Valatie Free Library

Results: In the past ten years, the library has seen a literal explosion of activity; in 2002, the library offered just six programs for the public; last year, almost 140. Program attendance is up more than 1000 percent. Over a decade ago, the Board of Trustees commissioned an independent Feasibility Study, which concluded that the Valatie Free Library had outgrown our 600 square foot cottage--the space we still occupy on Church Street. Since then, a 2008 report from the U.S. Census Bureau found ours to be the only traditional population center in Columbia County that has experienced growth during the past decade. Importantly, also during the past ten years, our library's program attendance has risen 1000% (program statistics provided by Mid-Hudson Library System). The recent purchase of the 'Kinderhook Steam Railroad Freight Barn' for approximately one-half of the original listing price was a bold and prudent, visionary and results-based move by the Board of Trustees to make the most of the library’s cash assets, while simultaneously acquiring a landmark location and more than tripling the library’s operating space. The building was purchased with Capital funds sourced and solicited specifically for this long-range expansion project. In addition, the turn-around driveway at this location provides adequate parking for events and patrons; the half-acre property allows ample room for future expansion if ultimately needed. ‘The Library We Want’ Capital Campaign will raise funds for the retrofitting and expansion of the building to better serve our patrons and the greater community for years to come.

Target demographics: The children’s library is an important entrée to education, as children often visit their neighborhood library even before they enroll in preschool. An overall average of one-quarter of the area population is under the age of nineteen. Current population of the village of Valatie is 1,819 (source: US census 2010), and shows 26% of the population to be under the age of nineteen; the hamlet of Niverville (2010 population 1,662) shows 23% of its population under the age of nineteen. Combined with the Niverville population and the outlying rural areas served by Valatie’s library, the total chartered client base is nearly 4,400.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 4400

Geographic areas served: The Valatie Free Library serves the village of Valatie, the hamlet of Niverville, Kinderhook Lake, and the surrounding area of rural Kinderhook in Columbia County along the scenic Hudson River Valley of New York State.

Programs: Current library programs include weekly story hours, craft workshops, foreign language classes, tutoring, summer programs, and special events for children; Monthly Book Club, cooking classes, Knitting Club; computer and craft workshops for adults. In the past ten years, the library has seen a literal explosion of activity; in 2002, the library offered just six programs for the public; last year, almost 140. Program attendance is up more than 1000 percent. “Ten years ago we could fit programs outside, weather permitting, or inside the library after regular operating hours. Now, we conduct programs in a local church hall, a former village café, and the library. Scheduling events has become a challenge as we work around usage by other groups and try to fit larger groups of children into our current very small building,” says library director Elizabeth Powhida. “In the current library, seating and workspace are very limited. It is difficult and sometimes impossible to have room for tutors and their students, patrons using laptops, and people reading a newspaper or book at the one table [we have]. To accommodate this usage, we set up card tables in corners, making a crowded facility even more crowded,” says Powhida.