Looking forward to what the ‘Survey says!’

Regular visitors to the Peninsula Public Library may have opened their email inbox to find a request from the library’s administration on March 26. The library sent out surveys to its entire email list, and posted the link on both the Facebook page and official website, as well as leaving paper copies around the building.

According to Carolynn Matulewicz, the library’s director, the purpose of the survey is to, “Get some feedback on how people use the library and what they’d like to see in a new one.”

The library and the Village of Lawrence agreed on a $3.333 million deal for the purchase of village land last September for a new building to be constructed by Zion Park and the Long Island Rail Road station.

The library’s current location, 280 Central Ave., in Lawrence, is 13,500-square-feet and serves 34,000 people, according to library officials. It’s the smallest space per user in the Nassau County Library System at .38 square feet per patron.

The project is still being developed; a building committee has been meeting with community members and contractors. Voters in the Lawrence School District still must approve the land acquisition. No date has been set, but it is expected to be in the fall.

Library Trustee Sarah Yastrab, a building committee member, said that the survey responses will shape the plans for the new library. “What are [patrons] looking for besides the books? Meeting spaces, study spaces, where do they see the library in the context of the community?” she said. “We’re living in changing times, different people have different views on what the library should be and can be. Today a library is a community center.”

With the building committee meeting with many different groups Yastrab said, “People have asked about everything from where the dumpsters will be stationed to questions about stroller parking and security.” She added that there’s also been talk of possibly adding, “a little coffee shop.”

The new building, “will serve the growing and diverse needs of our vibrant community for many years to come,” said Library Board President Samuel Francis. The primary goal is to tailor the building to the community’s wants and needs and let residents know their plans before the bond referendum. “Armed with this valuable input, we expect to publish a detailed brochure by the summer containing the final plans, costs and other important information regarding this historic project,” he said.

Matulewicz said added that she hopes they could get at least 1,000 responses and that they’d like to have the survey completed in April so a plan could be finalized in May. Yastrab said that they’re well on their way to that goal, as they received more than 500 responses in the first week. They also sent out a second batch of surveys on April 2. “In order to best contain future costs we want to know that the building will be relevant for decades to come when we make this investment,” Yastrab said.

Cedarhurst resident Mike Fried, a past president of the library’s board, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the need for everyone who received the survey to fill it out. “I cannot stress what a long journey this has been and the library is still far from their goal,” he said. “That goal is to have a modern library that serves everyone’s needs. And the library cannot serve everyone’s needs if they don't get thoughtful feedback. This is the community’s opportunity to build the best library they can.”

Have an opinion about the new library? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.