Tuesday, May 7, 2013
After a 16-month renovation, the library is reopening with a bang.
On May 19, Bala Cynwyd Library is celebrating the completion of its 16-month renovation with a grand reopening. The festivities will begin at 1 p.m. with a flag raising by Cub Scout Pack 581 and, according to the library's Facebook page, musical performances by the Lower Merion High School Saxophone Quartet and the Lower Merion High School Jazz Ensemble. (Other activities are planned as well. While the particulars are still being ironed out, Main Line Media News has more details on the event here.) Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite literary characters. Of six library local libraries Lower Merion Township plans to renovate, Bala Cynwyd was the second to be completed. According to Phillymag.com, the redesign was an ambitious …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The library may have a soft opening in late April, according to Director of Libraries Chris Steckel.
Bala Cynwyd Library will temporarily reduce its hours after reopening this spring, Director of Libraries Chris Steckel said at a Wednesday night Board of Commissioners meeting. A grand opening for Bala Cynwyd Library is set for May 19, and a soft opening in late April is possible, Steckel said. The library will suspend its Thursday evening and Sunday service, which will restart in September. From its reopening through September, the hours for Bala Library will be:
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The library, currently being renovated, has set a grand opening date.
An announcement on the Bala Cynwyd Library Facebook page last week told patrons to 'save the date' for its grand opening on May 19. The post, which includes a photo of the library in progress, reads: Great news! The new shelving and furniture has arrived and is being installed. Check out this picture. Spring and our reopening is just around the corner. Mark your calendar, May 19 we will celebrate our new library! Lower Merion Library Director Chris Steckel said last week that it has not yet been decided whether the library will have a soft opening before the grand opening in mid-May. Are you excited for the library to re-open? What library are you using while Bala Library is closed? Tell us in the comments .
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Lower Merion's Director of Libraries gave an update on the status of the library renovations at a Wednesday night Board of Commissioners meeting.
Originally aiming for an April 6 opening date, Bala Cynwyd Library will now likely open toward the end of April, Lower Merion Director of Libraries Christine Steckel told the Board of Commissioners’ Library Committee on Wednesday evening. Renovations have mainly gone according to schedule, but a problem with the Highland Avenue window frames pushed the timetable back a week or two, Steckel said. The problem is in the process of being corrected. This month, final inspections will be completed and furniture delivered. In March, the move back into the library begins in earnest, with the installation of radio-frequency identification, the return of library materials, and set up and training with staff, Steckel said. The plan is to reopen the …
40.00068
-75.239097
Bala Cynwyd Library
131 Old Lancaster Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/bala-cynwyd-library-opening-sees-slight-delay
877648
/locations/8762891
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Construction crews are sinking geothermal wells.
Workers renovating the Bala Cynwyd Library will be drilling throughout the summer, Lower Merion officials said at Wednesday night's Board of Commissioners meeting. Geothermal wells are being sunk to contain heating units. Christine Steckel, the township's director of libraries, emphasized that crews will be trying to limit the noise for neighbors' benefit, but at times it should be substantial nevertheless. New walls and footers were installed in May at Bala Cynwyd, Steckel said. The latest estimate for the end of construction is February 2013. The other closed library in the township's group of six is Ludington in Bryn Mawr, which is well overdue to reopen. Steckel announced Wednesday night that Ludington is set to reopen Sept. 8, Bryn …
40.00068
-75.239097
Bala Cynwyd Library
131 Old Lancaster Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/noisy-drilling-expected-this-summer-around-bala-cynwyd-library
877648
/locations/7163838
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The American Library Association has released its 2011 list of the 10 most frequently challenged library books.
