(July 30, 2015) Looking to spread a little awareness about its innovative new library, the Worcester County Library Foundation will hold a festival on Saturday, Sept. 26, with live music, guest speakers and activities for the family.
The BLOC [Berlin Library Our Community] party runs from 2-6 p.m. at the future site of the library near the Waystead Inn at intersection of Harrison Avenue and Main Street.
Public Relations Manager Lisa Outten Stant said the event officially begins the foundation’s capital campaign and is meant to bring the community together.
Admission will be free, with live music by WWIIunes throughout the afternoon. The event also will feature craft vendors and Burley Oak will set up a beer truck on the grounds of the Waystead Inn.
Stant promised there would be “tons of activities for kids and families” and compared the atmosphere to an outdoor fair.
The library will set up a table to solicit donations and memberships to the foundation. Organizers hope to raise approximately $300,000 in the coming months to pay for additional aspects of construction, which could start next year.
“We’ve got enough through the state and county to start construction,” Stant said. “This is for the special children’s area and the special meeting room that will also serve as a theater that needs to be done at building time. This would make the library completely state-of-the-art for the community.”
The Berlin Mayor and Council voted unanimously to approve the event on Monday.
“Everyone that’s heard about [the new library] seems to be very excited,” Mayor Gee Williams said during the meeting. “The potential is there.”
The county spent $430,000 to buy the 6.4-acre parcel of land for the new site in June. Plans for the library date back to 2006, when former Berlin Library Director Mark Thomas originally sent the county a capital improvement plan.
Stant said the town has outgrown the old 3,000-square-foot library.
“The Berlin circulation records and reports at the Berlin Library are off the charts,” she said. “People use that tiny little library and it’s just busy the entire time it’s open.
“We don’t have a meeting space there, but we continue to hold meetings and events there in spite of that,” Stant continued. “This is going to give us the opportunity to enhance what we already do and have bigger, better programs for the whole community. It’s something that’s been needed for several years.”
The new 11,000 square-foot building features additional space for community and performance groups, for more computers, more Wi-Fi ports, , a county history collection and an expanded area focusing on child and teen reading.
Stant said the architectural design is consistent with the town’s historic feel.
“It’s going to be fantastic,” she said. “We’re so excited. We want to make it a community hub for our youth, our seniors and everyone who uses our library.”
Tax-deductible donations can be made to the library by mail at Worcester County Library Foundation, Inc., 307 North Washington Street, Snow Hill, Maryland 21863.
For more information, or to donate online visit www.worcesterlibrary.org, or call Stant at 410-632-3970.
The BLOC [Berlin Library Our Community] party runs from 2-6 p.m. at the future site of the library near the Waystead Inn at intersection of Harrison Avenue and Main Street.
Public Relations Manager Lisa Outten Stant said the event officially begins the foundation’s capital campaign and is meant to bring the community together.
Admission will be free, with live music by WWIIunes throughout the afternoon. The event also will feature craft vendors and Burley Oak will set up a beer truck on the grounds of the Waystead Inn.
Stant promised there would be “tons of activities for kids and families” and compared the atmosphere to an outdoor fair.
The library will set up a table to solicit donations and memberships to the foundation. Organizers hope to raise approximately $300,000 in the coming months to pay for additional aspects of construction, which could start next year.
“We’ve got enough through the state and county to start construction,” Stant said. “This is for the special children’s area and the special meeting room that will also serve as a theater that needs to be done at building time. This would make the library completely state-of-the-art for the community.”
The Berlin Mayor and Council voted unanimously to approve the event on Monday.
“Everyone that’s heard about [the new library] seems to be very excited,” Mayor Gee Williams said during the meeting. “The potential is there.”
The county spent $430,000 to buy the 6.4-acre parcel of land for the new site in June. Plans for the library date back to 2006, when former Berlin Library Director Mark Thomas originally sent the county a capital improvement plan.
Stant said the town has outgrown the old 3,000-square-foot library.
“The Berlin circulation records and reports at the Berlin Library are off the charts,” she said. “People use that tiny little library and it’s just busy the entire time it’s open.
“We don’t have a meeting space there, but we continue to hold meetings and events there in spite of that,” Stant continued. “This is going to give us the opportunity to enhance what we already do and have bigger, better programs for the whole community. It’s something that’s been needed for several years.”
The new 11,000 square-foot building features additional space for community and performance groups, for more computers, more Wi-Fi ports, , a county history collection and an expanded area focusing on child and teen reading.
Stant said the architectural design is consistent with the town’s historic feel.
“It’s going to be fantastic,” she said. “We’re so excited. We want to make it a community hub for our youth, our seniors and everyone who uses our library.”
Tax-deductible donations can be made to the library by mail at Worcester County Library Foundation, Inc., 307 North Washington Street, Snow Hill, Maryland 21863.
For more information, or to donate online visit www.worcesterlibrary.org, or call Stant at 410-632-3970.