July 6, 2023- Getting Close
The renovation is nearly complete and then we will begin our big move back! Already the shelves have been removed from our Express location so the books can make their way back from storage. The Express will remain open so we can continue to serve you there even as the process of returning begins.
When you enter the library, you'll see straight down the hallway that leads to the vending cafe, the larger meeting rooms, and the children's room.
The new front desk will have both circulation and reference staff members available to assist you, right up front!
A brand new green space has sprouted at the end of the front hallway! A beautiful place to read, study or have outdoor programs!
One of our new group study rooms is just awaiting furniture!
New seating, new lights, new carpet and fresh paint on the walls has given new life to the building!
April 27, 2023- New Spaces in Old Places
March 14, 2023- New Steps, New Glass, and New Lights!
The Children's Meeting Room has taken shape. This addition will give children and their families a bright new space to gather for storytime, concerts and more!
Concrete has been poured for the restructured entrance. The terraced space will have tables for greater enjoyment of the library's outdoor space.
Glass has gone in for many of the new internal windows. The new group study spaces are in front of many of the library's windows. The glassed fronts will allow the sun to stream in throughout the building while still opening up new spaces.
Ceiling tiles and new lighting features are being installed!
December 1, 2022 – Front Terrace, Back Addition and Everything in Between
The renovation is ticking right along. You can watch the latest update below. If you’re interested in donating to our renovation fund before the end of the year, you can do it online or by mail. Click here for more information.
September 16, 2022 – Framing, Digging and More!
The Meeting Room floor will be levelled off to eliminate the need for stairs and provide room for more program attendees!
The addition grows! This will eventually become the Children's Meeting Room and extra space for the existing Meeting Room.
The Local History Room and the new Group Study Rooms are taking shape!
July 15, 2022 – The Walls Have Come Down
Can you tell what part of the library is being shown? Walls have come down, carpet has been removed and the ceiling tiles are all gone to make way for exciting new spaces!
June 2022- Watch Our Progress!
To pave the way for the more dramatic steps of construction, carpets must come up and ceiling tiles come down. Take a look at all the changes unfolding at 220 N. Main Street:
Taking down the Ceiling!
Do you recognize the Children's Room?
The Meeting Room is ready to be remodeled!
Once the spot for DVDs, soon the place of new group study spaces!
All the books are safely stored away while we get ready to remodel their space.
Posted: 6/24/22
The New City Library Express is open!
Come visit us Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm, Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm. We’re located at 198 S. Main Street in the Clarkstown Plaza between the New City Cinemas and DeCicco Family Market.
Curious about the renovation and move? Watch the video below to see how the library was packed up!
Updated 3/2/2022
The library will be closed starting at noon on Tuesday, February 15 as we move to our temporary location.
There will be no phone service or curbside pickup as we move. Holds and due dates will be extended.
The library will reopen on Tuesday, February 22 at our new Express location at 198 S Main Street, between the New City Cinemas and DeCicco Family Market.
Please note that all dates are subject to change.
Updated 2/9/2022
12/14/21
We’re pleased to announce that we have signed a lease to secure 198 S. Main Street as the location of our temporary “New City Library Express.” We will open our doors in March 2022. The space is located in the DeCicco shopping center and is just two doors down from the cinema.
The library staff have been hard at work preparing for the transition. We plan to offer holds for pickup and have a small browsing collection for youth, teens, and adults. Copying, faxing, scanning, and limited internet access will be available. Our programs will continue online as well as in other locations like the Congers Train Station and the Street School. Please look out for the Spring quarterly newsletter that will be in your mailboxes by early March.
In order to prepare such a large collection for moving and storage, we need to tweak some circulation rules so that we can get as much material back to the library as we can. Working with the help of our library system, the following procedural changes will be implemented over the course of the transition:
- Auto-renewal of items has been suspended. Beginning January 1, no materials will be allowed to be renewed.
- Reserves on our materials placed by non- New City and West Nyack Library patrons will only be held until the end of the day.
- On January 1, our older materials will no longer circulate. You may still place holds on them but we will get copies from other libraries. This will enable us to prepare the bulk of the collections for moving at the end of the month.
- All library cards up for renewal will be extended until May 2022.
You can help us by returning our items in a timely fashion.
Last, but certainly not least, after careful consideration of health, safety, and scheduling concerns, we have decided to offer only curbside service starting January 31. The actual physical move of the contents of this 31,000 square foot facility will take approximately three weeks. It will be three weeks of noise, dust, and a constant stream of library movers in and out of the front entrance. It will not be an environment conducive to studying, reading, browsing, or attending programs.
