See how state aid dollars are being spent to renovate the Waldinger Memorial Library

This year, the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library alongside 196 other public libraries and systems statewide, will receive a lift in aid totaling $34 million in funding for their renovation and construction projects.

Project proposals cover a wide range of improvement needs, from general upgrades, like reinstalling security cameras, to minutely specific ones, like creating a temperature-controlled storage collection for at-risk books.

At the Waldinger Memorial Library, propping up a glamorous new adult reading room or expanding seating for patrons are improvements that will have to remain on the library’s wish list for the time being. This year’s funding of about $6,500 aims to make a conservative upgrade to the librarian’s adult reference office which, library officials say, has long been plagued with spacing issues and in dire need of more computers.

According to library director Mamie Eng, librarians have made do with the current set-up during the pandemic, but as patrons continue returning to the library, it’s no longer a sustainable situation.

“Right now, the reference librarians only have two workspaces with the two computers networked to our library catalog software,” Eng said.

So, if multiple patrons come with a query about where they can find certain books or make a reservation, librarians can only handle two requests at a time, creating a backlog. 

The project aims to clear away an old, pale-green storage cabinet hugging the back wall of the workspace, rid itself of awkward shelving, and remove any visual clutter sitting on top and around the space.

Additional computers will be placed against the side wall to allow librarians to easily switch workstations. And newly installed LED lights will replace the dank-yellow light fixtures currently hovering above.

“The heart of all of this is to make it much easier for the librarians to work more efficiently,” Eng said. The construction is projected to be completed between June and August of next year.

Much goes into deciding what renovation projects libraries should apply for. Projects designed to provide accessibility for patrons with disabilities, for example, are given high priority by the state. So too are projects that will extend library services to residents in geographically isolated and “economically disadvantaged or distressed” communities.

The amount of state aid received can vary widely from one library to the next based on factors like the size and design of the project as well as the individual service needs of the library.

Waldinger Memorial Library, a medium-sized public library in a moderately, well-to-do economic area, doesn’t receive any special funding considerations. Therefore, the onus falls on the village to completely match the amount of money given to the library by the state, Eng said. It is a major reason why she often shies away from prohibitively expensive proposals.

“My projects tend to be small so that the village is responsible for only covering half of the total project cost,” said Eng. “Some libraries may receive much more money than ours, but that funding might only cover 20 percent of their project’s total cost.”

When mindful of the fact that most of the library’s 1.5 million annual operating budget is eaten up by maintenance costs and labor contracts, noted Eng, funding mechanisms like this help make renovations possible, no matter how seemingly modest.

It’s modest, “year-by-year” adjustments that make a big difference in the end, she added. “And each year we look around the library to see what project we can realistically do at a certain amount.”

It’s all part of a larger design change. Last year, Eng and her staff invested in knocking down a freestanding wall, that was intended to serve as a sound barrier between the young adult area and study area, “which never worked.” She eventually intends to fill that extra floor space with computer stations for patrons.

“It’s these small construction grants that keep us moving forward,” she said. “It’s a lot about making things more efficient and computer accessible. And I think patrons will be happy with better service.”

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