There have been a few changes at the Penn Yan Public Library this year; the reconstruction of the Carnegie roof was finished in the second week of June, renovations were made in the 1982 addition to the original Carnegie building, and there are two new faces that are representing the library.
Reconstruction
The reconstruction of the Carnegie roof was well overdue. “Nobody remembered when any work had been done on it,” said Lynn Overgaard, the Director of the Penn Yan Public Library. “It was leaking and the only thing holding it up was the roof itself.”
The original Carnegie building dates from 1905 and construction started earlier this year in April. “It’s good that we got it done,” Overgaard said. Not only was the roof leaking, there were also sagging rafters that threatened to result in serious water damage. If there was a heavy snowfall, the roof most likely would have collapsed.
The repair, insulation, and re-roofing of the Carnegie Building only took a few months to complete. Overgaard is grateful to have so many people in the community who care about the library. The Friends of the Penn Yan Public Library donated $5,000 to help kick-off the funding for the project and the library received a grant from the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation as well as plenty of support from the community.
Earlier this year, there were major renovations in the 1982 addition of the original building, including new lighting. Sandy Hullings, who is in charge of the circulation department, said that the improved lighting is one of the best renovations of the library. “It’s so much brighter in here,” Sandy said, adding later, “it helps the library look friendlier and open.” Joanna Purdy, who handles the library’s public relations agrees, adding that it’s been very pleasant in the library since the renovations.
New faces
In May, two new faces were welcomed into the library’s staff; Shawn McConnell and Sarah Crevelling.
Shawn McConnell is the new research librarian who started in the beginning of May. McConnell, a Penn Yan Academy graduate, lived in Albany for some time before moving back to his hometown. “It’s been great,” Shawn said. “Everybody says ‘hi.’ I feel welcome.”
He is very knowledgeable about the reference section, and said that not only are resources available in the library, databases are also accessible online.
“People come in and don’t realize that they’re there,” he said, adding that there are magazines, newspapers, and journals available online. He also mentioned that people are very interested in local history, genealogy research, past politics, murders, and unsolved crimes, which makes the history section very popular. The Penn Yan Public Library is also the Legal Library for the county and therefore includes a Law Library in the Reference section. “If anyone is curious about a law, we can direct them. We may not be able to explain it, but we can show them where to find it.” he said.
There are a few summer programs that McConnell has set up, including a “Learn It Your Way” computer course. Starting July 12 and continuing every fourth Thursday through Aug. 26, sessions will be held and people can come in, ask questions and learn more about computers.
In August, David Titus, a Penn Yan Public Library employee and motorcycle enthusiast, will be hosting Motorcycles 101: a basic instruction of motorcycle maintenance and repair.
So far, McConnell’s experience at the Penn Yan Public Library has been very positive, thanks to the friendly community of Penn Yan. “It’s great to feel appreciated.” McConnell said.
Sarah Crevelling is the new Youth Services librarian who started working in mid-May. “I really like it here,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.” Sarah herself is not from Penn Yan, but she has family connections here and admires how friendly everyone is. “This community is full of people who are involved in their children’s education,” she said.
Crevelling is very excited about the upcoming Third Annual Summer Reading Program at the Penn Yan Public Library and says that it will be a lot of fun for both kids and adults. This year’s theme is water, so the books, movies, and prizes will be based around that theme, teaching kids about the water cycle and how to protect our lakes.
For those interested, children can sign up and take a reading log home. For every 20 minutes of reading or listening to an audiobook, the child can cross off a section of the reading log, bring it back in, and get $1 in Splash Cash.
This Splash Cash is not real money, but it can be turned in to the Surf Shop and exchanged for books or prizes.
There is more information about the Summer Reading Program in brochures at the library, including the different weekly events for kids: Lapsit, Storytime, and Splashcrafts. The Summer Reading Program starts July 6 and is open to everyone in the Hicks Kimball Room.
Crevelling says that this program helps parents spend more time with their kids, and by reading with parents, children’s reading levels are maintained and even improved.
Crevelling is also excited about the renovations coming soon to the upstairs interior of the Carnegie building, which includes the Youth Services section.
"We want feedback on the Children’s space,” she said, adding that comments will help to improve the space even more.
Overgaard said that the lighting in the Children’s space is very dull compared to the downstairs lighting. “It needs to be cleaned up,” adding,. “There is water damage and we’re looking for new lighting that will be energy-efficient.”
This will be the final stage of renovations and will be completed within the year. Crevelling says she really enjoys working at the Penn Yan Public Library as the new Youth Services librarian and hopes to see a big turnout for the Summer Reading Program.
Everyone at the library agrees that McConnell and Crevelling have been great additions to the staff. “They both have fit in very well with the rest of the employees.” Hullings said. “It’s nice to have younger people with fresh ideas.”
New networks
One of those fresh ideas was the move into social networking. The Penn Yan Public Library now has a Facebook page as well as a Twitter. presence
“Shawn and Sarah had that idea,” said Overgaard. “It’s only been five months, so hopefully more people will show up in the fall.” Hullings agrees, “Facebook will help draw people in.”
Facebook and Twitter are popular social networking websites that appeal mostly to teens and young adults, but older adults are also becoming more involved in the websites. By having a Facebook or Twitter, people can “Like” or “Follow” the Penn Yan Public Library, depending on the website, and stay up-to-date on information and upcoming events.
The Penn Yan Public Library would also like to remind people that it has WiFi (free broadband wireless service).
“It constantly grows, how many people use laptops here,” Overgaard said. A small project that she is determined to accomplish is an ability for WiFi users to print directly from their laptops instead of having to get on a computer to connect to a printer.
Also, an item that has been requested for some time will soon be a new addition to the library; a fax machine. “We always get asked if we have one,” Hullings said, “and soon, we will.”
And more services
There are also a few aspects about the library that some people may not know about. The library serves the community through the Mobile Library Service that Hullings is in charge of. Lila Donley, David Race, and volunteers deliver library materials to people who are homebound.
Regular deliveries are taken to St. Mark’s Terrace, Clinton Crest, Penn Yan Manor, The Homestead, and Meadowside Apartments in the Penn Yan area.
Joanie Hand, a Reference clerk, also points out that the Penn Yan Public Library has an inter-library loan system. If the library doesn’t have a specific book, magazine, or newspaper, “we can get (it) from other libraries,” Joan said.
To do this, a request just needs to be made at the Penn Yan library, the item will be sent from another library and will arrive at the Penn Yan library within a matter of weeks or sooner, depending on the type of material and where the material must be obtained from.
The Penn Yan Public Library has been going through quite a few changes this year and the employees hope that after these renovations, there will be even more visitors. “I want people to know that libraries are not dying,” Overgaard says. Rather, they are blooming, just in time for the summer months.
