The decision was made to limit services during the excavation, the announcement said, “to protect staff and patrons from adverse effects of construction, especially high-noise levels that will limit the ability to communicate.” “Construction projects often experience delays or unexpected challenges,” reads the announcement on the library website, “so we will be diligent to communicate any updates on our website, in our email newsletter, and on social media.” Access to the main level, children’s library, upper level, computers, printers, and study spaces is cut off until excavation is completed - which library staff said may stretch beyond the month of August. In the meantime, the Central Library’s lobby will only be open for pickups on materials put on hold and for visitors to the Faulkner Gallery on a first-come, first-serve basis. The construction is the first phase of a $9.3 million, three-part project overhauling the lower-level staff area, adding a new ADA-compliant elevator, and eventually building the project’s centerpiece, the 10,000-square-foot outdoor Michael Towbes Plaza. Sign up for Indy Today to receive fresh news from, in your inbox, every morning. “I am just questioning the need for a makeover,” O’Brien said. On Saturday, pickup hours are expanded from 10 a.m-5 p.m. The new pickup-only hours - restricted while the library undergoes an excavation in preparation of a new ADA-compliant elevator - are limited to Tuesday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. Instead, the family said they had to find another way to spend their summer afternoon. She was one of a handful of locals turned away that day, including a 1st-grader who had walked downtown with her grandmother to explore the kids’ section. “I’m upset,” said Dawn O’Brien, a local resident who drove over to the library on Monday afternoon to pick up a few books a friend had requested. The library made the announcement at the beginning of the month through its website, an email newsletter, and posts on social media, but many who use the library regularly were still shocked to learn that the main location would be unavailable this month. For the past few weeks, local residents making the trip downtown to visit Santa Barbara’s Central Library were met with closed doors and a sign turning them away, informing them that the location was closed to the public, with the exception of a three-hour window to pick up books placed on hold.
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