We truly regret this inconvenience. The library board and administration made the decision to not perform the renovation in phases. Phased construction would only prolong the inconvenience and raise the cost of the project. We are committed to continuing our service to you at the New City Library Express as well as convenient locations in town and online.
This page will be regularly updated. Please watch the video below and read our director’s FAQ to learn about the scope of the project. Click here to donate!
Marianne Gallagher, Director, answers your questions:
Why are we renovating?
In 2015, the New City Library commissioned a library consulting firm to help draft a long range plan and perform a space analysis. Surveys and focus groups were conducted to elicit feedback from patrons as to how they use the library. The results were clear but not surprising: patrons wanted more meeting space and work/study space.
Over the past few years, disappointed patrons had to be turned away from popular programs, students scrambled to find study space during the school year, and attendance at children’s programs had to be strictly controlled to afford a safe and pleasant experience for all.
In 2017, the library board commissioned architects VMDO of Charlottesville, VA, to create a master plan for the library building. VMDO conducted focus groups with patrons, staff, and trustees that yielded the same conclusions as the earlier study. With the library in sound financial shape, the board of trustees decided to move ahead with transforming a 1980s-era building into the 21st-century library their community deserved.
Click here to see VMDO’s official project page for the renovation.
What will the renovation add to the current building?
We know the effort ahead of us will be worth it. Please watch the video above and see the exciting changes planned for your library. Listed below are just some of the improvements and additions we’ll be making to enhance your library experience and improve our community.
- New Children’s Meeting Room – with four times the capacity of the basement Storytime Room
- Enlarged Meeting Room – increasing capacity to 125 from 85
- Vending Café – serving light refreshments and beverages
- Three additional Group Study rooms
- Enlarged Makerspace on the main level – a place for creating
- Combined service point – Reference and Support Services staff centrally located for your convenience
- New Teen Space
- More outdoor space – “The Park” will afford outdoor program and meeting space at the north end of the building. The Maker Terrace will be for creating outside as well as serving as a stage for outdoor performances. The Entry Terrace will be a welcoming spot with seating and tables.
- A new patron elevator and bathrooms – to increase accessibility
How is the renovation being financed?
Through the careful fiscal stewardship of the board of trustees, the library renovation will be funded by capital reserves, financing within the operating budgets, and grants. While this will get us almost all the way there, we ask that you consider making a tax-deductible donation by clicking here. Your donation will ensure that the full vision of a modern library can be achieved.
Why will we have a temporary location during construction?
After extensive deliberation and calculations, the board concluded that executing a renovation while the library continued its daily operations would prove costlier and more inconvenient to all than to close the library and allow construction to advance unimpeded. A temporary location within the service area would serve the community on a smaller scale. Programs, book clubs and classes could still be offered online as well as at various locations throughout Clarkstown. Our online offerings were successful during Covid-19 and we will take what we learned into the renovation.
We are working to secure a lease for a retail location in New City, and when it is finalized, we will certainly make that announcement promptly.
What will the temporary location offer?
As it is currently planned, the temporary space will offer a place to pick up reserves, browse small collections of new materials, make copies, print, scan, and fax, as well as use the internet in an express fashion. In fact, we’ve dubbed our temporary location the “New City Library Express.”
What is the timeline for moving to the temporary location?
We plan to be fully installed in the New City Library Express by March 1, 2022. Ahead of that, we must clear out most of the contents of the building, a Herculean task. By January 1, we will halt circulation of almost all but the newer materials, packing them up and preparing them for moving to a warehouse facility. That means from January 1 on, your holds on older materials will still be filled, but will come from other libraries.
Once the date is set to move our work computers to the temporary location, circulation of all materials will cease until they are fully installed. We will try to maximize the use of the current building by continuing to provide Wi-Fi so that patrons can still use the space as long as possible.
When will the renovated building reopen?
Construction is anticipated to take 12 months beginning March 1, 2022. This is a big project, and so delays may arise from any number of factors. But please know that not only are the library board and administration making every effort to keep the budget in check, but also to keep inconvenience at a minimum.
Thank you for your support and patience. Should you have any questions, please reach out to our Community Relations Department at extension 114 or email us at vreynolds@newcitylibrary.org
Updates will continue to be posted on this page. Please be sure to sign up for our email newsletters by clicking here.
