Inside The Newly Renovated New Utrecht Library
The New Utrecht branch of the Brooklyn Public Library reopened last Wednesday, February 20, after more than a month of being closed.
Located at 1743 86th Street, the branch has been temporarily closed for renovations and “customer service enhancements” since January 18.
A representative from the branch said that two self-check-out counters will now be located at the front of the library.
Star Ramella, 12, said that she will now be resuming her daily visits to the New Utrecht library. She added that she comes to the library after school to “read, hang out, and play on the computer” with her best friend, 13-year-old Iqna Velez.
“There’s not much else for us to do here in the winter,” Ramella said.
But Ramella said she had expected to see more noticeable renovations in the branch.
“I wish they had put more stuff in,” she said. “But I’m happy to see it open again.”
Aleksandr Ganopolskiy agreed. A Bensonhurst local, he has been visiting the New Utrecht Branch approximately five times per week for the past 13 years.
During the renovation, Ganopolskiy said he had been frequenting the Dyker Library, located at 8202 13th Avenue. A “super optimist” he said he used the extra thirty minutes of walking time as exercise.
And, while he also hoped for more changes in the New Utrecht branch, he said that he has noticed some key changes. Personally, he has seen a greater variety of Russian books on bookshelves. He added that he’s most excited to be able to utilize the library computers again.
Officials from the Brooklyn Public Library did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this article.
As we reported earlier this week, the Ulmer Park library branch will soon close for similar renovations, and will reopen at the end of March.
Clarification: Our previous report about the reopening of this branch said that the renovation included a new learning space and 70 new computers. Those improvements were made at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central branch, not at the local branch.