Marblehead's Abbot Public Library To Close For Renovations In 2 Weeks

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Abbot Public Library is on the move for the next two years while the historic building undergoes a $9 million modernization renovation.

Nearly 70 percent of Marblehead voters last June in favor of the project to update the 144-year-old library following a six-year campaign to build support and funding for the renovation.

The Abbot Library will close at 5 p.m. on Sept. 10 and will reopen in the temporary location at the Eveleth School on Brook Road in mid-October. The renovation is expected to begin in December and be completed in the spring of 2024.

"It was important to us to find a suitable space to house the interim library so we could continue to provide the town of Marblehead with essential library services while we undertake the critical infrastructure updates and improvements at Abbot Public Library," Library Board of Trustees Chair Gary Amberik said. "We are grateful to the Marblehead School Committee for allowing us to utilize the Eveleth School."

The library will be closed for about a month to allow staff the time to relocate available materials and furniture. Virtual services, such as databases, Libby and Hoopla, will be available with a library card.

There will be no phone lines to the library until it reopens in its temporary space. But those seeking assistance can email marcirc@noblenet.org and a staff member will respond during business hours.

Those with library books and other materials should hold them until the Eveleth School location opens in October. Items on hold will be available once the temporary location opens.

Museum passes will be available through August. Museum Pass reservations will be unavailable starting in September and during the library's temporary closure.

Regular public programs will resume in November.

When the Eveleth School location opens, classrooms will be repurposed for reference and technical support, fiction and nonfiction collections, spaces for teens and children, quiet reading and a room for public programs.

"We look forward to welcoming the community of Marblehead to this temporary library space," Abbot Library Director Kimberly Grad said.

The Eveleth Library will be open on Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m., and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The temporary location will be closed on Sundays.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)