The American Library Association recently released its annual list (for 2011) of the most challenged books of the year, meaning the books most often targeted for removal from one public shelf or another. Nine of the top 10 are available locally from the collections of the Bala Cynwyd, Belmont Hills and Narberth libraries. (Note: Though its materials are available through other branches, the Bala Cynwyd branch is closed all year for renovations) 1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle Reasons: Offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group 2. The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa Reasons: Nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group 3. The Hunger Games trilogy by Kathleen Collins Reasons…
40.00565
-75.26564
Narberth Community Library
80 Windsor Ave, Narberth, PA
/articles/bala-cynwyd-belmont-hills-libraries-carry-most-challenged-books
877324
/locations/6774756
40.023672
-75.241311
Belmont Hills Library
120 Marywatersford Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/bala-cynwyd-belmont-hills-libraries-carry-most-challenged-books
876424
/locations/6774757
40.00068
-75.239097
Bala Cynwyd Library
131 Old Lancaster Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/bala-cynwyd-belmont-hills-libraries-carry-most-challenged-books
877648
/locations/6774758
Friday, April 6, 2012
The branch is closed for renovation all year.
The Lower Merion Library System this week issued a report on the progress of renovation at Bala Cynwyd Library, which closed Dec. 31. Crews unexpectedly encountered a home heating-oil tank buried under the property, origin unknown. Officials reported it was removed and drained, and tests showed no seepage. All wall and ceiling demolition was completed in March, and new footers were started for the expansion. That process will continue in April, as will the installation of structural steel. For more details, read the report attached to this article.
40.00068
-75.239097
Bala Cynwyd Library
131 Old Lancaster Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/surprise-underground-tank-found-during-bala-cynwyd-library
877648
/locations/6749184
Friday, March 2, 2012
The library is expected to be closed all of 2012.
The Lower Merion Library System this week posted a detailed update about renovations at the Bala Cynwyd Library, which has been closed since New Year's Eve. The PDF update is also attached to this article. A variety of interior and exterior demolitions have taken place in February and are scheduled for March. The library remains on track to reopen in early 2013. Staff also addressed a frequently asked question from the community: why not keep neighboring Belmont Hills Library open more often, with Bala closed? The library system needs at least one library of a certain size to keep getting state aid, and with both Bala Cynwyd and Ludington closed, officials needed to pool staff and resources at another library to effectively manufacture a "…
40.00068
-75.239097
Bala Cynwyd Library
131 Old Lancaster Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/library-staff-report-progress-on-bala-cynwyd-renovation
877648
/locations/6499425
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Support was not unanimous.
At the suggestion of deputy township manager Pat Ryan, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners agreed Wednesday night to pay Manheim-based Foreman Program and Construction Managers $146,300 to oversee the renovations of Bala Cynwyd Library and act as liaison among subcontractors and the township. Commissioner Lew Gould objected to the cost and considered the job description nebulous, but the appropriation passed, 11-2. Bala Cynwyd Commissioner George Manos defended the job as vital to the project, while before Commissioner Dan Bernheim voted in favor, he remarked, “It may seem unfortunate that we need to hire someone to make sure the people we hire do the job.” The library is closed all year for renovations. In other Board of Commissioners…
40.00068
-75.239097
Bala Cynwyd Library
131 Old Lancaster Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/township-hires-bala-cynwyd-library-construction-overseer
877648
/locations/6172273
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Renovations will keep it closed until early in 2013.
At 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, the Bala Cynwyd Library closed for renovations as part of Lower Merion's Library System Capital Improvement Project. The library is the second-largest of six in the township; Ludington, the largest. Ludington Library in Bryn Mawr, the largest library in the system, is currently closed for expansion and renovation, and is expected to reopen with a few months. Bala Cynwyd Library's reopening is projected to be in early 2013. The renovations include both facilities and systems improvements. Drawings depicting the Library and its floor plans when finished can be seen on the township website. You're likely to be impressed by the look and the scope of the plans. Once the library is closed to the public, staff…
40.00068
-75.239097
Bala Cynwyd Library
131 Old Lancaster Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA
/articles/last-day-at-bala-cynwyd-library
877648
/locations/6104129
Jeff
7:42 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
How about as part of the celebration folks who owe $ for overdue...be forgiven... more ›