WARSAW PUBLIC LIBRARY PREPARES FOR ITS RETURN
After seven months of major renovations, the Warsaw Public Library is anticipated to reopen in time for its annual Summer Reading Program.
Since September 2025, the library has been housed at a temporary site at 6 West Court St., where it has continued to provide the majority of its regular services, including story time, computer access, printing and copying, inter-library loan, new books, programs, and more. With construction now in its final stages, library staff are preparing for the transition back to the library building.
Although the move to the temporary location was completed in a matter of days, Executive Director Lisa Gricius says the move back to the freshly-renovated library will be significantly more complex. With shelving being installed, new furniture being delivered, books to be returned to the shelves and signage going up, the library will have to remain completely closed until the transition is complete for the safety of patrons and staff.
The library’s lease at the First United Methodist Church is up at the end of May, but staff will begin temporarily winding down services in the weeks prior. Gricius recommends that patrons place any holds for materials by the beginning of May, for pick up at Warsaw.
The last day for services at 6 W. Court St. will be Saturday, May 23rd, including the outside book return. While the library is closed, patrons can return any books they’ve checked out to any other Wyoming County Public Library, or any other OWWL Library. Warsaw patrons can use their cards at any OWWL Library. Copy, print and fax services are available at the Penny Saver office, or other OWWL Libraries.
Gricius says the transition will take several weeks, and given the number of variables, can’t provide an exact reopening date. An official reopening celebration and ribbon cutting is scheduled for July 7, at 3pm.
For the latest updates and hours for the Warsaw Public Library, visit the library Facebook page or www.warsawpubliclibrary.org.
Unearth a Story Summer Reading Program for all ages
Register for summer programs and events beginning Monday, 6/15 at 10 am here on our event calendar.
Pick up your summer reading tracker anytime beginning 5/1 during open hours and get a head start on reading through the earth’s layers while we move back to the library. Trackers can be redeemed for prize drawings beginning 7/7 through 8/29. Prize drawings 8/31.
Rubber Duck Decorating Contest
Pick up a rubber duck anytime during open hours (while supplies last) and help us welcome Reader Duck home to his new circulation desk when we re-open.
Families and individuals can pick up a rubber duck to take home and decorate when we are closed.
Dress/Decorate your duck as your favorite book character or historical character for attendance at our re-opening Ducksquerade ball! Return your decorated duck when we reopen beginning 7/7-7/14 for display.
Regular hours continue at 6 West Court through Saturday, 5/23.
Please note that due to the First United Methodist Church BBQ scheduled for Saturday, 5/16-The library will be closed Friday 5/15 and Saturday 5/16.
Monday/Wednesday 10-6
Tuesday, 10-7
Thursday, 10-5
Friday, 1-5
Saturday, 10-1
Save the Date! Tuesday, July 7th at 3:00 pm-7:00 pm : Reopening Celebration and Ribbon Cutting
The Warsaw Public Library opened its doors July 7, 1906 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Join us 120 years later as we celebrate the reopening of our building after renovations.
3:15 Ribbon Cutting: Windsong Flute Ensemble
4:00 Children’s Activities: Balloon Twisting & face painting
4:30-5:30 Enchanted Princess Parties: Meet Belle & Spiderman! Storytime, Superhero Training, Pictures & More
6:00 Warsaw Barbershop Chorus
Building Tours and Refreshments
Warsaw Public Library at 130 North Main St. will be closed to the public beginning Monday, September 8. The library will re-open in its temporary location at First United Methodist Church at 6 Court Street, directly across the street from the current library building. The book return at 130 North Main will be closed Wednesday, September 10th, and a temporary book return will be located outside the entrance of 6 West Court. Patrons will enter the doors at 6 W. Court, and go directly up the stairs (ramp located to the right of the entrance for accessibility and strollers) which will lead into the fellowship hall/dining room where the library will be located.
We will be able to do almost everything we can now, including Storytime with Miss Mary (Cancelled 9/9, resumes 9/16) except faxing and meeting space for the community. Faxing is available at the Warsaw Pennysaver and Sinclair’s.
Services offered at our temporary library, beginning 9/10
- Copy, Print & Scan to E-Mail (Faxing Unavailable)
- Limited Public Computer Access
- Place Holds on materials from 41 other libraries at owwl.org
- Pick up Holds at 6 West Court St. (System Delivery M,W,F)
- Browse & Borrow New and Popular Materials on Site, (Including Books, DVDs, Audiobooks, Magazines & Newspapers)
- Library Sponsored Programs (View Event Calendar)
- Return Library Materials in or Outside. Please bring inside during open hours. A temporary book return is located at the side entrance of 6 W. Court St.
- There is an accessible ramp for strollers and wheelchairs located to the right of the entrance which leads the public right to the library location! Please leave strollers in the hallway if possible.
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LIBRARY OPENING AT TEMPORARY LOCATION
The Warsaw Public Library will have a temporary new home beginning Wednesday, Sept. 10.
The library building will undergo significant renovations in the coming months, with construction able to begin Sept. 22. In order to maintain services with as few interruptions as possible, the library staff and collection plan to take up temporary residence just across the street at the First United Methodist Church of Warsaw at 6 West Court St. The library will be closed Sept. 8 – 9 and reopen at the temporary location Sept. 10. Printing and copying will be unavailable Sept. 4 – 9, resuming services at the temporary location Sept. 10. Faxing will not be available at the West Court St. location, but patrons can take documents needing to be faxed to the Warsaw Pennysaver, Sinclair Pharmacy, or a neighboring library. Scanning to email will also be available as an alternative to faxing when applicable.
