Vision Project At Library Benefits Staff And Public

By Nancy K. Crevier

Last December, the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library invited library staff members to participate in the Vision Project, a program designed to fund innovative ideas to improve library services for staff and patrons.

“The genesis of the Vision Project was at a meeting in the early fall,” said Friends President Mary Maki, “when rumors were circulating about another tough budget year, and that the library staff may face yet another year without raises.” Hoping to put “a spring in their step” the Friends decided to ask library staff to dream about what could benefit the town institution. As an incentive, the support group put forth $10,000 that would pay for the best ideas to come out of the staff think tank.

The only stipulations put upon the staff were that requests could not be to fund salaries or building maintenance, two areas deemed to be the responsibility of the Town of Newtown. Multiyear projects would be considered, staff members were told.

On April 1, Friends Vision Project committee members Colleen Honan (trustee), Lynda Doyle (Friends member), and Janice Bernard, (Friends executive committee member) collected the applications.

“There were no big surprises,” said Ms Maki, “but we were pleased at the things the librarians wanted to do that could not be covered under regular budget lines.”

Some requests were humble, such as the request to replace the lapel microphones for the meeting room. “Currently we are getting a lot of feedback from the microphones and are unable to use the microphones for PowerPoint presentations,” read the application.

“The original request was for two microphones at $200 each,” Ms Maki said. The committee opted to fund one microphone to see if it took care of the problem. If so, money was available from the Friends to pay for a second microphone.

“Kim Weber does a tremendous job with programs and we were happy to help her with the microphone issue,” Ms Maki said.

Other requests carried a higher price tag. Tack panels for the Children’s Department at the library totaled $1,800. The fabric-covered mineral board panels will create a permanent display wall for children’s artwork and the summer reading program display. “The immediate benefit would be a more attractive space to share materials with our library patrons,” noted the application.

Children’s librarian Alana Bennison expected the panels to arrive mid-June and be mounted shortly afterward. The boards will simplify posting displays with post pins, she said, and once the pins are removed, they leave no visible marks on the board. “This is ideal for summer reading displays,” said Ms Bennison, who also hopes to have rotating exhibits of children’s art work, beginning in the fall, created onsite and from area schools. The artwork displays may be one way of bringing new visitors into the library, she said.

Replacement of aging and damaged chairs in the boardroom was funded at a price of $2,000, with the caveat that the original chairs should be professionally evaluated, to determine if they are worth refurbishing.

The largest request was that for nearly $6,000 “to conserve, create awareness of, and better present through signage and brochures the library’s collection of fine art, including many pieces by local artists and sculptors,” wrote research librarian Andrea Zimmermann and library curator Mary Thomas.

Conserving The Art Collection

The Friends responded by funding $1,000 for that project, enough to hopefully conserve 23 pieces of artwork by Newtown citizens owned by the C.H. Booth Library. “It will benefit because it is preservation of our cultural heritage,” said the committee. A desire to fund other projects made it impossible to commit the entire amount of $5,866 requested, but it was suggested that the write-up that accompanied the application be used as a model for future project applications.

“An awareness of the poor condition of our artwork at the library came to me when I helped hang a special exhibit for the library’s anniversary,” Ms Zimmermann said. “We noticed broken frames, some works that had no backing support, and all of the mats were very discolored,” she said.

Ms Thomas and Ms Zimmermann had applied for two other grants previously to support the artwork repair project, but for various reasons, had been rejected. “When we got the announcement for the Vision Project, this popped into my head right away,” said Ms Zimmermann.

Although the Friends were not able to fully fund the project at this time, Ms Thomas and Ms Zimmermann are thrilled to have received enough to get the work started. Pieces conserved with the Friends’ Vision Project grant include a New Yorker cover art piece by the late Rea Irvin; a Henry Schnakenberg oil painting, “Crows in Meadow,” that had languished in the library attic; two Ernest Roth etchings; a watercolor, “Roman Pines,” by the late Harrie Wood; a photograph of Julia Brush, who was the donor of her own genealogy research that made up the foundation of the C.H. Booth Library genealogy collection; and a pen and ink drawing, “Meeting House,” by Nina W. Blake.

Restoration of these pieces has included replacing glass with conservation glass where needed, replacing backings with acid-free backing, replacing matting, and reframing several pieces. Koenig’s Framework on South Main Street has been assisting them to get the best results and conserve the artwork, said Ms Zimmermann.

Ms Thomas and Ms Zimmermann are hopeful that when the public views the restored pieces, to be hung in various places throughout the library, that it will create an awareness for further funding to conserve the vast amount of valuable artwork owned by the library, much of it by local artists.

An endowment of $1,190 allowed nine staff members to attend the Connecticut Library Association Conference in Stamford, May 2 and 3. The committee felt that the conference would better prepare the staff to provide “excellent community service and programs, as well as the ability to answer questions concerning technology and legal issues.” Margaret Brown, Beryl Harrison, Mimi Moran, Meg Savarese, Kim Weber, Lana Bennison, Brenda McKinney, Darlene Spencer, and Marie Walker attended the two-day session.

Other Vision Project money went to purchase a covered book cart, allowing safer transport from the outside book drop to the indoors; replacement of two chairs in the third floor alcove to provide a more comfortable patron study/reading space; $1,000 for a multimedia listening center to enhance young adult audio books collection; and money to pay for the showing of seven Harry Potter movies during June and early July, as a lead up to the release of the final film this summer.

Viewing the movies, said young adult librarian Margaret Brown, will hopefully reawaken readers of all ages “to the sensational Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, a series that has been credited with encouraging even reluctant readers to read more.”

Ms Brown also pointed to the movies as being an ideal launch to the summer reading program. “I am very pleased that the Friends are funding the cost of licensing to allow us to show the movies here at the library, as well as purchasing a complete new set of all seven movies to date, and the last one, whenever it becomes available,” Ms Brown said.

“Because the amounts requested equaled less than $10,000, the committee funded all of the requests,” said Ms Maki. Only one request, for help with the ICONN database, was denied, as the committee felt it should be the responsibility of the town.

Not only have the requests improved aspects of service and surroundings at the library, said Ms Maki, “I think everyone had fun coming up with ideas.”