When the work is completed, the building is going to have fresh rooms on its west side and it will feature an automated handling section. The management may wish to celebrate the reopening of the library, and banner printing in Anchorage could be called upon.
Public library employee Sherri Douglas has a record of long service and she has said:
“It’s one of these rare institutions that still exists to be open to serve everyone.”
It has been estimated that the transformation of the building will cost almost $14m. The library has been responsible for a circulation in excess of 1.5 million in the recent past.
Mary Jo Torgeson, the library director, has suggested that the changes will free up librarians from routine activities. However, it has been reported that the number of employees will probably remain constant going forward.
One reason behind the facelift is safety. Torgeson has revealed that the public had expressed concern about the condition of part of the building in the past. The anxieties appear to have been in part triggered by crumbling stairs.
When the library is prepared for customers again, the hope is that the environment will be more welcoming than it was prior to the refurbishment. The potential date for completion has been set for the fall of 2016.