A Brand New Chapter Opens at the Library

— by Margie Doyle —
Late notice: Library will be closed for collection moving and painting until Friday June 23.

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Friday is the long-awaited day for the opening of the expanded Orcas Island Public Library. the completion of the project is a triumph of planning, design, participation and execution befitting this pubic taxing district and community resource.

As Library Director Phil Heikkinen led Orcas Issues’ editors on a tour of the expansion last week, we were met by volunteer JoEllen Moldoff who said, ” We’re blown away by the expansion!” Indeed,with the construction wall removed from what had formerly been the children’s area, a whole new world for literacy lovers has opened up in the expansion that has doubled the size of the library.

The Children’s Room in the new wing with a bright southern exposure

The library entrance opens up to the new wing (the old entrance/lobby will be re-purposed as a “bistro,” kibbitzing area that is also suitable for games.) As with almost all the areas, future use will be determined with public input — those interested in participating are asked to contact the library at 376-4985 or website (orcaslibrary.org) to join several committees already in place.

The expansion opens up to collections of Science Fiction, Mystery, DVDs, CDs, books on CD, music, and Spanish materials as well as the Children and Young Adult collection. Two spacious rooms are dedicated to use by Children and Young Adults, with a small conference room and an office to be occupied by Children’s Librarian Nita Couchman and Young Adult/Outreach and Senior Services Librarian Holly King. Two smaller conference rooms, a Friends of the Library workroom and a small kitchenette are in the area as well.

Three computer tables, with six stations, face the southern windows and the sweeping Salish Sea patio outdoors. The main service desk, built by Tom Meadows and Daniel Marty,  separates the new area from the original area, with fire doors faced with maple wood, in between.

The Young Adult Room in the expanded area of the library

The original magazine area will become the Margaret Philbrick quiet reading area, and fiction and non-fiction collections will be housed in the original building. (Heikkinen uses the phrase, “decibels, not devices” in the discussion of monitoring conversations, rather than the old “Silence!” dictum.The “old” service desk may be donated to Orcas Recycling Services for the new Exchange building; as Heikkinen says, so we can “keep it on the island.”

Also in the original area is a smaller conference room as well as the main conference room. All four conference rooms will be open to the public for any non-profit use, official or unofficial; and can be booked through an online program called “Spaces.” The current office spaces on the east side of the building will remain mostly intact.

Outdoors, decks with a weather-sheltering overhang surround the north and west sides of the public library. To the north is an ampitheater for music or storytimes. Uniform concrete stairs with a railing replace the rustic natural stairs leading from the Library Park on Prune Alley to the Library. The stairs were built with $60,000 funding from the County Public Facilities Financing Assistance Program (PFFAP).

Impressive as the Library expansion is, it is matched by the efforts of islanders who donated, volunteered, steered, pushed and dreamed of a day such as this Friday, June 23, when the Library Expansion has its grand opening, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Orcas Island Public Library rates as one of the most-used libraries in the country, in terms of visits by patrons and items checked out. Library staff includes Librarian Kathy Lunde, Adult Services Coordinator is in charge of mapping the Library’s collection; Martin Arnold, the Librarian responsible for inter-library loans, the website and electronic media; Mary Pugh, who oversees administrative services; Tony Ghazel, the IT and network administrator; Katie Wilkins, Library Assistant and Seed Library Curator; and Jenny de Groot, Customer Services Assistant.

Friends of the Library (https://orcaslibrary.org/friends.html) is a non-profit dedicated to supporting the library, and hundreds of volunteers help staff and patrons at the Library every day. The original building, constructed in 1992, was designed by the same architectural firm that designed the addition.

In expressing his appreciation for those who made the expansion possible, Library Director Phil Heikkinen, who led the $4.2M, multi-year effort, apologized in advance for those whom he may have omitted.

The cost of $4.2M was underwritten in large part by the $1.4M donated by the estate of Robert Henigson, and the $1.4M grant obtained from the state through the efforts of State Senator Kevin Ranker. A $100,000 contribution by Robert Lundeen led the way in community contributions; and the community support with the levy increase of 14.7 cents, approved in 2016, was essential to the expansion’s completion.

Heikkinen announced the room namings approved so far:

• The Margaret Philbrick Quiet Reading Room
• The Masterman Children’s Library
• The Sarah T. and David C. Moore Stairway Garden
• The South Patio: in Honor of the Salish Sea
• The Henigson Family Wing
• The Tim and Martha Galow Fuller Meeting Room

Several other area namings will be announced at a later date, at the request of the donors.

Heikkinen said, “It’s impressive what the contractors and architects have done, keeping track of the design and details and the sequencing.” He also praised the work of Liz LeRoy, Owner’s (Library) representative and project manager.

With all the new space, the library still has room to grow 30 percent, Heikkinen says. “Even if we never discard another book, we won’t reach capacity for three years. And we always discard. We currently have 41,000 volumes and we can add up to 53,000.” For a community this size it’s huge, twice the size of most libraries in towns with similar population numbers. He expects to see growth in resources and programs, resulting 30 percent increase in use, especially at first.

People will fell more comfortable spending more time at the library, Heikkinen said; starting with the celebration of the grand opening of its new building addition, from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, June 23. At 6 p.m. there will be a brief program, followed by more time to enjoy the new indoor and outdoor spaces.

The Library will offer a free dinner, including bratwursts, hot dogs (meat and vegetarian), sauerkraut, ice cream, and cake. Come tour the beautiful new addition and new landscaping. Also, there will be a no-host beer stand, courtesy of Island Hoppin’ Brewery, with all proceeds going to the Friends of the Library.