BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – State librarians say that with more tech needs than ever, and an increased value for cultural programs, many libraries are looking to see how they can best fit the needs of their areas.
For those looking for books, community, or Wi-Fi, Vermont libraries are often open and available. However, many of the 187 public libraries in Vermont are over 100 years old.
State librarian Catherine Delneo says for the first time in 20 years, federal grants are available for libraries to improve their physical and technological infrastructure.
“People come in your library all the time to just do those basic things. And it’s a place to really be connected with the world and also with your community,” she said. “We see libraries that are really looking to transform their spaces to make them suitable for libraries today, for example, now, meetings and programs and libraries are so important and our older library buildings don’t always have flexible furnishings to move to the side to accommodate a big crowd for really well attended weekly storytime, or even a special author visit or musical performance or dance performance.”
$16.4 million of federal funding is focused on tech upgrades, and another $10 million is focused on rural libraries with deferred maintenance.
The basement of Montpelier’s Kellogg Hubbard Library has undergone significant repairs since July’s flooding.
Dan Groberg of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library says the repairs cost over a million dollars, paid for by grants, donations, and assistance from FEMA.
“It’s been a long process, in part because we have a beautiful historic building that we want to respect,” said Groberg.
As they work with architects and engineers to finalize the construction in the spring, Groberg says they’re finding the silver lining in the repairs.
“We have a long-term maintenance plan. This year, everything got sort of thrown out of whack by the flood, but we’re seeing it as an opportunity to update those systems and update the facility to meet the needs,” he said.
And while Kellogg-Hubbard is conquering their initial flood repairs right now, Groberg says he’s also looking at making other general improvements to strengthen the library for years to come.
“We really only have two bigger meeting rooms right now, so we’re hoping to create some smaller spaces, keeping all those systems up to date. And the other biggest piece is that this library doesn’t have air conditioning in it, and the summers are getting increasingly hot,” said Groberg.
Montpelier voters will be asked to approve over 400 thousand dollars on town meeting day for the library’s operating budget.