New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Plumb Library renovations near completion in Shelton
SHELTON — The new year will bring with it a completely renovated Plumb Memorial Library.
Director Joan Stokes said the work on the main floor adult department, which began in late March, is expected to be complete by the end of January. And patrons will be greeted with an area that Stokes said is “functional, clean and safe.”
Completion of the latest renovations brings a close to some four years of work at the city’s main library. The work included upgrades to the main meeting room and children’s department on the lower level, and upgrades to the older section of the building, located on the main level, as well as installation of a new elevator.
The most recent work — which has cost $290,000 at this point — focused on removing the present ceiling, painting the walls and ceiling, and installing new flooring and lighting. During this work, Stokes said the HVAC system — which failed last summer, forcing the library to be closed on hot days — will also be replaced.
These renovations are being done in the main section, which was built in 1975, and, according to Stokes, has been untouched since then.
Stokes said the department will remain the same size, but with a different floor plan. For the first time ever, she said the library will have a designated reference department and areas for reference librarians to assist people with technology.
“It was five years ago, I told the (Library) Board the first thing I would do, if you hire me, is clean up the place,” Stokes said. “This place was a mess … it was not safe; it was not ADA compliant. My goal was to get this place up to speed with technology and clean it up.”
“The floor plan will be more user friendly for the public,” Stokes added.
There will be a dedicated reference desk, away from the main library administrative area, and a technology area where patrons can use fax machines to send out material. Along with new furniture and end panels on the bookshelves, Stokes said patrons will also be able to stop at the new coffee bar.
Stokes also pointed out the new teen department, an area with its own reading selections and seating, as well as a help desk, all dedicated to the city’s teenagers. In the past, the teen department was split between the upstairs and downstairs.
Stokes said computers will be available for patrons, but she hopes to have laptops for use as well. She said anyone interested in donating laptops can do so at the library. All donated laptops would have their hard drives wiped and be available for patron use on site.
“We’re 88 percent there,” Stokes said. “This is an exciting time.”
Services were not interrupted during the renovations, which Stokes said have extended longer than anticipated due to supply chain challenges, which are impacting all such work.
Phase 3, which was updating the old library section, cost some $400,000, Stokes said.