A Roadmap to Re-Opening Library
Just an update on the happenings at the Libraries!
Foundation Plays Role in Awarded Grant
If you’re a resident of Clarksville, Ind., you may have noticed the local Clarksville Branch of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library under construction over the past few months.
That is because the library is in the midst of a $1.7 million renovation and expansion, thanks to a donation from the Duke Energy Foundation and the Town of Clarksville Redevelopment Commission.
The 1,723 square foot expansion includes the addition of a large meeting room, which can be divided into two smaller meeting rooms. Other features of the renovation include three study rooms with large screen monitors, 12 new computers, expansion of the teen area, addition of a self-check RFID system, and more.
However the crown jewel of the renovation will be a rain garden — complete with landscaping, a gravel walking path, and signage to identify plants and trees — to help mitigate stormwater runoff from the roof of the new addition. The rain garden will be a shallow depression that is planted with deep rooted native plants and grasses, allowing stormwater to be cleaned naturally by diverting polluted runoff from our waterways.
The hope of the library is that the rain garden will serve as an educational resource, teaching adults and children about the importance of planning for stormwater runoff, how rain gardens help minimize water pollution and the critical role native plants play in pollination.
It will also be mutually beneficial to both the Library and to Duke Energy, which is located across the street from the Clarksville branch. The renovations are intended to mitigate repeated flooding that has affected both the Clarksville branch and Duke Energy whenever there are heavy rain.
The Clarksville Branch Library project is being partially funded by a general obligation bond, a $75,000 grant from the Town of Clarksville Redevelopment Commission, a $17,850 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation, and private fundraising through the Jeffersonville Township Public Library Foundation.
Renovation Photos:
Changes Coming to Jeff, Clarksville Libraries
The Town of Clarksville Redevelopment Commission recently approved using $75,000 from local Tax Increment Financing funds to help with purchasing and installing new technology equipment for the ongoing renovation and expansion of the Clarksville Branch of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library.
A $5000 grant from WHAS Crusade for Children will be used to provide interactive and engaging computer programs and tablets designed to develop mental, emotional, and social skills in a fun, interactive format for special needs children at both the Clarksville branch of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library and the main JTPL library on Court Avenue in Jeffersonville.
The Clarksville expansion project features a 1,723 square foot extension with an abundance of new technology. New and renovated space includes a large new meeting room capable of being partitioned into 2 smaller rooms and 3 new study rooms
Thanks to this grant from the town of Clarksville, library director Libby Pollard says, “The upgrades and addition of technology at the Clarksville Branch Library will help insure that the residents of Clarksville have access to the latest technology. We will also utilize a new mobile lab to teach classes on email, internet, and Microsoft Office applications such as Microsoft Word. These classes will help Clarksville residents stay current with ever changing technology.”
Major renovations are also planned at the main JTPL library in Jeffersonville. The WHAS Crusade for Children grant, according to Pollard, “will allow the addition of new and supportive features for our special needs youth and their families, a long-term goal that highlights the library’s core values of fostering an inclusive community, providing friendly service, and encouraging lifelong learning” at both the main library and the Clarksville branch.
Examples of technology this grant may support include a computerized station full of interactive and engaging content focusing on seven curricular areas and children’s tablets pre-loaded with fun, educational games, movies, and apps, all focused on the needs and abilities of children with special needs.
New technology coming to both the Clarksville branch and the main JTPL library involves RFID – radio-frequency identification – technology, using electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track special tags attached to books, videos, DVDs and other library material. With the RFID tags customers will no longer stand in line to check out books with the capacity for self-checkout.
by Valerie McCarthy