ST. CROIX — A ribbon-cutting ceremony held today marked the beginning of a new chapter for the hurricane-damaged Florence A. Williams Public Library on King Street in Christiansted as the doors to the renovated building will open to the public April 9 after being closed for the past six and a half years following Hurricane Maria.
The new and improved four-story library features two levels of shelves lined with books, and an upgraded computer area with the latest software programs and access to digital audio books that are part of the integration of the Library for the Blind and Physically Challenged. The library features a multipurpose room to host community events that has video conferencing capabilities, and a children’s room with a Taino hut that provides a fun space for reading.
The air-conditioned library is equipped with Wi-Fi, lounge areas to read in comfort, a brightly colored mural and paintings, archives and special collections, a photo duplication lab, and government documents. The $702,775 recovery project, which included federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was completed by Heights Construction & Supply LLC. The library will be open Tuesday to Saturday, with the hours of operation to be determined.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr., while speaking from a podium to attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony who were seated under a tent on the closed-off street in front of the library, spoke of the possibility for having daily themed activities at the library, including Wine Wednesday.
“And not wine up, red wine,” he said as the attendees laughed.
Bryan also suggested having Jazz Thursday, featuring light jazz playing in the library as people come in to read.
“We’re trying to bring this community back together and give people hope,” he said.
Adrienne Williams-Octalien, Office of Disaster Recovery director, spoke of the importance for having libraries in the digital age when books are available online.
“This is where we come together, this is where we find our history, this is where you have after-school programs, this is where you interact, and the fact that we did not have our libraries online created a struggle for me,” she said, noting that part of the struggle is now over.
Senate President Novelle Francis Jr., who acknowledged the presence of Senators Samuel Carrión, Marise James and Donna Frett-Gregory, also spoke of the critical role libraries play in society during the digital age.
“For those in the community who question whether investment in our libraries are needed in this age of Google, consider that libraries are more than checking out books,” he said. “Libraries are where we access information and resources, both traditionally and digitally. It’s a hub for community meetings that promote civic and social engagement. Libraries are home to our archives, our culture, and our history.”
Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach further discussed the impact libraries have on communities.
“Libraries are really the mark of civilization,” he said, adding they are places that inspired great thinking, leadership, philosophy, and thought. “This is why we need the brick and mortar. These are places of refuge. They’re places to go to and they’re places to grow, and they’re places for people to blossom, particularly in a time of such ignorance — such ignorance that surprises you because there is so much knowledge to access, and we need indicators and markers to literacy, to intelligence, to great thought, to engagement, to sharing, and that’s the environment I think that all of us would want the children of this beautiful territory to live in, to grow in, and to prosper in.”
Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol, whose Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums manages the territory’s libraries, said the library is no longer just a brick-and-mortar location, but rather something accessible via a device connected to the internet now that DPNR has secured a digital subscription to a service called Hoopla, which offers more than 20,000 book titles, 10,000 movies and hundreds of online games for residents who have a library card. He discussed an ongoing project to digitize Danish archives and provide internet access to the materials, as well as a pending project to digitize DPNR archives that will be made available through the agency’s website.
Oriol, who noted story time every Saturday at the Elaine Ione Sprauve Public Library and Museum of Cultural Arts on St. John, envisions similar events at the Williams library.
“We want to create these programs that will, in fact, have kids coming into the library and enhancing that foundation for reading and learning,” he said after the ceremony, further discussing the potential for summer camps and after-school mentoring programs. “We want to partner with the organizations, agencies that would run all of those things so that we’re making sure that we’re enhancing the education system that’s out there, and the use of this facility is one of the ways we want to do that.”
Amy Parker DeSorbo, DPNR’s Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums territorial director, said one of the planned activities for the Williams library will be coordinated by the Virgin Islands/Puerto Rico Friendship Committee, which will offer story time in Spanish, as well as circles for Spanish and English speaking to improve skills in both languages. She said two telehealth screens will be installed in the library to allow residents to participate in doctor appointments. She said Music In Motion will be offering dance classes in the multipurpose room, which is available to rent along with other rooms in the library.
Oriol discussed mold remediation completed inside the library by A Clean Environment USVI LLC that cost more than $200,000, stressing that all the mold has been removed.
"I am 100% confident that there is no mold in this building,” he said.
