Dear Residents of the Roe Jan Community,

I have been your Library Director since 1972, when we were open only nine hours a week and provided essential access to books, magazines and newspapers.

So, I have been part of its growth for 35 years.  As our library collection expanded and diversified, the space to house and display the collection and conduct meetings dwindled.  We had to move the burgeoning children’s book collection into the basement.  The old children’s room became a new albeit small computer room.  In order to accommodate videos we took book sale space away from the Friends.  The audio book collection expanded into the middle of the library floor.  We weeded our collection and then had to put books in storage.  Now we are "layering", which means putting book trucks in front of book shelves. 

Quite simply put, our library has simply outgrown its current space.  We have no room for more books, audio books, video recordings, or additional computers.  There is no room for quiet reading or study.  In fact, there is no space to move comfortably throughout the building.  Programs are now held in off-site locations. 

In 2000, we invited fourteen members of the community to come together to develop a five year Plan of Service for the library.  One of the committee’s goals was to increase available space. 

Since that meeting the Board of Trustees has made steady progress toward reaching this goal.  We conducted a community survey, hired a building consultant to assess our needs, wrote a building program, formed a building committee, interviewed architectural firms, hired architects Best Joslin from Windsor, CT, investigated our existing site for expansion potential, and explored many additional building sites in the library's service area.  In 2004 the library purchased 9 acres of land that abut the north side of Roe Jan School property on Rt. 22.   

This has been an educational and exciting phase of my work here, but I feel that the best is yet to come.  I look forward to a new library which will be a vital center for the community:  a special place where friends can sit and chat, areas for quiet study and a space where the community can gather for programs and meetings.  I see a children's room which is a warm and inviting area where children can snuggle up with a parent to read a book, play, attend story programs and have fun; a local history area where all our material can be displayed.  With the additional space we will also be able to expand our collections and provide the library and community center you deserve.

I urge you to explore the building program section of our website and become familiar with all the work we have accomplished.  Please read the question and answer section.  If you have additional questions, contact me and I will see that the answers are posted on this site.

The Trustees have hired a capital campaign firm, Financial Development Agency of Amherst, MA, to help us raise money to build a new library.  I invite you to become part of this process.  We need people to work on a variety of committees.

We would love to have you join us. 

Cordially,

Carol Briggs