Community answered call to fix library
When it came time to renovate the 85-year-old Butler Public Library, the community answered.
The library at 218 N. McKean St. raised more than the $3 million it needed for the renovations, bolstered from the onset with an anonymous donor who matched all donations up to $1.5 million.
Throughout the fundraising, individuals made large donations in memory of loved ones.
The renovations added about 2,500 square feet and were completed in June 2003, after a year's worth of construction.
All of the wall coverings, carpet, floors and ceilings were replaced.
The fundraising was important because less than 60 percent of library funding comes from contributions from the state, county, and municipalities. The rest is from gifts, fines, fees, investment income and private contributions.
Ginny Besterman, public relations director, said there is now a more inviting atmosphere for library patrons since the renovation was done. That is by virtue of the vastly improved lighting system, she said.
"It's more cheerful. There's even a better use of space because we opened things up," said Besterman.
The building had not been renovated since 1966.
Library director Nan Gresko said the new children's room and story-time area is a huge improvement from the "cramped space" that was the old one.
It has more room and seating, said Gresko. The room is brightly lit and painted blue to go along with the aquatic mural that includes an octopus and a whale.
The mural was donated by Marilyn Pesci in memory of her late husband, Donald. It was painted by Michael Rehm.
On the first floor is the Beatrice V. Laconi D'Aniello Fiction Department, named for the late mother of Daniel D'Aniello, a major donor for the renovation. The Butler native, who has since moved to Washington, D.C., made the donation because his mother enjoyed reading fiction.
Gresko said no new employees have been hired at the library, although it certainly is busier.
She said the library has been eager to fill the new space with books, CDs, DVDs and audio books.
"It's like the more space you have in a house, the more things you'll have in it," said Gresko.
In particular, she said the library sought to emphasize the new media collection, which she said makes up 6 percent of all collection materials but accounts for 23 percent of all circulation.
Gresko said she has seen the library's audio books grow from 20 to more than 1,500 in the several years she has been there.
The second floor is where the genealogy department — the largest of its kind in Butler County — moved into enlarger quarters. For the first time it includes a climate-controlled room to preserve older materials."That's very important for the archival materials, even those that were just created yesterday," said LuAnn Eisler, the library's genealogist.The room has books on history, ship records, cemetery records, and all the newspapers published in Butler from 1800 to 1900 on microfilm.Now, Eisler said the genealogy department has been able to add many more books and newspaper microfilm.She said the renovation also added a computer terminal for genealogy research, which will be equipped with software specific to genealogy research.Computers were added elsewhere throughout the library as part of the renovation.There is a new computer training area paid for by a donation from TW Phillips Gas and Oil Co. It boasts 10 computers for students and one instructor computer to teach classes twice a week through Career Link. There are also seminars on occasion.There are also 10 public computer terminals upstairs that are connected through wireless Internet access. Armstrong Cable donated them.Besterman said the old meeting rooms were seldom used. Now in the basement is a room that can hold up to 150 people. The room has a divider to accommodate two groups at once and there is also a kitchenette for refreshments.Like everything in the library, the rooms can be rented out for free, said Gresko.Since the fundraising exceeded its goal, the library was able to buy property next door and space for handicapped parking.Gresko said the library rents out the former Fudoli family building to Pressing On Ministries. That group serves individuals with addiction problems, said Gresko.
