What's the latest?

We had a lovely event when we broke ground--and soon we'll be able to see the big equipment at work! Everyone likes to watch a backhoe! The construction trailer is at the site, and we've had a meeting with the contractors. Any day now the fence will go up (I noticed the paint on the pavement showing where it will go.) Most people have one of two reactions--"You must be happy to have gotten this far" (which I surely am--elated even), and "When will the building be finished?"--one of those questions that cannot be answered with any precision. The answer depends on the weather. However, I can safely say that we should be in the building in a year. I'm being generous with the time--if we have great weather late into the Fall, things could follow the more optimistic time line. But this is Western New York--if you don't like the weather, wait a while--it'll change.

I've finished writing the NYS building grant for the next round--and am waiting anxiously for the first check from this year's grant. On the other hand, it's not like I've heard that any other library has received a check either. So we'll see what happens. Part of the problem is that hardly anybody works at the State Education Department any more. The department has been cut and cut (part of the education budget, which has also been cut and cut). We did get our check for the LLSA (Local Library Services Act), - our direct aid from New York State. A drop in the bucket, but every bit helps. Anyhow, State Ed. has the same amount of work to do, and far fewer people to do it than there used to be, so everything takes longer.

We're looking at other sources for grant funding as well. There are not as many as there used to be, which should surprize no one--the pies are smaller--so the pieces are too.

I'm working on our next Friends of the Library Projects as well. First is our book and Mum sale--mostly what I'm doing right now is going through my books to see what I can donate! My house is rather full of stuff--the more I get rid of, the less I'll be going around with bruises on my legs from walking into stuff. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but not by much!

And then, to get some pieces together for the "Art by Inches" show and sale. We tweaked the rules this year--instead of asking for everything to be 6" x 6" we're saying nothing larger than 7" in any dimension. I wanted more three dimensional items--sculpture and so forth. We may have a bit of difficulty figuring out how to display it all--but there should be great variety. And if my friends (and your friends) have items that are 5" x 7", or 4" x 6" or 6" x 6"--well, all of it will be fine. Idris may have some little difficulty hanging it all--maybe, maybe not. But what better way to get some original art work to hang on your wall or sit on your mantle or side table? And you'll be benefitting the library by decorating your apartment! How can you beat it? Look for the rules on the Swan Library website--we'll get them posted in a day or so. This event and the chair auction at the Strawberry Festival are the two events that we are using to pay the Friends' pledge to the Library Capital Campaign each year. And it's working!

If you want to help out, please join the Friends of the Library. We'll keep you posted on events, and use your help for various library events, and you'll have the fun of connecting with a group of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. The Friends of the Library meet at 7:00pm the first Wednesday of each month. We usually meet in the meeting room, but if only a few people show up, or if there's a competing meeting or event, we sort of crowd into Susie Gaylard's office (the Curtis Civil War Room) instead.

Dancing in the Streets

At least that's what I feel like doing. We're breaking ground! August 10th at 10:00 am, (in case you missed that little detail), and everyone is invited to join us. Everything is going well--the campaign has reached 83% of goal, I'm starting to work on next year's New York State Library Construction Grant, we're poised to sign our finalized contract with Lecesse Construction, and we've picked out the carpet we're going to use. And that's just this month. Well, it will take longer to finish writing the grant proposal, but still...

The Summer Reading Program is going very well. It's not too late to join us, if you haven't been able to participate until now. Susie and Jeanine have spent many hours putting together games and prizes for teens and adults, and Michelle has done the same for children--it's a lot of fun! Using the library to provide reading material is an inexpensive way to keep kids reading over the summer, and we all know how important that is. Remember--Monday from 1-6pm and Wednesday from 2-6pm. Come and bring a friend.

In case you haven't been in lately, there are many books for sale in the library book sale outside the Children's Library--video's too. Some kind person donated a lot of children's vhs tapes to the library book sale. It's a great assortment. But come in soon--they won't last long. Right now there are lots of books--come and see what you can find to read.

Progress!

We have reached 70% of our Capital Campaign goal and are getting ready to start the "Public Phase" of our campaign. This is a major milestone, and we are getting ready to celebrate! At 7:00 April 29th at the Elks Club on 428 West State Street we are gathering to celebrate the successes we have had so far in our fundraising. Kirk Narburgh, of King & King Architects, will be there to talk about the project, and desserts and drinks will be served. We'll have a display table with artifacts from the Swan Archives, and the program will feature introductions to the committees who have been working so hard on the new building project. The Board has selected Lecesse Construction to manage the project, and the paperwork has begun so that we can sign a contract with them. The Building Committee, under the leadership of Eric Brown, investigated the selected firms who made bids on the project, and recommended Lecesse because of their experience with this type of project. We are also getting ready for the Swan Library Annual Meeting on May 2nd here at the library. As always, it will be held in the upstairs meeting room at the library at 7:00pm. The Annual Report to the community will be available, and reports from all the Board Committees on the progress they have made in the past year. There will be more exciting events coming up as we get ready to break ground for the new building. We welcome help from anyone who wishes to participate!

What's new?

The Swan is moving forward with its new building project. King & King Architects have presented the new building plans to the Village and County Planning Boards, and, after analysis, both those Boards have given their approval.

The architects have met with the Building Committee and with the staff to iron out all the details of the plan. They have completed the plans and the plans have been sent on to four contractors for bidding. Soon the contractors will submit their bids to King & King, and once the bids are organized, King & King will present them to the building committee to look at.

The plans have also been given to NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) to see for which incentives the library might be eligible for the energy saving measures taken as part of the new building planning process. They have done energy modeling as part of their analysis, and made recommendations for custom measures the library can take to reduce energy costs.

