West Shore Library shares 'grand opening'

The West Shore Library may have been around for 13 years, but that didn't stop the library board of directors from holding an official "grand opening" to celebrate the recent changes that have taken place, like the new bookstore and 800 additional square feet added back in January.

Throughout the day, residents, visitors and volunteers trickled in to have a cup of coffee or juice and admire the recently renovated facility. Patrons also took advantage of the fruit and pastries provided by the library staff, perused the growing selection of books, and purchased a few to add to their own libraries from the used book store.

"This was just something to thank them for being patrons and to show them the new facility," library president Alex Barry said. "A lot of the people who came in were people who had been in before and kind of came in to help celebrate, but a lot of the people who are summer people came in too. Even some of the volunteers who have been gone until now were there, as well, and they were completely bowled over about how things had changed. They couldn't say enough the look of it and how we've worked so hard to try to make it better for the patrons. We got a lot of wonderful feedback."

Barry said the renovation and grand opening were among the goals he when he came to the board, adding that it felt good to see it all come together.

"It's gratifying for us, of course," he said. "Now that we've seen those [goals' accomplished, we'll move onto the next phase of upgrading the services. It may take us a few months to get it up and running, but we're going to have a Web site, and that will give us another dimension of service. Part of that will have a history of the library and how it started, which is again part of this whole celebration - we started 13 years ago in one room and now its 2400 sq. ft."

Barry said the new book selection has soared over the past year, thanks to a dedicated acquisition committee, and patrons have taken note of the fresh and growing collection. In addition, the library vice president, Marney Malloy, recently secured a grant to fund a purchasing program for children's books, so that the library can grow that section as well.

"It's a work in progress," Barry said, adding that the biggest reward is seeing patrons take advantage of those improvements and enjoy the many offerings the board has worked to bring them.