Welcome to summer at the Belden Noble Memorial Library and another year of great reading. Whether it’s a book, a nook, a magazine, browsing the web, or attending our programs, we are busy here at the library making sure there is something of interest to you. Our librarian, Tom Mangano, with the help of our volunteers, has continued to catalog and develop our collection and to offer a selection from the Donald Beggs collection as part of a new rotating collection.

As you can see by our new front door and front window storms, we have completed the first phase of the Façade of the Library Improvement Project (FLIP); we are now at work on the next phase of the project. We have a varied and interesting lineup of programs this year and, with generous donations from our sister library, the Paine Memorial Library in Willsboro, and others, we are well on our way to offering a great selection of books and other materials for children.

So stop in and see us, enjoy your summer reading, attend one of our programs, and (if you haven’t already), sign up for your Belden Noble Memorial Library card. Enjoy!

We are hard at work increasing the number of full-time and seasonal Essex residents using Essex library cards, so don’t be surprised if you are asked by Tom or one of our board members if you have signed up for your card yet. If you have another CEF card, it is easy to transfer your registration to Essex.

Grants and Fundraisers

In May we received $300 from the Honeybee Foundation for our Children’s Room Revitalization Project. We are using the funds to expand our collection of children’s and young adult books.

We applied to the Council of the Essex Community Fund for support of phase 2 of the Façade of the Library Improvement Project (FLIP) and they have recommended a grant. If the Trustees of the Adirondack Community trust endorse their recommendation, we will receive a check by the end of July. We intend to use this funding to improve the safety, accessibility, and appearance of the façade of the library.

We’ve held two fundraisers this year. In May, The Wannabes initiated and organized a benefit concert called Lift Up Our Library! The concert was attended by about 60 people who heard great home-grown music while showing their support for the library. In July, Jim and Colleen VanHoven presented Iceland Adventure, a fascinating talk about their travels in this unique and beautiful island nation.

How Can You Help the Essex Library?

Let us count the ways …

1: Volunteer! The Belden Noble Library could not function without its volunteers. With a paid director only fifteen hours a week, the library depends on volunteers to keep the library open the number of hours per week mandated by state law. But that’s just the beginning of what volunteers can do to support the library.

Volunteers can reshelve books, prepare new books for circulation, add barcodes and labels to books, help with our fund raising activities, and countless other ways. Please contact us if you’d like to help! We will do our best to match your talents and one of the many jobs available.

2: Make a financial contribution! Running a modern library requires money. We want to be able to continue purchasing books and other items for the library. We need to keep our computers and related equipment up-to-date to keep you connected to the world. We want to continue to bring you as many programs as we possibly can. Yes, money will help make your library a better library.

3: Donate a magazine subscription! Libraries do not get a break on magazine subscriptions and maintaining a number of subscriptions takes a big chunk of our budget. We’d like to eliminate this budget item through gift subscriptions. Let us know if there’s a magazine you’d like to purchase for the library.

4: Sponsor something from our wish list! Sponsor something that is near and dear to your heart. Maybe you remember the time you spent in the library as a child and want to contribute new furniture or a new display shelf for the children’s room. Maybe you want to improve the building with a new storm window or paint. Maybe it’s something else. If you have an idea you would like to discuss, please come in and talk with us or add it to the form below.

5, 6, and beyond: Talk with us. There is always plenty of work that needs to be done!

Contact the library at 518-963-8079 or email bnoblelib1899@willex.com. Visit www.essexlibrary.org to learn more.

Related articles

• Author Sara J. Henry at Essex Library on August 1 (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Essex Library Rotating Collection (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Essex Library Summer Reading Program (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• New Books at the Belden Noble Memorial Library (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Vintage Stereoview: Essex Community Church (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)