In March 1955, the Carmel Public Library hired a new head librarian, Mrs. Ruth Thornburg. When interviewed by the Carmel Pine Cone later that year, Mrs. Thornburg had settled in and had “a gleam in her eyes when she talk[ed] of the future” of the library. She identified the need for a curbside bookdrop (check that one off!), for an expanded children’s section (Park Branch Library!), and for “a comfortable gathering place for lectures and meetings – a permanent conference room” (to be completed at the end of April 2020!). 

That’s right, dear readers, after 65 years, with the support of the Carmel Public Library Foundation and incredibly generous donors, we will have the privilege and honor of completing Mrs.Thornburg’s ambitious to-do-list. We will be creating a free, dedicated gathering place for meetings, book groups, and library programs; and will be refreshing the checkout desk and New Book area. While this project was originally conceived in 1955, it has remained an unmet need of the community ever since.  

Construction will begin this coming Monday, February 3, 2020. The library will remain open and operating for the duration of the project, though there will be some dust and noise for a couple of months. We will be temporarily relocating the book drop to the garden at the Harrison Memorial Library, and will be MacGyver-ing a temporary check-out desk for the duration of the project. 

Call us at (831) 624-4629 for updates and with any questions you have about the project.