LIBRARY BACKGROUND
Since 1842 Brattleboro readers have been privileged to borrow
books: first, from its early Brattleboro Library Association
and 40 years later, when the shareholders offered the books
to the town, from the Brattleboro Free Library, which moved
in 1887 from its quarters in the lower Town Hall to the George
J. Brooks Library.
George Brooks spent his boyhood in Chesterfield, N.H., and
made his fortune in a wholesale paper business on the West
Coast.
Upon his return to Brattleboro he planned and constructed
the library building which was presented to the town and at
the time was described as "beautiful and commodious".
At its opening in 1887, the collection numbered 5,000 volumes.
Early in the 1960's the federal government, needing more space
for postal operations on Main Street, negotiated with the library
for the purchase of the property at the very time the library's
building had become overcrowded and relocation was necessary.
The George J. Brooks Library building was torn down, and a
new, larger building constructed farther north on Main Street.
In a special meeting in 1965, Brattleboro town meeting members
voted bond issues of $243,000 as the town's share of the building
project. Other funds were raised from the sale of the property,
interested community members, and organizations. The George
J. Brooks Memorial Library--completed in 1967--has continued
the plans of its founder by providing the town with cultural
and educational advantages. Gifts of all sizes have enriched
the collection and memorial contributions have continued to
make possible the purchase of materials on a wider subject
range, and in different formats, than the annual town budget
could assure. |
| Issues
facing the Library |
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| There are many factors and events that may affect
Brooks Memorial Library in the coming years. As part of the planning
process, the planning committee focused on three broad issues:
financial support, diversity, and information technology. These
three topics were researched by the committee and discussed with
the full Board of Trustees at a special working session of the
Board and planning committee. In April 1996, while the committee
was beginning to draft the final report, a plan was announced
to close the Southeast Regional Library in 1999. This could have
major impact on the services Brooks provides. |
1. Information Technology
During the past five years, there have been some significant
changes in information technology which have affected the use
of this technology within our local and national society. As
of 1993, the personal computer was present in approximately
22.8% of American households, up from 15% in 1989. In the same
census report, 36% of the population uses a computer either
at home, at work, or at school. The use of the Internet has
expanded 300% in the past two years with the emergence of the
World Wide Web and good graphical navigational software.
As part of the development of this revision of the long-range
plan for the library, the Board considered a number of questions
relating to information technology. These included: What
are the social and economic implications of the technological
changes within our society and economy; How will technology
serve the library in fulfilling its roles; Given the costs
of change, what technologies can the library afford to sustain?
Information technology can be a useful tool as a means to
provide services in a different way. In 1995, the BARN came
online for circulation, cataloging, and card catalog functions
in Brooks Memorial Library. This helps to make the library
more efficient in basic ways. Over the next several years,
the library staff and Board of Trustees will continually
assess what other information technologies should be added
or expanded to enrich the library reference services. The
Board will establish a technology committee to focus on the
issue.
Now that technological applications and access have become
a major component of the library's services budget, the trustees
and staff will be faced with a unique challenge. They will
need to juggle priorities between expenditures for print
resources--the traditional heart and soul of the American
public library-- and expenditures for this technology, which
gives people access to the ever-expanding resources not available
locally.
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2. Serving all of the Community
The library has service responsibilities to a diverse population.
To what extent do the collection and services meet the needs
of people of differing race, ethnicity, language, religion,
age, gender, literacy, economic levels, and physical and
mental abilities? The issue is a national one, with political,
legal, and financial implications.
The town is investigating Title II regulations and what
is needed in the library for compliance with the American
with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. A Telecommunications
Device for the Deaf (TDD), which makes telephone reference
services accessible for this population, was donated to the
library in 1996.
Although reduced in 1995 with the elimination of the adult
services/outreach librarian position, library service to
local nursing homes continues one day a week. More could
be done for the homebound elderly.
Brattleboro is growing in ethnic and linguistic diversity,
as evidenced by the English As a Second Language (ESL) program
for non-English-speaking children in the public schools.
By sensitivity to requests for services and through patron
surveys, the library staff and trustees will continue to
monitor multicultural needs for possible future action at
Brooks. The planning committee also considered the question
of whether there are many potential users who don't know
what the library has to offer them, and if so how these people
might be reached. The goal of promoting library services
to the widest possible audience addresses this issue, as
well as the need for physical and cultural accessibility.
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3. Financial Support
The Brattleboro community is committed to the excellence of
the library, including the maintenance of the building. As
an institution, Brooks Memorial Library receives the 97.5%
of its funds from the town's taxpayers as appropriated by the
Board of Selectmen and approved by town meeting representatives.
The remaining funding is derived from gifts, bequests, grants,
and investment income earned on the endowment, trust, and savings
accounts.
In the past two years, the library has experienced pressures
on its budget, as have all town services. The budget for
the library has basically been level-funded. Given inflation,
there is a decrease in the purchasing power for materials
acquisition. The library endowment and trust accounts were
established through a variety of sources, primarily via bequests.
The policy of the Board of Trustees is to use these limited
funds to uphold the basic mission of the library. Each year
the interest from the endowment is used to supplement the
town funds in the purchase of materials and in professional
development. The trust fund accounts are primarily restricted-use
funds which support specific interests. The Board of Trustees
plans to establish an asset development committee to investigate
the library's best options for the maintenance and steady
growth of the endowment and trust funds, which will support
the continued maintenance of the collection and services.
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History 1821-1882 |
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