“What’s happening at the Library?”, you ask. Despite being closed all summer and our books remaining in boxes, our space has been a flurry of activity; “flurry” from old plaster and lathes, sawdust, insulation and drywall. However, that dust is settling, and we are quickly approaching a return; even though we don’t anticipate opening until Spring’s arrival. The 1st floor of our building was de-constructed to the bare timber framing which allowed us to add additional support structure (new posts and beams). This will permit us public use of our beautiful 2nd floor in the near future. Our vision of using that large historic gathering space and performance stage becomes more and more of a reality with every step we’ve taken this summer.
While our walls were “open”, our contractor, Jim Loney, and many volunteer hands (nearly 600 hours worth) helped to install insulation to both the ceiling and walls, our electrician rewired the entire space, our plumber upgraded our lines and installed our new ADA compliant bathroom facility and a new heat source is on its way. With new drywall replacing the old ceiling tiles and 60’s paneling and a splash of fresh paint, we will definitely look “brighter” when our patrons return in May. With help from Lynn Talacko, our architectural designer, we have a “real” office space, and a very functional kitchenette; all the while preserving features from the past (such as our “ticket window”) that showcase our building’s history.
There is much more to accomplish before winter, but we have a plan, and we’re sticking to it (as best we can)! If you enjoy volunteering and can use a paintbrush, we’d love to have you join us. We intend to have the main room “ready” so we can unload the storage trailer before snow flies. Ceiling, walls, trim, and floor will be painted before those wonderful books are returned to their shelves.
Meanwhile, we continue to reach out for funding, both for the building renovations and for our future operating costs. It is through the generosity of donors that we are able to move forward with our goals. We are extremely grateful to our large benefactors, including the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and the Davis Family Foundation. Being a nonprofit, every donation makes us appreciative of your encouragement.
Not a lot of “book sharing” took place this summer due to our closure. Regardless, our Events Committee was able to spark a little sense of community in August with its Friday night outdoor cinemas. Hosted at Sheepscot General, following safe guidelines, families enjoyed the outdoor space, under the stars, watching good movies every Friday night. It’s definitely an “event” that will become an August Annual for us. Also, our Bulb/Book & Calendar Sale was a smashing success with proceeds going to operating our library. Thank you for that support!
Upcoming Events
We are still selling our first ever 2021 Whitefield Library & Community Center calendar created by Genevieve Keller, Cari Jewett, and Bill McKeen. Each month of the calendar features Whitefield artists of all ages. We are very grateful to our local businesses for supporting this calendar, and we hope it becomes an “anticipated” future sale items. Calendars ($10.00 ea) may be purchased at the Superette, Country Corners, Sheepscot General, and the town office. This concludes our Fall events as we turn our focus towards getting the main library space ready for “unpacking” the storage trailer and returning everything back into the library space before winter arrives. We have a great deal of painting to do, so all help will be appreciated.
For more info about us, find our webpage at https://whitefieldlibrary.org/ and follow our progress on Facebook.