On March 7, Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library Director Samantha Baer hides behind a book that has been banned in many places across the country, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a novel by American author Harper Lee first published in 1960. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

WILMINGTON — Samantha Baer walks around the Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library on the newly installed floor in her black cat slippers.

“Tips and Tenders,” she said on Tuesday, March 7. “That’s my cats’ names. I have two black cats, and I always talk to my slippers thinking that they’re my cats.”

She’s the director of this tiny library. There’s one room on the first floor, and two in the basement, where the children’s section is located.

There may not be a sign that says “No slippers, no service,” and even though shirts are required, it’s pretty laid back (there’s a small rubber duck on the counter to lighten the mood).

Some of the library’s board members say their building is one of the best kept secrets in Wilmington, even though it’s on the main drag — state Route 86 — nestled between the stone bridge over the West Branch of the AuSable River to the left and the Whiteface Mountain Regional Visitors Bureau to the right. Board members, however, want residents to know that the library is now open after a four-month hiatus for renovations.

Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library (News photo — Andy Flynn)

“It’s a wonderful historic building that my family has ties to,” board members Kate Casler said. “I love that there is inspiration here to be found. I’ve been coming here since my children were little for the story and craft time, and that has continued. … I feel like it’s a place where there is something for everyone, and we’re working to improve that, grow on that, build on that.”

Board members have invited the community to an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 11, to show off some of the building’s improvements. The library reopened its doors at noon Wednesday, March 8 after being closed for four months, shutting its doors on Saturday, Nov. 12.

During the closure, Baer kept busy. She referred the library’s patrons to other libraries in the area. Children’s programming continued, using the Wilmington Youth Center. And the popular “Friends of the Library” Cookie Sale in December was held at the Wilmington Community Center.

“We closed two weeks prior to the beginning of construction so we could get all the books packed up and everything moved,” Baer said.

The books were placed in a storage container across the street in a board member’s parking lot during construction.

Board members of the Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library, posing on March 7, from left, are Kate Casler (vice president and secretary), Karen d’Avignon (library’s historian), Leslie Kopec (treasurer), Susan Hockert, Wendy Grossmann (president) and Kate Sears. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

“One of the construction guys, he moved all those boxes on Thanksgiving Day, so that’s dedication,” Baer said of the workers at Howl at the Moon Mechanicals, a general contractor based in Lake Placid. She described them as “fantastic, super accommodating and super patient.” The contractor helped achieve the library board’s goal of “refreshing the interior while keeping the nostalgic charm.”

The renovation included a new ceiling, flooring, lighting and new bookshelves.

“They took out the ceiling first, because the building is so old that and it had that paper board ceiling,” Baer said. “So they replaced all that with drywall.”

Workers also revamped the stacks and repainted them and built a bookshelf in front of the fireplace, where a photo of E. M. Cooper hangs above the mantle.

“They re-did the floors, ripped up all the carpeting. We put down engineered floors and this tile right here (at the entrance), which has in-floor heat just in this section,” Baer said.

Volunteers from the Friends of the Library at the Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library, posing on March 7, from left, are Leslie Kopec, Karen d’Avignon, Nancy Gonyea, Jane Sibalski, Sylvia Mustelier, Ellie McAvoy and Nancy Webb. Missing were Jane Peck, Pam Haselton, Clea Stagnitti and Laura Juravich. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Overall, the library has opened up, with plenty of room, and is well-lit.

“We definitely needed more space,” Baer said.

The public computers were cut from four to two, and they were moved from the back of the library to the front, next to the door. Adult fiction is on stacks to the left of the fireplace, books on tape and movies to the right, non-fiction behind the fireplace, an Adirondack book section on the back right and juvenile books on the back left. The children’s floor in the basement has also been revamped and includes a camping theme in one room.

The renovations were made possible by a New York State Public Library Construction Grant of about $88,000. It’s a matching grant with the library having to raise a local share of 25% of the project cost.

