Library committee sets mission for capital projects

John Santa

The Great Neck Library building advisory committee last week described how it hopes to be “imaginative in its use of space” as part of its vision statement, which was adopted last week.

Jane Marino, director of the Great Neck Library, said that creating and approving the vision statement during last Thursday’s meeting at the library’s Main Branch was an important step toward providing critical improvements to the organization’s aging buildings.

“It kind of sets the tone that we want to work from,” Marino said.

The 15-member advisory committee, which is comprised residents and library officials, was formed by the Great Neck Library to assess its facilities after local residents in October voted down a $20.8 million plan to renovate and expand the library’s Main Branch at 156 Bayview Avenue.

More than 4,200 residents turned out to overwhelmingly vote down the library construction bond referendum,

If the referendum had been approved, the renovation and expansion work would have lasted up to two years and added 8,600-square feet to the Main Branch.

The building advisory committee’s vision statement was written by Marino and two other staff members, Marino said.

“The Great Neck Library System should function as an intellectual and educational resource for the community,” the vision statement reads. “As a truly democratic institution, it opens its doors to all people of all ages, backgrounds and socio-economic levels.”

The vision statement goes on to further describe the advisory board’s ideal for the usage of space in a modern library system, Marino said.

“A library system that is flexible, welcoming and comfortable should also be imaginative in its use of space,” the vision statement reads. “While it offers the latest in technology, it must provide pathways to intellectual and literary treasures and the history of its community and the world beyond.”

“It should provide a design that is environmentally sustainable and sensitive and embraces and coexists peacefully within its environment.”

Aside from adopting the vision statement, Marino said the building advisory committee discussed ways to use space more practically within the Main Branch.

“We talked a lot about what people’s visions were for the interior of the building, which was very interesting actually,” Marino said. “It’s kind of interesting to see, if you imagine the building empty, where people would put things. Where people would put different departments and how they envision different departments.”

Marino said that discussion also included moving “collections and other services” to other library sites such as the Station or Parkvale branches.

“This is our opportunity to look at other libraries and other kinds of emerging trends and technologies that are taking place and learn from them and hopefully incorporate them into our new building design,” Marino said.

“I felt like it was a productive meeting,” she added. “The community was given a task to give their input on the exterior and the parking lot of the building for our next meeting.”

Enhancing the environment surrounding the Main Branch was another topic that was embraced by the building advisory committee, Marino said.

“We have Udall’s Pond right behind us,” she said. “We’re surrounded by grass and trees and we want to embrace our environment and not disturb it.”

The building advisory committee will hold its next meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16 at the Main Branch at 7:30 p.m.

Marino said the committee is expected to work toward creating a time line for its work to be completed, along with a list of building needs. The committee will present a final report to the board of trustees on July 1.

“We’re going to be building our needs list as we go forward the committee kind of looks at where they’d like to put things and what’s important to them,” Marino said. “Then our needs list will come up and at some point we will then engage the services of a consultant, probably an architect.”

The building advisory committee is not authorized to approve the expenditure of funds, so the measure must first be approved by the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees.

Marino said the time line and list of building needs could on the trustees’ agenda for approval at its next regular meeting on Feb. 21 at the Main Branch.

“We should have it finalized by then, so that we can bring that and our request for authorization to engage a consultant to the board at the Feb. 21 meeting,” Marino said.

Reach reporter John Santa by e-mail at jsanta@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203

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