Greener Libraries

As reported in the MHLS Bulletin:


"Both the Cairo Public Library and the Town of Esopus Public Library were in the newspaper recently for making sustainable energy choices for their library facilities:

"- The Daily Mail reported that decision makers for the new Cairo Public Library building have voted unanimously to heat and cool the building using a geothermal system. While having a higher upfront cost, the system is project to save the library $3,000 a year and pay for itself in just over a decade.

"- The Daily Freeman reported that the Board of the Town of Esopus Public Library has decided to move forward and expand their solar electric system. The library already has a 96 panel system on their roof. The expansion would provide 24 panels mounted on a hillside next to the facility. The library's current system provides 32% of the building electricity. (p.s. this library also has a geothermal heating and cooling system!)"

The Pleasant Valley Free Library Building Committee is now engaged in discussions with architects about how to create a library that will better fullfil the community needs for the next twenty years. A major concern is how we can keep operating costs down.  The need to stabilize operating costs suggests that any new library building should keep the functioning parts of the library--stacks, circulation desk, meeting rooms, computers, and so forth--all one one floor.  Maintenance on elevators is one reason for that concern and another is that adding floors to a building requires staff additions as well.

The Building Committee is also asking architects for other suggestions for reducing operating cost. Clearly one possibility is to "go green" as much as we can.  This involves everything from how the lighting is designed to the positioning of windows and heat sinks to the sources of hot and cold air (geothermal? or just efficient furnaces and air conditioning?) to possibilities for solar power.  There is much to consider, including the normal trade-offs between the cost of an LEED building and the reductions in annual operating costs.

New York State demands a wall between capital expenses and operating expenses, which means that the  costs of new and/or improved buildings come from what amounts to a separate budget from the costs of maintaining, operating, and staffing the building.  The Pleasant Valley Library for the past several years has dealt with this in part by having in effect two different treasurers, one for operating income and expenses and a deputy treasurer who just is concerned with capital income and expenses--although a single financial committee headed by the treasurer unifies these two budgets.

Of course, none of the green options are free.  The Building Committee will have to raise additional funds if the Library is to adopt any of these.  Don't forget that it is easy to contribute to the building fund online through the Community Foundation .  Just click on the underlined words "Community Foundation," enter your information, and designate your contribution to the Pleasant Valley Library Building Donor Fund.

Library Growth Requires Building Expansion

The past decade has seen phenomenal growth in library use—at the Pleasant Valley Free Library, circulation for 2009 was up 13% over 2008, for example. Free computers, DVDs of movies and books, and Wi-Fi account for higher levels of library use also. In Pleasant Valley, we ran out of space for expansion ten years ago. Since then we have been forced to discard a book for every new one purchased. We desperately need to expand the usable building space. In the past few years we have instituted appeals, fundraising events, and ways to contribute to our fund for building expansion online. So far these efforts have produced thousands of dollars, almost all from Pleasant Valley Library patrons, but we are still a long way from funding building expansion.

The building we now have—the Manse—is owned by the Library and the Presbyterian Church next door has given us a dollar-a-year lease on the land that extends for another 150 years. When we bought the Manse forty years ago, volunteers from the community help refit it for a library building and added the one-story wing where most of the books are shelved. The resulting building was adequate until about 2000, when major increases in library use began. We added a half-dozen more computers and places to shelve books and other materials wherever we could. Eventually, with the help of a large grant from the Fairchild foundation, we rebuilt most of the 2^nd floor of the Manse. In the process we solved structural problems that had developed over the years. Separately, we replaced the aging soffits below the roof overhang, repainted the meeting room and first-floor reading room, installed replacement windows, and replaced a broken flagstone walkway with concrete, spending well over $60,000 to keep the Manse in shaped.

Not only is the Manse too small for current Library activity, but also there are other problems. While the first floor is barely handicapped accessible via a ramp that does not meet ADA specifications, the second floor, where the Children’s collection and meeting room are, can only be reached by steep stairs. The meeting room, which is used daily by many different community groups, is also too small and furthermore can only be used during hours when the Library is open.

Ultimately, we need to double the effective size of the Library. As a first step, we need to create handicapped access.

The Library Trustees feel that they owe it to the Town to maintain the Manse, as the one of the few remaining historic buildings in Pleasant Valley. Also, the Trustees believe that it is important to keep the Library in its present central location. Architects have shown us that it is possible to expand the building sufficiently on the land we now lease and to blend the expansion with the existing building in a seamless fashion. We also believe that we can expand in stages, probably starting with improved handicapped access.

