Category: Expansion project

Lincoln Library has had a really good year, but the most exciting thing is knowing that this year we have set the gears in motion for a remarkable 2020. Occasionally, I will be chatting with someone about libraries in general when their face distorts into a grimace and their prediction concerning the future of libraries that comes out of their mouth is dire and foreboding. I concentrate on preventing my own face from doing weird things, because we have so many things going on here at Lincoln Library that it is difficult to stay up with it all!

We are expanding to the north of us and have already had one meeting with the architect, with a second one scheduled shortly after the first of the year. This is a huge project, but when it is finished, it will benefit the community in so many different ways. This includes space for meetings, events, activities, and classes. We are only in the beginning stages of figuring out the best way to use the space to serve our regular patrons and residents and how to fund the project through to its completion. Our ears and minds are open if you have ideas or suggestions you would like to share on any aspect of this undertaking.

Also, we have Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library up and running. You can drop by the library and pick up an enrollment form or you can go to imaginationlibrary.com and sign your child up online. Children under five years old are mailed a book each month. The first book will take 8 to 10 weeks to arrive.

We are in the process of putting the finishing touches on the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Lincoln Library, Hardtner Library, and Kiowa Library are all working together so the program will be uniform countywide. We should be ready to start enrolling children in the program by the middle of January!

2020 will be a year of nurturing the expansion project and these two programs into successful ventures. Excitement produced by these projects are what fuels the extra pep in our step around here to move forward with each of these projects. There is one more program that we want to get going here at Lincoln Library; I’ll tell you about that one next week!

We at Lincoln Library take small steps ahead every day as we complete our daily goals and inch forward on long-term goals. This week our stride was a little longer as we took an exciting step that we have been anticipating for quite some time.

After purchasing the Mason’s building north of us in August, we have discussed its future in detail. We made a list of the top priorities that we would like to see incorporated into this expansion and we shared that list this week with Bill Morris of William Morris Associates, an independently owned architectural office.

I know we have a long journey ahead before we see the completion of this project. We must finalize plans, address project funding, and secure a contractor, which all takes time. Once completed, this expansion will provide an ample amount of additional space that will not only benefit the library, but the community as a whole.