The Jefferson Madison Regional Library board has rejected the Jefferson School Task Force’s recommendation that the library relocate to the Jefferson School. The library director cited a lack of space and structural problems, saying that perhaps it would be better suited for the library’s administrative offices or for a Mont-AVV expansion. Elizabeth Nelson has the story in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
I believe our library does a magnificent job considering the restraints of space under which they operate.
What we have, however, is not a "World Class" library but a "stop gap" type endeavor which has, over the years, received comparitively little support from the County and City .
Library facilities deserve at least the same consideration as new schools and are equal in furthering education..
Cease shuttling the library into old post offices and old schools and put some money where the "World Class" phrase is and locate, build, and landscape a library worthy of the name.
A modern library is no longer a darkened, musty, conglomeration of crowded warrens with limited modern technological facilities but a well lighted, landscaped design of beauty and facility for study and reading enjoyment.
Is there a new library in local governmental planning? Targeted when?
A proper library is worth at least as much as a new school. Readers make scholars.
But then, thats me.
Library facilities deserve at least the same consideration as new schools and are equal in furthering education..
I couldn’t agree more.
Cease shuttling the library into old post offices and old schools and put some money where the “World Class” phrase is and locate, build, and landscape a library worthy of the name.
Well, you pluralize, but that’s not really the story. :) When McIntire funded the first library, it opened in its original building, next door to the current library, which is now the historical society. It’s a beautiful building, but obviously became too small in short order. It’s noteworthy that it wasn’t too long after the library first opened that it opened another branch in…the Jefferson School. Yes, that was the “colored branch,” since they didn’t want anybody but white folks in the library. Anyhow, they outgrew that right about when the city bought the old post office, and they moved right next door into that, since it was both close by and a magnificent building.
In short, its first building was custom designed and its second (and only other) building was a building built back when civic buildings were intended to last forever and be architectural wonders, not like the shitbox we call city hall.
A modern library is no longer a darkened, musty, conglomeration of crowded warrens with limited modern technological facilities but a well lighted, landscaped design of beauty and facility for study and reading enjoyment.
Is there a new library in local governmental planning? Targeted when?
There is neither a new library in planning, nor is there even desire for one. What is really needed is the money to overhaul the existing building. As you describe, it has problems. Some people may remember the flooding of the bottom floor a few years back — that’s exactly the sort of thing that needs to be protected against. The city has to budget some millions of dollars for a good remodeling, opening it up, making it better lit, more nicely laid out, replacing the nasty old walls and run-down flooring. The city has been unwilling to commit to that funding thus far, but it’s my hope (and I intend to advocate for this) that it will happen in the next few years.
<i>Some people may remember the flooding of the bottom floor a few years back — that’s exactly the sort of thing that needs to be protected against.</i>
Not to mention the "minor" flooding a few WEEKS back. If the cleaning crew had not been here…well, it would have been more than 150K of reference books destroyed. What happened was that the fittings on the old pipes here in the building were not correct. I know nothing about plumbing so, please forgive me if I’m wrong but I believe I was told that copper fittings were put on lead pipes. Eventually they just bust – we have no way of knowing how long the pipes were like this, while the building was still the Courthouse, the Post Office, more recent?
Guess I should mention that I am a library employee – Monticello Avenue to be precise. I’d also like to take this time to make a correction to the Progress’ article. The library has no plans for an "Internet Cafe". Expanding the services of Monticello Avenue? Sure! I could go on for hours what I’d like to see happen. Mainly, more staff to support what we offer now. (We are 3 FT equiv, open to the public 64.5 hours during the school year, 61 hours in the summer when the building is closed on Sundays.) This means that we spend around 23 hours/week working alone (I think that’s what we worked out before). We now average 4000 visits a month to the 17 station lab, so extra hands would be nice before we add too many more services. :)
Well, you pluralize, but that’s not really the story. :)
"Cease shuttling the library into old post offices and old schools"
The use of plurals in this context is correct inasmuch as the sentence calls for cessation of past and possible future moves into postoffices and schools.
Keep smiling
I disagree with your characterization of the current location of the library as completely inadequate.
I agree with Waldo that it is the condition, and not the character of the building that is the greatest problem. When I hear the words "new building" and "landscaped" I start imagining "outside the city limits" and "reachable only by rich people in cars".
I think overhauling the library, particularly in a way that does not stand in the way of continuing to use it during the renovations, would be the way to go. Also, I think it makes sense to consider connecting the historical society building and the library building together, and seeing if there is any space for expanding stack space.
But I think having a centrally located library, directly across from a major bus stop and within a block of the most vibrant community center in Charlottesville, is more important than any considerations of landscaping or aesthetics.
is there any possibility of moving the library to the McGuffey Building and moving artist and gallery spaces to the Jefferson School? It seems that the city is shortsighted when it deals with facilities, two? years ago it virtually gave away the old NGIC building to SNL Securities when it probably would have accommodated a whole host of city services under one roof with room for expansion. It’s reasoning at the time was that it would keep SNL in the city while dealing with a vacant building, but now we have SNL’s old building vacant and right on the mall instead.
Well toby,
"reachable only by rich people in cars"
Associating cars only with rich people is an indication to me that objectivity is not an option here so I won`t comment on that.
I must think a little bit about the new (to me) concept that limits landscaping and new construction to outside the city limits or at least I understood, from the comment, that to be the case.
"Centrally located" means different things to different people. One person`s "central" is another`s "far out". The library is heavily used and supported by county residents as well as city residents.
"current location of the library as completely inadequate"
I read my post several times and could find nothing that characterized the "location as inadequate"
In summary, I stand by my post that the library facilities are inadequate and efforts should be made to bring the library up to reasonable standards. A new building is to me, a reasonable option, which does not mean razing the present building, merely putting it to other uses for which the design is suited.