It’s hard to believe, but it’s been one year and four months since the Delaware County District Library has broken ground on our newest building – the Liberty Branch Library. On Nov.18, 2020, library trustees and a small group of local officials gathered, during the height of the pandemic, to hold a ceremonial groundbreaking in a field on the corner of Home and Steitz roads in Powell.

Since then, much has happened to prepare for the building’s grand opening, which will take place later this fall. The Delaware County District Library staff have been involved with the project architects at SHP and construction manager at-risk Marker. We’ve held community forums to be sure we’re taking a variety of opinions and needs into consideration. We’ve even formed relationships with local agencies like the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities to be sure we’re creating a space that provides access to all members of our community.

Many of these discussions have happened in meetings, Zooms, and discussions behind-the-scenes, or with the occasional update shown on social media.

This Thursday, March 17, we’re happy to present a virtual “State of the Library: Liberty Branch Update” for the community. Seats are limited in our Zoom room for the live presentation at 12:00 p.m., so we’re asking for pre-registration online at www.delawarelibrary.org/event. Knowing that many will not be able to make the live meeting, the update will also be recorded and uploaded to the library’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/TheDCDL, so it can be accessed and viewed at a later date.

Attendees will be able to hear how the founding of the project and the acquisition of the land came to be. They will also see architectural renderings of all aspects of the three-story space, both inside and out. Floor plans will help offer a general feel for how the building is laid out, and pictures of the current construction progress will be displayed. Finally, there will be time for attendees in the live presentation to ask questions.

We hope to “see” you on the call, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been up to for the last 16 months. This new branch will be full of the day’s most popular books (as all our libraries are), so here are some of your hot titles on the shelf in March, as reviewed by librarians across the country.

• “Four Aunties and a Wedding” by Jesse Q. Sutanto. “The Chan family is back! Meddy Chan is getting married, and the wedding planners are perfect – until Meddy overhears the wedding photographer talking about murdering someone at the reception. Her aunties spring into action, setting into motion a series of madcap misadventures intended to save Meddy’s special day. A charming combo of close-knit family, humor, and light mystery; great for fans of Mia P. Manansala and Jade Chang.” Nanette Donohue, Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL.

• “A Brush With Love: A Novel” by Mazey Eddings. “This debut romance set at dental school includes some wonderful laugh-out-loud moments and also those that brought me to tears. Harper’s anxiety is portrayed truthfully and tenderly, and Dan has some baggage too. For fans of The Happy Ever After Playlist and The Bride Test.” Rebecca Swanson, Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg, WI.

• “The Kaiju Preservation Society” by John Scalzi. “As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the U.S., the only job Jamie can find is delivering food, until he begins to work for a secret NGO preserving large animals. What Jamie didn’t know is just how large. Scalzi has taken creatures portrayed as monsters in the movies and made us care, with plenty of his usual wit and humor. For fans of Jurassic Park, Devolution, and Jeff VanderMeer.” Dan Brooks, Wake County Public Libraries, Raleigh, NC.

• “Sundial” by Catriona Ward. “Rob is trapped in a loveless marriage and worries about her daughter Callie’s increasingly disturbed behavior. Rob takes Callie to her own childhood home in hopes of helping her, but to do so she must reveal her family’s dark past. Full of mind-blowing twists, this psychological horror tale is for readers of The Cabin at the End of the World and The Drowning Kind.” Blinn Sheffield, Greenwood-Leflore Public Library, Greenwood, MS.

• “Under Lock & Skeleton Key: A Secret Staircase Mystery” by Gigi Pandian. “Young magician Tempest Raj returns home to her eccentric family’s enchanted compound after finding herself out of work. Soon Tempest stumbles across a body and is faced with solving two mysteries: finding the killer and learning more about her own mother’s disappearance. Fans of Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr will enjoy this fresh take on a locked-room mystery.” Patricia Uttaro, Rochester Public Library, Rochester, NY.