this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2024
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Vermont

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There are a lot of tiny libraries in Vermont, some of them serve communities so small they don't have a "capital campaigns" option for doing needed improvements. Many aren't accessible. Vermont just announced awards of over $15mil in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money much of which will help our smallest libraries get more accessible.

In one case, they're expanding a library so that it can have a bathroom. Not just a public bathroom, a bathroom.

https://www.westonlibraryexpansion.org/

#vermont #libraries

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (14 children)

I have inquired and apparently there are two other libraries in Vermont without bathrooms. One of them, Salisbury, is slated to get a bathroom with this grant series, the other has the dubious distinction of being the last one! They do have a porta-potty in the back. Look how lovely this teeny library is.

https://wellsvillagelibrary.com/

More details about the grants awarded: https://libraries.vermont.gov/capitalprojectgrants

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (13 children)

This grant project has been written up in the local paper and even though they got the name of my library wrong they did a good job explaining why accessibility in libraries is so important. If I am interpreting what the writer said correctly, the average age of a library in Vermont is 112. Can that be right? I'll have to #DoMyOwnResearch :blobcatbook:

https://www.timesargus.com/news/local/vermont-libraries-receive-16-4m-for-infrastructure-upgrades/article_9354f860-870f-11ef-b428-332408b12aa0.html

[–] [email protected] 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Well I've contacted the state library and they've given me not just a spreadsheet, but a confirmation that the MEDIAN year Vermont libraries were built was 1912. The AVERAGE of all the build dates that they have is 1919. I have received a very exciting (to me) spreadsheet with a lot of interesting facts and figures.

The average operating income of a public library in Vermont is $160K of tax income and 47K or so of "other" (grants, endowments &c). They're open an average of 31 hours a week.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 18 hours ago

@[email protected] oh wow, so 1919 is still pretty old average!!!

AND YAY SPRADSHEET

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