The High Point Public Library will be closed to the public on Thursday, Dec. 22, due to “several unexpected plumbing and electrical” problems that need to be repaired.
The library will remain closed through Monday, Dec. 26 for the Christmas holiday.
On Thursday – and through the Christmas weekend – water to the building will be cut off so that damaged plumbing can be repaired.
Also, electricity will be cut off to allow City of High Point workers to replace a nearby power pole on Sunset Drive that’s been tagged as needing replacement.
Sitting in a library with no light and no working restrooms isn’t the best way to read a book so the highly active public facility is taking some time off.
Library Director Mary Sizemore said that the week before Christmas is usually not a busy time for the library.
“When we learned recently that these repairs needed to be done fairly soon, we tried to figure out a way to accomplish both at the same time to lessen inconvenience to our customers,” Sizemore said. “The City’s Christmas holiday begins on December 23, and typically, the days leading up to Christmas are pretty slow. We decided December 22 would be the optimum time to close the building and take care of these critical repairs.”
While the building will be closed to the public, digital services – such as access to the online catalog, databases, downloadable books and audiobooks – will still be available.
(The electronic lockers at the Deep River Recreation Center will also be functioning for customers with library materials ready to be picked up there.)
The library’s Wi-Fi, which is sometimes used by people in the parking lot, won’t be available on December 22.
The good news is that you can keep that book you’ve been meaning to read for a little while longer. Library materials eligible for renewal that are due on December 22 will automatically renew. Though it may not matter much – the High Point library doesn’t charge fines for overdue materials.
