Birth of the Foundation
The West Tisbury Library Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in 2010 “to promote and advocate for the expansion, improvement, maintenance and support of the library buildings, collections, programs and services of the West Tisbury Free Public Library.” A 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, the Foundation aims to supplement town and state funds by raising private donations on a significant scale, offering professional money management and tax advantages along with a broad range of ways of giving.
The Foundation has two goals: to support building programs like the current library addition, which would break ground in 2013; and to create an endowment that will provide security over the long term by expanding the library’s permanent financial base and creating a predictable source of future income.
We welcome your gifts, large and small. We also welcome your ideas, your participation and your shared enthusiasm for our town library.
A Rare Opportunity
When the West Tisbury Space Needs Committee issued its final report in 2007, one of its findings was that the West Tisbury Free Public Library would need approximately 5,500 square feet of additional space. The Committee’s projected start date was 2016, with an estimated cost of $5.3 million. The town’s share of the cost was to be $2.6 million, with the rest to be raised privately.
The situation has changed dramatically. The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) recently announced the availability of grant money that would most likely cover 50-60% of the total cost of library construction. The MBLC has also indicated that this may be the last grant application opportunity in the foreseeable future, due to economic and budget challenges. If West Tisbury receives a state grant under the current cycle, our town will have a unique opportunity to fund its library addition at a significant savings to taxpayers. However, to take advantage of the grant, construction would need to begin before June 2013, and be complete by January 2015.
Approval of a state grant is contingent, in part, on our success in raising private funds. With this in mind, a group of year-round and seasonal residents have joined to form the West Tisbury Library Foundation. Our goal is to raise $2.0 million, making the town’s total share of the project cost as low as $1.5 million — much lower than the original Space Needs estimate for the town’s contribution. This would more than compensate for the earlier-than-anticipated construction date, and allow the town to proceed on schedule with another important project: the police station.
We feel this is an opportunity we can’t afford to miss. Please help us meet the challenge!
How Our Library Compares
(2009 figures)
Highest annual circulation:
- West Tisbury – 149,000
- Tisbury – 111,000
- OakBluffs – 104,000
- Chilmark – 68,000
- Edgartown** – 56,000
- Aquinnah – 12,000
Largest collection (2008 figures):
- West Tisbury – 47,941
- Tisbury – 42,436
- Edgartown – 37,474
- OakBluffs – 32,862
- Chilmark – 28,772
- Aquinnah – 9,457
Highest circulation per full-time employee:
- West Tisbury – 27,690
- Chilmark – 17,803
- Oak Bluffs – 16,828
- Edgartown** – 9,910
- Aquinnah – 7,162
- Tisbury – 3,418
Most hours open:
- West Tisbury – 2,533
- Tisbury – 2,098
- OakBluffs – 1,710
- Chilmark – 1,537
- Edgartown** – 1,638
- Aquinnah – 761
Second-smallest facility (square feet):
- OakBluffs – 18,000
- Tisbury – 9,000
- Chilmark – 7,658
- Edgartown – 7,000
- West Tisbury – 5,640
- Aquinnah – 600
** In 2009, Edgartown Library had a facilities issue, so their numbers are extraordinary.
Among all the Island public libraries, the West Tisbury Free Public Library has the Island’s highest annual circulation, its largest collection and its highest circulation per square foot. It is open more hours per year than any other library on the Vineyard. Yet West Tisbury’s library building itself is small, second only to Aquinnah’s.
Recently the Library Trustees formed a committee to study the library’s facility needs. Here are some items that made the list:
• A Children’s Room on one level. Currently the Children’s Room is split between two floors connected by a potentially hazardous stairway.
• Additional bathrooms. The existing restroom is inadequate, non-ventilated, usable by only one person at a time, and shared by all genders and ages.
• Additional shelf space. The bulk of the collection is housed in the basement, which was never intended for public use. Tight shelf space means tough choices and severe weeding.
• Dedicated quiet space. Certain library activities demand confidentiality, privacy, and concentration. Currently there is no area that provides this.
• Community program space. At present, movies, lectures, workshops and author readings are held in the periodical room. Space must be cleared by removing tables and displacing patrons.
…And the list goes on!
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