The temporary Salem Public Library located at 1400 Broadway NE (at the corner of Broadway and Hood), will open on February 18, 2020 and serve in place of the Main Library during a planned 18-month renovation.
Salem Public Library at Broadway will be smaller than the Main Library. However, the space still lets us offer materials and public computer access for everyone!
Preparations are already well underway for the move into this smaller space and changes will continue as more sections of the library’s collection are moved into storage, leaving the items that will be moved to SPL at Broadway.
People are asking how we decide what books and other items are placed in storage and which items move to Broadway. When a collection is scheduled for storage, we pack everything that is on the shelf on that day. As books are returned and we continue to buy new books, these become the collection available to check out during the temporary relocation. All New Books, Lucky Day Books, current Oregon Battle of the Books selections, and Children’s Topic books also remain in circulation and will be moved to Broadway.
Throughout, you will continue to have uninterrupted access to our extensive online collection of ebooks, eaudiobooks, and research resources, available 24/7 at www.salemlibrary.org.
So far this system is working well. Since we put parts of the Children’s and Teen collections in storage in early December, we can report that we are usually able to quickly find books and other items that patrons are looking for. In situations where our copy of a book is still checked out or is in storage, we can generally place a hold from our library or one of the 17 other libraries from the Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library System.
Our goal is always to provide excellent service, especially in this time of transition. Ask our staff for any assistance you need with library materials and services!
