There will be a grand reopening for the John McIntire Library on May 1, 2026, with a ribbon cutting kicking off the celebration at 4:00 p.m. The community will be welcomed into the building directly following the ribbon cutting to see the refreshed spaces through a self-guided tour until 7:00 p.m.
“We’ll continue the celebration through the weekend because we know lots of people have different things going on, kids in different activities, and maybe they can’t get down here on a Friday afternoon. So we’re excited about that, excited for the community to see our reimagined space,” said Muskingum County Library System (MCLS) Executive Director Stacey Russell.
During the celebration, MCLS library staff will be reading books aloud at various times, and a video about the library remodel will be showing as well. Additionally, local artists will be showing their work in the Carnegie space and will have art displayed throughout the building.
“May 1st is a first Friday, so it coincides with First Friday. So that’ll be a nice kind of synergy,” added Marketing & Community Relations Director Sean Fennell.
Construction is nearing completion, finishing touches are being added, and books and media are being placed on shelves. New furniture is being unboxed and placed in spaces that will soon see various patrons partaking in the wide array of services that the library offers.
“We still have a lot of work to do between now and May 1st, but our staff is ready. They’re so excited. They can’t wait to have the community back in our building and to see the new updated spaces and all the new opportunities that we’ll bring for our community,” stated Russell.
Reimagined spaces within the library are coming to life, creating a place for all sorts of library users: children and families, teens and friend groups, students, creatives, business professionals, researchers, and even those looking for the classic quiet library experience.
“In our 2022 strategic planning process, one of the things we heard the most was there were not meeting spaces that were accessible to people, especially a smaller space that would accommodate four people, six people,” Russell explained. “So that was something that we really wanted to work into our plans. Of course, those meeting spaces are all free to use by the public. They can be booked online ahead of time or by calling one of our locations. We have meeting spaces at almost all of our locations, but we over tripled the number of meeting spaces or spaces available to the public here at John McIntire with this remodel.”
Besides the 10 spaces that are able to be reserved by the public, other major spaces include study pods and a computer usage area, a quiet reading room, an amazing and interactive children’s room in the lower level, and a very cool teen hangout space.
“People wanted actually more space to meet, not less. So we’re like, that was the opposite from what I was personally expecting the data to show us when we looked at it in the very beginning. And that has been kind of a guiding light. And that’s part of our key part of our mission is connecting people with each other. And so that’s been kind of a guiding principle throughout this. You’re going to see a lot more places to sit and gather, not just in meeting rooms specifically,” said Fennell. “We realize that libraries need to reach everyone and that a lot of people have different ways to use the library, from our like, you know, rumble and tumble reading kids, and all the way up to our seniors that might want, like a quiet space to read the newspaper. In this building, we did that. So it’s just like, it’s so cool to see like the breadth of people that we can actually like cater to is so much wider now.”
Construction began in late 2024 and is going to be completed ahead of schedule. The construction team used for this project is local, and the majority of the subcontractors that they managed are also local to Muskingum County.
“We’re very excited about that because that also is money back into our community,” Russell commented. “When we did the asbestos abatement in the Carnegie, we found some of the original mosaic tile that was original to the building. And the board has opted to work with Lepi Enterprises to preserve part of that and to be able to showcase that.”
The Library of course, has a massive selection of fiction and non-fiction books for all ages, and many people have been enjoying borrowing DVDs/Blu-rays, CDs, video games, and board games from their generous collection as well, but did you know that the Muskingum Library System also offers additional resources that can be borrowed, such as sewing machines, microscopes and Ukuleles! On-site, the John McIntire Library offers access to Cricuts, 3D Printers, a button maker, sewing machines, and other creative tools in the maker space.
“Keep an eye on our catalog. We’re always adding new things as well, and especially once John McIntire is fully reopened, we have, for example, an opening day collection that’s going to be coming in soon. So the whole system is going to be flush with books, items, and materials. If you’re interested in something and we don’t have it, let us know,” said Fennell.
The new Friends of the Library Book Store is located in a room in the upstairs portion of the library.
“The Friends of the Library is a volunteer organization that basically supports the library, and we offer them space for their bookstore here to sell items that either are no longer in our collection or that have been donated by other folks as well in the community that then directly supports us. Now, the cool part is that the bookstore has actually moved locations and is on the mezzanine in the library, right next to Genealogy. So it’s a lot more visible, and there will be set hours, but again, it’s volunteer-run. So, you know, library staff members don’t actually staff that bookstore,” Fennell explained. “One of the things that we learned during the time that we were open, but that the bookstore was closed, is that the lobby sale tables did really well, and so there will be some type of permanent shelving outside for some type of donation shelf grabbing thing. That way, if their bookstore happens to be closed and somebody wants something to take with them, they’ll still have that opportunity to be able to do that.”
While we wait for the reopening of the John McIntire Library, and even long after, remember to utilize the South Zanesville, Roseville, Dresden, Duncan Falls, and New Concord MCLS branches. The System of libraries in our Muskingum communities all offer frequent community events, printing services, computer access, meeting rooms, and, of course, plenty of items available to check out, and the best part is that there are no late fees! The outreach location in the Colony Square Mall is also open Monday through Saturday.
Stay connected to the MCLS through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and Goodreads. You can also visit them online at muskingumlibrary.org, or download the MCLS app on your phone.
CAPTION: Nick Eling, Elayna Glover, and Sean Fennell testing out one of the new spaces in the children’s room while reading a good book. | CREDIT: Lynette Dotson, The Buzz
