A letter from the library board president
Fifty-five years ago, the Oneida Public Library moved to its “new location” on Broad Street. With the exception of a parking lot in the rear and a 3,000 square foot addition completed in 1993, the building is much the same as it was in the 1950s.
Think for a moment about how other community resources have changed in that amount of time. Do the grocery stores, banks, schools, government offices or shopping areas look as they did in the time of Leave It to Beaver? How about the technology available to us? Does today’s technology remind you of the time when much of the TV day’s broadcast consisted of a test pattern? Do the children in Oneida today even know what a test pattern is? Microwave ovens, digital cameras and cell phones could not even be found in the library’s science fiction novels! The world has undergone tremendous changes in the past half century.
Our library, however, continues to be an invaluable resource for the citizens of Oneida. It is a treasure chest of information, programs and resources, but it is a treasure chest in dire need of updates and expansions. The talented and dedicated staff have become quite adept at hiding the building’s inadequacies from its patrons. The time has come to take a closer look and to admit that our treasure chest is bursting at the seams.
As the definition of what a library should be has changed, our library has struggled to keep up. Each month, the Library Board holds its collective breath as our director announces the growing list of repairs necessary to keep our aging building operational. It is impossible to meet the needs of our handicapped patrons as outlined by government standards. Fire codes and occupancy limits are a constant worry. The building cannot adequately support the technological demands of modern computers. Sadly, the shelves are so full that when a new book is purchased, an older but still relevant book must be discarded.
As a board, we love our library because of all it offers to the people of our library district but we know the time has come to look to the future. We can no longer be satisfied with what was state of the art in 1955.
With this in mind, with donated funding, the board hired an outside library consultant to study our situation and to make recommendations. With her report in hand, thirty eight citizens have agreed to evaluate the viability of our current site on Broad Street and to study ways to step into the future.
These volunteers are organized into five different committees. The Steering Committee has been charged with overseeing the entire process and will be making recommendations to the Board about how we might best resolve the challenges the library is facing.
The Architectural Committee is seeking professional input on our current building. They have a report from an engineering firm and are reviewing relevant fire codes, occupancy limits and the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations for libraries. In addition, they will be investigating every avenue for potential expansion at our Broad Street location.
The Financial Planning Committee will study the financial feasibility of any plan, potential sources for funding and the possible impact on taxpayers. In charge of keeping the public informed regarding the process is the Marketing and Communications Committee. Finally, the Needs Assessment/Program Development Group has prioritized the needs outlined in the library consultant’s report and will study how the projected roles for libraries of the future might be met.
It is hoped that by enlisting the help of so many dedicated and talented volunteers that any plan will truly reflect what is best for our community in 2010 and beyond.
We will make every attempt to keep you, the library’s dedicated patrons, apprised of our progress.
Diane Roy
President
Oneida Public Library Board of Trustees
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