MAMARONECK, N.Y. - John Hofstetter helped his daughters pick out books from her summer reading list Thursday at Mamaronecks newly re-opened library.
Hofstetter's youngest daughter Emily, 8, roamed the children's room, which takes up the entire second floor. The room was filled with children taking part in the summer reading game. A little later, the family of three moved to the teen room on the lower level, where the Village of Mamaroneck trustee and real estate agent's oldest daughter Julia, 13, browsed through various titles. Both the children's room and teen room features a block of four computers.
Lori Friedli, head of adult reference, has been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the library, which had to delay its re-opening from June 18. The library was closed for three years while being renovated.
"We weren't ready," said Linda Bhandari. "We didn't know if people knew we were re-opening."
During the renovation, the library held a majority of its 80,000 titles in a Long Island storage facility and prepared the collection with radio frequency identification tags for self-checkout stations. Most of the book collection is done, however there are still several stacks of media materials left, Friedli said.
Although there are a few rooms and services yet to be completed, Friedli and other staff members showed patrons around the new facility Thursday. The tour included a coffee station next to the main desk and the revamped reference room, which now offers 12 computers.
Julia Hofstetter liked how much more room there was in the teen room. Larchmont resident Patrick Molloy said the renovations were a big improvement, especially the reading room, which was restored to its original design from when the library was built in 1927.
"I love the library," said Diane Horner, a Mamaroneck resident. "It's such an oasis of peace and quiet."
The Mamaroneck Library will hold its grand opening sometime in December.
What do you think of the new Mamaroneck Library?
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