“I love reading,” Mykal Lucero said early Thursday afternoon as she attended the grand reopening of the Osterhout Free Library South Branch in Wilkes-Barre.
“Mysteries, comedy, fiction,” her friend Naomi Olmedo said, specifying her favorites.
“I like looking for movies for the grandchild,” Louise Below said as she perused the shelves of DVDs.
“After I see a movie,” Eddie Shehwen said, “I want to read the book.”
The four library patrons all said they used to visit the South Branch when it was located at the corner of Stanton and Airy, in rental space that was ruined more than a year ago when burst water pipes and flooding caused an estimated $50,000 in damage. And, the patrons said, they missed the convenience of having a library in their Rolling Mill Hill neighborhood.
Now they are delighted with the new space at 100 Parrish St., where natural light streams through the windows onto a children’s nook, and where books, DVDs, periodicals and three computers await adults.
“It’s beautiful,” one after the other said of the new space. “So light and airy.”
“It’s sparkly,” said South Branch supervisor Rebecca Smith, crediting Osterhout Free Library executive director Rick Miller with the design. “Rick is a genius.”
Miller was on hand Thursday, welcoming the public to the new branch, which will be open 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
He estimated 15,000 to 18,000 books and other items are available at the branch, and said he is thankful that some materials were able to be salvaged from the old library, which had served area residents for 99 years.
While some of the first patrons at the new library immediately began searching for books and DVDs, one visitor was fascinated by the vintage black-and-white photos that decorate the walls above the bookshelves.
“I went to St. Boniface School,” Larry Alexander said, pointing to a decades-old photograph of a boys basketball team as well as what appeared to be the dedication of the former parochial school on Blackman Street.
Another vintage photo showed the construction of nearby St. Patrick’s Church on Parrish Street (now known as St. Andrew’s Parish), with a large group of men apparently ready to uncrate and assemble marble that had been sent from Italy.
Calling the grand reopening “a fresh start in a new, welcoming space,” Sarah Borland, president of the Osterhout Free Library Board of Directors, said Thursday’s event was “not just a celebration of a new location, but also a testament to the resilience and commitment of our staff and the support of the community.”
The phone number for the South Branch is 570-823-5544. Information about the branch and its services can be found at osterhout.info.
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