Yesterday and Tomorrow

The Reading Public Library Board of Trustees are gearing up over the summer to file a Fall application  for a state construction grant to renovate and expand the library building.

A Library Planning Consultant is currently assessing the library’s programmatic needs for the next twenty years and will issue a report to the Trustees in August.   We’re also seeking proposals for an Owner’s Project Manager to oversee a feasibility and design study to investigate how the current facility can be renovated and expanded to meet increasing demands on services and future growth.

In the 26 years that the Reading Public Library has occupied the former Highland School Building, library business has doubled,  computers have become an important part of library services, the children’s room has stretched beyond capacity, and somehow – ? – the parking lot seems to have shrunk!   In fact, I’m pretty sure the children in the playground in the picture above are standing beyond the  edge of the library parking lot!    While the library may appear to be spacious and open, behind the scenes a lot is going on and, with the likelihood that there won’t be another state construction grant round for libraries for many years to come,  we’re investigating  options to make room for the next generation of library users, adding some study and quiet reading spaces, children’s program space, and updating the infrastructure for technology and modern systems.

We’ll keep you informed as progress unfolds, but of course, please feel free to send any questions you have our way in the meantime.

Have a happy summer – and hope I see you soon at the library!

Ruth