Get rid of books to make room for gambling. That’s what the Newburgh Mall management essentially told staff at the Newburgh Free Library’s Town of Newburgh Branch while giving them the boot from their current location to make room for the incoming Resorts World Casino.
The Newburgh Town Branch Library will permanently close its doors on the tentative date of Wednesday, November 23, 2022. The main Newburgh Free Library campus in the City of Newburgh will remain open.
In August of 2022, Newburgh Mall management abruptly told the Town Branch Library staff that they must get out by October 31, 2022, according to a statement issued by Newburgh Free Library Executive Director Mary Lou Carolan. Since the library administration did not plan on moving, Carolan explained they did not have money in their budget to move to another location offered to them at the opposite end of the mall. The new storefront would need to be rebuilt to accommodate a library setting.
The Town Branch will remain open until 8:00pm on weeknights and 5:00pm on weekends until their closure. Anyone needing to return books can do so at the Main Library in the City of Newburgh.
Stay tuned to tomorrow’s edition of The Newburgh News for an editorial discussing this matter.
