Trustees prepare for move, opening
By Caitlyn Kelleher

Library trustees closed the temporary library in the basement of town hall, while they prepare for the move back to the renovated building.

The temporary library closed on Sept. 19 so that trustees, library staff and other volunteers can pack up the materials to move and then set them up again. Trustee Chairman Maureen Davi said the plan is to have a grand opening on Sunday, Oct. 15.

She said it is unclear whether the library will open to patrons before that date.

"It depends on how smoothly things go," she said.

The detail plans for the opening ceremony are still in the works, Davi said.

The library has been located in the basement of the town hall during the renovation and expansion of the Ashby Free Public Library building on Main Street. The renovated building was expected to be completed in June but the delivery of wrong rug delayed the project's completion.

"The major stuff is pretty well done," Davi said. "There is interior painting (left) in just the original building."

She added that the floors in that section of the building were also being cleaned and polished.

The furniture that has been in storage since the beginning of the renovation will begin being moved this week, but the primary goal is to get the stacks set up, Davi said.

Volunteers will do the moving, especially the packing of boxes and then the unpacking of boxes.

The library collection numbers around 20,000 items, Davi said, so she expects the process to take awhile.

The library is part of the Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing system, so patrons can visit other libraries and use their Ashby library card.

People can still call the library number (978) 3865377 if they have questions.