The WTML renovation/expansion project spanned from 2018 to 2022. Please see below for a summary of updates over the course of the project (in reverse chronological order), and visit the WTML website for more information about facility features and amenities.

FINAL Update: September 22, 2022

WTML held its Grand Reopening celebration on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The event was extremely well-attended and well-received with over 1,600 attendees (nearly 4x the average Saturday visitors). Festivities included a ribbon cutting, live music performances, demonstrations on the new equipment in the Maker Space, a magic show, local art exhibit, enrichment programs, storytimes, visit with Elephant & Piggie, and numerous crafts and activities for all ages. Thank you to all who contributed to the renovation/expansion project and the celebration!

August 2, 2022

The Library is open and will host a grand reopening celebration on Saturday, September 17, 2022. The event is free and open to all, and will be held from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM, featuring a number of activities for all ages and interests. Please visit the WTML website calendar for more details. 

May 31, 2022

We are approaching the finish line with the construction and renovation project. The Library has resumed its regular business hours and several amenities are now available including WiFi access and faxing services. New furniture is in place for your reading and study pleasure, as well as water fountains to fill water bottles. There is also a new Reference Desk located upstairs. The front door is not yet accessible and the meeting/study rooms are not quite ready, but we will continue to post updates as we finalize this exciting project. Your patience and understanding are appreciated as we work to build a 21st century library.

February 25, 2022

Construction is winding down. This week, we opened a section of the children’s area to provide more space and seating for patron comfort. Work continues on the second floor in the reference area and at the front entrance. We also received some equipment for the Makerspace including a 3D printer, a photograph printer, and a desktop cutting machine.

Once the reference area is complete and staff is available on the second floor, we will resume full service hours. Thank you for your patience in response to the simultaneous changes presented by the pandemic and ongoing construction.

January 31, 2022

The new furniture has begun to arrive and work continues in the children’s area and on the second floor. Sky lights have been installed in the reference area and construction on the new front entrance is underway. It is expected that the project will be completed in the next 4-6 weeks.

December 31, 2021

Construction is winding down. The new addition is almost complete. The lower level houses the makerspace and the upper level is a quiet seating area and includes some shelving to expand the collection.

The Children’s area is getting a fresh coat of paint, new carpeting, and new lighting fixtures. The children’s restrooms are also getting a new look.

On the second floor, the Commons area (center) is getting new lighting, painting, and flooring. This versatile area can also serve as an additional meeting room for larger programs. All other areas are getting new paint, floor covering, and lighting upgrades.

The projected date for the completion of this project is the end of February 2022.

December 2021

Renovations are underway throughout the library, including painting, carpeting, and new lighting as needed. During this phase, the front door is closed to the public, and the Main Entrance and parking lot are open for use.

What you can expect to see on your next visit:

• Lending Services, temporary Reference Services, new books, and holds are now located on the lower level as you enter from the parking lot.
• There are a very limited number of public computers available.
• The Fiction and Non-Fiction collections, as well as some seating are located on the second floor. Access by elevator only.

We will continue to post updates to this page as applicable.

June 2021

Beginning Monday, June 14, 2021, the Non-Fiction collection will be temporarily closed to the public while that portion of the building undergoes renovations involving ceiling tile, carpet and painting. Any holds for Non-Fiction books will be filled after the Non-Fiction collection reopens to the public. Teen, large print, audiobooks, new-fiction, new-biography, new-non-fiction, DVDs, paperbacks will be available. Holds remain on the first floor. There will be very limited seating available.

During this construction, please bear with us and observe all posted signs for your safety.

Available services include browsing and borrowing, computer use, notary by appointment, copying, printing, faxing, scanning, library card registration, and reference and readers advisory services. Additional services are now available, including 3 study rooms which can be reserved in advance for 2 hour time slots. Notary service is now available by appointment only. We plan to add additional services when it is safe to do so and we have adequate public space available. Our virtual library is available 24/7 and includes audiobooks, eBooks, music, movies, crafts and more. Visit us at www.wtmlib.info for more details and current operating hours.

All Library visitors must:

• Wear a facemask covering the nose and mouth at all times (for everyone age 2+, including those fully vaccinated to protect children who are not yet vaccinated)
• Maintain social distance at least 6 feet
• Keep visits short
• If not feeling well, postpone visiting

Book Drop by the driveway for 24/7 access

Auto Return downstairs in Lending during library's open hours. 

December 11, 2020

The public is invited to a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the renovations and addition to the Welles-Turner Memorial Library. The event will be held on Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 9:00 am, near the construction site at the library. Face masks and social distancing are required.

