Library gets new home

Staff report

CORTLAND

The Cortland Branch of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library will close its doors for the last time at its current North High Street location at 5 p.m. May 31 and will reopen June 9 in a new building at 578 Lakeview Drive near Lakeview Middle School and Lakeview High School.

The library will be closed for about one week, from June 1 through June 8, while the books and other materials are moved to the new building.

Due dates for items checked out from the Cortland Branch Library will be adjusted to allow for the one-week closure.

However, customers who would like to may return library materials to any of the other library locations. The book drop and the audio/video drop at the North High Street location will not be available for use during the transition, and the drops will not open at the new location until June 11.

After a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. June 9, the library will be open for regular business from noon to 5 p.m. that day. The grand opening activities will include steel drum music at noon by Panyard; a children’s storytime at 2 p.m. with guest Madonna Chism Pinkard, community relations director for 21 WFMJ-TV; self-guided tours; and light refreshments courtesy of the Friends of the Cortland Library.

Beginning June 11, the library’s new, expanded hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and closed Sunday.

Construction of the 10,636-square-foot library began in late August of last year.

“The library has simply outgrown the building’s capacity,” said James Wilkins, director of the library system.

“The new building will allow us to increase our collection of books and multi-media and also provide more space for programming.”

Total cost is about $2 million, including architectural services, construction and some new furnishings and shelving.

Among the features of the new building are a dedicated youth programming area for story times and special programs; meeting room that will accommodate up to 40 people; space to increase the number of public computers from 5 to 12; space to increase the number of parking spaces from 32 to 80; and an energy-efficient geothermal heating/cooling system.

Last year, 46,826 customers visited the Cortland Branch Library.

Materials available at the library include fiction and nonfiction books; audiobooks; music CDs; comic books; entertainment and educational DVDs; magazines; newspapers; and a small collection of reference books.

The first Cortland branch was opened in 1977, housed in a retired bookmobile in Willow Park.

The library was later relocated to a rented house, then to its present building, which opened in 1984 at 212 North High Street. In 1991, the branch was expanded to 4,000 square feet.

The library system includes a Main Library in Warren; branch libraries in Brookfield, Cortland, Howland, Liberty, and Lords-town; a bookmobile; and Homebound Library Service.

To learn more about the Cortland branch library, call 330-638-6335 or visit www.wtcpl.org.