Shelter Island library slates renovations

A long-anticipated renovation of the Shelter Island public library -- which hasn't expanded since it was built in 1965 -- will start in September and should last about three months, said library director Denise DiPaolo.

When it's completed, the library will have doubled its useful program space, even though there will be no expansion of the actual building, she added.

The $700,000 project will be paid for through a private fundraising program that began last year -- the library's 125th anniversary -- and has already raised $500,000, according to Jo-Ann Robotti, president of the library board of trustees.

"We're going to make the lower 2,700 square feet [the library basement] more efficient . . . we will repurpose it," she said. "We're still gung-ho on raising funds."

Voters on Shelter Island defeated an ambitious library expansion in a 2008 referendum, and Robotti said the board then decided on private fundraising because of the harsh economy and a desire to avoid raising taxes.

In a town with a year-round population of only 2,300, response was strong. There were 55 individuals and families who donated $500 to $50,000 or more on the library's 125th anniversary donor list.

Shelter Island's public library has gotten busier in the past few years. Patron visits nearly tripled between 2007 and 2010, from 24,128 to 74,848 as a result of new programs, technology and increased library use in general across Long Island, officials said. In addition, attendance at library programs nearly doubled, making it difficult for patrons to get to the books on the lower level, according to DiPaolo.

The lower level is also where the library stores items for its book sales, a popular program that generates more than $15,000 a year. DiPaolo said that as part of the renovations new stacks will be put in so that the 1,500 square feet the bookshelves now take up can be reduced, while a movable wall will allow two programs to be held on the lower level at the same time. The space will include a quiet reading area, and the library will be able to double its public computer terminals from four to eight.

Meanwhile, the library will search for places to move some programs during renovations. Under consideration are the American Legion youth center and local churches, DiPaolo said.

Upcoming events:

April 22 and every Friday: Discussion with local authors

May 7: Job fair

May 28: Book sale

July 8: Panel discussion on self-publishing

July 24: Poetry Project performances