After considering moving the library to the Belltower building next to the Rosendale Theater, the library board convened a series of listening sessions in order to get feedback directly from Rosendale residents. Here are the main themes that we heard:
- People love using the library but wish there was a room in the building for classes, meetings, and other activities.
- People really wish that we had a children’s room.
- People feel unsafe pulling onto Main St. from Central Ave. in their cars.
In the short term, we cannot fix the first two issues, but we can address the third. This spring, we plan to do landscaping work along our sidewalk and to move our sign in order to improve sightlines for motorists.
For decades the library board and staff have grappled with the library building being too small to meet the needs of the community. At the listening sessions, people made suggestions for how we could expand our current building, as well as suggestions of other locations to consider in Rosendale. The library board is taking all of these ideas under consideration. Some people asked questions such as whether the library could use its basement, or if the library could hold its programs at other locations. We have posted a summary of the listening sessions with answers to FAQs here.
Many envisioned a library with a children’s room, a large meeting room, a quiet place to work and study, and a community gallery space. As we explore the feasibility of achieving this in our current or another location, we will keep everyone informed. Repeatedly we heard that the Rosendale Library makes Rosendale a good place to live because it supports children’s literacy and lifelong learning in a safe, friendly, intergenerational space.
