news-record.com

Because of ongoing renovations at the High Point Public Library, some programs have been moved to off-site locations.

But this hasn’t affected attendance, said Kem Ellis, library director.

The library’s annual summer reading program, which runs through the end of the month, has been moved to the Oak View Recreation Center, 503 James Road.

“The attendance at the children’s program has been higher because we can accept more children when we’re holding the program in a large gym in a recreation center,” Ellis said. “Last week, I know we had over 700 children at the Tuesday morning program.”

At the library on 901 N. Main St., the program was held in a corner of the children’s library. Once all work is completed, programming will be held in a separate “story room” that may be able to accommodate up to 100 children. Ellis expects the room to be open by next summer.

The library is also hosting other programming in collaboration with other organizations, such as a program on healthful eating and diet hosted with the Piedmont Environmental Center.

“We have completed one program space in the new part of the building and hope to start using that for programming space this fall,” Ellis said. Right now, an adjacent space to the room is being renovated and makes it difficult to access the new program space.

“Attendance at the library has been greater, I think, since the new entrance opened on June 25,” Ellis said. On July 6 the library had 2,300 visitors, he said.

The library’s construction began April 2008. The finished project will add 19,000 square feet of space and feature reconfigured collections and services, a new story area and new furniture and public service desks.

Ellis said the library has received a lot of positive feedback about the construction and renovations.

“People are very excited about the new lobby area — all the space and the openness of the space and how attractive it is,” he said. “And people are impressed with the new part of the building. It’s very light, airy and open.”

Ellis said renovations will be completed at the end of the year, and the library hopes to host an event next spring to celebrate the renovations.

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth. seagraves@news-record.com