WHILE THE LIBRARY IS CLOSED
Materials are still accessible and appointments can be arranged by calling 513-523-3035
Book drop will remain open until Sept. 21
Pick up holds from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 1, 8 and 15; 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 2, 9 and 16; 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 4, 11 and 18; and 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 5, 12 and 19
Bookmobile will be at the former library location from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 1, 8, 15 and 22 and from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 5, 12 and 19; at the corner of Hamilton-Richmond Road and Oxford Street from 5 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday
Reference questions: Call 513-523-3035 or email sml@lanepl.org
Lane Library patrons here will be without full service for about one month as staff members complete the move to the new branch facility on South Locust Street.
The wait should be worth it, officials said, as the new building will offer expanded services, more amenities and a more light and open feel for users.
But Lane Library employees also understand the closure may negatively impact some patrons.
“Some people are not happy we will be closed,” Rebecca Smith, head of the Oxford branch, said, adding that the closure is necessary to get everything moved to the new location.
Smith said she has made arrangements for limited service, including use of the bookmobile, during the shutdown but the massive effort of moving the collections necessitated the closure.
Moving the Smith Library of Regional History began Aug. 3 and that part of the new location is being set up.
Moving of the second-floor collection began last week, with adult fiction and nonfiction packed and moved.
The branch facility will close Monday, Aug. 31, for about one month as the rest of the collection is packed and moved.
“We are trying to keep services up as much as possible,” Smith said. “People can ask for holds and we have a schedule to pick up holds. The bookmobile will be available seven times with a small browsing collection. There will be child and teen items, some books on CD and DVDs. It will be a mini collection on wheels.”
She also said that items may be returned with no fines from late returns due to the inconvenience.
Patrons wanting to keep a piece of the old library can attend a moving sale from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, sponsored by the Friends of the Oxford Lane Library. Tables, toys, books, storage, chairs, puppets and more will be sold.
The new library branch will open Saturday, Sept. 26.
The grand opening will start with a ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. that day and the library will be open until 6 p.m. There will be children’s programs and refreshments as well as musical performances by the Wing Walkers, the Tom Walker duo with Bill Perkins and “guitar man” Jim McCutcheon with a children’s performance.
The highlight of the day for young and old alike will be a meet and greet with a live penguin from Newport Aquarium.
Visitors can record the occasion in a photo booth, and the Smith History Library will be open for tours of that new facility.
The celebration will continue as the library will host a visit at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 29 by children’s author Rita Williams Garcia, who will be in the area to present programs at two schools. She is the author of “One Crazy Summer.”
The library will host a model train display Saturday, Oct. 3, with the help of a club of model train enthusiasts, who will allow children to run some of the trains.
Construction of the new library is complete and workers have been busy setting up shelving and library furniture to get ready for the move of the library materials.
The facility will feature an expanded children’s area and a Teen Zone which the present building does not offer. There will be an outdoor patio area for another reading place or a chance to do some quiet reflecting. Off in a corner of the second floor will be a newspaper reading area, which patrons said they wanted as a small, quiet area.
The familiar Miami University and Western College murals have been put in place on the second floor.
There are drive-up return boxes in the rear of the building but patrons can also check-out books from their vehicles at a drive-up window. It is an amenity many have requested.
“Of course, we still want people to come and see us,” Smith said. “It’s convenient if you have a sleeping child in the car or the weather is not good.”
The second floor offers three study rooms people can reserve for either two, four or six people. The rooms are named for the late Avis Cullen, who was the first editor of The Oxford Press and was a strong supporter of bringing a branch of the Lane Library to Oxford.
The large Havighurst Meeting Room is named for the late Walter and Marion Havighurst, well-known community supporters and authors.
The children’s reading room is named for the late Helen Weinberger.
Smith predicted the café-style tables at the north windows will be popular since they will allow people to use their laptops and other devices while in a quiet area. There will be computers available to the public nearby.
“The public library has become a real community center. I think this will be a great facility for this community,” she said. “There will be changes (from the former location) but people will find their own favorite reading spots. The Oxford community will love this library and it will be a gem. I’m excited to share it.”
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