The Scarsdale Public Library has recently announced upcoming renovation plans. These major changes are estimated to cost $17.9 million dollars. A few of the improvements include an upgrade in technology and enhanced views of the Audrey Hochberg Pond Preserve. The total space of the building is expanding too; the project adds 5,700 square feet to the edifice. “It’s a renovation of the existing building; what we call a gut renovation,” said Scarsdale Library Director Elizabeth Bermel. The library has not had a full-scale renovation since the 1970s, and the library board felt that it was appropriate to change the building and “bring the facility into the 21st century.” Since the roof, windows, fire safety, and electricity are all outdated, these facilities will be updated to ensure the safety of the library environment.

The new changes will expand meeting spaces, create a space for coffee with a business center, make multipurpose rooms doubling as a children’s department and a dedicated teen space, as well as add a makerspace area and a quiet reading room, just to name a few. “I am very excited for the future of the library and hope that the renovations will bring a lot more people in for many different purposes,” said Ashwin Sriskanthan ’20. Other town libraries in the area have undergone similar construction feats in recent years, including Mamaroneck, Greenburgh, and Ossining.

Construction is scheduled to last “about 18 months.  Construction always takes longer than planned so we are thinking 2 years. That is kind of the time frame,” said Bermel. The construction is planned to begin in the spring, and in the meantime, a temporary library will be open at the Supply Field building.