Library’s temporary home not ready

Temporary sites may not be ready when library needs to move in June.

By: Melissa Hayes
   The South Brunswick Public Library has found the temporary space it needs, but the two sites may not be open yet to patrons by June, when the library has to move because of the renovation work under way at the library.
   Library Director Lorraine Jackson said the school district has offered the library space in its newly acquired office on Black Horse Lane, however moving in is contingent on receiving a certificate of occupancy. The library intends to use that space for technical services and administration, Ms. Jackson said.
   The library is running into the same problem with the new utilities building in the Municipal Complex, where a temporary library would be located.
   Ms. Jackson said she didn’t know if the buildings would be ready by the time the library has to close in June.
   "That’s a big question and unfortunately we don’t have any answers right now. We’re stuck between these two things," she said.
   The library is undergoing a $4.27 million expansion and renovation project that kicked off in August. The project will add 16,472 square feet to the building and will include a larger kids’ room, a new computer lab with 18 computers, a new circulation desk, added storage and a check-in and check-out area.
   Staying open until the temporary buildings are ready for the library is not an option.
   "The word is we must close," she said.
   "It really is a safety issue because all of the ceiling and the lighting has to be redone in the main section of the building," Ms. Jackson said. "So that is why we can’t be here. It makes life extremely difficult for us."
   Ms. Jackson said she hopes to hear back from the school board soon. She said the library could be closed for about six weeks.
   "All we can say is that we have to move, but we don’t know where and when," she said.