Learn and Share about Books and Beyond

The Orcas Island Public Library Expansion Project

— by the Library Board of Trustees —

Orcas Islanders love their beautiful public Library as a center of equal access to information for all learners and a welcoming place for reflection, work, or gathering with others. The Library Board of Trustees is proud to announce the formal kick-off of the expansion project: Books and Beyond: The Next Chapter.

Common themes surfaced over the last several years in discussions with the community about the Library: (1) it’s too crowded; (2) there aren’t enough computers or space to use one’s own computer; (3) there aren’t enough quiet spaces for doing work; and (4) we need more room for children and young adults. Clearly, growth in the array of Library services, coupled with dramatic increases in usage, has the current facility straining at its seams.

Should we expand the Library? We consulted with volunteers, met with stakeholders, took surveys, reviewed existing and desired programs, and examined other public Library expansions. We learned that the existing Library was designed originally to be a 12,000 square foot structure. Funding availability limited its size to half that.

We concluded the Library has served our community remarkably well, but that current needs demand we fulfill that original dream by undertaking an expansion project to prepare for the next 20 years – hence: Books and Beyond: The Next Chapter.

Our planned 5,000 square-foot expansion addresses pressing needs: more room for children and young adults, quiet reading and work space, small rooms for working and collaborating, more room for computers and multiple types of seating to work with one’s own computer, more room for gatherings, classes, lectures, and Library events, and additional book space with more accessible shelving. Naturally, we must maintain the aesthetics, high quality, and attention to detail of our existing building. From the outset, we felt determined to raise the estimated project costs from private donations, gifts, grants, and State funding sources, rather than from additional local taxes.

Our efforts recently received a huge boost with a generous gift from Bob Henigson’s estate, State capital funds secured by Senator Kevin Ranker, significant pledges and gifts from several community benefactors and the Friends of the Orcas Island Library, and several other private donations. With generous contributions from our community and a state capital budget appropriation totaling $2.8 million so far — a substantial percentage of total projected capital needs — we have started the process to secure firm project costs.

We are getting close! In August, we are launching a community campaign to raise the remaining funds. We’re also moving to complete the pre-construction design and permitting work so construction can begin as early as late Spring 2016.

Our expansion project, Books and Beyond: The Next Chapter, will have a booth at the upcoming Library Fair, organized by the Friends of the Library, on Saturday August 8. Members of the Library Board of Trustees will be on hand with conceptual models of the expansion to help you learn more about the project and answer your questions.

The Library belongs to our entire community and everyone has a stake in its success, so we are establishing citizen committees to advise about design, energy efficiency, information technology, and resources and services for children, youth, seniors, telecommuters, and lifelong learners. Stay tuned for more information about how you can help the Library grow and adapt along with changing community needs. We will continue sharing more information in a variety of ways. You can also stay up-to-date by visiting our website, www.orcaslibrary.org.

Your views matter, so please share them by contacting our Library Director, Phil Heikkinen, via email at pheikkinen@orcaslibrary.org, or by phone at 376-4985.