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RIDGEFIELD, Conn. The Ridgefield Library has found itself a new home while waiting for its new building.
Library officials confirmed they would be moving into the old Balduccis building on Governor Street. It couldnt be a more convenient spot. I mean there is nothing more convenient in town. Its right down Main Street, said Mary Rindfleisch, the librarys assistant director. We like being a part of the Main Street downtown community, and people like us being here.
The plan, she said, was once the lease was turned over to the library on Sunday to begin making what was a grocery store into a library. They wont be able to take all the books, Rindfleisch said, but that they would try to take as many as they could. The new space is less than 10,000 square feet, less than half of the librarys current space.
We wont have everything, said Rindfleisch. Certain extremely popular things will be moved in their entirety, but it wont be every other book moving. There will be quite a large amount of the collection in storage.
Re-construction of the Balduccis space will take some time, Rindfleisch is hopeful it will only take two weeks, but there is no set timeline in place. Once the space is ready, she said the library will close so the books can be transferred around the middle of August.
The library has hired a group to help pack the books in order to make the move smooth and hopefully, she said, quicker so that the library can open for the interim.
Construction of the librarys new building will take around 16 to 18 months and during that time the librarys events will be in other shared community spaces like the Keelers Tavern, Parks and Recreation Center, Aldrich Museum and others. Were branding it as Ridgefield Library @ wherever, Rindfleisch said. Its our desire to provide as much programs as we do now, but with a twist.
Lists of where the events will be held will be provided once the schedule is set. And exact dates for when the library will close for the transition will be made available when known.
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