We have been a bit quiet lately — hard at work on a wide range of high-priority tasks — but now we have much to report. First we would like to thank everyone who has pitched in to help with the building project, fund raising and other Library endeavors. We remain grateful to all of you for your support and dedication, and place great value on the investment you have already made to our library and its future.

As you know, Allison Gray, the Library’s Director for the last three plus years has moved on to other opportunities. The search for a new director is well underway. We are pleased and optimistic about the candidate pool for the Director position. Expect to hear news on this front shortly. Meanwhile, day-to-day activities at the library are being handled in exemplary fashion by the team of Pat Brandt and Eric Cohen.

The Board has made a focused commitment to its own training and internal functioning. We held a retreat with Suffolk County Library System Director Kevin Verbesey in early June, and, since then, various Trustees have attended additional training sessions on a variety of topics. As a group, we are much more knowledgeable about our responsibilities to the library and to the community, and are committed to adhering to the highest level of performance standards and record-keeping.

The fund raising and grants teams have been very busy. Soon, we will make an official announcement about the receipt of a large donation to be used for the repair of the roof at 201 Main Street. That, coupled with the money raised last year by the One for the Books dinners which was focused specifically on raising funds for the current building, gives us a good leg up on the funds we will need to repair the roof. Some other good fund raising news will also be made public soon.

Speaking of One for the Books, please keep an eye out for your invitation to this year’s One for the Books events! We have a great roster of 35 hosts giving dinners on two Saturday nights in October, the 13^th and the 20^th. You can purchase tickets on line through the library’s website, and get information about the books there as well. If have a specific question, please call (631) 725-0049, extension 44, and leave a message. Someone will get back to you right away. Gail Slevin has proven herself a remarkably energetic and detail-oriented One for the Books coordinator, and we are very grateful to her.

We have gone live with a donations page, accessible through the library’s website, thanks to the hard work of Eric Cohen. Check it out at http://sagharbor.suffolk.lib.ny.us/donate.html (Eric says that you can help him test the system by making a small donation

We have decided to invest in repairing and renting the property adjacent to Mashashimuet Park, after some consideration about this course. At the moment, bids are being solicited for needed repair work. We hope to have the house back on the rental market for the fall season.

Our annual budget vote and Trustee election is scheduled for September 25^th, at the library, from 9 am until 8 pm. If you are interested in running for one of the Trustee positions, you can pick up a petition at the School District Clerk’s office on or after August 2^nd. The petitions require 25 signatures, and must be returned to the District office by August 22^nd at 4 in the afternoon.

After much consideration, the Board has invited a small group of Library Development Committee (LDC) members to work with us in a focused manner to prepare the revised Request for Proposal (RFP) for a single architect for the two-building architectural program. We hope to have this RFP in the mail by the end of September, and to have selected an architectural firm before the end of the year. The choice to keep this committee small with no duplication of areas of expertise was made by the Board to maximize the efficiency of the process, and to shorten lines of communication. To this end two Board members will serve on the committee and the entire Board will deepen its oversight of this critical project. The Community Library Committee (CLC) and LDC have created a strong foundation, and we are grateful to everyone who has participated, but now we see a compelling need for a streamlined team with strong coherent leadership to move the project ahead as expeditiously as possible.

We encourage everyone to come to our Board meetings, to pepper us with questions, to make your doubts and your worries known. We do hear you, and we want what you want: the best possible library, housed in the best possible manner, for the future of all of us, the residents of the Sag Harbor school district.

With all best wishes,
Christiane Neuville
Diane Gaites
Donna Milazzo
Tippy Ameres
Susie Merrell
Chris Leonard
Nancy Hallock
Carl Peterson

As part of their continuing outreach to the community, the Board of Trustees of the John Jermain Memorial Library and the Library Development Committee (LDC) will hold their fourth community forum on Wednesday, Jan. 31st at 6 p.m. in the North Haven Village Hall. The forum will discuss a site plan and floor plans for the new building adjacent to the park, and possible influences on its design.

According to Board President Greg Ferraris, the board and the committee of community people will hold forums at least every month, aiming for a referendum in June to finance the two-building library expansion. “We would like all taxpayers in the Sag Harbor School District to participate in and understand our planning so that in June they can cast an informed vote. The expanded library will be a huge asset to the community, and we believe that a well-informed public will support the program.”

The board and the LDC already have held three open forums. Over the next few months they will address the important issues of design for the new building at the southern entrance to Sag Harbor, as well as preservation of, and modest addition to, the 96-year old existing building, enabling it to continue to provide vital library services to the community.

