Whiting Free Library update

Following is the text of a mailing sent by Library Trustee Tammy Wilbur on March 1.

Whiting Free Library

In 2012 many changes took place at the library. We began in the spring with the purchase of some much needed shelving. The shelving was purchased used, but added a fresh new look to all areas of the building. We then spent many hours sorting and shelving all of the books. This was complicated by the need to be very aware of our arrangement of shelving (because of the need for foundation work, the sagging floor necessitates that all of the shelves be arranged close to the outer walls). For this reason, we tried to leave an open area for seating in the middle of the building. 

Whiting Free Library

We also arranged shelving in one of the small back rooms to accommodate a special young adult area. This room connects to another very small room in the back of the building that we hope, this spring, to arrange as a young adult reading area (basically, a couple of chairs and something nice on the walls).

We also began the work of looking into grants and opportunities that would enable us to go forward with the plan to build a new, more efficient and usable library building. We realized that this would take some time as we really wanted to do the best job that we could and we had to do it when we were not working at our "real" jobs. We learned that some grants required matching funds and some needed to be requested from a non-profit organization. For this reason, we are asking for your help to create an organization called the "Friends of the Whiting Library." This would be a 501(C) 3 or non-profit organization whose focus would be supporting the library. We would like to have interested individuals meet on Thursday, March 28, at the Town Hall to begin this work. Also, if anyone has any time and experience with grant writing, we would love the help. 

In order to look at the matching grant opportunities, we decided that we had better begin some fundraising on our own. This past fall we held a basket raffle that was a great success - we made $1,225. Thank you to all who contributed as well as those who purchased tickets. This event was enjoyed by many and we have decided to make it an annual fundraising event. If anyone has any great ideas for or interest in making a basket this year, please contact us. We will be asking for the items or baskets by the beginning of November.

Our short term goals for this year include the following: 

1. Clean, paint and organize the other entry room as a work room. 
2. Arrange the small back room as a young adult reading room or quiet area. 
3. Organize the "Friends" group. 

Hopefully, you will see these goals met by our open house which will be on Saturday, May 18th from 9 a.m.-noon.

Our long term goals for this year include: 

1. Continued fundraising events. 
2. Continued work on carding and organizing our library collections. 
3. Creating a timeline in which to apply for grants and present to the town our findings.

If you have questions or concerns please contact any of your library trustees! Thank you for your continued support.

Tammy Wilbur