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Press~Journal photo by Jim Lewis~ Daniel Eitnier, 9, a student at South Hanover Elementary School, reads a children’s book in an expanded kids’ section of the new William H. and Marion C. Alexander Family Library.
Turning a new page
Hummelstown’s new library opens with more books, more rooms, more computers, and more fun.
by Jim Lewis
Press And Journal Staff
: 7/28/2010
Hate packing to move? Imagine how many boxes the Hummelstown Public Library filled with its collection of 38,000 books.
A private company that specializes in moving libraries was hired – and took only three days this month to pack all those boxes and ship the library from its old borough-owned building on John Street to a new $4.5 million building at West Second and Railroad streets.
The new digs, called the William H. and Marion C. Alexander Family Library in honor of its major benefactors, opened Wednesday, July 21, in a two-story building with a red brick facade and style that is reminiscent of the historic architecture of the town.
Built on the site of the former National Hotel, the new library is about four times bigger than the old one. There will be more best-sellers and books by new authors at the new library, as well as 22 more computers for the public to use, said Tina Lauver, a marketing and public relations manager for the Dauphin County Library System. Hummelstown is one of eight libraries in the system.
Kids will have special sections dedicated to them, with books they might like, games and puzzles and computers for homework assignments.
“Nice,’’ offered 9-year-old Daniel Eitnier, a regular at the old library, as he investigated the inside of the new one.
A grand opening was held Tuesday, July 27, featuring the Alexanders, a local family who donated almost 25 percent of the project in money and design services, and former First Lady Michele Ridge. William Alexander is owner of H.B. Alexander and Son, the engineering firm that built the Hilton Harrisburg and 333 Market Street, Harrisburg’s tallest building.
Townspeople and businesses have donated money to build the new library. Many gave $5,000 to appear on a simulated brownstone wall – a reference to the Hummelstown brownstone quarry whose stone decorates many older buildings in the region – and smaller sums that got the donor’s name, or the name of a loved one, engraved on a brick in the walk that surrounds the back of the building.
A variety of community members have donated, everyone from state Rep. John Payne to a yarn store to the Book Biddies, a group of friends who meet periodically to talk about the latest book they read.
The new library includes a small, intimate solarium with large windows and shades where readers can enjoy a good book; an expanded area for children and a new area for teens; an area with upholstered chairs where adults can read; a reading area for kids with window seats and pillows; and four meeting rooms for the community. The old library had only one meeting room, said Lauver.'
The largest meeting room, on the library’s second floor, is named in honor of Anna Rintz, who owned a Hummelstown candy store, ate often at the National Hotel and read avidly.
An outdoor plaza in the back is named in honor of Donald A. Reed, a local man who left the Hummelstown library a “good bit’’ of money in his will, said Lauver. It’s one of the first major outdoor sitting areas at Dauphin County’s libraries, she said.
The green roof features succulent plants growing atop the library, saving money in heating and cooling costs, said Lauver.
Jim Lewis: 717-944-4628, or jimlewis@pressandjournal.com
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