Guernsey Memorial Library

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by: Tyler Murphy

One of the largest projects undertaken at Guernsey Memorial Library in Norwich was completed last year when the roof, boiler and ventilation systems were replaced.

The $760,000 facility upgrade required that the air conditioning be turned off for the majority of the summer of 2007, negatively affecting attendance by 10 percent.

“One of the most important things we want people to know is that the air conditioning is working again,” said Library Director Melanie Battoe.

The ventilation equipment and roof were part of the original building contructed in 1969.

Guernsey Memorial Library is the largest library in Chenango County with a collection of more than 80,000 books. Last year, its public computer access system tracked more than 15,000 sign-ins a month.

And despite the temporary drop in attendance, Battoe said the Court Street institution had loaned out more materials than any other library in the four surrounding counties. In 2007, Guernsey circulated over 150,000 items.

“That’s even including Broome,” she said.

Guernsey Memorial is one of 42 libraries that make up the Four County Library System of Broome, Chenango, Otsego and Delaware. All of the libraries in each county share a connected network interlocking the entire collections of each. The public may access the combined inventories at specific computer terminals located within each library. Three times a week, books and other written materials are transfered via truck to the other locations.

“So if you’re looking for a book we don’t have here at our building, you can get it from anywhere else in the four county system. Usually we can get them here by the end of the week,” said Battoe.

The origins of Norwich’s library can be traced back to 1902 when Mrs. William Guernsey bequeathed her family’s homestead to the Norwich Board of Education. In her will, she requested that it be turned into a library. The house itself was built in 1799. That building remained until the 1960s when it became apparent that the location could not support the collection’s expansion. The current building housing the library was built in the late 1960s and has remained Norwich’s library ever since.

The library’s budget is voted on annually at the same time Norwich City School District voters vote on the district’s budget. It is a completely separate budget entity, Battoe said.

Guernsey employs 10 full-time and about 15 part-time positions that vary depending on internships and temporary help. The library also has its own children’s program and dedicated children’s librarian.

The coming year looks to be a quieter one for the library. “After this last year of upgrades, I think we’ll give the board a break for a while,” Battoe said. Future plans include replacing playground equipment in the park behind the facility. It was orginally installed in 1969.

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