Library project on track to wrap up by summer
Expansion work closes Eastern Branch library through Feb. 12
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

Renovation of the Eastern Branch library is ongoing

SHREWSBURY - When the Eastern Branch library in Shrewsbury closes temporarily for construction reasons, it means the newly renovated and expanded library is getting closer to completion.

But then again, the completion date has been changed so often for the Monmouth County Library Eastern Branch that most people have an "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude.

According to Kenneth Sheinbaum, director of the Monmouth County Library system, the Eastern Branch closed on Jan. 29 and will be closed until Feb. 12 because the unsightly, temporary protecting walls had to be taken down.

Sheinbaum speculated that the whole project will be turned over by the end of May or early June, but he was reluctant to be more specific. He had said last summer that he thought the library would be complete by the end of the 2006.

"It will be functionally complete except for new shelving in the adult books area," he said.

When the Route 35 library opens up again, collection areas will have been switched into the new wings so work can proceed.

"We're in the process of moving from one area to the other, so that the contractor can work in different areas," he said.

He added that patrons will see completed east and west wings and may see a new circulation area.

The contractor will be working on the middle section of the library, Sheinbaum said.

"We're moving books now. We should have the children's book room and children's meeting room complete," he said, adding that the new entrance will be complete within four to five weeks.

With the completion of the new entrance, access to the library from the parking area will be greatly improved.

"The entrance is right in the middle of the parking lot, so it's never far to the entrance," Sheinbaum said.

The interior construction is part of phase two of renovations, but eventually, with phase three, there will be a coffee bar upstairs on the balcony replete with a reading area and comfortable furniture.

The project will add 10,000 square feet to the library's existing 35,000 square feet. As a result, the children's room has been doubled, and young adults will have their own space.

The renovation reconfigures the interior space to make it much more convenient and efficient, with more space for the most heavily used services such as computers, and the most popular collections, such as the nonprint collections.

The circulation desk will be designed to provide more efficient checkout of library materials.

Janet Kranis, head librarian, said last year that construction costs for the project, which began on May 3, 2004, would be $7 million. She explained that $1.8 million will come from the state in the form of a N.J. Public Library Construction Grant, but the majority of the project will be paid for through the Monmouth County capital improvement fund.