Library facelift to begin next month

Next month begins a new chapter for the Shelter Island Public Library according to Director Denise DiPaolo, who last week displayed plans for a $700,000 renovation of the lower level of the library that will begin in September and take about four months to complete.

After a $4,000,000 building expansion was voted down 655 to 187 in 2008, library trustees, led by Board President JoAnn Robotti, developed a plan to improve the space within the existing building through renovations. The 125th Anniversary Fund was formed. Trustee Linda Kofmehl spearheaded fundraising efforts that have resulted in over $615,000 in the past two years. With the exception of a $10,000 New York State construction grant, the money has come from donations to the library’s renovation campaign, through Friends of the Library’s fundraising events, overseen by Friends Chair Sue Hine, and pledges. A significant contribution to the renovation project was the cost of an elevator donated by trustee Howard Brandenstein and his wife Judy.

The library’s quarterly newsletter, scheduled for distribution to box holders next week, will show drawings of the renovation, the need for which is backed up by statistics that show circulation going from roughly 41,000 items in 2007 to more than 63,000 last year. Program attendance has nearly doubled from 3,301 to 6,424 and the number of total visits from 2007 to 2010 has soared from 24,000 to nearly 75,000.

Currently, much of the lower level of the library is allocated to the book sale in a room of cement walls that is unventilated, moldy and most of the time, behind locked doors. After the renovation the entire lower level will be fully accessible, with movable book shelves and stacking chairs so that the area can be easily rearranged to accommodate more space for community programming. The new design is meant to be “flexible” Ms. DiPaolo said, for the future, so that when needs change the library can change with them.

Though the space use is being redesigned there will still be a book-sale area, Ms. DiPaolo said, calling the popular event a “signature service of the library” and a tradition that is important to the library and the community.

The area currently filled with tables, stacks and shelves  of book-sale items and library storage will be consolidated and restructured, and will have its own exit to the area designated in the plans as an outdoor reading room. Down the road, it’s possible that the book-sale stacks can be moved to the outdoor reading room on book sale days, Ms. DiPaolo said.

Right now, staff and volunteers are concentrating on weeding out the collection of books for sale and to that end the library plans a big “blow out” book sale on Saturday, September 3. People can buy a library tote bag for $10 and fill it with books, Ms. DiPaolo said, adding that as the book sale takes in new “used” books, the library will be more selective about what it accepts.

There may be some inconvenience during the renovation, but the staff will try to keep the library open. Some of the library’s inventory housed on the lower level may have to be boxed, but patrons will still have access to the books, she said. “Whatever someone wants, we can get it — we will find it.” The regular programs that normally take place in the lower level will be moved upstairs, to other venues or temporarily suspended, Ms. DiPaolo said.

Moving stacks of books to the lower level will provide much-needed space upstairs and allow for more computer workstations.

On Wednesday, Ms. Robotti said, “I’m excited about this project for several reasons. Obviously, it will be wonderful to have the improved space but the level of community support and involvement in this effort has been remarkable and is, in itself, cause for celebration. From the people who patronized the book sale, supported the Turkey Plunge or attended the Book & Author luncheon or other events, to our major donors and Leadership Circle members — we’re making this goal with donations as small as $.75 and as large as $200,000 (though we’re not done yet!) Finally, the volunteer effort that has gone into this undertaking has been staggering. The ever loyal book sale staff, the Friends, the library’s Board of Trustees and the community members who have come forward to offer time and expertise — without them, this project couldn’t have come so far in such a short period of time without their time and involvement.”