January 31, 2005

Open House to Commemorate Library Closure

Visit the San Juan Island Library on Thursday February 3 between 4 and 7 PM for a final Open House before the month-long closure goes into effect the next. "Join us for cake and coffee or punch! We're having a party, but we're trying to keep it simple in the face of so much going on!" said Kathy Babbitt, the volunteer coordinator. Thursday will be the last day to check books out from the library facility on Guard Street until it reopens sometime in March. "Take as many books as you like. Except for fiction videos and new books, you can keep them until we reopen, for six weeks!" Babbitt continued.
 
While the library facility is closed to the public, public library services will be offered two day per week at Friday Harbor High School. The high school library will be open Tuesdays starting February 8 from 4 PM to 8 PM and Sundays starting February 13 from 1 PM to 5 PM. New books and fiction movies from the public library will be available for check out. "Library patrons can also go online or call us and request we bring specific items to the high school, and we'll do that. If the item is in the library, we can go get it, and if someone has an item checked-out for six weeks, we'll ask them to return it early if someone it's requested by another patron," said Library Director, Lauren Stara.

The new book drop will be installed in the library before the old one is removed, so returning items will always be possible at the public library building.

The library shelves are currently at full capacity. The remodel will increase shelf space by about 30%, allowing the library to continue to grow with the community. "When the previous remodel was undertaken about ten years ago, the trustees anticipated that new shelves would be necessary about this time. That's why they have been saving money out of the operating budget to allow us to complete this remodel from monies on hand," Stara added.
 
The Library's collection includes both fiction and non-fiction books for very young children, for grade-school aged children and for adults. In addition to its collections of books, audio books, DVDs, videos and magazines to loan, the library also provides computers for public use.