RICHMOND

From an old house that had to be torn down, to a temporary space on Main Street, Richmond’s public library collection is finally in display in brand new digs that residents swarmed Saturday to see.

And check out books of course.

Saturday, town and library officials cut the ribbon atop the stairs leading to the new building housing the Isaac F. Umberhine Library at 86 Main St. The 162-year-old house that has previously served as the town’s library was torn down in 2011 due to mold and other issues. Since then, the library has occupied lease space at 164 Main St. Once a private entity, the town took over operation of the library in 2010 with the belief more funding would be available. After failed attempts to garner additional funding from the town for other library designs that carried loftier price tags, resident Steve Musica went to selectmen two years ago with a proposal to build a simple one-story building using local contractors, using the money the town already had earmarked for the new library construction.

“We’re here,” said Jan Wanggaard, a library trustees. “After a long and frustrating journey: planning a building we wanted, trying to raise funds, getting approvals, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting.”

“But we’re here,” Wanggaard told the gathering of people who came to celebrate to new library at the ribbon cutting Saturday morning. “With a wonderful, fresh, bright, clean spacious new home.”

Those who have popped in to see the new space prior to the official opening have said, “Wow, you have so many new books,” Wanggaard noted, “and you know what? We have just exactly the amount of books that we moved from down the street, but you can see them now.”

She thanked everyone who has supported the new library effort with their time, talents, votes and their money; and acknowledged all the construction firms who contributed to the construction of the building, along with Musica “who called them all together.”

“We’ll continue to need all of you as we go forward,” Wanggaard said, and “we hope that you’ll become a friend of the library,” and continue to support the library. The library budget covers operating expenses but the library still has some other needs, like additional furnishings.

Peter Warner, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, announced that Gary and Marjorie Poulin win the Spirit of America Award this year for Richmond. Warner said the couple has donated time, donation, labor, materials and money for a number of projects around town, including security lighting at the Lane Field playground, the newly constructed building at the transfer station, the illuminated cupola on top of the library and “the beautiful circulation desk that you’ll see inside.”

“They’ve done all of this without ever asking for any expectation of fanfare or recognition,” Warner said, which “seems to be the hallmark of a true volunteer.”

Gary Poulin said Bond, who died in 2010, did an enormous amount for the town, from scholarships to helping someone in need in town and it was hard for Bond not to rub off on you. A carpenter, when Poulin learned the library had no money for the cupola on the library, he went home and talked to his wife, who said go ahead and build it, we’ll pay for it. He also built the circulation desk.

His wife, Marjorie, has battled cancer for 17 years and though she said she was supposed to be in Hospice, said it couldn’t keep her down.

“I think as people come in and take a look, they will see for themselves and take pride in what we have now,” Marjorie said. “And you don’t have to worry about getting black lung.” On the library fundraising committee for a long time, she was happy to see some people at the library who had been negative about the project in the past, but “we broke that barrier.”

Her favorite part, she said was seeing whole families at the library, from grandmother to grandchild, Marjorie said.

Donna McCluskey has served as librarian for 28 years for the Isaac F. Umberhine Library and she had reached the point she’d given up on seeing a new library during her career.

“I’m happy,” she said Saturday. “It’s light, airy and I have room to move,” McCluskey said. For the first time, “I have an office!”

A challenge to provide material for middle schoolaged children, at an age when they sometimes stop reading, McCluskey said the staff worked hard on developing the young adult section in this new space. Now she has the room to pursue new programs which residents can expect to see.

Rep. Seth Berry said libraries have been around for a long time, and have been a mark of civilization — and are repositories of culture, knowledge and of learning.

“Today Richmond takes a great step forward in proving that it is a civilized town, that it takes it’s young people seriously, that it takes culture and learning seriously, and that it takes it’s economy seriously because libraries are a place when the ladder of opportunity opens to many more than what would otherwise be able to climb that ladder.”

Some of those children visiting the library Saturday may be able to bring their school-issued laptops to the library to access the WiFi that many don’t have in their homes but that is needed for their school assignments, Berry said. “These young people here today who are opening up this library with us, giving life to it as it gives life to them, might someday be authors themselves,” and it could be their book joining the collection someday.

The Isaac F. Umberhine Library is located at 86 Main St. and is open 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Library cards are $15 annually for non-residents.

dmoore@timesrecord.com