This commentary was written by Mary Danko, the library director of Burlington’s Fletcher Free Library and by Molly Kennedy, the library director of Brandon Free Public Library.
The last thing you’d expect someone in Burlington to say is that they have enough space. But at Fletcher Free Library’s beautiful 1902 Beaux Arts building and 1981 addition, we actually do. It’s just that our space wasn’t constructed or configured for 21st-century usage.
Fifty-one miles south, the Brandon Free Public Library in Brandon, constructed circa 1830, hasn’t seen major updates since the 1960s. The building is neither energy nor space efficient. Accessing the nonfiction section requires navigating a flight of stairs. With no community center or teen center in town, the library struggles to accommodate after-school programs, meetings and quiet study space.
Vermont has the most public libraries per capita of any state, and this fall we have a unique opportunity to bring them into the modern era.
A major piece of the Senate appropriations bill for 2023 includes $20 million in federal funding for library buildings. Many of Vermont’s 185 library buildings require safety, structural and sustainability updates that this funding could support. The bill requires approval by the House this fall, and if passed it would be the first federal funding to modernize libraries in more than a quarter century.
Vermont residents love their libraries, and we’re working hard to provide programming customized for the communities we serve.
The Fletcher Free Library, which welcomes over 135,450 visitors each year, is offering more technology assistance now than ever before, especially with job applications, interviews, job testing and training. Unfortunately, we’re limited by a lack of electrical outlets, outdated wiring, and insufficient internet to handle the demand. Lately, we’re seeing interest from residents who want to use our meeting spaces for grassroots thinking and opportunities to discuss creative change. There’s a different kind of energy when the community gathers in person, and we need to reimagine our facility to accommodate small collaborations, virtual interviews and tutoring.
Before Covid, we began thinking about how our building could better serve Burlington. In addition to revisiting space allocation and rewiring electrical systems, we’d like to improve weatherization so we’re better equipped to face climate change. We’d like to take advantage of geothermal opportunities to make our building more environmentally friendly. As part of the building assessment, we finished schematic designs, but renovation is a long way off. Federal funding would be critical to help us advance to the next stages of actual design and building construction, to help us leverage local public and private dollars.
The Brandon Free Public Library sees about 50,000 visitors a year. To meet the needs of its community, the library has expanded technology offerings to include 3D printing, 1-on-1 tech support, and wireless printing, which continue to get increased use. Homebound delivery service and outreach services for daycare centers and other community members/groups are gaining in popularity, as well as the library’s Seed Lending Library and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Yet the building lacks the physical space to ensure accessibility and growth.
Pre-pandemic, the Brandon Free Public Library began planning a large-scale ADA renovation to address building safety codes, electrical upgrades and energy efficiencies as well as accessibility, but it faces the enormous hurdle of funding the construction. As of October 2022, we have a shovel-ready project waiting on funding. We’ve been intently fundraising since September 2021 and are about halfway to meeting the minimum needed for this project. This project will enable the library and its building to stay relevant for the next 100 years. Federal funding would really help jumpstart a renovation.
Our aim is to preserve our libraries and prepare the buildings for generations of library card holders to come. Large or small, libraries are the anchors of their communities, working hard to provide opportunities for literacy, life-long learning, job training and community building.
The work of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Patrick Leahy on behalf of our public libraries is important and appreciated. Thank you, Sen. Leahy, for helping to advance the Senate proposal. We’ll look to you both to support funding to modernize library buildings when Congress negotiates the final appropriations bill.
