DUNDALK, Md. — The North Point Branch of Baltimore County Public Library is closed until early fall while crews complete the final phase of an HVAC renovation project. In the meantime, a bookmobile will be parked outside the branch every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dundalk resident Terrence Jones walked to the branch to print school forms for his daughter, only to find it closed.
"It was a little disappointing, kind of like an inconvenience," Jones said.
Jones said he noticed ladders on the roof and yellow tape before realizing the branch was shut down.
"I need to print out stuff because I don't have a regular printer at home," Jones said.
Emily Williamson with Baltimore County Public Library said the renovations are long overdue. Many of the system's branches are between 50 and 60 years old.
"Some people think that's the glitz and the glam and the furniture, paint, things like that, but it's also really just behind the scenes things like HVAC that is so important to the community," Williamson said.
Williamson said the library did not want to leave the community without resources during the closure.
"We know that the Dundalk community thrives. They love their library, so we didn't want to completely shut down," Williamson said.
The bookmobile is stocked with children's books and a small selection of materials for adults. Visitors can check out and return items on the bus.
"We definitely don't want the summer slide. The library is really big on that. That's why we do the summer reading challenge. And so we didn't want to leave the Dundalk community without that option," Williamson said.
Families can also attend story time at Jalapeños Market, located in the same shopping center, every Thursday morning.
Jones said he plans to take advantage of the programming.
"It sounds like something fun for the kids. I'll probably bring my daughter out here," Jones said.
For residents looking for the full library experience, the Sollers Point and Essex branches are a few miles away. Williamson said holds can be routed to those locations as well.
"They can route their holds if they're holding any books or DVDs or something like that. It automatically will go to the Essex branch unless they change it to one of the other branches," Williamson said.
