The Dolores Public Library Board voted Tuesday, May 12, to make the library a little quieter by making a space for it.
To create the quiet room, the board voted to add a glass wall on the east end of the library, enclosing the cozy reading area known as the Anasazi Room.
"This is one big, open building, and noise just carries through here," said Debra Ely, director of the Dolores Public Library.
And the library is a popular place.
A survey of library patrons last year saw a re-occurring theme, said Belinda Platts, president of the Dolores Public Library Board.
"The most common comment was how beautiful the library was with the windows and open space," Platts said. " But, in terms of improving the library, the most common comment was improving the noise level."
So the most cost-effective solution, that keeps the beauty of the library, Platts said, was to erect a glass wall with a door for patrons wishing to escape the bustle of the main section of the library.
"It should create a very beautiful quiet space in the library," Platts said. "It will maintain the visual openness of the library with glass rather than a solid wall. It was also the most cost effective plan."
It should take just a few days to construct the wall, Platts said.
The library has budgeted $20,000 in improvements to the library this year, which will go to the quiet room project, in addition to resurfacing the parking lot, which has already been done, and installing windows that open in the library.
"We currently don't have any windows that open," said Ely.
Because the library is right on the river, Ely is hoping that by installing windows, the library can take advantage of the cool air coming off the river.
"During the summer, the library gets too warm, even with the air-conditioning on," Platts said. "New windows on the river side of the building can let in cool air."
The windows have been ordered and should be installed later this month or around the first part of June, Ely said.
Holiday closure
The Dolores Public Library will be closed Saturday, May 23 through Monday, May 25 for the Memorial Day weekend.
