GREENFIELD — In between the tedious process of tagging books for the new Greenfield Public Library’s self-checkout system, longtime employee Lisa Prolman had to pinch herself.

“I wasn’t sure it was ever actually going to happen,” said Prolman, who serves as assistant library director. “We’re going to be able to do so much more in the new building with the space we have than we can do in this building with the space we don’t have.”

With the current library closed to the public this week, staff on Monday began the process of taking every shelved item and giving it a tag that the new library’s checkout system will recognize. According to Library Director Ellen Boyer, that will eventually amount to nearly 40,000 books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks and reference books.

“We’re just chugging along,” Prolman said Thursday morning. “By the time we move everything into the library, everything will be tagged and ready to go when we open.”

With the exception of materials that were checked out by patrons, the process was expected to be finished for all items in the building by Friday afternoon, she said.

Boyer, watching as her staff continued the process of removing items from the shelves, tagging them and returning them to their places, said it’s been amazing to watch the process unfold. She commended their work.

“There’s a part of me that can’t believe it’s real,” Boyer said. “It’s a long time coming.”

In 2019, seven years after the vision for a new Greenfield Public Library was first discussed, voters approved building a new library with a 61% positive vote. The $19.5 million appropriation accounts for construction costs as well as the cost of the architect, project manager, furniture and fixtures, according to Library Building Committee Co-Chair Ed Berlin.

In addition to a $9.4 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Greenfield Public Library Foundation had said it would contribute about $2 million, reducing the city’s cost to approximately $8.1 million.

Barring unforeseen complications, the new Main Street library — which boasts 26,800 square feet over the current library’s 15,000 square feet — is slated to open its doors to the public in June. Shelving is supposed to be delivered next month and a moving company will transfer the collection from one library to the other in May.

“Aside from being beautiful, it’s spanking new and has a lot more space for more programming,” said Administrative Assistant Diane Holmes.

The new building will include two public meeting rooms that will be available for use after library hours, a “low-tech makerspace” for adult crafts, a cafe-like setup near the front entrance with a vending machine managed by the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, two patios for patron use and a local history room, the contents for which are presently housed in the attic of the current library.

Prolman said at some point in May, community members will be invited to participate in a ceremonial “book brigade” to transfer a handful of books from the old library into the new one.

“It’s not our library,” said Prolman. “It’s the community’s library.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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