After Major Renovation, Arlington Library Expands Hours

Ever since the Arlington Library transformed into a full blown branch of the Cranston Public Library after a major renovation last year, demand is up.

Thanks to the demand, the hours of the branch are being expanded, Library Director Ed Garcia said in a release.

Starting on Tuesday, Feb. 18, the branch will open at 10 a.m. The branch will now be open from 10 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday. 

The Arlington branch re-opened this past November 2013 after a six month renovation. This renovation project was funded by a grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development procured by Senator Jack Reed.

"These new hours will last at least until June 30 the end of our current fiscal year", Garcia said. "We have had requests from the seniors that utilize the library for morning hours. We will use these next few months as a test of morning hours of operation and hopefully work them into our operating budget for next year and moving into the future."

The new branch is bright, airy and inviting. For the first time, it has doors that open to both the street and the Cranston Senior Center in which it is housed.

The design called for reconfiguring the interior space the library shares with the RSVP, a volunteer-run gift shop, to make a more cohesive whole. The library is a bit larger and shelf space is split with adult titles on one side opposite children's books on the other. A cozy lobby and reading area is accessible through an inside door that leads to another door to the senior center. In this nook, the library will help local children with homework and studying in addition to giving library patrons a place to read.

In the center of the room are four computer workstations. 

The new library also includes a WiFi router that can be used by both library and senior center users. 

And the collection, although limited due to size, will for the first time have all new bestselling releases and materials for children and teens, Garcia said.