Empty Shelves

Today, the maintenance crew finished moving the boxes of books out of the library and into the storage room. Not all of the books have been put into storage. A small collection of the library’s newer and more frequently used books is located in what was formerly the library’s workroom. Patrons will have free access to those books during the renovation process.

When I look at the empty shelves in the library, I get one of two sensations. Either I get a feeling of expectancy, as if they are ready and waiting to be filled, or a feeling of emptiness and loss, as if the library has become a ghost town. The actuality is neither of these. They are a stage of the transition process from the old to the new. Within the next few weeks, the shelving units will be dismantled and bundled into storage bins in preparation for construction scheduled to begin late in June. If all goes as planned, they will be resurrected in about a year’s time as part of the new library.