On October 1, 2020 a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Greece Public Library for the new 6,575 sq. ft. addition to the Children’s Library area. The ceremony was hosted by Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich and attended by Greece Town Board Members, members of the expansion Construction Team, Project Architects, Library Board Members and Library Staff. Due to COVID-19 restrictions attendance was limited. The groundbreaking ceremony can be viewed on the Town of Greece website.
The Children’s Library expansion project was in the planning process several months before COVID-19 and the decision was made to continue forward with the project, especially since the pandemic has kept people closer to home and using community resources in a renewed way. This project is fully funded and will be paid for in cash, as a result no taxes will be raised.
The 6,575 sq. ft. expansion brings the total of the Children’s Library area to 10,125 sq. ft. Included in the project are a covered outdoor children’s story time patio, a mezzanine play area, energy efficient LED lighting, dedicated children’s bathroom, a new story and craft room, centrally located staff offices, new play area rotunda, skylights and added natural lighting, and new children’s librarian reference desk.
During the ground breaking ceremony Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich said, “The Town of Greece is home to nearly 100,000 residents. Roughly more than 300,000 patrons pass through the doors of our library each year and this number is trending upward. With this expansion our Children’s Library will be state-of-the-art and a place that provides fun, learning and growing for our families.”
Jennifer Preisser has been the Children’s Librarian in Greece for 13 years. Jennifer has two library assistants Karen Deisigner and Laura Sidoti who work with her on programing and purchases. The pandemic has presented many challenges to the very busy Children’s Library program. “We worked at finding ways to reach families with our programs. There were challenges, it was very important to stay connected to the children and families that you love so much and enjoy being a part of,” Preisser said. Virtual programs were scheduled and a YouTube channel and Facebook page were set up for story time and sharing.
A new program that Preisser has designed is a virtual “Baby Art” program where parents register their child, pick up a kit from the library that contains everything needed for the project and then tune in for the virtual guidance. When the children complete their project they have the ability to upload their finished art to share with all the participants. “This has been a wonderful project to do,” Preisser said.
It was also very important for Preisser to see the families face to face. “We needed to find a way to do outdoor programs. We connected with the Town and they provided space in the pavilion where we could meet, socially distanced, for storytime. It has been well received and we have a waiting list each week with families eager to connect. It is a great opportunity to continue to serve the community the best we can while keeping everyone safe,” Preisser said.
Preisser is very excited about the Children’s Library expansion project. She said, “It was an amazing opportunity to be a part of the planning process and a privilege to be able to give my opinions and suggestions. It was exciting to witness how the design team was very careful with planning and decisions. They welcomed my input about what works with different age groups and what works best for all our program needs. The new Children’s Library is going to be a special space. It will be state-of-the-art for families and will attract people from far and wide.”
The planned opening for The Children’s Library new space is August 2021. For more information on the Greece Public Library Children’s Library programs and all of the resources the Greece Public Library provides visit www.greecepubliclibrary.org
Photos by Karen Fien
