CODY - Though the signs say "Closed" outside the old Cody branch of the Park County Library, staff members inside are busy reviewing and organizing the 75,000-volume collection in preparation for the move later this month to the new location at the Park County Complex.

Workers there have finished all major elements of construction, and are busy with last-minute details, including installing furniture, fixtures and hundreds of feet of new shelving.

"It's glorious, it's beautiful, it's open, it's roomy, it's clean, and I think it is a very pleasing space," said Frances Clymer, library director.

Construction costs for the extensive renovations to the ground floor of the Park County Complex will likely top out at $4.9 million, with $2.2 million funded through a 1-cent capital facilities sales tax approved by voters in November 2006.

Additional public and private money will cover the difference, with a few extra amenities trimmed from the project due to budget constraints.

"We've had to reign in our ambitions in some areas, but the overall project is going to be what we had in mind when we got started, and it's going to be a beautiful space and a functional space," Clymer said.

"We are proud to be part of that project. It's going to be a very good asset for the community," said Cayde Johnson, marketing coordinator for Groathouse Construction.

Johnson said a delay from the supplier has meant that some exterior siding near the building's entrance has yet to be installed, but materials should be in place by the end of the month.

Because the project is delivered under the construction manager at risk method, Park County will not be responsible for any cost overruns, she said, adding that construction is running on budget, although final numbers have yet to be compiled.

Library workers are going through the entire collection to weed out items that are out of date, damaged or otherwise unsuited for moving to the new location, Clymer said.

"Any books or items that have a value to someone else will be sold in a book sale or passed on to other libraries," she said, adding that the book sale is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 26-27.

The new library has been wired for fiber-optic communications, and will be ready when fiber is brought to the building, she said.

A major addition to the collection will include a health resource center, with books and other medical reference works purchased through the support of the Cody Medical Foundation, Clymer said.

The library will also host the Park County Archives, a non-circulating collection of historic documents.

Separate teen and children's areas and a cafe and coffee cart are other elements that will help make the space a hub for community activities beyond the typical research traditionally associated with libraries, Clymer said.

"For 20 years, I was a research librarian working with musty documents," she said, adding that she never envisioned a library like the new Cody branch.

"But it's exciting, because what it represents to me is the evolution of libraries from the old 'cathedrals of knowledge' to real community centers, and that's what I think libraries should be," she said.

The new branch will open for regular business beginning Oct. 6, she said.

The Oct. 4 open house will feature a silent auction of 23 larger-than-life bear sculptures, part of the "Gathering of Grizzlies" fundraiser and public art installation aimed at raising private funds for additional library amenities.

Other open house programming will include bear stories from Jim Garry, a Park County folklore and storytelling specialist, and performances from Charlie Williams, an entertainer from Issaqua, Wash. known as "The Noiseguy."

Clymer said she expects the new location to generate a spike in patron visits and circulation, and she has approval from Park County commissioners to hire additional part-time staff to handle the increased traffic, if necessary.