Construction Begins

The silt fences are arriving, and our adventure in remodeling begins today!  McGill Construction out of Elkhorn has been awarded the contract to build our library addition, and they will be here from now until May when we look to have substantial completion.  The north parking lot and part of the river path will be closed for the duration; there is still handicapped parking along the side of the library and still parking in the lot in front.  There is also street parking near the library, and several other Village lots not too far away.  Other than the parking situation we should not be impacted by the construction for the most part - perhaps a power outage or two.  We will try to keep it as minimal as possible.  In the meantime we will provide treats to sweeten any discomfort, our usual friendly service, and books and other materials galore to enjoy this fall and winter!  Let the adventure begin!

Let the Building Begin!

Last evening the Hartland Village Board approved the bid for the redesign of the new library addition; so we are ready to break ground in October with a May completion date.  The redesign incorporates our three must-haves:  more children's area, more shelving room, and more quiet study space.  We will also have a refurbished porch area with a seat wall, a program room for about 35 or so, spaces for collaborative study, a new Hartland History area, and much more.  View the plans at the library or watch our website for the updated design version soon.  Watch our website also for construction information - it may be messy at times, but it will all be worth it!  Opportunities for named giving are available, as well as donor wall recognition giving and other efforts. Brochures detailing donor opportunities are available in the library or on our website, http://www.hartlandlibrary.org/.  A special thanks to library staff, the Friends of the Hartland Library, the Library Board of Trustees, Village of Hartland staff and the Hartland Village Board for all of the months of hard work on this exciting library addition project.  Only a few weeks after our 114th birthday we are moving into a wonderful new future!

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.

Shhhh....

The shushing librarian stereotype has all but disappeared from the public library, but the fact remains that some of our patrons really do want a quiet place to work, read, or just relax and look out the window.  No cell phones, no distractions, just a quiet place - an increasingly rare venue in today's world.  At the same time, the public library is a lively place; filled with patrons of all ages, group homework, neighbors meeting as they choose books, staff recommending titles or helping with research, kindergarten classes visiting, story time children all checking out at the same time, book club members laughing.  I love to see the library full to the brim, but it is sometimes a challenge in our small building to find spaces for everyone's needs.  Enter our new addition - a place where we can go from noisy to quiet in 23,000 square feet so that everyone has a special place to be.  Our new entrance features a porch for seasonal use, with WiFi available and benches and tables for relaxing or working.  Inside the library we find the checkout desk; the large program room which will be open at all times (when not in use for programs!) for any kind of work, even if that work is a game of chess; the children's area with story time seating; the teen area; and places along the way for group study or just conversation.  As you walk into the new north addition you enter the quiet zone - a reading room, the periodicals room, the mezzanine and the Hartland History room.  Here we will turn the cell phones off and settle in with a newspaper or that Advanced Placement study guide, ready to concentrate and enjoy the quiet at our newly remodeled Hartland Public Library.

Create a Legacy at the Hartland Public Library

Our newly renovated library will be a legacy to the future - an asset to be enjoyed by the entire community.  The Hartland Library has always accepted donations of any size, and now we will be able to offer donor recognition and named opportunities within our new facility.  Our donor wall will be located within the lobby of our new entrance; it will be attractive and visible to all who enter.  We also have identified many naming opportunities in both the new and renovated sections of the library for those who might consider honoring a loved one or recognizing a business with a lasting gift to the library.  All donations of any size are gratefully accepted, and any donation over $500.00 will be recognized on our donor wall.  Donor brochures with more information are available in the library and on our website.  Please consider a gift to help support our mission of life-long learning here at the Hartland Library.  

For the Children

About 70% of Hartland residents own a library card, and many of them are parents who want their children to become life-long readers.  Almost 85,000 children's materials were circulated in 2010, or about 40% of our total circulation.  Our popular summer reading program attracted 1,000 participants last year, so the wear and tear on our very small and crowded Children's Department is obvious.  Our new expansion to the south of the library will allow us to to add much more room for children's materials and also will give us room to bring the children's non-fiction out of the adult section and back where it belongs with the other children's books.  We are very excited to have room for many more books, a large and sunny storytelling area, a special area for tutoring and homework help, two areas for early literacy manipulatives, and lots of space for children and caregivers to read together.  In addition, our program room, also located in the south addition, will allow us to do all kinds of craft projects and enjoy other programing opportunities - no more crafting in the stacks!  We offer eight storytimes per week for much of the year, and Miss Sue and Miss Claudia are looking forward to lots of room and lots of light instead of a very small, dark and cramped room for their special stories and playtime. A new family bathroom will make library visits easier for our littlest patrons.  We are fortunate here in Hartland to have so many parents, grandparents and caregivers who care about bringing their children to the library.  We know you will enjoy your new space - we can't wait to have it here for you!