Keeping Up to Date on the New Library's Progress

The South Benton Library Project continues to advance ever closer to
securing the funds needed to begin construction on the anticipated new
library facility in Monroe that will serve the residents of south Benton
County for many years to come. In recent weeks an additional $50,000 has
been added to the project’ s coffers as a result of a grant awarded by The
Collins Foundation. The Collins Foundation, created in 1947 by Truman W.
Collins and other members of the family of E.S. Collins, is an independent
private foundation. The Collins Foundation exists to improve, enrich, and
give greater expression to the religious, educational, cultural, and scienti c
endeavors in the state of Oregon and to assist in improving the quality of
life in the state. The Foundation works through existing agencies and have
supported proposals submitted by colleges and universities, organized
religious groups, arts, cultural and civic organizations, and agencies devoted
to health, welfare and youth. This award is contingent upon raising the
balance of the necessary funds to complete the project.

This grant, along with recent awards from the Ford Family Foundation,
The James and Marion Miller Foundation, and the Meyer Memorial Trust,
strengthens the position of the Library Project in its application for a
Community Development Block Grant. The application for this federally
sponsored award was submitted in June and awardees will be announced this
August.

The Library Project has raised more than $840,000 since starting its capital
campaign in 2008. Tax-deductible contributions from the public toward
construction of the Library are still being accepted. Send checks made
payable to “ The South Benton Library Project” to PO Box 591, Monroe OR
97456.

Dorcas Smucker Visits Monroe!

The South Benton Library Project and the Monroe Community Library are sponsoring a free presentation by Dorcas Smucker, author, columnist, and engaging speaker, on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 7:00 PM. The program will be held at the Monroe Fire Hall meeting room at 680 Commercial St., Monroe. In this program titled "Making a Difference,” Dorcas shares her experiences growing up with libraries. Dorcas writes the "Letter from Harrisburg" column for the Register Guard and is the author of 3 books: Downstairs the Queen is Knitting, Ordinary Days: Family Life in a Farmhouse, and Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting: More Family Life in a Farmhouse. She will have her books available for purchase. Free and open to the public

The Reason Why... One of them anyway.

The Depot...why is the Historic Monroe Train Depot part of our South Benton Library Project? Why would we use it, when it looks like it is falling apart? There it sits, on the corner of HWY 99W and Ash St. in Monroe. It looks pretty lonely out there and in fact it looks a tad bit more decrepit than it did 4 years ago when we moved it to it's new home.

What a day that was! Do you remember? It was an early March morning, a little overcast and dark. But something remarkable was happening in Monroe! The Depot was being moved and in the process, it was given a reprieve from destruction. It was really a leap of faith for our group, the South Benton Library Project, to have the Depot moved. We didn't yet own the property where it was being moved, we didn't yet have any funds to pay for the move. We didn't even have a plan of how the Depot would be incorporated into the new library design. But we had a vision of what we didn't want to happen; the destruction of a landmark. The building was historic and a part of our South Benton history. The saving of it just fell into our laps. And yet, somehow it fit right into our plans.

I keep thinking about the Monroe train's arrival in town each day so many years ago. About the people meeting their families at the depot, about coming home, and about leaving for other places. Coming to the train depot back then was a destination and a departure place. By saving the Historic Monroe Train Depot and using it for our Community Library we will keep it's original use somewhat intact. This is what I mean: people coming to the library today come for many reasons and some are the same original reasons that they came to the Depot many years ago. They come today to meet people-haven't you "met" the characters in your favorite books at the library? Also, for many it is a home place-most of our town's kids have been raised coming to the library and are perfectly at home here. Most of these kids will grow up, have children of their own and bring them to the Monroe Library. And by checking out many of our books and material people can, in essence, depart for other places-even if it is only in their mind.

The Historic Monroe Train Depot will be incorporated into the new Monroe Community Library and once again it will take it's place in a town where people meet, gather and grow. What a welcoming place to be and a wonderful reason why.

