Director of the Little Valley Library, Gretchen Taft looking for healthcare information for June Baase

Little Valley
Library Expansion Completed
(12/19/2008)

Eight years of dogged fundraising from traditional raffles to the not-so-traditional sponsoring of gun shows culminated last month with the completion of the Memorial Library of Little Valley expansion and renovation project.

Following a groundbreaking ceremony on June 22, attended by New York State Senator Catherine Young, earnest work began on the expansion project. The addition, which roughly doubles the size of the current library, includes a community meeting room in addition to more space for shelving.
Memorial Library Board Vice President John Rembold explained that the addition now accommodates an expanded adult section, including its own casual reading section. The juvenile section also has its own reading area now, as well, added Rembold.

The new community room hosts a small kitchenette and bathroom for groups who want their meetings to be contained in one area. The library plans on allowing groups to use the room during hours when the library would normally be closed, “a way of giving back to the community which has been so generous in donating to this project,” noted Rembold. The community room will allow privacy to groups using it, while minimizing disruption to library patrons.

While Library Director Gretchen Taft acknowledged the many community donors, she also wanted to give special credit to Sen. Young for her successful efforts to obtain state grants for the building project. The library also received a New York State library construction grant.

A grand opening will be announced after the first of the year. Meanwhile, the public is invited to stop in to check out the new accommodations, “as well a few good books,” added Taft.

Fundraising will continue to buy furnishings and pay for upgrades not included in the original budget. “Like everything else these days, costs have jumped dramatically since we set our first budget,” noted Rembold. Donations to the building fund are always appreciated.

The Memorial Library of Little Valley is a member of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System. Regular hours are Monday and Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., then 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.; Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. For more information, contact the library at memliblv@atlanticbb.net, or 716-938-6301.