Nearly nine months after closing for renovations, the Davis Library in Bethesda is set to open its doors again Saturday.
The library will reopen at 10 a.m. and continue normal operations after that, Montgomery County spokeswoman Judy Stiles said.
The Davis branch has been closed since July 16 as part of a “refresh” project that the county cycles some of its libraries through, allowing the buildings to receive updates and partial renovations without having to be closed for the longer duration that a full renovation would require.
The Davis Library refresh project cost $1.4 million, with $400,000 coming in grant funding from the Maryland Department of Education and the rest coming from the county, Stiles said.
As part of its refresh, walls were repainted in brighter colors, carpeting was replaced and a new checkout desk and information desk were installed. Other changes include an enhanced children’s area, restrooms that are more accessible for disabled patrons, a new outdoor sign and collaboration rooms for group meetings, Stiles said.
The refresh also provided a new space for teens to appeal to students at Walter Johnson High School, which is across the street. Stiles said the area has seating with new furniture and tables as well as book collections aimed at teenagers.
The refresh projects typically take four to six months, but the changes to Davis Library, which closed July 16 last year, took longer because the contractor was delayed, Stiles said.
The next libraries to be refreshed will be the Quince Orchard Library and the White Oak Library, both scheduled to close around April 15 with the projects set to begin May 1, she said.
The Bethesda Library was set to undergo a refresh next as well, but the project has been pushed back so it will not begin until the Little Falls Library reopens. That library is currently going through a refresh and its reopening has been delayed because of a December pipe break at the site.
The Little Falls Library is now expected to reopen in May, Stiles said, and the Bethesda Library would close shortly after that.
