The downtown branch has been closed since Aug. 30, when employees began to move materials into the temporary library location at 1020 Market Ave. N. An estimated 140,000 materials, including books, magazines and DVDs, made the trip down the street. The library will operate out of the temporary location for three years while construction is underway on a new library campus at the site of the old Main Library.
The library staff is putting the finishing touches on the temporary library in anticipation of the public opening. "I'm really excited to have our regulars back in," said Jo Phillips, the senior branch manager. "I know they've been really excited." Phillips said finding a downtown location for the temporary Main Library was a goal to keep it accessible for patrons.
"The fact that we found this location so close that we can continue to keep service downtown, it's really important," she said. The temporary location will have two floors of public space to provide all the services available now at the Main Library, including the Maker Studio, genealogy and passport services. Directly inside the main entrance is the checkout area and front desk. Just behind that is a large main floor for nonfiction, fiction and magazine sections. At the back of the first floor is the children's section, which has access to an outdoor courtyard. Upstairs houses the Maker Studio, computers, family and local history, movies and music, the teen section and the community corner, a flex space for public programming.