Those who enjoy the services of the centrally-located Weaver Library (41 Grove Ave.) will soon be asked to endure a period of slight inconvenience — but with the understanding that this inconvenience will ultimately lead to something a lot more special, and worth the wait.

On Wednesday, Aug. 27, the Weaver Library will cease its regular operations for a week and a half; although library patrons will still be able to return books and pick up books placed on hold during that time.
It will re-open on Monday, Sept. 8, and there will be a lot of improvements to see when it does.

“We are very excited about the renovation, and we’ve been working on it for over a year now,” said East Providence Assistant Library Director, Pamela Schwieger.

Schwieger said the concept to rejuvenate the space started a few years back when the library’s Head of Reference, Lisa Perry, and former circulation aide Robert Yuski floated the idea of combining the reference and circulation desks into one combined space, so that patrons could get help for whatever they were looking for in one place.

“A patron comes in, they just want to be helped. They have their need, and they want to be served,” Schwieger said of the motivation behind that effort. “It will be so much better for the patron experience when they’re looking for help and come into the library.”

Since then, the library’s redesign team made the renovation effort — which grew to a long list of other improvements to be carried out at the same time — a key part of the 5-year plan that they adopted in 2024.

“When you start with one idea, it grows,” Schwieger said.
The renovations will include the children’s and adults sections. In the children’s area, they will be installing a new desk that will suit the needs of the younger demographic much better.

“What we have right now is very high and not very accessible for children,” Schwieger said. “So we’re getting a new desk for the children’s room that will be lower, more colorful and fun looking, and also able to sit two staff so at busy times we can have two people at that desk which, will mean much better service.”

The children’s section will also be getting new shelving and two additional reading nooks in its nonfiction area, which will hopefully entice kids to sit and relax and explore the offerings there. The section will also get new tables, new computer desks, new shelving, and new lounge chairs in the baby/toddler area.

The adult section will benefit from new tables, chairs, computer chairs, and lounge furniture as well. They will also add more seating for the quiet study area in the back of the nonfiction and fiction shelving stacks.

Schwieger said that the library will also be adding more electrical outlets to better accommodate people who need to charge their phones or laptops while enjoying the library.

The renovation also enabled the library staff to better conceptualize where to place community-based amenities, like the library of things (where various tools and other items can be rented out at no charge), and the library’s unique plant exchange, which enables gardeners and green thumb enthusiasts to share clippings of plants and enjoy clippings from others.

“It’s really a great community give and take that has, pardon my pun, but blossomed here at the library,” Schwieger said. “It started out small and we weren’t sure if we were going to continue it, but it’s really grown.”

Some services will be available, others not
During the closure, patrons of the library should expect some services to be unavailable, like printing and faxing and copying. Some services will remain, however. According to a press release from the library:

Borrowing Services Continue

• While the building is closed, borrowing services, including returns and hold pickups, will still be available with a few adjustments.
• Library staff will be stationed at a table near the front entrance to assist you.

Placing & Picking Up Holds

• Place holds through our online catalog or by calling the library. o Pick up your items at the front entrance: Tuesday–Thursday: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Fridays & Saturdays: 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Fully closed Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 for Labor Day weekend
  Limited Services at Weaver During Closure
• Please note: Printing, scanning, and faxing will not be available at Weaver during this time.
• These services, along with all regular library offerings, will remain available at our Riverside Branch during normal hours.
• For updates, visit eastprovidencelibrary.org or call 401-434-2453.

No cost to the library, or city taxpayers

The renovations have been made possible thanks to a sizable grant from The Champlin Foundation, in the amount of $185,000. That was bolstered by another $20,000 raised by the Friends of the East Providence Public Library.

“We’re very, very grateful to both the Champlin Foundation and the Friends of the Library because we haven’t had to use any of our library budget for this,” Schwieger said.

City workers have done most of the physical work inside the library, including dismantling and moving shelving, painting, assembling and installing new fixtures, removing counters and half walls, according to Schwieger. The library has also contracted with EP Electrical, ATG, and Karpet Klinic. They are working with Robert H. Lord as their design team.

Schwieger also thanked the library’s in-house Redesign Team, consisting of the aforementioned Lisa Perry and Robert Yuski, as well as their Cataloging Librarian, Deb Tirrell, and Library Director, Meredith Bonds-Harmon.

Schwieger said that the renovations are a highlight among her 32 years of career involvement with East Providence Public Libraries.

“It means everything, honestly. The library is such a wonderful place. I can’t imagine working anywhere else. We are civil servants who serve the community,” she said. “There are so many services we provide, and specifically in terms of the space, a public library is practically the only place where someone can come in and just be. They don’t have to buy a coffee or do anything. It’s a third space that isn’t their home or their work…I know so many people who have made lifelong friends coming to programs and using the library. So the library is really an important place in the community for so many different reasons and for so many different people and demographics within our community.”