New Design Coming - and Summer Reading Fun!

Unfortunately I have some bad news - the bids for the library addition came in too high for our budget and we will have to go back to the drawing board one last time to change the design somewhat.  I think most of what has been designed can remain; we have to cut some or all of either the north or south addition to stay within the money allotted for us.  While this is disappointing, we will stay true to the needs already detailed in this blog and in our orginal building program statement - more children's space, more shelf space, and more (or some!) quiet reading and study space.  Watch for more details here as our redesign unfolds - I expect this to be done by the end of the summer and then we will be on our way again!

Meanwhile, we are enjoying a wonderful summer reading program, with almost 900 children and teens signed up in just the first two weeks.  Programs, prizes, and lots of folks in the library these days!  We also had a great time marching in the Hartland Hometown Parade this year; with so many friendly faces to wave at and so many cheers from the crowd.  Thanks to all who are participating in our library programs or just coming in to get books as usual, we love having you all here!

The People's University

The public library in the United States has been called the "People's University"; a free place where one can improve oneself and  money or social status do not matter.  Our role, our mission and our strength as a community asset is our ability to transform lives in ways both small and large.  Write a resume, learn computer skills, roof your home, invest your money, research your medical condition, be a better parent, help your child along the path to literacy, find a classic movie to watch - all of these things are possible at your public library.  Our collection numbers about 70,000 volumes of carefully considered materials in various formats for education and recreation, as well as the resources of many other public and academic libraries through inter-library loan.  As our collection has grown over the sixteen years since our current library was built we have increasingly struggled to find room for everything while maintaining shelving access, aisle width, and seating for library users.  Books and other materials are stacked from floor to ceiling, making access difficult for those who are elderly or simply too short to reach the top shelves.  Books are so tight on the shelves that we have difficulty putting them away; tables and chairs have been stored away to make room for shelving.  More shelving and more shelving room thus becomes the third major need identified in our library addition, along with a larger children's area and quiet study areas. Shelving seems so simple, it seems to be what we are all about.  But shelving takes up a lot of space, and our addition has been designed to maximize shelving room with growth for the future without sacrificing program and study areas.  The interests and needs of the public are infinite - even after all the years that I have been a librarian it still amazes me to look at a cart of book returns and see all of the diversity that it represents.  It will be a joy to have room to shelve those materials in a way that is accessible to all, with room for display and lots of room to browse, learn and discover.