JULY 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015, 9:35 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Public Library will likely get a makeover in the near future.
Earlier this month, the library’s Board of Trustees discussed potential interior changes to the building and listened to renovation ideas pitched by architects.
Nancy Greene, the library’s director, said there are three major needs for the new library. The first, she said, is a more efficient use of the floor space.
“A lot of the space is used by book stacks, and we want to condense the stacks and turn the space where they are into open public space,” she said. “We don’t have enough tables for people to study.”
The added floor space will allow the library to expand its children’s and teen sections, Greene said, noting that the library “doesn’t have a great facility for them” in the existing space. Additional space will also open the opportunity to create more meeting rooms.
“People come in to meet, and the library doesn’t have enough to offer them,” she said.
The library’s second need is improved natural light.
“Nowadays, people don’t come take out a book and go home. They stay in the library,” Greene said, explaining the need for “welcoming” light.
Third, she said the board needs “to identify the cost once they identify the architect,” giving them an estimate of how much the whole project will cost.
Once they find out which plan is best for the community, the board can request municipal funding from the council.
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/library-officials-begin-talks-on-upcoming-renovations-1.1377781