The Library also applied for a building grant under New York State's Public Library Construction program. The New York State Education Department will announce the winners in that grant process, and amounts awarded, most likely sometime in March. Once the grant winners are announced, the library must begin construction within 180 days of receiving that award. (We hope to start sooner than that, but are constrained by some of our other funding sources.)

Meanwhile, we are working hard to get the library collections in order to make it easier to move when the time comes. Brianna Reagan, our AmeriCorps worker, has cataloged the archives for us, so we have finally got a complete list of what is hiding in the attic archives. She is engaged now in doing the same thing for the back hall local history files. This is proving to be a re-organizational task, as many of the back hall files were inconsistently labeled to begin with.

I am very thrilled to announce that both Brianna Reagan and Jeanine Lowe are attending library school this semester. Swan has long prided itself on mentoring new librarians, and we feel privileged to have two of our co-workers working on getting their library degrees at the same time! Congratulations to both of you! Both Brianna and Jeanine are continuing to work at the Swan while getting their Master's in Library Science.

Progress on the New Building

We are very happy with the progress on our new building. I know that things seem slow--but that is just because all the action is taking place behind the scenes. The architects are putting the finishing touches on the plans, engineers are studying the plans to make sure that the building is properly designed. The electrical engineers are making sure that the parking lot will be well lit--and dark sky compliant (lights point down, and don't shine in your eyes as you drive down the street--or in the neighbors windows). We have been using LEED standards to measure our building, without actually working on certification. The third party verification process is an expensive one, a cost we prefer not to incur. For more information on LEED Google LEED or US Green Building Council.
We are walking a fine line between sustainability and saving money. Our building will end up as a compromise between the two. Exactly where the line will fall will be worked out in the many meetings we are engaged in now.
All the committees, the staff, and the Board are committed, to getting this project right. This is a process that we engage in about once a century--no oftener, at least here. And with work, and skill, and luck, our descendants will still be talking about what a good job we did a century from now. In order for that to happen, the main thing we have been planning for is flexibility.
After all, who would have guessed, in 1900, when our present library opened, that computers, dvd's, books on cd, and downloadable books would even exist, let alone be a large part of the services we provide to the public. Of course, the services we provided in the early 20th century are still here--and still being used. We still provide books for children and adults, programs and story hours, reference service, historical documents, and places to have meetings. Some things have come and gone--records and tapes, 16 mm films and videos--replaced by the more modern formats. (The videos aren't totally gone yet, or the books on tape, but they're on their way out, making room for the music cd's, dvd's and books on cd and mp3cd--the newest format we stock.)
We don't know what will replace them--we are in a period of innovation that not only hasn't stopped--it hasn't even slowed down. The speed of change has increased to a point where librarians--along with everyone else, struggle to keep up. The only thing we know for sure, is that change is inevitable, and that it will move ever faster, until we reach some equilibrium not even guessed at yet.
That unknown, and unknowable, future is the one we plan for. All libraries are about preservation and access. We need to preserve our heritage, and provide access to it--two goals that are at the center of library service, and that are diametrically opposed to each other. It is not impossible to have both--merely difficult. These are the goals we plan for with this new building.

New Building Plans

Library leaders and Building Committee members have been working closely with King and King Architects to make sure that the new library is as beautiful as it is functional. Working with the staff, the architects have defined the functional areas of the library to good effect.

The building is designed to orient to the south so that the passive solar gain will provide free heating, lighting and views for all to enjoy. A clerestory high in the rafters will light the back half of the building during the day, and will contain operable windows to draw fresh air into the building when temperatures are moderate thus mitigating heating and cooling costs for the building. Green spaces, bushes and trees will help keep the air cooler around the building resulting in lower energy costs. High R-value insulation in the walls and roof and high performance windows will also make the library as energy efficient as possible.

Native vegetation around the building will aid in reducing storm water runoff, and be easy to care for as well. It will also help shield the building from summer sun, while allowing the sunshine to enter during winter months helping to warm the space. Great care is being taken in this design to make the building attractive from every angle. The side facing Main Street is filled with large windows, and the entrance, although located on the south side of the building, is angled so that it, too, faces Main Street.

Nearly all the features requested by the community will be present. The building will be fully accessible, with larger meeting rooms, wonderful sitting areas, and space for the collection to grow. There will be more computers, and wi-fi access throughout the building. It will be comfortable, and filled with light in the daytime, and well lit by lamps when the sun is not shining. There will be enough parking for regular users, and for programs.

The inside of the building will be as beautiful as the outside, and will function smoothly for all the varied uses modern libraries fill. The planning is for flexibility, so that as the needs of the community change, the libray can change to meet those needs, with a minimum of further expense and fuss.

With all this being said, I should note that nothing has been set in stone, ideas are still being gathered, and even our final design, submitted to the Albion Planning Board in June, is subject to change as needed. Stay tuned to this blog and the website for updates.

Don't forget about the Friends of the Library Tasty Treats Program! All the Friends are busily picking out recipes to make, typing them up and e-mailing them in so that we'll have a beautiful recipe book for people to take home. This is the fourth year we have held Tasty Treats, and every year it grows bigger! Check the events page for details and be sure to sign up to come.
All the Friends are making up two recipes of their treats so we can auction off the extras and make a little money for our Friends projects.
We're starting a little earlier this year, so that people can skip supper and come to Tasty Treats instead, if they want to. (Of course, this meal is a little heavy on sweets, and light on entrees) (if any) --last year there were 23 desserts out of 32 items. Just warning you....the Holiday season is upon us!