Ruffin Prevost of The Billings Gazette wrote this story about the new Park County Public Library in Cody (story also appeared Sunday in the Casper Star-Tribune):
Though the signs say "Closed" outside the old Cody branch of the Park County Library, staff members inside are busy reviewing and organizing the 75,000-volume collection in preparation for the move later this month to the new location at the Park County Complex.Workers there have finished all major elements of construction, and are busy with last-minute details, including installing furniture, fixtures and hundreds of feet of new shelving.
"It's glorious, it's beautiful, it's open, it's roomy, it's clean, and I think it is a very pleasing space," said Frances Clymer, library director.
Construction costs for the extensive renovations to the ground floor of the Park County Complex will likely top out at $4.9 million, with $2.2 million funded through a 1-cent capital facilities sales tax approved by voters in November 2006.
Additional public and private money will cover the difference, with a few extra amenities trimmed from the project due to budget constraints."We've had to
reign in our ambitions in some areas, but the overall project is going to be what we had in mind when we got started, and it's going to be a beautiful space and a functional space," Clymer said. Library workers are going through the entire collection to weed out items that are out of date, damaged or otherwise unsuited for moving to the new location, Clymer said.
"Any books or items that have a value to someone else will be sold in a book sale or
passed on to other libraries," she said, adding that the book sale is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 26-27.
The new branch will open for regular business beginning Oct. 6, she said.
The Oct. 4 open house will feature a silent auction of 23 larger-than-life bear sculptures, part of the "Gathering of Grizzlies" fundraiser and public art installation
aimed at raising private funds for additional library amenities.
Other open house programming will include bear stories from Jim Garry, a Park County folklore and storytelling specialist (and former Wyoming Arts Council roster artist), and performances from Charlie Williams, an entertainer from Issaqua, Wash., known as "The Noiseguy."
Clymer said she expects the new location to generate a spike in patron visits and circulation, and she has approval from Park County commissioners to hire additional part-time staff to handle the increased traffic, if necessary.
