By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
If you’ve stopped into the Otsego District Library lately, you might have noticed a change.
The circulation desk has undergone a makeover as a way of improving sight lines of the building and front door for library staff members.
The project began on Monday, Aug. 14, and was finished by the end of the week.
Otsego District Library executive director Andrea Estelle said the renovation “went fairly smoothly overall.”
“We renovated our desk slightly by moving it, pushing a piece together and cutting off one piece,” she said. “The remodeled desk allows our staff to see the front door and always be forward-facing to our patrons.
“It will be a slight change for patrons not walking around the circle anymore as we have turned the back of the desk area into staff-space only. Now patrons will just walk in front of the desk.”
As part of the renovation, library employees relocated the copy machine, the fax machine and the self-check stations in front of the computer area.
During the renovation, the circulation desk was temporarily located in the Adult New Books area.
According to Estelle, the project wasn’t as extensive as anticipated.
“We originally anticipated that we may have to cut the floor,” she said. “But it turned out that we did not have to cut the floor after all because we were able to retain access to our electrical and data lines. So that worked out great.”
As a finishing touch on the project, Estelle polished all the wood and countertops to give them a refreshed look.