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Putnam Valley Library Reopens After Being Closed For More Than A Year

PUTNAM VALLEY, N.Y. -- The long wait for Putnam Valley book lovers is over.

Kathleen McLaughlin, the director of the Putnam Valley Library.

Kathleen McLaughlin, the director of the Putnam Valley Library.

Photo Credit: Sam Barron
Children's librarian Marjorie Federici.

Children's librarian Marjorie Federici.

Photo Credit: Sam Barron

Having been closed for more than a year, the Putnam Valley Library reopened on Thursday with a new teen room and plenty of books waiting to be checked out.

The library was closed  after cracks in the wall on the second floor of the library. Construction began in May and 400 square feet of the second floor was demolished and a new second floor window was built. The main floor of the library remains the same.

"We hope people come in and visit," Library Director Kathleen McLaughlin said. "We put a lot of work into it."

McLaughlin asked cars no longer use the pedestrian bridge and that people enter through the front door and not through the shuttered community room.

"We look forward to welcoming people back," McLaughlin said. "People are going to be pleased that we are open."

The planning process involved multiple revisions and having to go back for multiple permits but the overall look of the library will be familiar to patrons.

"It's not a renovation of the library," McLaughlin said. "We simply just repaired the structure."

The library was founded by volunteers and received its absolute charger in 1968. It moved into its current building in 1977.

"People have missed having access to the librarians and access to our computers," McLaughlin said. "Not everyone can afford a computer."

McLaughlin said many parents have missed storytime, which will return on Jan. 14. The library offers storytime for kids three to six and for toddlers younger than six. 

The annual gingerbread party, which was on hiatus for two years, will also be making a  comeback next year.

The library also recently received a $1,000 donation from Putnam Valley High School's Make A Difference Club.

The library is open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. on Monday and 12 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

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