The Sidney-Richland County Library at the start of the renovation project.
Library director Kelly Reisig stands by some of the gingerbread houses that were brought in to the library this holiday season.
The Sidney-Richland County Library underwent a complete renovation in 2019, providing better access to patrons and more space for programming. Prior to renovations, the Library consisted of a children's area on the main floor, and adult and non-fiction section on the upper floor. The basement had unutilized space, and there was no elevator for accessibility. Kelly Reisig, Library Director, provides the top ten things to know about the renovation.
1. The new space will feature a new Montana History Room. Materials in this space will be for in-house use only and will feature books by locally published authors and materials to research Montana history.
2. An elevator has been added for handicapped accessibility to all floors. Previously, many patrons utilized the long, winding ramp to access the upper floor. Now, an elevator provides access to the upper floor and basement. The previous children's area remains no-step and accessible.
3. The library will now have two circulation desks for faster, easier and more convenient service to patrons. The desk on the upper floor provides easy checkout for patrons only checking out adult and young adult books, and the children's section in the basement provides an easy checkout for families. Either circulation desk can be used for checking out any materials in the Library.
4. The large meeting space downstairs has been reconfigured to allow for more library programming and one-on-one tutoring with Richland County Learning Volunteers for Adults.
5. An outdoor patio area has been added for outdoor library programming.
6. Additional parking has been added in the front, rear and south side of the building. The new parking lot features additional accessible spaces, and connects to the courthouse parking lot.
7. A new brightly colored children's area has been added to the basement. This space has materials for children up to grade 3.
8. The upstairs area of the library will be dedicated to quiet study, researching and use. The computers and printers will be located upstairs.
9 The top priority for the new space is to accommodate a larger collection for library patrons.
10. The library used to have two bathrooms. The new space will have two new family restrooms located downstairs that are ADA compliant, as well as four new restrooms upstairs.
The Sidney-Richland County Library is located at 121 3rd Ave NW, in Sidney.
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