Behind the stacks

Welcome back to Behind the Stacks, your new go-to column from the West Haven Public Library! This week, we want to showcase a hidden gem in our collection, highlight some upcoming events, and share a letter from our director, including some much-anticipated updates about the Allingtown library. 

Do we have any theatre buffs in town? Come browse our Amato Collection, located in our Reference Room! This collection boasts a variety of books, movies, and plays about theatre and the performing arts. This collection was made possible through a generous donation by the Amato family in loving memory of Anthony Amato. Stop by and browse the collection to look for your favorite play, an old classic, or to find something new. We will also have some of these items on display at the front desk for a couple of weeks to celebrate World Theatre Day.

Looking for something to do in April? We have plenty of fun and interesting events for kids and adults alike! Our all-ages chess program started up again on March 25th and will run weekly on Tuesday evenings through May 20th. Come in and learn the basics of chess and play against other people at your skill level. Later in April, we are thrilled to welcome author Batouly Camara for a Basketball Storytime! We will also be having presentations on Edible Plants and Fungi, where you can learn foraging skills and recipes using these ingredients, and the Legacy of the Titanic, where you can learn facts and view rare images of the shipwreck. We have also been busy planning lots of events to keep the little ones and teens busy during the upcoming spring break, so be sure to check in at both of our locations to make the most of the break!

Letter from the Director:

Greetings Westies! I wanted to share some updates and information about our library and libraries throughout the state this week. Did you know that most of the library’s day to day funding comes from a mere 1% of the city’s total budget? That 1% grants you access to all of our materials, programs, computers, hotspots and space plus the staff to help and assist you with a myriad of your needs. The remaining funding comes from grants, the state, and private donations. We are very fortunate that the governing body of the library, the Village Improvement Association (VIA), has a small endowment that pays for all the capital projects that can occur within our aging spaces. These funds pay for repairs such as our HVAC system, the elevator, and replacing technology in the library. Over the last 5 years, over $650,000 has been spent from the endowment for upgrades and repairs. The VIA was founded in 1906 to help steer a campaign to build a library. We were fortunate to receive a Carnegie grant for the library project back in 1906, as well as donated land, of which the reference room of the Main Library is still in use today! Back then the VIA was also the beautification community for the city, with the original library location opening in September of 1909.

With your library card, you have access to so many services without ever having to step foot in our buildings (though we’d love to see you visit too!) You can read the NY Times from home, search business databases, and check out movies, music, eBooks and eAudiobooks. Speaking of eBooks and eAudiobooks, you may have noticed long wait times for books and that we don’t have as many as we do their physical counterparts. This is because the library pays 3-10 times more for every book we purchase that’s digital, and they automatically disappear after two years or 26 checkouts. It makes it very hard for us to build our collection further, and that’s with us collaboratively buying these items with other libraries. For the past four years, the CT Library Association has been working with the state legislature to pass some laws that would ensure that publishers negotiate with libraries on the contracts for eBook terms. We all want to see authors compensated for their works, but we also want to be able to purchase as many digital copies of books for you as possible, which we currently cannot do. For everything else the library purchases from toilet paper to physical books, we buy the items with state and library discounts. There are many states throughout the country looking to pass similar eBook bills, but CT seems to be the leader with this endeavor right now. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have more questions about this at (203) 937-4233 or [email protected]!

Finally, I know there has been a lot of speculation on what’s happening with the Allingtown Library since the Piantino Branch closed in September of 2020. The library board and I have been working diligently over the last 5 years to reopen a new branch with 21^st century technology, plenty of meeting space for large and small groups, and some added features such as a unique historical room, along with teen and children spaces. The current city administration has also been extremely helpful with this project. While we were disappointed that VIA’s bid for the old location was never accepted, we look forward to opening a library in a new space in Allingtown with all the amenities West Haven residents want and need. As always, please feel free to contact me or stop by the library at any time! Our space is your space!

Colleen Bailie, Executive Director of the West Haven Library