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Community Corner

Opinion: First Reactions to Temporary Library Site

The good and the "we will have to deal" at our temporary Deerfield Public Library site.

Change is good is what they say. I'm sure for many people change is good. For me, change is good, but only after I figure it all out and it's really not so new anymore.

Walking into the new Deerfield Library location today in Cadwell's Corners was both exciting and anxiety inducing all at once.

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Mid-afternoon on opening day, there was lots going on at the reopened library. Families returning books and movies outside at the drop box as well as inside at the return machine, phones ringing constantly, many patrons asking questions of where items could be located. Quite the happening place.

The temporary library location at Cadwell's Corners is a shopping center I have not even entered since Barnes and Noble moved many years ago. So, with very few shops still surviving in that mall, parking is plentiful and the stoplight to enter and exit the center is also a plus.

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But, the 24 hour drop box is not accessible by car. To drop off books or movies, you must exit the car and walk over to the drop box. That will be a bummer over the winter.

Once inside, the librarians are right there as you enter to answer any questions. Strangely though, there were no maps that I could find that we could take with us to figure out where everything was.

But, there were a couple larger maps on the walls—but that really was not helpful. I really wanted a map to have in my hands so I could know where I was going or find something I had not yet looked for.

The facility itself is in the old Barnes and Noble space. There are a lot of windows and it is bright and felt quite spacious considering how much had been moved. As we walked through the facility, we found the kids area, the computers, the check-out stations.

Everything seemed very well laid-out and thoughtfully planned. There are no private conference areas but there are multiple seating areas and arrangements to accommodate most patrons’ needs.

Running into friends and neighbors at the library, everyone's reaction was incredibly positive. All in all, the library staff and transition team did a remarkable job in moving everything so quickly and in such an organized fashion.

And I am certain once I know where everything is, the year will be up and the library will move into its new renovated space in downtown Deerfield and I'll have to go through this all over again!

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