The Bellevue Public Library is moving to a new location farther from the school, which could affect some students’ after school plans. 

The library is moving to a new location at 2206 Longo Drive for many reasons, but mainly for updated infrastructure. The move will also allow for more community needs and amenities people have been wanting to see in the library. 

“In the new location, there will be quiet study rooms and other desirable features include fiber-connected Internet access, additional windows, allowing for more natural light, and a drive-through book return and pickup window,” library director Julie Dinville said. 

People will still be able to access some library services while it is closed for the move. For example, books checked out the week leading up to the move on Aug. 30 will be able to be kept until the new library opens on Oct. 7. However, any holds that haven’t been received by Aug. 30 will have to be received the week the library reopens. The moving process will take about five weeks, and has many components to it. 

“The library’s collection of all physical materials is close to 140,000 items,” Dinville said. “The City of Bellevue has hired movers to help with the relocation of staff files, supplies, etc., and the collection to the new site.” 

The city has been planning the move for many years now. The project was going to be expensive if they built a new building, so they started looking for existing buildings that would fill the need.

“The city had a study conducted with numerous possible locations and some potential costs to build a new library,” Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike said. “The cost was anywhere from $20 million to $40 million. Knowing that we could not justify those kind of funds, we turned to looking for an existing building that could be remodeled.”

To make this project happen, the city needed a lot of funding. A large part of the funding was from Congressman Mike Flood, who secured the city a grant in order to help pay for the library.

“The funding comes from several sources,” Hike said. “The city’s authority to bond, which that cost was greatly reduced because of a federal grant in the amount of $1.7 million that we procured with the help of Congressman Mike Flood, and some cash that Bellevue has available. Best part of this project is we bought a larger building with other tenants in it, and we now have an investment that will pay off our library with the income it produces.”

While the library moving can provide benefits for the community, not all students are happy about the move. The old library is just down the street from the school, and many students walk there after school because it’s so close by. The new library will be a 35-minute walk away, whereas the old library is only an 8-minute walk.

“I don’t like that the library’s moving because I won’t be able to wait there for my parents, or get books at a closer location anymore,” sophomore Jasmyn Horton said. 

Even though some students are upset, some aspects from the old building will remain the same. For example, the new library will keep the different sections the current library has. 

“I like how there are different sections: one for children, one for adults, and one for young adults,” Horton said. 

Overall, many people utilize the library daily, and libraries play a critical role in society. The library has been a part of Bellevue’s community for 95 years now.

“The entire library staff feels that it is a privilege to provide services to the community,” Dinville said. “One of the best parts of our jobs is getting to know so many good people who come to the library. We look forward to serving them in our new location. We thank them for all their support through this transition period and their offers of help and well wishes.”