Sherman Free Library asks community for help

MORIAH | The Sherman Free Library, an integral part of the community since George Sherman first decided to share his personal book collection with the village in 1887, is sending out a humble but serious S.O.S. The library (on the National Register of Historic Places) has been privately funded the past 130 years thanks to two $10,000 endowments made in the 19th century, which Sherman believed would support the library "for all time." Miraculously, the library has been able to survive for the past century thanks to these endowments, town support, and some fundraising along the way. But in order to operate in the 21st century and bring the facility up to speed with more to offer the community, more capital is required. "Our operating budget we get for the town is enough to maintain us at a very baseline," explained Kris Jarrett, Sherman Free's librarian. "What we are looking to do is expand, and put ourselves on a better financial footing for the future as things become more expensive. The contribution from the town is not going to increase, so we are looking for funding to make us more sustainable." The library is turning to the town for support, looking to taxpayers to come to their aid in raising $45,000 a year. The board arrived at this figure after studying previous years' budgets, estimating future expenses and taking into consideration the higher cost of living and cost of business. "We understand nobody wants to pay more taxes and there is never a good time to ask taxpayers for more money, we understand that," admitted Sue Nephew, Board of Trustee President regretfully. "We have been struggling with this decision for a number of years and trying to stretch this money as long as we could. A third of our budget has been through fundraising but it's not sustainable. Our goal is to provide what the town needs and we hope the taxpayers will support the library so we will be able to accomplish our goal." The concept of a library being supported by taxpayers is not by any means unprecedented. Many libraries in the area are alive thanks to taxpayers, like Ticonderoga's Black Watch Library, whose budget is funded by the town. "In most communities, taxpayers support the library because they are municipal or school district libraries," Nephew said. "We were just fortunate George Sherman donated; we have been running for 100 years for less than the cost of a new car." Information the library received from Moriah Central School, which would collect the taxes through their school budget, estimated that the increase to taxpayers would be between $18 and $19 for a home assessed at $100,000 — roughly a nickel a day. Nephew said there are no grant opportunities available to help run the day-to-day operations, so that avenue isn't feasible. "There are grants for special events and programming, but no grants to pay the lights and the heat and the librarian," she added. "We have always been frugal; we don't spend money unnecessarily and the budget we are putting out to the people is bare bones. We have not bought any new books for the last five years. We can't keep doing it like this; we need to offer more for the public," she insisted. Nephew and Jarrett are in hopes that with taxpayer assistance, Sherman Free Library can usher in a new era and continue to cement themselves as a staple for the community. $45,000 a year would end their buying freeze and allow for there to be investments in new materials, new services, upgrading their technology and collection of books, DVDs, and puzzles, and holding more reliable hours, improving what the institution is able to offer the community. They are also eyeing increasing the frequency and quality of their public programming, which will be making a comeback for the first time since COVID on May 7 when guest speaker Tim Breeyear presents a history of the town of Moriah at 6 p.m., free to the public. "In a library, there is something called "the circle of success," said Nephew. "If a patron comes in and finds what they are looking for, they will return. If they don't, you have lost a patron, maybe forever. The Sherman Free Library needs to be adequately funded so we can grow and change and support our patrons. Adequate funding allows us to offer more programming and services and to provide more materials." The library's numbers don't lie. Community members and visitors alike are still very much utilizing and enjoying the remarkable resource many take for granted. In 2022 (bearing in mind the library held limited hours for the first third of the year due to the pandemic), Sherman Free served 1,740 patron requests, 1,214 of those in person, 205 via email, and over 300 taking advantage of the Wi-Fi, computer use, printing, and faxing. For 2023, the library is on track to handle 2,400 to 2,500 patron requests. "In February, one of the coldest and snowiest months, we had 165 visitors to the library," Nephew mentioned. "We still had people coming in; it's not that people don't want the library; it's not a dying institution. We need to find a way to save it." Jarrett and Nephew both know the value of a public library; they have lived it and breathed in and seen the social and educational impacts, most especially to children. A library is the tipping point where curiosity meets intellectual exploration, answers found and more questions created. "For some children, libraries can be a sanctuary," said Nephew. "They can find anything they need there. It helps them learn, travel the world, and discover new things. For some children, it's definitely a home away from home if they need it." Jarrett said that without fail, anytime someone new enters Sherman Free Library, they can't help but remark and praise the historic building. "I feel a duty to protect the building and the collection itself," Jarrett said. "The next thing they say is, 'I didn't know you had that,' or 'I didn't know I could do that here...' It's a lot more than just dusty old books. The staff, we are here to help; bring in any question and we will figure out how to answer it or point you to the person who can answer." The town vote will be held on May 23. The library itself will host the election. If residents fail to pass the vote, the library will be in dire trouble. "We would have to try again next year if it fails," Nephew said. "We are going to run out of money. Unless taxpayers pick up the expense, we would no longer have a library. "It would be a shame to see such a beautiful building be empty. The last thing our small town needs is another empty building. We don't want to see the end of an era and the library needs your help." Donations are always gratefully accepted and greatly appreciated throughout the year. Checks may be made payable to Sherman Free Library, located at 20 Church St. in Port Henry.

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Sherman Free Library asks community for help

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