Staff at the Morden library are looking forward to seeing the end result of renovations that have it closed for two weeks this month.
The library was closed as of last Saturday and remains shut until Jan. 20 as demolition work gets underway to prepare for new flooring and a new main desk.
The short-term closure was necessary because there would be too much disruption to be able to remain open during the renos, says branch administrator Gail Hildebrand.
“It’s going to be a big mess for a little while and then we move on, and it will be better,” she said. “We just wouldn’t be able to have people in here safely. It’s going to be very dusty work, so we’re going to be wrapping all the book stacks up in plastic as well to protect them from all of the dirt and debris.”
“We will be closed again in February when the desk actually comes in,” Hildebrand added. “This part of it right now will just be the demolition.”
The branch was long overdue for a change and improvements, Hildebrand said.
“That desk was original to the building. We have been here since 1996 and we have done very little. We’ve painted, but that is about all we have done for upgrades.
“In that time, Morden has gone from a town of about 5,500 to a city of almost 10,000. We’ve also increased our staffing hours. We’ve increased how many books are going out, so that means more people on duty with less room up front there. It gets a little gong show in the back when there’s three of us running into each other and running out of room.”
The main part of the project is a new main desk area. It will have a larger footprint, so that led then to the need for new flooring.
“It was built first, and then they floored around it,” noted Hildebrand. “The city is very graciously paying for all new flooring up front as well as the electrical costs … that is another $16,000 that we don’t have to fundraise for, so we appreciate that greatly.
“Because we are hoping to be moving out of this building in the next five to 10 years and into a new library, we decided that a new desk that could be moved along with in the future would be the best way to spend some money,” she said. “And these desks will be more accessible as well. They’ve got a little bit of a lip on them so people can come a little closer with walkers and wheelchairs.”
The project has received a $25,000 grant which is intended for internal physical upgrades and not for programs or staffing. It also received $1,500 from the Morden Area Foundation, and a liquor raffle fundraiser brought in another $1,000.
“We will be continuing to do fundraising because we’re about $6,000 shy of the actual cost,” said Hildebrand. “Budgets are tight. We use our budget from the RMs and the towns and cities for things like wages, acquisitions, programs … for extra stuff like this we’ve got to dig and find the money elsewhere.”
Hildebrand noted users are still able to access the full range of library services over the next few weeks through the other SCRL branches.
“We’re encouraging people to go check out our other branches. Our book return will be open still, so they can return anything to Morden. The only circulation we will be doing in these two weeks is if people have holds that come in,” she noted.
