By Meredith Stanton Vaselaar
Well, it’s almost here. The renovation work on the Library is nearing completion; all that is left is some tweaking and final spit-and-shining. Huzzah!
In February of 2016, my boss, Clint Wolthuizen, Library Director, sat down to talk to me about the needs of the Adrian Branch Library. It was his recommendation that the Library was in need of renovation/restoration. I agreed. Little did I know what would ensue after that – it has been a wild, crazy, but satisfying ride. On April 19, 2016, the Nobles County Commissioners approved going forward with the project on the Library building, which first opened its doors in 1963.
I would like to say that, “the rest is history,” but that skips a lot of the details. The plan for the renovation had Nobles County paying for the actual repairs and updates to the building itself. Locally, our contribution was to raise $80,000; that money going toward the purchase of furnishings, with the most important item on that list being the Library shelving. Lismore Area Community Foundation came forward to sponsor the fundraiser, allowing for all donations to stay local, to be used solely at the Adrian Branch Library. The fundraising began in July 2016, with the book sale that took place on July 15 & 16. However, we received our first donation prior to the 15th. That means when we have the Library re-opening on July 14, 2017, it will be exactly a year since the fundraising began. One month after we started fundraising, we had already collected $6,500.
I will be honest with you – the fundraiser was a bit of a stresser. I had no concept of what $80,000 even looked like, much less how we would go about raising that. I was right at the top of the list of people who thought I was hopelessly optimistic, quite surely delusional, and, above all, crazy. Frankly, it was probably a bit of all three, but above all, I had faith. Many people, near and far, stepped forward to support the Library. One thing I heard often was, “well, I am not much of a reader, but I think a Library is a good thing to have in a community.” There were others – many – who have never been to the Adrian Branch Library, do not live in Nobles county, or Minnesota, or in the United States. To have support from others who “heard it from a friend,” or, more accurately, “saw it on the Internet,” was simply wonderful.
Others that helped out at the beginning include John Palaschak at the New Vision Co-op building, who gained permission for us to use the co-ops vacant space to set up a temporary Library. John has been so great through all of this – helping us when we had questions, generously providing support. The facility has been ours to use, free of cost. Lismore Area Telephone Company set up an Internet connection, to be used for our work as well as our patrons, at no cost. We have had so many volunteers that have helped – preparing for the book sale, helping to pack and unpack books, etc.
In January, if you recall, 200+ amazing High School students, from AHS as well as those who are home-schooled, stopped by on a sunny afternoon to move the collection. More than 9,000 books were moved from the main location, to the temporary location at New Vision Co-op. These students saved us money and time by moving the books for us. As we slowly return the collection to the main building, we have had students come and help move boxes of books.
By early February 2017, the Library building had been gutted – and I mean down-to-the-bare-cinder-block-and-concrete walls and floors. Clair Van Grouw Construction is the head contractor for the renovation. There have been so many contractors working on the building that I cannot begin to name then all, for fear of leaving someone out. When at all possible, those working on the building have been located in Nobles County. What patience those people have had – as with any old building, there were unexpected issues that were uncovered and the repairs had to be added to the original plan.
All in all, everything has gone surprisingly smoothly – surprising because it is an old building in need of a lot of work. Surprising because for many of the local contractors, it was the first Library they have renovated, and with libraries come things that can differ from other business buildings, and certainly differ from working on a home. There have been times of laughter and amusement (some at my expense, when I spent a month calling one contractor by the wrong first name…), some unexpected, “oh, um, guess we should have mentioned this…” to unexpected ingenuity, “let’s see how these giant castle pieces fit together.”
One moment that really stands out, however, is when the shelving arrived (a day early – an interesting twist), and it being installed in three short days. For those who gave a donation to the fundraiser, I believe you will be pleased and proud at what you accomplished. We purposely went with solid, beautiful, wood shelving (it won’t rust or bend), to withstand the test of time. I had no concept of what it would look like, but it is amazing. Just wait until you see it, touch it, note the craftsmanship. All of the shelves were custom made to fit our space. The majority of the fundraising money went toward the shelving, and when you walk into the Library for the first time, keep in mind that this is what YOU did, this is a lasting legacy from all of the supporters of the project.
In the past two weeks, we have been doing inventory on our collection, and slowly moving the items back into the main building. The local staff – me, Joan Johnson, and Cathy Marsh – as well as Clint, and Nobles County Library staff members Myra Palmer and Laurie Ebbers – have been working tirelessly on going through books, boxing, moving (with the help of our volunteers), then unpacking and shelving the items at the main building. Summer is always a very busy time in our libraries, and the fact that the staff in Worthington has done everything they can to help us out, while working short-handed at the Nobles County Library, is greatly appreciated by all of us. They are as excited as we are at the wonderful changes that have taken place.
On Friday, July 14, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., the Adrian Branch Library will have its Grand Re-Opening. We cannot wait for the public to see the changes that have taken place. We invite everyone to stop in to see the newly renovated space. We will offer cookies and beverages, as well as some nice give-aways to commemorate the occasion, including drawings for special prizes, like autographed books by William Kent Krueger.
Are we excited? YES! And we cannot wait to open the doors once again at 214 Maine Avenue! Stop in and take a look!