April 15, 2020

The following project update and floor plan images were provided by the architect, TSKP Studio:

Welles Turner Addition/Renovation Project Narrative

April 15, 2020

Addition GSF: 2,700 SF

Total Library GSF: 36,500 SF

The way we research, learn and communicate is evolving. The modern public library is now a place where people of all ages meet to discover and exchange ideas. It is comprised of flexible spaces that allow for small group individual study, large group instruction, and innovative thinking. It supports future-ready programming which reflects skills that provide patron readiness for a future that requires flexibility, adaptability, and critical thinking.  It is an incubator of new ideas.

The project refreshes the public spaces of Welles-Turner Memorial Library to best serve the current and future needs of the growing Town of Glastonbury.  It includes:

• Additional spaces and seats for co-working, and small group meetings.
• A central multi-use Commons space with movable furniture that may be re-arranged to seat an audience of 100+. 
• Additional adult stack space and quiet reading areas. 
• An enlarged Children’s area with age-appropriate stack heights, daylight, and access to a newly paved children’s terrace. 
• The Young adult area is furnished for small group, individual study, and technological collaboration with direct access to the Maker Space. 
• A “maker space”, housed in the first floor of the addition.  A maker space is a community resource for sharing equipment and technological expertise.

The design for the Welles-Turner Memorial Library is fresh and modern, while retaining historical and traditional elements that carefully knit the building into the existing contextual fabric of the town. With deference to the original building, which was constructed on the site of the former home of the library’s original benefactor, Harriet Welles Turner Burnham, the addition exterior is clad with materials reminiscent of the Town’s rural past, such as stone walls and board siding. Modern windows and skylights, connect the interior to the surroundings. 

 

Update: February 27, 2020

The library renovation / expansion project includes a two-story addition to the southwest side of the current building as well as re-configuring existing space to provide:

• More space for children’s activities
• Expanded teen area
• Dedicated maker space
• Space for focused and collaborative work for all ages
• Comfortable furniture
• Space to house current collection with room for growth

Construction is likely to start in the summer.

 

Update: January 31, 2020

The WTML building project is in final design. The plans are under review by the required town commissions, culminating with a final review by the Town Planning and Zoning Commission.  The Town expects to bid the project this spring, with construction to begin this summer.  It will be a phased construction to allow the library to remain open for the duration.

Information will be posted as it becomes available on the town website as well as the WTML newsletter, library website, and on the library Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Welles-Turner-Memorial-Library. 

 

Update: August 9, 2019

In November 2018, Glastonbury voters approved the $6.5 million library renovation and expansion project, which will provide approximately 3,700 square feet of new space at the Welles-Turner Memorial Library (WTML). Project design components will include an expansion to the Teen and Children’s areas, a dedicated makerspace*, and renovations to the existing library. 

The Second Century Fund has pledged $1 million towards the WTML expansion/renovation and the Friends of Welles-Turner Memorial Library have pledged $100,000 to the project.  Additionally, the Town of Glastonbury was awarded a $1 million library construction grant from the Connecticut State Library to support this project.

TSKP STUDIO, located in Hartford, has been selected to provide architectural services for the project. Their library experience includes expansion/renovation projects at the Wilton, CT Public Library and the Park Street Branch of the Hartford Public Library.  They also created the YouMedia (makerspace) at the Hartford Public Library.  For more information on their firm, please visit www.tskpstudio.com.

* A makerspace is an area where people of all ages can gather to collaborate, create, and invent, typically with the use of state-of-the-art technologies.

Project Contacts

• Programming questions: Library Director, (860) 652-7717
• Technical questions: Building Superintendent, (860) 652-7706

Sponsors

This library renovation project was made possible by grants and funding from the following sources:

• Second Century Fund - $1,000,000
• Friends of the Welles-Turner Memorial Library - $100,000
• State of Connecticut Library grant - $1,000,000

Timeline

February 2014                        Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued
                                                  TLB Architecture, Chester, CT hired.

January – May 2015             Architect meets with key staff. stakeholders, & public and evaluate current conditions

November 2015                       Space Planning and Design Study Report issued

July 2016                                  Presentation of Space Planning results to Town Council

May 2018                                  Review results of Space Study with Town Council in preparation for referendum
                                                  Second Century Fund pledges $1 million
                                                  Friends WTML pledge $100,000

July 2018                                  Administrative and board/commission review

July - August 2018                  Public hearings

August 2018                            Town Council votes to send project to referendum

November 2018                    Public referendum. Question passed (8686-8575)
                                                 Town awarded $1 million public library construction grant from Connecticut State Library 

May 2019                               TSKP Studio, Hartford, CT hired to complete final design