COLUMBIANA CO. Library will close 2 weeks

The library will reopen Sept. 2 after carpet is laid and books are moved.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
COLUMBIANA -- The yearlong $1 million expansion of the Columbiana Public Library is just about finished.
Carol Cobbs, library director, said the library will close Saturday at 5 p.m., the regular Saturday closing time, and remain closed for two weeks while crews move books and shelving, lay carpet and reorganize the library to fit the new spaces.
Contracted work crews will do the major work while library staff will be on the job doing smaller tasks, she said.
The library has remained open during construction while staff and patrons have coped with the constant change as nearly 6,000 square feet of new space was added.
Reopening set
Cobbs said the library will open again at 9 a.m. Sept. 2. There should be no materials out that are due during those two weeks, however patrons can use the book drop if they want to return books, she said.
"There are a lot of little things here and there to finish," she said. "There are some things you want to do, but can't until something else is done first."
She said that because of state funding cuts to libraries and uncertainty about what the new utility costs will be, there will be eight new computers in the new computer room designed for 12 computers.
Details such as reupholstering some furniture have been put on hold until more is known about operation costs and state funding, Cobbs said.
The library construction project is being funded from revenue from the sale of bonds that Columbiana School District voters approved in May 2001.
The construction expands the children's, young adult and adult areas of the library. There will be more room for civic meetings and book clubs and special events. Teens and adults will have lots of elbow room as they search for a good book or read their favorite magazine.
When summer turns to fall, then winter, the library's coffee cafe will likely be a popular addition. Patrons might also choose to settle in by the fireplace -- refurbished from the old library on Elm Street -- to read awhile before heading home.