hear of anyone who has taken full advantage of the doubled borrowing limit, Russell said the feedback as word spreads of the closure has been positive.
“They’ve been very happy they can borrow more books.”
• For more information about the closure and how it will affect borrowing limits and borrowing times, go to library.portmoody.ca.
