SALISBURY — The town's pursuit of a bigger, better library has won the approval of the state Board of Library Commissioners.
But Salisbury will have to wait a while longer to receive funding for half of the approximately $7.7 million construction project.
Last Thursday, the Board of Library Commissioners placed Salisbury on its waiting list for funding. Salisbury was ranked fifth out of 15 communities on the wait list.
"When the funds become available, a provisional grant award will be in the amount of $3,856,187 for the Salisbury Public Library construction project," Robert Maier, director of the Board of Library Commissioners, wrote in his letter to the town.
The commission approved funding library projects this year in Everett, Grafton, Granby, Shutesbury, South Hadley, West Springfield and West Tisbury, with partial funding awarded to Athol. On the wait list ahead of Salisbury are Athol (for the remainder of its money), Reading, Belmont and Edgartown.
Salisbury Library Director Terry Kyrios was delighted at the news that the town would eventually be receiving funding for 50 percent of the library construction costs.
Kyrios and Town Planning Director Lisa Pearson said getting wait-listed is actually a big plus for Salisbury. It gives the town time to organize a fundraising effort to raise the community's share of the construction cost as well as funds to furnish the new library.
Pearson said the town will submit grants to private foundations as well as to the federal government, which also distributes money for town libraries.
The more money Salisbury's library supporters can raise, the less money the taxpayers will be asked to underwrite — most likely through bonding — to provide the matching funds for construction. The match is a requirement of receiving the state grant.
Kyrios said at this point, no one knows when the state money will be available or when the next round of state library grants will come along. But should any of the communities ahead of Salisbury pull out because they are unable to raise the matching funds, Salisbury can move up the list.
Salisbury Public Library in many ways serves as the center of the community. But at just 3,000 square feet, the current library is full to bursting, with books everywhere. Kyrios said she is often forced to get rid of an existing book on the shelves to make room for new ones.
There's also increasing demand for use of the library's small bank of public computers and even space for laptop owners, who visit the library to use its wireless Internet access, she said.
"We're running out of electrical outlets," Kyrios said. "There's always a waiting line to use our computers and we're totally out of shelf space in our history section and in our young adult section. We have books on the windowsills and on rolling carts, and there are no free tables because that's where our DVD and audio tape selections are kept."
Book loan circulation is more than 40,000 annually, she said, and regular children's programs — like a recent puppet show — draw almost 100 children along with assorted adults into a cramped space.
The town began the process for a library expansion in 2007, when it received a feasibility grant to look into whether a demand for more and better library services existed, Pearson said.
The Library Building Committee used the results of the feasibility study to craft a plan that incorporates items and services high on residents' priority list. The final plan was approved by Town Meeting and sent to the state Board of Library Commissioners this year.
Selectman Henry Richenburg and Town Manager Neil Harrington recently praised Pearson, Kyrios, the Building Committee and members of the library community for a job well done.
Kyrios said the library's Board of Trustees and its Friends group are ready to now shift into fundraising mode in hopes of garnering financial support from residents, visitors, businesses and library users. No donation will be too big or too small.
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