What we lack now is sufficient funding. Tax-free donations can be made through the Community Foundation of Dutchess County, either with checks or by credit card at the Website www.cfdcny.org, which can also be reached via the Library Website.

The Letter in Your Mailbox

 All residents of the Town of Pleasant Valley should be receiving either today (December 10) or tomorrow a letter from Steve MacNish, president of the Board of Trustees of the Library, asking for donations to the Donor Building Fund.  This is the first major fundraising appeal for the Building Fund ever, although we have made smaller appeals in a brochure available at the Library front desk or at book sales sponsored by the Friends.  Residents are asked to donate via the Community Fund of Dutchess County, a nonprofit group that is managing the Building Fund for our Library (and also works with other local libraries to provide a safe haven and sensible income growth from funds)--note that you can reach the donation site for the Community Foundation by clicking on the name of the foundation earlier in this sentence. It is important to indicate that you wish to donate to the Building Fund of the Pleasant Valley Free Library when you donate online or by a check to the Community Foundation since they handle the finances of many nonprofit organizations throughout Dutchess and Ulster Counties. You can specify "Pleasant Valley Library Building Fund" on the note line of a check, and there is a place to indicate which fund you wish to donate to on the Web site as well.

Your letter from Steve will arrive as a folded sheet that is closed with two plastic tabs, not in an envelope.  The Library chose this means because it is considerably less expensive than using a letter enclosed in an envelope.  But just because it is tabbed and folded does not mean that it is unimportant.  We are counting on this fund drive to give the Building Fund a big boost forward.

We know financial times are difficult these days and that there are many requests for donations at this time of year--I was interrupted while writing this blog post by a telephoned plea from a conservation organization in fact. But this is the first time in over eight years that the Pleasant Valley Free Library has asked all the residents of the Town to help.  Please be generous.

Of course, one of the reasons for so many requests for funds at this time of year is that those who itemize their taxes can take charitable contributions off their income for the year.  The Community Foundation will see to it that every contribution is properly acknowledged so that there will be no question from the IRS about a tax deduction.  So give!

Funds Move to Community Foundation

Two important financial funds that the Library maintains have just found a new home in the Community Foundation of Dutchess County. The Community Foundation is a public charitable organization that represents thousands of donors who give to more than 350 separate funds--two of which are now the Endowment Fund and the Building Fund of the Pleasant Valley Free Library. 

The Endowment Fund consists of money given to the Library with the restriction that only the interest be used.  Interest is allowed to accumulate until it is needed for a specific purpose.  Mostly recently, several thousand dollars in interest from the Endowment were used to purchase the colorful new furniture, primarily bookcases, for the Children's Room on the refurbished and renovated second floor of the Manse.  The Building Fund is occasionally  tapped to promote steps needed to progress toward the much needed expansion of the Library, but mostly is intended to grow and grow until there is enough accumulated to begin work on expansion. While the Community Foundation is taking care of the Library funds, the money will be invested in high-yielding Certificates of Deposit. 

An important benefit of having these two Funds at the Community Foundation is that both Funds are set up to receive donations from the public.  The Community Foundation is a specialist in taking care of donated money (and also in awarding donations to fill community needs).  If you want to donate to the Endowment Fund or to the Building Fund of the Pleasant Valley Free Library, you can send a check made out to the Community Foundation either to the Library (PO Box 633 in Pleasant Valley, 12569) or directly to the Community Foundation (80 Washington Street in Poughkeepsie, 12601). Checks should be clearly marked for the Pleasant Valley Library Endowment Fund or for the Pleasant Valley Library Building Fund. NOTE: It is best to make checks payable to The Community Foundation of Dutchess County and to indicate on the note line either Pleasant Valley Library Endowment or Pleasant Valley Library Building Fund.  

But for many persons, the Community Foundation makes an even easier way to donate to these two funds--on line.  If you use a Visa or MasterCard credit card, you can make an on-line donation. Click on this link to donate online. You will then be shown a page with boxes to fill in the amount you wish to donate, your name and address (important since these donations are all tax free and you will need the receipt that the Community Foundation mails you), and the fund name--such as Pleasant Valley Library Building Fund.  When you submit that information, you will be asked for your credit card information. It's that easy.

And--if you are like me--you will get much coveted airline miles for your donation in addition to the tax deduction. So try it.