Glen Lake Library plans fundraising and expansion

Director David Diller shows the designs for the Glen Lake Library’s expansion. Photo by Linda Dewey.

By Linda Alice Dewey

Sun contributor

The Glen Lake Community Library kicks off building expansion fundraising on Memorial Day weekend at Northwoods Hardware, according to capital campaign chairperson Linda Young. The construction project will transform the present library and will nearly double the space while accommodating the needs of both children and the elderly.

Developed from a strategic plan based on community feedback, the new building will include a meeting room for up to 50 attendees, a place just for kids, a lounge, study rooms, a larger computer space, an area for media (DVDs, etc.), and “flexible use” spaces. There will be wide aisles for easy access, additional seating, and a cozy fireplace gathering area where old and young alike may browse periodicals or knit.

The new library will look different on the outside, too. “There’s an entry courtyard [with benches] so it doesn’t look like just another house,” reported project design coordinator Leonard Marszalek. A large front handicap-accessible entry way will feature a vestibule for those waiting for rides in bad weather. A rear courtyard with seating and a gazebo will lead to a similar entry.

Last summer, the library’s building committee chose the Ann Arbor architectural firm of Quinn Evans, which has designed libraries of all sizes across the state, including nearby Frankfort. The company advocates a healthy environment through use of sustainable, green building materials which lessen issues for chemically sensitive patrons. Quinn Evans reports back to the committee with finished construction documents and updated cost estimates by mid-summer.

The library’s current building was redesigned in 1996 from an old fire hall. “It was never meant to be a library in the first place,” pointed out director David Diller, who began as the librarian as the building was opening in ’97. Over the years, library function and use increased. The operation has outgrown the building to the point where, as Diller puts it, “we’re up against the walls.”

This endeavor is part of a 10-year strategic plan the library board implemented in 2014. Usage growth, they determined, was a result of increased tourism, the influx of new residents, and an evolution in the library’s function.

In addition, the role of the library has changed over the years. Libraries no longer function simply as book repositories, Young observed. “We’re finding that library patrons today don’t just come in the door, check out a book and walk away.” She believes there’s something “egalitarian” about a library: everyone uses it for different purposes at different points in life. The planning committee was tasked with creating a plan that would suit an aging population, but also parents and their children.

One particular challenge was the seasonal nature of our population. “We [had] to plan for the peak season,” stated Diller. “We needed a facility that would accommodate the busiest period but not have wasted space … for nine months out of the year …” In addition, he said, “We wanted to come up with a design where we not only have a lot of flexible spaces but increases what we have to offer. By making it a more inviting space, we fully feel we’ll have a lot more people coming in year-round.”

A major reason for this library’s increase is its director. David Diller has guided the library through its evolution into computers and electronic books, book rentals, DVD lending, and now, as a community meeting center. Diller, however, will be the first to tell you that this library’s success is very much due to the dedication of a plethora of individuals, from the volunteers who work in the library daily, to those who serve on the board, the building and planning committees, and to the Friends of the Library organization.

“We are very lucky to have such a rich community of people willing to help with [their] talents,” agreed board president Lou Ricord, who himself moved here after retiring from teaching at the Ohio State University. Leonard Marszalek on the building committee designed and developed the Renaissance Center and the Riverfront projects in Detroit. Linda Young served as director of museum education at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and sat on the design team for its 1996 $12.4 million renovation, then moved north to become executive director of the Great Lakes Children’s Museum and the Harbor Springs History Museum. Both Young and Marszalek played major roles in the Glen Arbor Art Center building project, which will hold its grand opening in June. The list of talented library devotees goes on to include a retired Wisconsin librarian, an interior design expert, and many others.

Besides accommodating the library’s current needs, the committee did its best to project into the future. How might changes in technology affect space in the library? What work areas might people need? What new programs might the library embrace? The committee’s visits to other Michigan libraries brought a new awareness of ideas and programs, from lending out carpentry tool kits to weekly tech tutoring sessions.

“Meanwhile,” Ricord reminded us, “we still have to be a library.”

In fact, Diller envisions the library of being even more of a library, where it becomes a “learning magnet,” where even school groups will come to visit. He would also like to see the library connect more with the three townships in its service area—Glen Arbor, Empire and Kasson—as they change over the years.

“[T]he community is definitely changing,” he reiterated. “We needed to keep up with it—and I think we have. But now … we have to take another big step forward for the next 25 years.”

If the new building opens on schedule—and that, quite honestly, depends on this present fundraising campaign—the planning committee will have a year of operation following its opening before they create a five-year projection for the next millage election in 2021.

All of this is in the 10-year plan.

The total cost of construction for the building project is expected to be $1.758 million. Of that, a portion is already covered by seed money from several donations and legacies. Approximately $200,000 more may come from grants. The remaining $908,000 will need to be raised from businesses, organizations and individuals before the project goes out to bid to general contractors (hopefully in December, depending on the capital campaign).

Fundraising this summer will run the gamut from approaching donors individually, to mailings, to placing a jar for donations at the library. “We’re going to have a tent at all the festivals—Anchor Day, Memorial Day, Asparagus Festival, etc.,” said Young, and there will be a variety of payment options. “Everyone will have an opportunity to give.”

If the capital campaign goes well, construction could begin as soon as Spring 2019 with doors opening the following year. Meanwhile, the committee is searching for a suitable interim library location for the time during construction.