Vaughn Public Library to temporarily relocate during renovation

With a large renovation approaching, Vaughn Public Library officials have settled on a temporary location for the library.

They selected the former Beaser School building in Ashland, which is currently owned by Larry Cicero.

Built in 1899, with an attached building constructed in 1945, it was previously home to CESA 12. While considering the options, library director Sarah Adams said the site “seems like the right building.”

“As far as availability, there’s not much to compare to. It meets all our needs we’re looking for. It’s also close to a park so programming in the summer would be nice,” she said.

The move is set to go before the city council after being approved by the city’s Committee of the Whole on Sept. 25.

If approved, books, shelves and other library essentials will be packed up and moved in the coming months. Movers come equipped with “book carts on steroids,” Adams said, have been hired. The plan is to begin operating at the new location in mid-January.

The city will pay $11,000 in rent each month. The city expects the library to operate at the Beaser building until January or February 2026. Funding is in the library’s budget.

Library staff will continue serving the pubic as much as possible during this time, Adams said. Businesses will continue operating on the third floor as normal, she added.

Not much has been decided on how the new space will be laid out. Adams envisions the classrooms and offices of old being filled with rows of books, and is even considering using the spacious hallways.

“We will have to go there in the next couple months and check it out,” she said.

Ashland residents voted in April to move forward with the $4.3 million project to renovate the Vaughn Library building also built in the 19th century. Adams said the improvements address code compliance, energy efficiency, waterproofing the foundation, adding fire protection, electrical service upgrades, façade repairs and window replacement.

That work is phase one of a larger plan. Phase two could include adding an entrance on Main Street, an open staircase connecting the first and second floors, dedicated spaces for children and teens, collections on both floors, more natural light, more seating and a large community room available for public use. The library staff has begun applying for four grants to help cover the cost.

The city’s last capital investment in the library building was in the early 1980s.