By F. Seidenbaum
Jefferson Market Library closed for construction on Mon., April 11, and will remain completely closed until Mon., May 23. After that, there will be two partial closings: The adult reading room will stay closed from May 23 until July 5; the basement reading room will be closed from July 5 to Aug. 1.
The exterior leaks had to be fixed before work on the interior could start, but construction was delayed because of this winter’s bad weather. Now work on interior walls, ceilings, plaster and major restoration can finally start. The closing is necessary because many bookshelves will have to be moved away from the walls so interior scaffolding can be erected. It would be unsafe for the public to be there during this work, and many library materials would not be accessible.
Library manager Frank Collerius said that he learned of the closing dates on April 5 and was doing his best to get the information to the public on such short notice. The library sent out press releases, including to the media and to Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s Office. There was a major problem, however: The library’s signs advising the public were in relatively small print on 8½-inch-by-11-inch sheets of white paper on only a few desks inside the library. They were not at all eye-catching and many people missed them.
Nor was there a sign on the entrance until a Villager hand-wrote one and taped it up on April 8, two days before the closing. On the night of April 9, after the library was closed, she saw a library employee putting up a new sign on the door advising of the closing. This reporter was told that another Villager had been at the library on April 9, when she had made an appointment to use the computer April 11; she had not been told the library would be closing.
Doubtless, many other library patrons, including children and their tutors who use the library regularly; classes which take field trips there; seniors who seek a quiet haven to read; and people who have no other access to the Internet, will all have an unwelcome surprise when they arrive to find their library shuttered.
Collerius felt the May 23 date is definite because, usually when there’s construction, no specific end date is announced to the public. Only after the construction firm assured the library that this date was realistic and attainable were press releases issued. After seeing the extent of community involvement a few years ago opposing closing the entire library for an extended period, Collerius felt that the library has learned to evaluate the impact on the community before making major plans. The subsequent partial closings will cause less inconvenience and was something the community requested.
When this reporter mentioned how much the community misses the clock, Collerius said that they had wanted to keep the bell tolling during construction, but it wasn’t possible for insurance reasons because of possible health dangers to the workers.
Library staff will be temporarily redeployed to other branches, and Collerius said he hoped to gain some new perspective from this experience.
Materials reserved for pickup at the Jefferson Market Library branch will be rerouted for pickup at the Muhlenberg Branch, at 209 W. 23rd St. near Seventh Ave. Borrowed items can be returned at any branch. The other Village neighborhood branch is Hudson Park, at 66 Leroy St. on Seventh Ave. South.