An Impressive Quote from one of our Donors

From Megan Schumaker, Program Officer for Community Grants & Funds at the Oregon Community Foundation:

“The Oregon Community Foundation is impressed by the amount of support the South Benton Community Enhancement Association has garnered from local individuals and businesses. It is clear that construction of a new library is a high priority in the community, with more than two-thirds of Monroe-area households having contributed. John Gray, a prominent Oregon philanthropist and graduate of Monroe High School, has made a generous pledge to help complete the campaign and OCF is pleased to be part of this strong community effort.”

Guest Post from Nancy, SBLP's delightful Publicity Chairman

What a Thanksgiving! Two foundations and generous neighbors provide funding that keeps us chugging along toward realizing construction of the new library and community center we have been working for.

The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) generously awarded our efforts to build a new library and community center with $25,000 for the second consecutive year in support of our capital campaign to build a new library for the residents of South Benton County. Funds granted came from two specific philanthropic funds: the Kiilsgaard-Greene Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation ($550) and the Jerome S. and Barbara Bischoff Library Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation ($24,450). The foundation's generosity has helped us bring our total for funds raised to $868,689.



The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awards more than $60 million annually in grants and scholarships.



The Oregon Community Foundation makes grants through an application process that involves local citizens in the review and evaluation of requests for funds. Application materials are available through the foundation’s Portland office. Individuals or businesses interested in establishing fund may contact the Eugene office at 541.431.7099. Please visit OCF’s website for additional information at www.oregoncf.org.


The South Benton Library Project also received $50,000 from the Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust, providing considerable financial assistance toward construction and preconstruction expenses for the area’s new public library and community center. It is the intention of the Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust to contribute to organizations whose principal mission is to improve the quality of life of the citizens of Oregon and to assist and sustain the educational, cultural and scientific endeavors of the state.


In addition to grant funding, private and business donations to construction of the new library have exceeded $50,000. We are very grateful to the generous citizens and business leaders of our community and their commitment to the success of the capital campaign for construction of a much needed new public library in South Benton County.

Best Moments of My Week @ the Library-Nov. 15

-a patron who told me that she was cancer free!
-the confidence to not panic this past week during Storytime when the building's fire alarm went off- the ladies next door burnt their toast in the toaster oven! All the kids eyes sure got big!
-I followed a Christmas tree bailer into town on my way to the library...it's almost Christmas!
-one of the kids asked me after school, "Lori, did you forget to brush your hair today?"
-the kids at the library named the spider up in the corner, "Bob".
-the very next day, "Bob" went missing. I know he'll show up...when I least expect it!

Hope you had many wonderful "moments" in your week too!

Best Moments of My Week @ the library-- November 3rd

-two boys running into the library saying "Yeah! No one's on the kid's computer, we can have our turns!" (poor kids, they didn't realize there was only 3 minutes left before the library closed)


-teaching a patron how to print out a 52 page document double-sided and seeing the joy on his face to learn something new


-birthday flowers from Gloria!


-telling a patron "Yes, the new rotation of Large Print books will be here on Saturday!"


-having a volunteer tell me that there was compost under the chairs in the teen area! (how was I supposed to know that someone left a banana peel there during the summer?)


-coming in every day and seeing the large spider still up in that unreachable corner. Hey, if it's still up there it won't come running out at me when I move a box of books!

Patiently Waiting...

Yes, we are still waiting to break ground on the new library! After working on it for 3 years now, it can seem a little slow moving; even to me. Not a day goes by without someone asking at the library just how the new building project is coming along. So I thought that I would update the blog (wondering if anyone really reads this!) just in case we have anyone who is peeking in to see where we are at.

This past Monday we had our monthly South Benton Library Project board meeting. Each month, our faithful group gathers to report on the progress they've made for the past few weeks. There are our fund raising gurus, our event queen, our construction wonderguy, our city council liaison and more who each bring his or her dedication to the table. All in all we have about 12 very loyal and hard-working volunteers behind the scenes. They are making it happen. Getting the job done.

You might not see the progress they are making... but it's happening, I assure you. Grants have been written and submitted, meetings with Benton County Commissioners have happened, City Council members' hearts have been won over to the project and construction drawings have been drawn. There has been tons of action going on behind the scenes.

