367a New Glarus Public Library, New Glarus, WIsconsin

If you are new to the blog, let me point out that I number the libraries I visit, and when I make return visits and write a new post, I keep the same number but add a letter. Thus "367a" tells you that this was my first re-visit to New Glarus.

If the picture of the building that houses the village hall and the library makes you think, "There seems to be a Swiss influence here," you would be absolutely right. New Glarus was established as a Swiss Colony in 1845 and incorporated as a Village in 1901.

It's been just about three years since my last visit. At that time I wrote "On May 5, 2015 the New Glarus Village Board unanimously passed a Resolution that reflects the results of the 2014 referendum on the library-building project.  Specifically, the New Glarus Village Board has endorsed Glarner Park as the new downtown home of the library, and has agreed to reserve $1,000,000 in borrowing capacity for the library project." New Glarus was on my way home from the big road trip this year, and also I wanted to follow up on progress on this library project.

What I discovered was in a way the opposite of the situation in Royalton, Vermont. In both cases we have towns that need to enlarge and/or modernize their libraries. In Royalton, the money has been raised to renovate a historic building--and now there are those who would like to use it for a brand-new library instead. In New Glarus, money has been raised for a new library--and there are those who would like to stay in the present buiding.

So...both of these libraries will stay on my "watch" list, and in a year or two I'll be checking back to see what has happened.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the newest addition to the New Glarus children's area, a We Play Smart computer. Staff had to show me how it works, since I had no idea. If I recall correctly, a child touches one of those airplanes and "becomes" that figure in various games. At least some of the games require cooperation, an idea that I like. I'm sorry I didn't get to see kids playing with this, but on the other hand, kids playing with it would mean no picture.

Every inch of space is well-used in this small library. There is "a place for everything, and everything in its place"-- at least that's how it seemed to me. The children's collection is on the right when you enter, with picture books on shelves and board books on a rolling cart.

Book and CD sets hang on a spinner...

...children's fiction and non-fiction fill several stacks...

...while kids' graphic novels and series books are on wire shelves. 

These wire shelves, and shelves for adult and kids' DVDs, are lined with plexiglass. This maintains a light environment and keeps things from falling through, of course.

A large table and some easy chairs provide a place to look at peridicals and papers. I didn't take a picture of the adult fiction and non-fiction materials, but they are there, certainly. There is also a Teens area.

There are two Internet computers.  A sign says that if you print from the computers, the first five black and white copies are free; after that, it's 20 cents a page. Color prints are fifty cents each (no freebies).

Old card catalog drawers seem to have been made for Keurig coffee services. $1.00 a cup, please.

Like every library I've visited in Wisconsin (I think), New Glarus runs a "Thousand Books Before Kindergarten" program. These stars represent youngsters on their way to lifetime literacy, I hope.

I took this picture from the hall that links the library and other civic departments. The easel at the left shows the concept drawings for the new library. If I go back in two years, will I find that new library? Or will I find a remodeled library in this building? I promise to go and see.

8/17/2018