OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The Edith Belle Libby Memorial Library will be closed for two weeks in March, as staff transition into a temporary location at Saco Avenue.
The library will be moving into the Lion’s Club at 128 Saco Ave. while renovations are made to the 27 Staples St. building.
Libby Library Director Lee Koenigs said the last day of operation at the current building “as we know it today” will be on March 15, and the temporary location at Saco Avenue will be open in early April.
Koenigs said library officials hope to move back to Staples Street in the newly renovated building in November, “to give the citizens of Old Orchard Beach a new library for Christmas.”
The library will be closed for two weeks in March to give time to remove items from the building and to set up the temporary location, and transfer phones and computers, said Koenigs.
Koenigs said items checked out the week of March 11 will have a 30-day loan period, and items with a due date after March 15 will have an extra three weeks, so fines aren’t incurred while the library is closed.
Library staff and officials will move about 30 percent of the library’s collection to the Lion’s Club, and the rest of the items will be put in storage, said Koenigs.
The library will continue its current hours of operation at the Saco Avenue location, said Koenigs.
The decision to move temporarily to the Lion’s Club was made by the board of trustees in January. Board of Trustees President Mary Ann Kotros said in an interview last month that the Saco Avenue building is handicapped accessible and on local bus routes.
Library officials are excited about renovations to the Staples Street building, which Koenigs said have been discussed for many years.
“To actually be on the cusp of this is spectacular,” said Koenigs.
The newly renovated building will include a dedicated community room that can be used by community members or groups for a donation; a larger children’s space with a sunken circular reading and performance area; a larger adult fiction area; and a patio.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].
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