New At Montclair Library: Permanent Outdoor Seating, Expanded WiFi

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Do you like sitting outdoors, but staying connected to the internet? There may be a space for you at the Montclair Public Library.

Administrators recently announced that the library has created new, permanent outdoor seating in front of the Main Library and Bellevue Avenue Branch. In addition to installing accessible tables, seating and umbrellas, the library has expanded the WiFi signal radius and bandwidth to these new areas.

Later this fall, two of the umbrellas will use solar energy to provide charging stations for personal devices such as laptops, tablets and phones, administrators said.

According to the library:

“The outdoor seating and free WiFi are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and are not dependent on the operating hours of the library. They are well-suited for individuals and small groups who do not want to enter the buildings but still want a quiet place to study, work, or browse the web, including the many digital resources available to library cardholders at montclairlibrary.org/digital-library.”

The project was made possible with the support of the Hyde and Watson Foundation, the Montclair Public Library Foundation, the estate of Kathryn Perino, LibraryLinkNJ, and the Montclair Foundation.

“We love when people come into our buildings, but we also want to bring the library to them wherever they are,” said Janet Torsney, library director. “Our new outdoor library is a reflection of that and of our intention to make the library as welcoming as possible.”

“We are so grateful to the donors who helped us create these new spaces,” Torsney added.

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