Volunteers in Wilmington’s Friends of the Library chapter helped with fundraisers, as they always do for projects and programs at the library.

Board members and Friends of the Library volunteers of the Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library chat over brunch on Tuesday, March 7 as they check out the renovations of the building. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

To say thank you, board members invited the Friends of the Library to a brunch on Tuesday, March 7. Seven of the 11 current volunteers attended: Leslie Kopec, Karen d’Avignon, Nancy Gonyea, Jane Sibalski, Sylvia Mustelier, Ellie McAvoy and Nancy Webb. Missing were Jane Peck, Pam Haselton, Clea Stagnitti and Laura Juravich.

“They don’t get a lot of recognition, but they do a lot of work,” said library board President Wendy Grossmann. “So we thought that after all the fundraising that we did with them — we raised $14,000 this last year to help cover that gap with our grant — it might be nice for them to get a sneak peek before anyone else does.”

Grossmann and her fellow board members lifted their clear plastic glasses, filled with champagne and orange juice, for a toast to honor the volunteers.

“On behalf of the board of trustees for the library, we want to thank the Friends for all your help and support over all these years, that, for the most part, what I have been told by someone, has gone unrecognized. No longer. Thank you all, and cheers,” Grossmann said.

The other board members are Casler (vice president and secretary), d’Avignon (library historian), Kopec (treasurer), Susan Hockert and Kate Sears.

Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library children's room (News photo — Andy Flynn)

During the renovations, board members learned that the library needs a new roof, and the town council put $10,000 in their 2023 budget to help with the project, according to Grossmann.

“Our town board is very supportive of what we’re doing here,” she said.

Asked what she likes the most about the Wilmington library, d’Avignon said, “It’s the history of the building and the people that came before us and honoring what they did back then. In the 1920s, they raised money by selling ice cream and having social events and raised enough money to buy the property, build the building, and a lot of the family descendants are still here. … It’s just a warm, friendly place to come.”

Kopec just likes the simple fact the library is open.

When I was growing up, the library was closed,” she said. “So as a kid, we had a bookmobile that came through, which was fun, but it wasn’t a library, so we had to go other places for a library. So I think it’s really important to have it for everybody.”

The library’s beginnings date to World War I. Ellison Minor Cooper, born in Wilmington on July 15, 1854, had left this area and become a successful businessman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Near the end of his life, he created the library to leave a legacy, along with a substantial bequest in his will to support the library. He was there — on Aug. 20, 1918 — when the Cooper Memorial Library Association was formed and subsequently donated between 5,000 and 6,000 books. The library was housed in the Methodist Church lower level before the current building was constructed. Cooper died in Philadelphia on Sept. 15, 1920, and the State University of New York issued a provisional charter for the library on Sept. 22, 1921. The building was completed in 1934 on the site of one of the former sawmills, according to the Wilmington Historical Society’s historic walking tour.

The library went through some tough times in the 1940s and 1950s and was closed during the 1960s and 1970s, according to a history of the library by Dana Peck. On Oct. 12, 1982, the Wilmington Town Board voted to reestablish the public library and submitted a charter request to the state in May 1983. A ceremony to celebrate the new library was held on May 14, 1983, known as moving day — when townspeople moved every book from the temporary home at the town hall (later known as the Whiteface Range Hall behind the Little Supermarket) to the newly refurbished library, lining up, one by one, along the highway, passing each book to the next person.

That was almost 40 years ago this year.

Asked what she likes the most about the building, Nancy Gonyea said, “It’s mainly the dedication that people have had to the library. It’s inspiring to me to keep going with it, too. I’ve been involved for a lot of years. I just can’t wake up one day and say, ‘I don’t want anything to do with the library anymore.’ I just still want to be involved.”

The Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library, located at 5751 state Route 86 in Wilmington, is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. For more information, call 518-946-7701 or visit www.wilmingtoncooperlibrary.org.

Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library children's room (News photo — Andy Flynn)