We are proud to announce we will hold the grand reopening of the library’s East Wing, which includes the brand-new Children’s Room and ADA bathrooms, this month.
These projects were made possible through a combination of funding from the City of Oak Ridge, a Support Grant to Local Governments, and the Friends of Oak Ridge Public Library administering a bequest on behalf of Jerry Kinnamon.
Jefferson Middle School art students created a mural for the Children’s Room. The Children’s Room was designed by Opening the Book, North America, a woman-owned business specializing in public library design and was installed by local contractor First Place Finish. Barber McMurry Architects, headquartered in Knoxville, designed the bathroom renovations which were realized by Wright Contracting, another local company.
The celebration will take place at ORPL, located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on Tuesday, June 20, at 5 p.m. The first 150 children to enter the Children’s Room will receive a goodie bag.
“The Children’s Room is our most heavily used service, and I’m thrilled to have it reopen. I hope that everyone will feel welcome and enjoy the new East Wing,” Library Director Julie Forkner said.
More renovations are planned for next year, which will include new powered furniture for the main library as well as new study and computer carrels. Plans for a permanent book sale space for the Friends of the Library and a Library Café are also being considered.
In preparation for the Grand Reopening, the Children’s Room will be closing at 1:00pm on Wednesday, June 14th and will remain closed through June 17th.