The Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool will reopen on Saturday. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED Feb. 21, 2:17 p.m.

The Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool is finally ready to welcome patrons to its new location.

It will reopen for full service on Saturday (Feb. 22) at 10 a.m. The library will be open six days a week and closed on Mondays.

The interim location at 54 Harley Umphrey Dr. is in the call centre building off White Point Road.

The branch has been closed since Dec. 15, when staff packed up the library’s collection to prepare for the move from downtown Liverpool.

Ashley Nunn-Smith, the CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries, told QCCR that she can’t wait for people to see the space.

“Very exciting. I know it’s been a long wait, longer than we had hoped but we are ready and we are ready to open,” Nunn-Smith said.

“People will be genuinely happy to see inside. There’s a lot of cozy chairs and nooks for reading. But really, the space is so much more than just the books. You can come in and warm up from the cold, you can chat with the staff, you can attend programs, so we’re really excited to be able to offer all of the services again.”

The lease at the former location on Old Bridge Street was due to expire at the end of December. So the Region of Queens decided to put the library, on an interim basis, in the municipally owned Liverpool Business Development Centre off White Point Road.

The region budgeted up to $1.26 million for renovations to the space.

Many residents were concerned that it’s not easy to walk to, with no sidewalks and limited lighting.

Queens County Transit and the South Shore Public Libraries have teamed up to offer free transportation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday from the farmers market location on the Liverpool waterfront to Harley Umphrey Drive.

The Raddall family has agreed to allow the library to continue to use the Raddall name for five years because they’ve been assured by the region that the municipality is working on finding a permanent, central location for a new, purpose-built library.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Some of the new furniture at the new location of the Liverpool library. (Region of Queens photo)

The library in Liverpool is getting closer to reopening in its new temporary location.

The Region of Queens has been posting updates on its website as work has progressed at the Liverpool Business Development Centre on Harley Umphrey Drive, off White Point Road.

South Shore Public Libraries has not given a specific date for the branch to reopen. But the region says on its site that it’s likely to reopen by mid-January.

There’s still a lot of work to do. Workers are putting final touches on HVAC ductwork, sprinklers, electricity to the front desk, lighting, plumbing and the new kitchen.

Shelving units and some other furniture have been moved into the 6,500-square-foot space.

The region budgeted up to $1.26 million for the renovations to the empty space at the call centre building. The community was consulted on the design of the space.

But many were upset that regional council decided to put the library outside downtown in an area with no sidewalks and limited lighting.

A library steering committee had recommended a new library be built near Queens Place Emera Centre. But that was rejected twice by councillors. 

The location on Harley Umphrey Drive is supposed to be a short-term home while council works on a longer-term solution.

Library officials got about 200 responses to a survey in the fall asking for suggestions on a possible new name for the new location. They haven’t revealed if the library’s name will change from the Thomas H. Raddall Library. That decision rests with the board of South Shore Public Libraries.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com