Workers putting the final touches on the library’s makeover (Images: CHS)
With the rate of change around Capitol Hill sometimes bordering on “hard to take” for some, the upgrades set to be unveiled to the public Saturday on Harvard Ave E should come as a relief for many. The Capitol Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library is back in business.
In January, with money from the city’s latest budget, the 11-year-old library branch closed for a much-needed makeover:
After 11 years of use, the carpeting throughout the branch and the flooring on the stairs need to be replaced. Since the branch needs to close for that work, the Library also will move some desks and shelves to increase efficiency and flexibility and make the entry more comfortable. The quiet study room on the second floor also will be repainted and refurnished.
Saturday morning, the community space will reopen after a month-long closure:
“We know how much the neighborhood loves the branch and how eager people are to see the doors reopen,” said regional manager Steve DelVecchio. “We’re excited to welcome everyone back to the refurbished branch on Saturday. We hope we see a lot of familiar faces!”
CHS stopped through Thursday as crews put the new space into order and set about tidying up for Saturday’s debut. You’ll find an opened-up entrance to the space as the tall shelves of print reference materials — under utilized, we’re told — have been moved and the checkout area streamlined. There’s now a special self-checkout area to the east. On the west, the old main desk will continue to serve for a few more weeks until an upgraded set-up is finished and installed. Upstairs, the long-empty former Neighborhood Service Center space in the northeast corner of the building has been repurposed into a “quiet room” with work tables and nifty white boards on the walls for use during meetings or classes. Underfoot, the library has been fully re-carpeted. And they even added a special jseattle work desk in the well-lighted, tall-windowed northeast corner of the first floor. You’re welcome to join me if you promise to be a good deskmate and not do too much muttering as you work.
Looking for more Capitol Hill and nearby things to do? Check out the CHS Calendar.
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Unless they do something about the traffic from the entrance the carpets will soon look dirty and shabby again. They need to install some sort of dirt catcher or at the minimum at least put in some sort of runner that can be periodically cleaned. Of course I don’t know what they’ve done so I’ll reserve my critique til after I’ve seen the result of this refurbishment.