We had a very exciting week at the Picton Branch of the Library!

On Tuesday, May 2,Library CEO Barbara Sweet, Joanna Howard and I were able to begin moving the first books into the new children’s room – back on the lower level where it has been located since the 1960s but with a fresh new look and for the first time ever, a washroom in the children’s room with child-sized fixtures.

This also means that it’s now possible to use the elevator again, a much-needed service. The adult fiction collection is currently (as of the time of writing this article!) being moved into the new space. I hope that it will be fully moved by the time you read it. Once we have moved “out” of the original space, it will receive some cosmetic upgrades and the entryway will be restored to its original appearance with an improved handrail and more light. We’ll be happy to say goodbye to the worn carpeting and chipping paint and can’t wait to have a working fireplace, restored reading room and new paint. The entire building will be open by the end of the year.

We are so grateful to all library patrons for their continued patience during this construction project as we have had limited space and services as well as noisy and at times a quite dusty environment. While the work is not finished yet –the end is in sight! As part of the expansion, the library will have a larger collection of books. We want to know which areas of the collection you think need to grow.

What do you want to read but can’t currently find at your library? Should the library increase the number of DVDs available? A survey is available at all branches of the library and you’re also encouraged to send your thoughts by email to ceo@peclibrary.org. All comments are welcome – even if you think you’re the only one who wants a certain subject, you are probably not alone! Another exciting survey has just wrapped up.

At the Consecon Branch of the Library, a major project renovating the foyer is finishing up with a new coat of paint on the front door and rather than choose herself, librarian Gisa Iannaci polled the people who use the library regularly. In a close race between red and green, Consecon’s library patrons chose red. Drop by the Consecon Branch later this spring to see it as well as the new lobby area, moveable bookshelves and the bell originally housed in the tower when the building was the Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

-Liz Zylstra