Norwin library gets new look with $500K renovation

The Norwin Public Library renovation project of almost $500,000 is close to completion, the library director said this week.

The library remodeling that began in January should be completed in mid-May, with the cost less than initial estimates, said Diana Falk, director of the library on Caruthers Lane in Irwin.

A new restroom created in the children’s library will allow parents and guardians with preschoolers and youngsters to remain within the children’s section.

“The new (children’s) restroom is definitely a big help. It makes it so much easier,” said Chrys Sebula, who was with her 3-year-old granddaughter, Ruby, the daughter of Eric and Carly Sebula.

The new entryway will allow greater accessibility for the patrons, Falk said. The moving parts on the 20-year-old original doors were showing wear, and the automatic doors needed to be replaced, Falk said.

An enclosed meeting room was created in a space where the library had a coffee, tea and snack lounge near the library’s main desk where patrons could relax and read a book or magazine. The lounge closed during the covid pandemic and did not reopen.

The extra meeting space was needed to accommodate community groups that may not be able to find a space when the existing community room is in use 80% of the evenings for programming, Falk said.

“It allows more people to use the library,” Falk said.

The library was closed three times for a few days each to allow for the construction work. The installation of new carpeting required workers to move the bookshelves, which was done by placing the 18 wooden shelves, which are 15 feet long and 8 feet high, onto special carts and removing just the bottom shelf of books.

“It was a logistical feat. … He saved the library a lot of time and money, making sure the project finished ahead of schedule and under budget,” Falk said.