Library to temporarily close

The Calhoun-Gordon County Library will close for renovations beginning Dec. 10 and reopen once the work is complete.

KCaulder@CalhounTimes.com

Library officials announced last week that the Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library branch will temporarily close for renovations beginning the evening of Dec. 10. Doors will officially reopen after completion of the renovation project, according to Calhoun-Gordon County Library Assistant Director Janet Eberhart, but an official date for that reopening has not been decided upon.

“The library must close to the public during the last phase of the project to allow for the safe installation of the furnishings,” Library Manager Nyala Edwards said in a press release last week.

Members of the Calhoun library staff will remain on duty to collect returned items from the book drop, examine and repair holdings and conduct an inventory of the collection throughout the closure.

Expected among the new renovations are updated computer areas, new public seating space, private study rooms, additional shelving and a permanent Friends of the Library book sale shelf from which patrons will be able to purchase “Friends of” books regularly. Eberhart also said a new history and special collections area will be a big change from what the library currently has.

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“They will be taking existing space on the property and completely renovating it to focus on local history, special collections and genealogy,” Eberhart said. “A lot of things are being updated. If you’ve been in the library, you can already see some of the changes being made. It’s all very exciting.”

Betsy Powell, who focuses much of her work at the library on IT and genealogy, said the new history room is one of the things she is most looking forward to. The updated equipment and new material will make things significantly easier, she said, for those looking to learn about either local or family history.