TORRINGTON – The Goshen County Library got a makeover during its coronavirus-related closure and city and county officials, including Torrington Mayor Randy Adams, Torrington Police Chief Matt Johnson and Goshen County Commissioners John Ellis and Russell Walter to see updates to the space on June 16. 

Library Director Cristine Braddy said the building closed per state public health guidelines March 16 through May 18. Coincidentally, the library was scheduled to be repainted and recarpeted during the first week of April, but since the coronavirus forced an earlier closure, they decided to “get the ball rolling. 

“With COVID-19, we were able to do so much more because we had to be closed,” Braddy said. “So, we didn’t just do paint and carpet, but we were able to rearrange things. The children’s room was already scheduled to be redone and we were able to get all of that stuff done without additional closures to our patrons.”

The children’s room located in the corner of the library houses an array of colorful cushions for storytime, a replica of Main Street Market and a construction site to play in, a sensory wall and more. An Eastern Wyoming College student created a partially three-dimensional mural of well-known books bordering the new doorway as well.

Another addition to the space is what Braddy describes as a “bookstore model” of organization. That is, books are separated into their respective genres – mystery, science fiction and western – making it easier for patrons to find exactly what they’re looking for. 

“Kind of like if you were at Barnes & Noble instead of trying to search through all of the books,” Braddy said. “That was our big shift, we’re trying to create a space that patrons can use easily.”

Readers also have the option to speed up the book borrowing process using the new self-checkout. 

The library is open to the public now, with some restrictions: patrons should enter through the north doors nearest the parking lot, respect social distancing guidelines and return borrowed books to the book drop outside. Those who come between regular business hours, Monday through Friday between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., or the hour allotted for vulnerable populations, between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., are required to wear a face covering, complete a Patron COVID-19 Symptom Tracing form and limit their time to 30 minutes. No more than 15 visitors are allowed inside the building at any given time and computers are not yet available for public use. 

Despite guidelines in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, staff is excited to welcome the community back to a library that is more “patron friendly” thanks to recent renovations. Another goal is to build more connections between the library and the community, according to Braddy, which is why they decided to host officials Tuesday morning.  

“The best way to do that is to grow our partnership between us and our elected officials,” Braddy said.