The books will not be due until Nov. 2 and are part of the library’s “Check Out to Help Out” campaign that began last week.
Branch Manager Kathleen Wilson said Tuesday that about half of the non-fiction books have been checked out, but is hopeful most will be gone by Friday.
“That is one thing we’ve been working on and the response has been great,” Wilson said.
Most of the children’s books have been checked out.
“Teachers have been coming in to check out books,” Wilson said. “Family have been checking out the picture books for their children, as well.”
She said there are still plenty of nonfiction and biographies that need to be checked out.
Wilson said before going on vacation she was worried there wouldn’t be enough books checked out. When she returned back to work, she was surprised.
“Last week about half of the nonfiction was checked out,” she said.
Earlier this week, Wilson used social media to alert the public about the library’s final day to be open and the books that need to be checked out.
The library will undergo seven weeks of renovation that includes replacing carpet, moving and redesigning the staff area and combining the circulation and reference desks into one single-service desk.
Wilson said to replace the carpet, every bookshelf will need to be emptied and moved so workers will have access to the floor.
Once the library closes, no books can be returned to Port Orchard. KRL staff will continue to serve Port Orchard patrons at nearby branches in Manchester, Downtown Bremerton and Sylvan Way, as well as the bookmobile stops in the Port Orchard area.
Port Orchard patrons who have items on hold will be notified when their materials become available and will be able to select the most convenient pickup location for those items.
During the closure, Port Orchard branch staff will be reassigned to other branches and special projects.
The library is scheduled to reopen on Oct. 21.
Information about the closure and photos of the renovations as they occur will be posted on a special page at KRL.org.
