The New Haven Free Public Library will hold a public ceremony to officially open the newly renovated technology area on the lower level of the Main Library at 5 p.m. May 23, at 133 Elm St.
This lower level technology area marks the first major renovation since 1991 to happen at the Main Library, offiicials said in a statement.
Mayor John DeStefano Jr. will make official remarks to celebrate the grand event and be joined by Elsie B. Chapman, president, NHFPL Board of Directors, Edward S.K. Bottomley, president, NHFPL Foundation Board of Directors and executive director and city Librarian Christopher J. Korenowsky.
Chapman said, also in the statement: "this much needed renovation has been long overdue and I am thrilled that Phase I has finally come to fruition. More than four years ago, the City of New Haven provided capital funding for this project and, at that time, we also anticipated matching state funding to renovate the entire lower level. When it became apparent last year that state funding would not be forthcoming, a decision was made to proceed with a phased approach lest we also lose city funding. In time, we hope to complete the entire lower level renovation but, for now, we are grateful to the city for bringing us to this point."
Over the past six months, extensive renovation has occurred behind a temporary wall. The goal was to update and enhance the library's technological capacity, expand the use of underutilized areas, enlarge programmatic and community meeting spaces and add additional study areas for individual customers and small groups. All of this was completed with minimal interruption to library services.
"I could not be more pleased with the newly redesigned technology space," said Korenowsky, also in the statement. "Customers will be able to take advantage of new technological capabilities in a beautifully designed new area of the library. The NHFPL saw almost 800,000 customers visit our facilities last year. The public library is an institution that the citizens of New Haven want strengthened and recognized. I am proud to offer these new resources to the public as only the first step in multiple future-oriented projects."
When the temporary wall comes down, the redesign will include a state-of-the-art computer classroom and training center, specialized express computer terminals and more than 40 new computers. Library customers will see a brand-new teleconferencing and meeting space, as well as multiple upgrades and enhanced media capacity for programmatic efforts in the Community Program Room. The redesign also includes additional, temperature-controlled space for historical periodicals, the statement said.
The new areas will enable the library to respond to public's increasing need for improved computer access, basic computer training and on-line searching. As more and more customers need Internet access to apply for jobs, the NHFPL is proud to be a part of a job-generating plan that will make the city of New Haven even stronger, the statement said.
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