The Library Development Committee (LDC) and the Trustees of the John Jermain Library have compiled an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) concerning the proposed expansion and restoration of the Library. This FAQ puts all the answers to the questions that are most commonly asked of the Trustees and LDC members in one place. You can read the this question and answer document by visiting the Library’s website, or just clicking here. You can also pick up a printed copy of the document at either of the Library’s circulation desks.

The fourth in a series of open forums held by the Library Development Committee (LDC) will be held on Saturday, December 16th at 9:00 a.m. at the North Haven Village Hall on Ferry Road in North Haven. The topic of this forum is Space and Service Allocations, and will include

• A review of the community design process and meeting objectives
• A reveiw of the Community Library Committee (CLC) needs assessment
• A review of the CLC recommendations
• Determination of Space requirements
• Library services allocation by building

Questions and comments from those in attendance will be accepted throughout the meeting. The LDC is hoping for a large turnout of community members so that as diverse a range of opinions as possible may be heard and considered as part of the design process.

Call the library at 725-0049 for more information.

The Board of Trustees of the John Jermain Memorial Library and the Library Development Committee (LDC), formed by the Board, will host an open forum on Wednesday, Nov. 29th at 6 p.m. in the North Haven Village Hall. They are seeking input from the community on the design of a new building adjacent to Mashashimuet Park which will be part of the two-building expansion recommended to the Board by the Community Library Committee.

Topics discussed will Include:

• Preliminary site plan for a new building adjacent to the park
• Conditions affecting the project
• Design process to be followed
• Input from the community regarding an appropriate design

LDC Co-Chairs Greg Ferraris and Gail Slevin point out that the building will be important to Sag Harbor’s landscape at the southern entrance to the village. “The primary purpose of the forum is to listen to the community,” say the Co-Chairs. “We hope it will help us understand the community’s opinions on an appropriate design. The architect, assisted by the Board and the LDC design committee, will then develop a solution which will be presented to the community at a later date.”

Before opening the forum to comments from the public, the New Building Sub-Committee and Chris Coy, a partner in BarnesCoy Architects, will show a preliminary site plan, discuss the parameters of the project and review the process they will follow in developing the design. The LDC will also address current trends in library design and discuss its exploration of traffic and parking considerations at the site.

The recommendation made to the board by the Community Library Committee resulted from year-long research, study and discussion by over twenty people from all parts of the Sag Harbor School District. The report can be viewed on the library’s website (sagharbor.suffolk.lib.ny.us). Printed copies of the 90-page document are available at the library circulation desk. Once the CLC completed its work and the Library Board accepted its report, the Board asked CLC members to join the newly created Library Development Committee to assist the Board in implementing the recommendations.

The Board of Trustees of the John Jermain Memorial Library and the Library Development Committee (LDC), formed by the Board, will begin a series of open meetings to listen to and inform the community as plans for an expanded library move forward, according to Library Board President Greg Ferraris. The first meeting, set for Tuesday, October 24th at 6 p.m. in the library rotunda will discuss the Community Library Committee (CLC) report that has been accepted by the Board. It recommends a two-building solution, with the original building renovated and preserved, and a new building constructed adjacent to Mashashimuet Park.

In addition, Library Trustees and LDC members at the meeting will describe progress to date and seek comments and questions from the community. Some of the issues being discussed by library and design professionals and the LDC are the best functions for the existing historic structure, and the size and character of the new building.

Ferraris and LCD Co-Chair Gail Slevin emphasize that this is only the first of several open meetings that will be held over the next few months as plans develop and new information becomes available. Ferraris says the Board will thoroughly review direction with the community before any referendum regarding funds for the expansion takes place.

The recommendation made to the Board by the Community Library Committee resulted from year-long research, study and discussion by over twenty people from all parts of the Sag Harbor School District. The report can be viewed on the library’s CLC Report Blog (http://clcreport.wordpress.com). Printed copies of the 90-page document are available at the library circulation desk. Once the CLC completed its work and the Library Board accepted its report, the Board asked CLC members to join the newly created Library Development Committee to assist the Board in implementing the recommendations.

The schedules of the Library Development Committee (LDC) and it’s subcommittees has bee added to this blog. The LDC schedules are on their own page which is accessible by clicking on the LDC tab above, or clicking here. LDC subcommittee chairs should e-mail schedule information and changes to “ericohen at suffolk dot lib dot ny dot us.” All LDC meetings are open to the public.