Fond du Lac Public Library’s Buechel Branch will move to better location in new year

The Fond du Lac Public Library’s east-side branch will celebrate the new year with a new location – but it won’t move far.

The Allen J. Buechel Branch, found in the Festival Foods plaza, will move from its current space on the far northwest corner of the plaza to a new storefront closer to the entrance of the grocery store.

The branch will close for a few weeks during the transition, starting Jan. 1, 2024.

“We are excited about our new location,” said Jon Mark Bolthouse, director of the Fond du Lac Public Library. “This places the Buechel Branch in a much more convenient spot: right next to stores that community members are already visiting.”

The new storefront will be located between GNC and FreshFit Cafe, just a couple of doors down from Festival Foods. This means that library users will be able to pick up books, DVDs and more from the Buechel Branch while shopping at adjacent stores without having to find a new parking spot.

“We expect that our patrons will appreciate the convenience of the new location,” Bolthouse said.

The new space also will feature an improved book drop for customers. The current book drop is located on the back of the Buechel Branch building, out of sight and unsheltered from Wisconsin’s weather. The new book drop will be inside the foyer to the branch, where library users can drop off materials 24/7 while protected from the weather.

To facilitate the move, the Buechel Branch will close temporarily as the library’s collection is moved to the new space. The closure begins Jan. 1, 2024, with an anticipated reopening of late January in the new location. Library users are advised to watch the library’s website (fdlpl.org) and social media for updates. The library can be found on Facebook @FDLPL or Instagram @fondylibrary.

During the transition, library users are encouraged to visit the Main Library at 32 Sheboygan St. where curbside service and the 24/7 book drop remain available for everyone’s convenience.

When the Buechel Branch reopens, it will continue to offer the same great to-go collection of materials with best-sellers and new releases. The branch also will continue to offer a sizable children’s corner, as well as a lifestyle collection that features popular materials including cooking, crafting, home repair and more. The branch also will continue to be a convenient location to pick up holds placed online at fdlpl.org.

Buechel Branch hours will remain unchanged upon its reopening: weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m., and weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In 2022, the Buechel Branch served more than 7,500 members of the community and circulated about 17,500 items. The branch currently has about 11,500 items (including over 6,000 books & 3,300 DVDs) in its collection.

The Buechel Branch has served the northeast corner of Fond du Lac County since its opening in November 2011, when it was named FDLPL Express. The branch location replaced two aging bookmobiles by providing a permanent site for library customers to visit conveniently on the growing east side of Fond du Lac.

Last spring, the library renamed the branch the Allen J. Buechel Branch, in remembrance of the long-time Fond du Lac County executive who strongly supported the library during his decades in office.

Library leadership expects the new location will enable the Buechel Branch to continue to promote literacy in the community for many years to come.