The main branch of the Chatham-Effingham-Liberty Regional Library in Savannah, Georgia, reopened November 21 after being closed for two-and-a-half years for renovations. The facility was scheduled to reopen last January, but construction delays and funding blunders thwarted the timetable.
Long, enthusiastic lines at the circulation desk and the Internet-accessible computers were signs that the public had missed its main library. Though it was only open for four hours, the library circulated about 1,000 items.
According to the November 22 Savannah Morning News, the building will only be open eight hours a week until 21 additional staff can be hired. The Chatham County Commission lifted a county hiring freeze on November 19, allowing the library to start the process. Library Director Lon Dickerson said that offers were made to three applicants the same day, but it will take weeks for new staff to relocate. “It’s just going to take time,” Dickerson said. “We will incrementally increase the hours until we have a full staff.”
Posted November 29, 1999.