The Library Board met 11/14/2023. One of the information items they received was an update on the temporary library move.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
The Library’s last day open at it’s current location on Kensington Drive is Tuesday, 11/21/2023. On 11/22/2023 they will start packing up anything that could not be packed up when the library was open and on Monday, 11/27/2023 they will physically begin moving inventory to the new temporary library location at 3000 E. College Avenue. They expect the physical move to be completed by 12/22/2023, the Friday before Christmas, and a soft opening may potentially happen the week of New Years if the move goes smoothly. They will definitely be open by 01/08/2024 at the latest.
They had initially expected the new space to be more constrained than the current location on Kensington, but the Thompson Center ended up giving them access to the entire space in the new location so there will be more room, the shelves will not have to be higher, and the seating areas will be comparable to what they are at the Kensington location.
The children’s programming that is currently happening off-site, which includes the multicultural club, will continue. Story times will be condensed and located at Scheig Center in Memorial Park.
All due dates for checked out items have been extended to the new year after the library reopens so that library staff does not have to deal with thousands of items being returned while the library is closed and being moved. Checked out items can, however, be returned to another InfoSoup Library.
Holds on items have also been affected by the move. Currently, the Appleton Library is no longer selectable as a hold pickup location, so patrons will have to choose a different library to pick up items during the move.
Any holds that were placed prior to Appleton being removed as a selectable location have been put on pause. That means that a hold will continue to move up in a hold queue, but once it reaches the top it will be passed over by the people below them until the Appleton Library reopens in January.
Patrons who want to unpause their holds and pick them up during the time the library is closed will have to go into their account and change their pickup location to a different library such a Kimberly, Kaukauna, or Little Chute.
Library accounts will not expire during the closure so that patrons will not have problems accessing online resources such as Libby and Hoopla.
Finally, during the closure, staff at City Hall will be able to answer calls to the library Monday – Friday 9-5 to help answer questions and assist patrons in dealing with problems that may arise.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1067232&GUID=0276F081-BE09-4CDA-A0F5-392ADA02A184
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