Things, and people, are looking up at the newly remodeled Kirkland Library. The many changes to the newly renovated library include an expanded children’s area, the addition of meeting rooms, an automated check in system and 4,000 square feet of additional space. But the center of attention during the preview party Thursday was the sound-proof ‘quiet room’ with two-story high vaulted ceiling, a round skylight, art work and glass walls. The blown glass art piece was assembled and hung Wednesday and managed to attract almost everyone’s attention during the preview party held Thursday for invited guests.
“We love this piece,” said Librarian Elsa Steele about the art piece that is entitled ‘Celebrating Knowledge.’ “It was custom made for us.”
The piece has blown glass disks mounted onto a square frame in a two-story tall rounded room that is enclosed almost entirely with glass.
“The only curved place in the library are the walls of this room,” said Benjamin Moore, the artist who co-created the piece with friend Lewis Muller. “And the rest of the piece is very angular, so I think it fits the architecture well.”
The room is the center piece of the $3.29 million expansion that give the library 16,000 square feet. The majority of the new space is in the “quiet room” and reading areas.
“This is one of the busiest libraries in the KCLS (King County Library System),” said KCLS Director Bill Ptacek. “In the past you would come in here and every chair would be filled. It is nice to have this library reopen with this expansion. It is exciting.”
Other additions include the literature itself.
“We have 11 months worth of new material,” said Steele. “We have received 726 boxes of new and used books. At any one time a third are checked out. It is exciting cause we will see a lot more people be able to come in and use their laptops or read.”
Along with the expanded reading areas is a larger children’s area.
“The children’s area has increased by more than a third,” said children’s librarian Patricia Ferrell. “They have even put in some sound proofing.”
The new area includes a mural of the outdoors with a big sky filled with planets.
One amenity that will make the librarians jobs easier is an automated self check-in system that even sorts the books by classification through a combination of a bar-code scanner and a conveyer-belt system. Many of the invited guests tested out the system to see how easy it was to use. Preview party guests included elected officials, community leaders and various KCLS employees and foundation members.
The project is funded by a $172 capitol bonds measure that King County voters passed in 2004. The expansion project also includes upkeep and maintenance of the library during the next decade.
During the expansion the Kirkland Library has been relocated in Parkplace Books.
“It has been a wonderful experience,” said Parkplace Books owner Rebecca Willow. “I think it should happen more across the US cause it is the best of two worlds.”
The library site closed for the project on Jan. 25 of 2009 and the grand opening will take place Dec. 5 at 10 a.m.
For more information on the grand opening call 425-369-3275.
