By Devin Felix

March 28, 2007 | To say that Hyrum Library and Museum are getting an upgrade is probably an understatement.

They will soon move from their cramped quarters in the basement of the Hyrum Civic Center to their brand-new $4.2 million building across the street, gaining more than five times as much space in the process. Additional upgrades will also be added, including a café and bookstore.

Library director Ginny Tremayne said she hopes to make the move April 17, after nearly a year and a half of construction and more than seven years of fundraising. Crews are finishing cabinets and tile work in the $4.2 million building, Tremayne said.

The library, which serves Hyrum, Nibley, Wellsville and Paradise, has outgrown its 4,000 square-foot basement location as the population in southern Cache Valley has increased and more books and other materials have been added, Tremayne said. The museum is in even tighter quarters, with about 1,000 square feet of space, she said. The new building has 26,000 square feet of space including a main floor and a basement.

The ground-breaking for the building was held in November 2005, and construction began in January 2006. Fundraising began nearly seven years earlier, when the expected final cost of the building was $2 million, Tremayne said. Due to inflation and unexpected expenses, the price has since more than doubled, she said.

Dozens of fundraisers of all kinds have been held to help cover costs, and more are still to come, Tremayne said. Most recently, an auction was held March 9 in Hyrum's Elite Hall. Quilts, pottery, boxes of cheese, chickens, a horse, a La-Z-Boy recliner, compost and many other items were donated to be auctioned, and nothing was left unsold.

The item that fetched the highest price was a sculptured bust of LDS church founder Joseph Smith by Cache Valley artist Mark DeGraffenried, which sold for $2,800, Tremayne said. Another highly sought after item was 1,000 pounds of ground beef donated by E.A. Miller Beef.

About 500 people attended the event, which Tremayne called "a huge success."

"The support from the community was tremendous," she said. "We want to pull the community together so that everyone feels a part of this building, because so many people have been involved in it."

In addition to fundraisers, library officials have received money by seeking grants from organizations such as the Eccles Foundation and the federal government, which contributed $200,000 last year.

The increasing costs of construction have taken some of the money originally set aside for buying new library materials, but library patrons will still find many new additions to the collection when the new location opens, Tremayne said.

Staff will continue to add to the collection as money becomes available, until it fills its new space, she said.

The Hyrum Museum will be housed in the basement of the building. In addition to its current exhibits, many of which deal with Hyrum and Cache Valley history, museum officials hope to use some of the space to house traveling exhibits, Tremayne said.

Hyrum plans to remodel the space currently occupied by the library and museum and use it for city functions, Tremayne said.

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