Update: The reception and all other events at the library have been canceled at least through April 30. 

 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The public library will hold a dedication and reception Friday afternoon to mark the completion of the reading parlor.

 

The Friends of the North Adams Public Library have invited the public to a special reception and dedication of the reading parlor to Evelyn Gooch, a longtime member of the Friends.

 

"Evelyn loved reading and the library," Friends President Bonnie Rennell said in an email. "When she passed away at the age of 101, her family and friends made a substantial donation to the Friends to honor her memory."

 

Gooch died in 2018. Her family made a $10,000 donation to the Friends that was used to hire an interior decorator to draw up some plans to refresh the space. 

 

The room at the front of the original part of mansion was closed for some months so the room could be wallpapered and spruced up. New furniture will be installed at a later date.

 

The event on Friday starts at 2 p.m.

 

Library Director Sarah Sanfilippo said on Wednesday the reception is still on at the moment but things could change with the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

She added there is no plan to close the library but they are monitoring the virus and its impact in the city. She said, in general, the library is following the city's lead and staff are taking sanitary precautions to keep the library clean as they always do.

 

"We here at the library are wiping down public surfaces (door handles, computers, tables, copiers, etc.)," she wrote in an email. "We always clean library materials when they are returned, so that is continuing as usual."