Pahrump Community Library hosts renovation preview party

On Wednesday, May 21, the Pahrump library’s board, management and staff hosted a preview party to spotlight the long-anticipated refurbishment of the Pahrump Community Library, located at 701 East St.

The project to refresh and repair the 24-year-old building’s threadbare carpet, scuffed walls, shabby restrooms and crumbling furnishings began in late November. It took a few months to remove the books from the building and properly store them, library director Kim Thomas says, “As the books were being boxed, we had to label the shelves, label the box, make sure that everything went in a specific order.”

The books went back on the shelves a lot faster in their remodeled surroundings, and although the majority of the renovation is complete, there’s still some work that needs to be done before reopening. Thomas is hopeful this will occur in mid-June, but, as with any renovation, there may be unforeseen delays.

“The things [issues] that you find when you’re tearing down stuff and opening up walls…” explains John Shewalter, chairman of the library board. “When they did the lighting, they found so many problems in the overhead with exposed live wiring and things that they had to correct.”

“When we’re done, we’ll probably be close to one million dollars in renovations,” says Shewalter. “Just the lighting and the flooring was a little over $800,000.”

During the remodel, Thomas explained that the 10 staff members have kept busy. “The whole staff got HR-compliance training, cyber security training and library training. A lot of training that had been kind of lacking over the years for lack of time to do it.”

“We had an employee that became really interested in book repair,” she continues. “She had a lot of her own resources, and I found some more for her. So now she’s kind of like a go-to person for book repairs.”

During the closure, the library instituted curbside service twice a week starting in January. Thomas describes the process. “We had the books that were being returned, [and] would go out for other people to check out. The new books that were coming in and being processed, were being put out, and eventually we ended up with hundreds of books.”

One of the most significant changes wasn’t strictly cosmetic. Thomas is transforming a little-used reading nook near the entrance, which used to be a snack bar area, into a teen and young adult area. “I think that solves a few problems by just moving it. Maybe teens will hang out in the library more when they have their own little separate area to spend time in,” says Thomas.

“It solves all kinds of problems that the board had been struggling with — certain books — where they should be available or not available,” Shewalter explains how this change segregates controversial age-appropriate books while maintaining child safety.

The library’s website will be refreshed and modernized, and the library’s catalog made accessible for on-line searches. The library’s meeting rooms have also been remodeled with a complete multimedia system, and will be available to the public for rent for a $50 refundable deposit and $50 for a 4-hour period. Certified nonprofits are free.

When the library reopens next month, the hours of operation will be Monday - Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m to 4 p.m., closed on Sundays. For more information about the library, visit the website at pahrumplibrary.org or call 775-727-5930.

John Clausen is a freelance reporter living in Pahrump.