After two months of renovations, the paint has dried and the carpet is installed in a new young children’s space at the County Park library.

The Thunder Bay Public Library branch is officially back open to the public.

“County Park Library has never had a programming room before,” said Head Librarian Ruth Hamlin-Douglas. “We’ve always done our programming in the main branch, which works but can be disruptive for other people and doesn’t give that cozy closed environment. Now we’ve got that.”

Parents of small children can now bring their tots to daytime events like Baby and Me Storytime, Discovery Club and Play Days without disrupting people studying or reading in the main library.

Additional library spaces are expected to open soon as renovations continue throughout the County Fair mall.

“We’re really happy about this expansion,” said Thunder Bay Councilor At Large Kasey Etreni. “It’s cheaper than building new and uses the space in the mall that already exists. So it’s keeping the taxpayer in mind and keeping construction costs low, but the rewards are high.”

Click here for a full itinerary of programming and events coming up at the County Park branch.

“We said in March that much of the work that strengthens a public institution happens out of view,” said Richard Togman, CEO of Thunder Bay Public Library. “Today, that work is fully visible. We’re proud to share it with the community.”

“There’s a lot more fun coming. We’re just in the early days, it’s very exciting,” Hamlin-Douglas said.