Hart Library Unveils Renovation of Children's Section

October 22, 2025—The John C. Hart Memorial Library unveiled a newly renovated and expanded children's section on Tuesday.

The $90,000 project accommodates the exponential growth of its youth programs and promotes early childhood development. Prompted by a surge in demand for the library's popular story time programs, the renovation dramatically transforms the space into a more engaging and functional environment for young patrons and their families.

The upgrade’s centerpiece is the new Exploration Play Area for unstructured play and quiet reading.

“There really was no space for children to read quietly or to play,” said library director Yvonne Cech during an unveiling of the area. “We all know the importance of free and unstructured play for developing minds. It’s well documented, so we knew we had to make some changes.”

The new play area has attractive features, including custom-made bookshelves and seating, a light table, a classic train table, and reading benches.

The renovation brought several other key improvements:

• Expanded Story Time Room: The area where the library hosts its popular programs is larger, providing more comfortable and accessible space for children and caregivers.
• Streamlined Help Desk: The library redesigned the main service counter to be more efficient, allowing the library to create more space for displaying materials.

State grants and a generous private donation from residents Brian and Maryann Sussman funded the improvements.

“It’s great to see the community benefit of the library. People using it, people caring about it,” said Supervisor Ed Lachterman. “Our library is so essential. We are one of the busiest libraries in the system. We average over three programs a day, and it is so great to have this resource in our town.”