We’re in the middle of hurricane season again.   According to the American Red Cross “many Long Islanders don’t believe our area is in danger of being hit by a major hurricane. They’re wrong… Long Island’s East End ranks #8 on the list of the top ten most vulnerable mainland U.S. areas to hurricanes.”  Log on to www.liprepares.org to find out how to be prepared if a hurricane should hit our area.

If you’ve been in the library anytime during the last few years, you are no doubt aware that we are experiencing a space crunch on many levels: our shelves are full, our staff is in need of workspace, and, most pressing of all, we have no place to store things. When originally built, the library’s basement was used for storage. Now, however, the basement has been repurposed as the library’s main floor, and houses the adult fiction collection, new books, DVDs, CDs, books on tape, the copy machine, employee workspaces and more. Storage? Well, something had to give…

And so, for years, we’ve been storing things under desks, in the stariwell, on top of the book shelves — in short, anywhere the stuff would fit. Unfortunately, we’ve now run out of those types of storage spots too. And, having stored items crammed into every available space is just plain ugly taking away from the charm of the building. If you have any doubts about this, take a look at the “nook” in front of the fireplace on the third floor. One of JJML’s most appealing features, the fireplace, is completely obscured by items that have no other home.

Some day soon this problem may be solved by a new or renovated library building. But “soon” is a relative term…in this case it means at least a couple of years. Unfortunately, the storage problem is pressing and gets worse every day. As a possible solution we came up with the idea of temporarily placing a wooden storage shed — just like those that are seen in many residential backyards — against the brick wall at the back of our property. It would be an ideal solution, as items stored there would be easy to get at when needed, and the shed itself would be mostly hidden by the bushes surrounding it. There is one problem, however, and that is the cost. Pre-built sheds sell for upwards of three thousand dollars, an amount that cannot be squeezed from the library’s budget.

We mention it here in the hope that someone in the community may own a shed that they no longer need, and would consider donating it to the library, or that a local builder might be moved to build one for us using whatever materials he or she may have at hand.

Just thought we’d ask…

BTW, If you have any other ideas as to how we can deal with our storage problems, please leave a comment on the blog, or call us at 725-0049. We’ll be more than happy to listen to any ideas as to how to deal with this growing problem.

On September 25, 2007 the John Jermain Memorial Library will hold its annual election for the Board of Trustees and budget vote. This year there are four seats up for election. Normally, three of the Trustees from the nine-person board are elected each year. This year a fourth seat is available due to the early resignation of Trustee Deborah Wilson. Since this will be a shorter term (ending December 31, 2009), the right to complete it will go to the candidate who receives the fourth-highest vote total in the election. However, the person filling this seat will begin serving on the Board immediately after the election, and not have to wait until January as is customary, since he or she will be completing an unexpired term.

The other three elected Trustees will serve full three-year terms ending on December 31, 2010; but in another unusual aspect of this year’s election two of the three remaining available positions also replace Trustees who have resigned in the past year (Gregory Ferraris and James Marquardt). These two seats have terms that would have ended on December 31, 2007 anyway, so the newly elected candidates filling these seats will serve full three-year terms. However, the winners of these two seats will also get to fill out the remainder of the unexpired terms of the two trustees who resigned, which means that they too will take their seats on the Board immediately after the election. The top two vote-getters in the election will be assigned these seats. So, in a somewhat bizarre twist, only the candidate who receives the third largest number of votes will have to wait for the January 2008 meeting of the Board of Trustees to be sworn in.

Currently the Board has eight trustees and one vacancy, as Nancy Hallock was appointed to replace Deborah Wilson, and Carl Peterson was appointed to replace Gregory Ferraris. Both appointments end with this coming election. James Marquardt’s seat is currently vacant. Trustee Donna Milazzo is also up for re-election this year should she decide to run. None of the incumbents have announced their intentions at this time.

If you are interested in running for the Board, you must meet the following requirements:

1. Be a U.S. Citizen
2. Be at least eighteen (1 years old
3. Be a John Jermain Memorial Library cardholder
4. Be a registered voter residing in the Sag Harbor Union Free School District
5. May not be an employee of the John Jermain Memorial Library or a member of an employee’s family. For purposes of eligibility for election, “family” refers to an employee’s spouse, significant other, child(ren), parents, siblings, stepchild(ren), grandchild(ren) or in-laws. Family members of current Trustees are also ineligible.

In addition, you must submit a petition with 29 signatures of registered voters to the District Clerk of the Sag Harbor School District by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, August 22, 2007. Petition forms and instructions may be picked up at the District Clerk’s office at 200 Jermain Ave., Sag Harbor, or here at the Library.

If you have questions about running for the Board of Trustees, please contact Acting Director Eric Cohen at 725-0049, extension 37.

Good luck to all candidates!