So why, people ask me, isn't the train on the depot sign moving? Good question! It's because we have been sitting on our 44% dollar figure for a long time now. But we have been making the most of that 44%! At this past meeting I heard a wonderful phrase used by our construction wonderguy. He said we are "bid ready". Meaning all we need is the rest of the money and we can start with the bidding process and then break ground and build. So what's the hold up? We are waiting to hear back from grants that have been written and submitted. The total amount on all these grants, if awarded to us, would bring us to 100% of the funds we need to break ground and build the new library.

That's why I'm waiting... patiently.

Wine in Paradise!

On Saturday, April 3rd, South Benton Library Project will host a benefit to raise money for the new library in South Benton County. This event is being billed as a "Winemaker's Dinner Art & Wine Auction. The evening will be filled with fantastic wine, food and art and is being sponsored by Broadley Vineyards and Paradise Springs.

6 PM No-Host Bar with viewing of Art & Wine Auction items
7 PM Dinner by Marche' of Eugene - followed by Auction

At Paradise Springs Event Center
25674 Cherry Creek Rd.
Monroe, OR 97456

Tickets are $75 and available at the following locations:

Monroe Community Library: In person or by telephone
668 Commercial St., Monroe 541-847-5174

Corvallis-Benton County Public Library: no telephone reservations
645 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis

Another Author Visit this Saturday, Feb. 13

This Saturday, Feb. 13th, at the Monroe Fire Hall the South Benton Library Project will welcome author Diane L. Goeres-Gardner to speak. Award winning Ms. Goeres-Gardner has written two Oregon history books; "Necktie Parties: The History of Legal Executions in Oregon, 1851-1905" and "Murder, Morality and Madness: Women Criminals in Early Oregon". We will be entertained and informed with her research using photographs and slides focusing on how women were treated by the legal system in Oregon during the 1800's. Ms. Goeres-Gardner has another book, "Roseburg" due to be released in March 2010 also. Here are the details:

Where: Monroe Fire Hall
680 Commercial St.
Monroe, OR
When: Saturday, February 13, 1:00-3:00
Cost: Free!
Contact info: Lori Pelkey 541-847-5174

Different Christmas Readings

I shocked one of my patrons the other day by telling him that I owned a Kindle 2. I was similarly shocked to find that I had shocked him! I have had my Kindle 2 for several months and I am in no wise ready to throw books out the back door to make room for a library full of e-book readers. But it made me think about a conversation I had earlier that very day with a 90 year old patron who was scandalized that someone would want to "read" a book on CD or cassette! To him, a book on CD was just as shocking as an e-book reader was to another "younger" patron. Makes you wonder what will sound strange and scandalous to my generation on the book front in another 40 years!

In the mean time I have enjoyed my Christmas reading this year on several book fronts. I've read, the old fashioned way with actual books in hand, several Christmas stories to the kids here at Storytime. Including a new favorite, "A Pirate's Night Before Christmas" by Philip Yates. I've read, on my iPhone, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. I've read, via Book on CD, "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck and I've read, on my Kindle 2, (my personal favorite) "A Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore. One book I'd really like to get my hands on is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss. The $3.99 interactive version can be bought on my iPhone through iTunes... but I think I'll hold out for the real thing. I'll put it on hold using our library's catalog and anxiously wait my turn for it to get here.

Oregon Community Foundation Grant Awarded

South Benton Library Project is the recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Jerome S. and Barbara Bischoff Library Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation! This grant will be used to assist with the capital campaign to build a new library for residents of Monroe and South Benton County. This is another wonderful show of support for our new library. Each time a grant is awarded to our project we get closer and closer to seeing our dream of a new library become a reality!

On behalf of the South Benton Library Board a big round of applause goes out to our architect, Lori Stephens of Broadleaf Architecture in Corvallis, Oregon. She's responsible for the design of our future library building. We all love it and anxiously await the reality of seeing our new library on the corner of HWY99 and Ash St. in Monroe!

Please also see the nice article in today's Corvallis Gazette-Times newspaper.

http://gazettetimes.com/news/local/article_0728265a-eab2-11de-85b5-001cc4c03286.html?mode=story

Library Closed for Veterans Day

The library will be closed tomorrow, November 11, in honor of Veterans Day. We will open again on Thursday at 10:00.

