North Merrick Public Library unveils new Garden Room, café

North Merrick Public Library patrons now have two new spaces to read in. This Saturday, at 10 a.m., officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of the new Garden Room and café. The additions were two years in the making, and their presence, Board President Bill Pezzulo hopes, will enhance the library’s sense of community.

“Libraries haven’t been a place for just books in ages,” Pezzulo said. “It’s a place where people can go to relax with their families, do some research together, and if they get hungry, this is someplace [they could] stop in.”

The total cost of the project was $400,000, with roughly $100,000 coming from state grants for library construction. The Garden Room, which was completed in June, extends the building’s physical footprint on its south side, and was built by the East End Group. Earlier this year, the library renovated its young adult area into a café, which was revamped by Design Plus Construction. Both rooms were furnished in consultation with interior designer Toni Sabatino, who also contributed to color selection and lighting and design elements.

The Garden Room, designed by Lothrop Associates LLP, is a designated quiet space. Patrons are asked to keep conversation low or to a minimum, and to refrain from using their cell phones. It includes a couch, tables and chairs and an electronic fireplace. The room is adorned with hanging, stained-glass panels designed by Tricia Somers, and its floor-to-ceiling windows provide natural light and a view of the outdoors.

“We intend to add a stroll garden, which would be a windy, brick path with different shrubs and flowering plants that’ll bloom all year round,” said Director Tom Witt, “so when you’re in this room, you can admire all of that beautiful landscaping as part of your experience.”

The café, designed by Gustavson Dundes Architecture & Design LLP, features self-serve, grab-and-go concession items and a contemporary dining area with tables, chairs and countertop seating. The space has “micro-market” fixtures provided by Canteen Vending, including three refrigerators — one for food, one for drinks and one for freezer items — and a snack display rack. There is also a hot beverage station that dispenses coffee and hot chocolate.

Patrons pay for café items using Canteen Vending’s checkout kiosk, which allows a customer to make a one-time purchase using a credit or debit card, or set up a Connect & Pay account to make future purchases. Witt said North Merrick is the seventh library on Long Island — and only the second in Nassau — with a Canteen marketplace.

The café “gives you an opportunity to enjoy some refreshment and nutrition while also engaging conversations with friends,” Witt added.

“That’s going to be something that’s going to happen here — there’s going to be people actually conversing,” Pezzulo said. “Something I think people need to do more and more these days.”

To see the new Garden Room and café, visit the North Merrick Public Library at 1691 Meadowbrook Road.