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The Scarsdale Public Library on Olmsted Road is closed for the extensive renovations, though officials have set up a temporary space, Library Loft, at Supply Field on Heathcote Road to accommodate village residents.
The Children’s Room was closed for packing beginning on Monday, June 18, while the main building was closed beginning on Sunday, June 24. Library Loft opened its doors on the second floor at Supply Field, offering various amenities, on July 5. Renovations may last up to two years, officials said.
“Some services and programs will continue at the smaller space, with hours reduced at times to accommodate parking for field users. Some programs will be held at other sites - information on this will come soon in an e-blast.”
During the renovation, Library Loft will offer a reference section, children’s services, computers, photocopiers, scanners, new books, audiobooks, DVDs, magazines, newspapers and limited seating.
“A team of Village professionals, consultants and community leaders remains focused on the library's improvement project that will transform our library for generations to come. Our dream to modernize this facility is about to be realized,” Scarsdale Library Director Elizabeth Bermel said. “We will be improving our flexibility, our technology and will be fully accessible to all users.”
The idea to renovate the library sparked in 2012, when a survey was conducted to gauge community needs and interests, and according to organizers of the renovation, one message was clear: “Scarsdale values excellence in education and lifelong learning.”
In 2016, the Village Board of Trustees approved a $9.9 million bond offering to help offset the “public” portion of the proposed $17.9 million renovation, which will include expansions of the teen and children’s areas, a new reading space, updated wiring and technology, infrastructure improvements and a cafe area that will double as a public meeting space for the community.
Initially, the project was slated to cost more than $20 million, but the Trustees worked diligently to shave millions of dollars in costs to make the proposal more palatable for library patrons. It is now up to the Library Capital Campaign Committee to raise the remaining $7.5 million to fund the ambitious library overhaul.
“Having a temporary facility so we could continue to provide library services for residents of Scarsdale while work is done on the library was an important component in planning for the renovation,” Bermel said last year. “Through the tireless efforts of Assemblywoman Paulin, the village has obtained a major share of the funds needed to convert the building at Supply Field into a temporary library. When the library renovation is completed the village will have a modernized building for its use.”
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