Gazette Times News Article!

Please click on this link (the word "share" below to be taken to the nice article that was in the newspaper on Oct. 29, 2009.

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Bob Welch coming to Monroe Library!

Welch Poster

10 things seen at the Monroe Library...

1. 12 tiny pumpkins waiting to be picked up by Story Time kids
2. Children's author Alexandra Day and her dog Carl
3. The newest Skippyjon Jones book, "Skippyjon Jones, Lost in Spice"
4. 10 shelves full of patron holds waiting to be picked up (it used to be 3 shelves!)
5. 8 shelves full of DVDs waiting to be checked out (it used to be 2 shelves!)
6. A $500 check granted from Sterling Savings for SBLP (thanks Bobbye!)
7. The entire back room spotlessly shelved in Dewey Decimal order... thanks Monroe Subs!
8. A few sick patrons looking for books to tide them through the flu. (Yikes!)
9. 8 little boys crowded around one children's computer playing one game together!
10. One happy Lori back from vacation and taking care of everyone's information needs in Monroe.

Long Time; nothing posted

It's been a long time since I've posted anything about the new library. I apologize for the long delay between posts. It's been an extremely busy Spring and Summer here at the Monroe Community Library. Fall is upon us, our Monroe school children will be back to school next week and that gives me some hope that it might quieten down long enough for me to post some updates! I will be posting more in the next few days with all the latest that's been happening toward the new library and some fun things that have happened here in our old library. Here are a few things that I'll be posting about:

1. Our awesome South Benton Library Project Board.
2. The new sign that was just made for the Train Depot showing how much money we've made toward the new library
3. Our wonderful Summer Reading Program and how extremely kind Monroe's Fire Chief, Rick Smith was, who moved out the fire trucks each week so more than 100 kids would have a place to enjoy some great performers!
4. An exciting childrens' author coming to visit with her friendly dog she writes about!

Stay tuned!

This is a picture of the sticker I made to wear at the library today... I want to tell everyone in town that today is a great day for the South Benton Library Project! We now OWN THE LAND! It's been a long process and I'm so happy to be able to say, we now own the land where the New Monroe Community Library will be built and where the historic Monroe Train Depot now sits. This is a wonderful day and in the words of our Deputy Library Director, Teresa Landers,

"As we all know this is a MAJOR milestone in the process. A big thanks to Roger (Irvin, President of South Benton Community Enhancement) for understanding the technical details of such a purchase and to Lori S.(Stephens of Broadleaf Architecture) and Roger for following through on the various steps that had to happen to make this a reality. We also owe the (Benton) County Commissioners for putting their own interests aside and letting us negotiate on our own. And, of course, to our generous donor for providing the funds that made all this possible."

Please pass on the word to everyone in our community about this happy milestone on our journey to a new library!

All Aboard for the New Monroe Library!

Last night South Benton Library Project hosted a Kickoff Event at the Monroe High School Commons. South Benton Community Enhancement's President, Roger Irvin, was on hand to emcee for the event. First, City of Monroe's mayor, Frank Thayer spoke about the growth of our city and how the new library building will be a beautiful gateway into our town. Then Corvallis-Benton County Public Library's Director, Carolyn Rawles-Heiser spoke on behalf of our library system. After her, Monroe's Community Library Specialist, Lori Pelkey, spoke of how important it is to provide a place for our many young people who have discovered their library in the past few years. Having captured our children's attention with books and other library material, it's important to not lose their interest! A bigger library will provide a place for all ages to meet and enjoy what our wonderful library has to offer. From there, architect Lori Stephens, from Broadleaf Archtecture was there to show off the model of the new library and to give us a virtual preview of what the new library will look like, inside and out. We rounded out the evening with a question and answer session. Refreshments were served throughout the evening and everyone enjoyed viewing the model of the new library displayed along with a model train.

Register Guard Newspaper Article

Here's a great story on how we're growing and why a new library is so important to our local community.

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/sevendays/11328894-35/story.csp