Despite the damage our building suffered from Ida, we will proceed with our plans to add Sunday hours (noon to 5pm) starting Sunday, Sept. 19. The Lower Level of the library will remain closed to the public and the Tutor Rooms will not be available for use. We expect this situation will continue for some time. Please see below for further details.
Compared to many of our neighbors, the library was lucky. The flooding which hit our Lower Level, however, did some serious damage. We’ve taken preliminary steps such as removing flooring, disconnecting flooded wiring and drying/disinfecting affected areas. Two feet of sheet rock must be removed from the entire perimeter of our Nonfiction section, subsequently leaving us to pack up 23,000 books and disassemble every shelf. Since our Nonfiction books will be unavailable for some time, we’ve pulled a cross-section of our collection and put them in the Laager Reading Room (pictured above). Don’t forget that you can place a hold on books from other public libraries throughout the county by using the online catalog, or you can call Reference (914-834-2281 x.3) and they will help you. Holds from other libraries usually get here within 2-3 business days.
Besides the Nonfiction area, a number of staff offices flooded as well. We have relocated staff into two of our Tutor Rooms thus rendering these rooms unavailable for public use. The Conference Room on the main floor is still available to be reserved.