The library will keep slightly modified hours during the transition period Sept. 10 – 20; patrons can find modified hours at www.warsawpubliclibrary.org or the library’s Facebook page.
“The priority of the staff is to provide as many services as possible,” Director Lisa Gricius said. “We appreciate the support of the town board and community, which allowed us to secure this temporary location.”
A large portion of the library collection will be stored in climate-controlled facilities for the duration of construction, but new books, DVDs, and audiobooks, as well as interlibrary loans from the OWWL system’s 41 libraries, will still be available at the West Court St. location. After a one-week hiatus for the move, Storytime with Miss Mary will resume Sept. 16. Teen programs and adult book clubs will meet as usual in the temporary location, and patrons will still be able to drop off their books thanks to a temporary book drop on loan from the Avon Library.
The renovation project will finish the plan begun during the library’s last major update in 1988. Although the exterior of the Carnegie building will remain the same, the interior will see significant changes, with the balcony extended to expand the circulation area and the lower floor dedicated to programming and community meeting space, including a media room with brand-new video equipment.
To access the temporary location, patrons should enter the church at the West Court St. door (rather than the Main St. side) and go up the stairs to the fellowship hall. There is also a ramp directly to the right of the entrance.
For updates, hours, and more details on the renovation plans, visit www.warsawpubliclibrary.org.
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PUBLIC MEETING TO BE HELD 8/20/2025 at 4:30 PM
RENOVATIONS TO BEGIN AT WARSAW PUBLIC LIBRARY IN SEPTEMBER
WARSAW, NY, AUGUST 11, 2025
Just as summer comes to a close, the Warsaw Public Library is set to begin its long-awaited renovation project.
The project promises an improved layout and increased resources for patrons, including an expanded second floor, a community meeting room with brand-new presentation and video equipment, and improved interior finishes that honor the historic character of the library. The second floor will be extended all the way to the building’s southeast curved wall, allowing the nonfiction section to be moved there. The circulation desk will be repositioned closer to the southeast wall for better flow, and the existing flooring of the children’s section will be replaced and leveled with the rest of the floor.
All told, the project will add more than 2,000 square feet total to the library.
“We’re so excited to increase the functionality of the space while focusing on the historic nature of the building,” said Lisa Gricius, the library’s executive director. “We’re taking special care to not only maintain the existing historic architecture, but also to restore many of the classic designs of the space with complementary paint colors, wallpaper, and a carpet design in the main rotunda based on the original blueprints for the building.”
Of course, the project is no small undertaking. The renovation is slated to begin Sept. 22, and while construction is ongoing, the library will have a temporary location for its most essential services and resources. Although some of the book collection will go into storage, Gricius said the library would maintain its programming — including Story Time with Miss Mary, various book clubs, interlibrary loans, and more — as well as regular hours.
“We are working on creative ways to continue to provide library services for the community throughout the course of the project. We will share updates on our website and social media,” Gricius said.
The library’s last major update was in 1988, when 2,530 square feet were added to the original 4,320 square-foot structure built in 1906. In the years since, programming has become a major focus of the library’s operations, with 273 programs — including crafting hours, science demonstrations, Teen Anime Club, art and writing classes, author visits, and trivia nights — and more than 3,400 attendees in 2024 alone. Although digital resources are a popular option, the number of physical circulations still outstripped digital circulations by more than three times in 2024 —28,586 to 9,291, respectively.
“We are looking forward to a space that will give us more ways to meet people’s needs, from formal presentations, to tutoring sessions, to noisy story times,” said Mary Conable, the director of children’s services at the library.
Technology and internet access make up a huge part of the library’s services, including computer use, faxing, printing, and even help with cell phones. This project will increase access with a dedicated media room for state-of-the-art presentation and video equipment, as well as more community meeting space.
More information about the renovation project is available on the library’s website, warsawpubliclibrary.org, and more information about the temporary location and construction progress is forthcoming. An informational meeting about the project will be held Wednesday, August 20th at the Warsaw Public Library at 4:30 pm and is open to the public.
CONTACT:
Lisa Gricius, Director
585-786-5650
The Town of Warsaw owns the library building and levies taxes on our behalf. The Warsaw Public Library is a municipal public library with a separately elected board of trustees. The library is considered a “department” of the town, and our boards work together to provide library services to the community. The library building is an original Carnegie library, built in 1906. In 1989, the library building was expanded beyond its original brick exterior. An expanded, upper floor was started, but not completed. Thirty-five years later, the work to complete the upper level has begun.
We have been working diligently with Bero Architecture, a leader in design, rehabilitation, and preservation. To learn more about their services and to view their portfolio, click here, https://beroarchitecture.com/. Both boards interviewed and met with many architects and Bero was chosen for their dedication and commitment to preserving this treasured Carnegie building. Their vision was our vision; maintain the historical integrity of the original building, while making the space accessible, safer, and more usable for today’s library users and the community. Stop in and talk with library staff at any time to discuss design plans and to take a tour of the building. We look forward to sharing our plans with you!