Libby library reopens to patrons this week

Despite having its basement flooded and its doors closed since March, the Libby Branch of Lincoln County Library is set to come out of the past few months on top, said Director Alyssa Ramirez.

“I can’t help but feel excited because it does feel like we basically got a new library in some ways,” Ramirez said last week while showing off the renovations staff completed during the closure.

Patrons will be treated to an entirely new experience when they are allowed back into the building on Aug. 18, she said. Library workers removed the circulation desk, which used to bottleneck visitors at the entrance, for example. Ramirez plans to use the newly widened space to set up displays, like those found at the ImagineIF Library in Kalispell.

The north wing of the building also seems more spacious as workers replaced bookshelves that cluttered the center of the room with five sets of chairs and tables.

“People can hang out… we can have programs and speakers,” Ramirez said.

The extra shelving from the northern end of the building now lines the walls of the south wing. According to Ramirez, the old shelving in this portion of the library was made of a darker wood that did not match the rest of the library.

Ramirez has had the entire building carpeted over since the library closed. While the first floor of the building was redone for aesthetic purposes, the basement carpet was replaced as part of the library’s major renovations following the pipe burst in May.

According to Ramirez, the roughly 19,000 gallons that flowed out of the broken pipe flooded the basement with nearly four inches of water. While the problem could have been mitigated by the drain and water pumps in the library’s boiler room, Ramirez said the fail-safes malfunctioned.

Most of the renovations and damaged property were covered by insurance, but a few books were waterlogged beyond recovery.

Ramirez said water seeped up the wooden shelves, soaking books that were high off the ground. In total, she estimates the library lost about 400 books. One hundred to 150 of these were part of the branch’s Montana and archives collection. Some documents, like the first three years of the Kootenai Valley Record, have been lost to the library.

The library has completed construction and mold mitigation in the basement, but Ramirez said library staff is still waiting on new bookshelves and desks before reopening. According to Ramirez, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the manufacture and delivery of these items. She anticipates opening the basement in September.

Library staff is also waiting for the county’s information technology director to finish setting up the branch’s new computers. While the electronics did not come into direct contact with the water, the computers were done in by the humidity inside the building, which reached 85 percent during the flooding, according to Ramirez.

“We lifted them up and they were just dripping,” Ramirez said.

The branch is still, however, offering free wifi for those who can bring computers.

Library staff has also renovated the southernmost room in the library, which houses the children section. Ramirez pointed out newly added armchairs, a teepee, a market stand and a LEGO play table. Ramirez said these renovations were possible thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Headwaters Foundation.

The stuffed animals and fake food items that go along with the new playsets, however, will not be on display when the library reopens. Under the current conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, Ramirez said it would not be safe to have children playing with these toys.

When the branch reopens, the building will be following a COVID-19 plan developed by the county library board, according to Ramirez. Masks will be required inside and hand sanitizer will be provided. Since the library building is spacious, Ramirez does not anticipate any social distancing problems, but patrons will still be encouraged not to linger.