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February 21, 2010

Opening of Plainsboro's state-of-the-art library around the corner

Sunday, February 21, 2010
Megan DeMarco
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES OF TRENTON
PLAINSBORO -- Residents awaiting the opening of the new, three-story library in town center have only a few more months to wait.

The library will have its "soft opening" at the end of March or beginning of April, according to director Jinny Baeckler. A more formal dedication will take place in May to thank those who donated nearly $3 million toward the construction of the new 34,000-square-foot building.

The process has moved particularly slowly because of weather difficulties, Baeckler said. A shipment of new furniture was just delayed because of the recent snowstorm, and in the spring, the ground was "horrendously wet," slowing the process.

"We've had normal problems in the sense of weather primarily," she said.

The new facility will be almost entirely wireless, and will have many power outlets for visitors' computers. At the present facility, wires sometimes crisscross as patrons try to plug laptops into the few available outlets, she said.

"This building was really built pre the Internet boom," she said, referring to the current location.

New computers will be added to the new library, she said.

The first floor will be the "Main Street," Baeckler said. It will have a cafe, computers, newspapers and community rooms.

The second floor will be quieter, with a section set aside for research, rooms for study, areas for tutoring and a nonfiction section. There will also be a health education room, where visitors can do medical research in private.

The third floor will be for children, complete with a reading pit.

There will also be a tower room, several patios and outdoor reading areas.

"I'm very excited," Baeckler said. "Now we have the space to do what we really have been doing all along and doing it better."

The new library has been a long time coming. The original plan was to expand the current building, but that was problematic because it would cut into parking areas. When a spot opened in the town center, Baeckler said she was more than happy to be in a central location.

"We really would like to be in the middle of the community," she said, adding that collaboration has already begun with the surrounding businesses, cafes and stores.

The current building, located in the municipal complex, will be used by the recreation department.

The Plainsboro library will be one of the largest in the area, doubling the size of the current library, Baeckler said, but she hopes visitors will still feel at home in the new location.

"It's my hope that everybody will feel welcome," that everyone will be able to "find their corner," she said.

Posted by tumulty at February 21, 2010 1:02 PM

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