Brooklyn public library branches damaged by Hurricane Sandy are reopening, starting with the Sheepshead Bay branch today, reported The New York Daily News. Brighton Beach will open in a week, Gravesend Jan. 28, Red Hook in February, and Gerritsen Beach sometime in the spring. The damage was so severe at the Coney Island branch on Mermaid Avenue, pictured above, that it is not slated to reopen until October, a year after the storm. “We had to demolish the whole first floor. It had extensive water damage. It was a mess,” Brooklyn Public Library Neighborhood Services Director Linda Portera told the Daily News. “We will rebuild it.” Meanwhile, independent of Sandy, big upgrades and changes are planned throughout the Brooklyn Public Library system, according to The Wall Street Journal. But it’s not because of declining interest — quite the contrary. Since 2002, circulation has gone up 77 percent and visits have increased 41 percent. The library is facing $230 million in deferred maintenance costs, and plans to release its strategic plan today, the Journal said.
Storm-Ravaged Brooklyn Libraries Begin to Reopen [NY Daily News]
Library Eyes New Page [WSJ]


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