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The Delaware County District Library Board of Trustees announced Tuesday that the new branch of the library, being built at the corner of Home and Steitz roads in Powell, will be called the Liberty Branch Library.
In a proposal to the trustees, the Ad Hoc Building Committee cited several reasons for the proposed name, including the history of the land, the nearby Olentangy Liberty High School, and the vast number of nearby patrons who reside in Liberty Township.
“We have traditionally named our libraries geographically,” said DCDL Director George Needham. “Other names were proposed, like Home Road and Steitz Road, but in keeping with our current tradition, the committee decided that Liberty Branch Library worked best.”
According to Needham, the 3-plus acre plot of land on which the branch will sit was successfully purchased on Friday, Oct. 9, at the agreed-upon rate of $50,000 per acre. The library continues to work with project architect SHP and construction manager at-risk Marker on design and construction details.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18. Due to COVID-19 precautions, invitations will be sent to a small group of officials to keep crowds low. However, the entire ceremony will be streamed live on the library’s social media channels and within library branches.
In other business, trustees approved a revised DCDL Response to COVID-19 Levels. The amendment will change how the library responds to the State of Ohio’s color-coded public health alert system.
“We went with an excess of caution when we originally said we’d close at a Level Red,” said Needham. “Since that decision, I feel like we have a responsibility to the public who pays for our library system. Keeping our buildings open still offers the public who is unable to come indoors the opportunity to utilize curbside, drive-up, or homebound drop-off services.”
“This puts us in better alignment with how other county agencies are operating,” added Trustee Brad Allen.
The revision allows the library to remain open for walk-in service and computer access if Delaware County falls under an Alert Level 3 – Red, according to state figures. Should the county jump to an Alert Level 4 – Purple, the library will close as originally proposed. Ultimate discretion and emergency decisions will remain up to Needham.
With a unanimous vote, all trustees agreed to approve a staff holiday on Saturday, Dec. 26. Per library policy, all locations have traditionally closed on Dec. 24 and 25. However, due to revised operating hours this year, all locations would also be closed on Sunday, Dec. 27. Patrons can access most library resources digitally 24/7 at www.delawarelibrary.org.
Finally, the 2021 budget narrative was introduced to trustees. Budget approval will take place at the November meeting, and the appropriations resolution will be on the agenda for a December approval.
Friends of the Delaware County District Library president Karen Cowan provided an update on past events. She announced that the 2020 Annual Meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4. The meeting will feature a talk by Tamar Chute, archivist for The Ohio State University, titled “Time and Change: 150 Years of The Ohio State University.”
The hour-long meeting was conducted via Zoom and streamed live to the library’s Facebook page. The full meeting will also be uploaded to the library’s YouTube channel.
All members of the DCDL Board of Trustees will meet again at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. Unless otherwise notified, the meeting will take place remotely and be streamed live to the library’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/delawarelibrary. Public comment will be accepted in advance at [email protected].
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