VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCBCPL) – The following is a news release and statement from the Valley City Barnes County Public Library.
“2024 was a very busy and enlightening year for the Valley City Barnes County Public Library! The decision was made in the fall of 2023 to pursue a new roof and restoration of the dome. The VCBC Library Board hired Michael J. Burns Architects LTD. to assess our needs for these projects and to manage the project once it was decided to move forward. The fundraising kick-off event was held in March of 2024 with construction scheduled to start in May. A great amount of planning and implementation went into preparing for the main part of the library to be closed off for the restoration of the dome, reinforcement of the roof structure, and installation of a new ventilation system in the attic. Nearly half of the library’s collection was moved offsite to storage. Many thanks go to the wonderful volunteers that helped move over 300 boxes of books to the upstairs level of the Encompass Family Support Services building. The offer of free storage during this project by Encompass Family Support Services allowed us to have a large space in which we could organize everything moved there and still have it accessible to patrons through a request process. The projects were completed at the end of September and thanks to our amazing supporters and friends of this library, the $450,000 total project cost is paid in full. Our 1903 Carnegie library building has been restored to its original glory and the new roof ensures we will keep it and all library materials safe from water damage. I am happy to be able to tell you that the constraints and limitations the construction process created during the summer in how we served our patrons, did not have a negative effect on the use of the library. In fact, our numbers for circulation, visitations, and programming increased again! As of December 31 st , 2024, a total of 29,413 physical and 17,408 digital checkouts took place. The approximate savings to our patrons for both physical and digital media totaled $858,424. We had a total of 21,468 library visitors during the year and 5544 people of all ages attended the free programs provided by the library. This library is a vital part of our community which provides a wide range of services, programs, and media to the diverse population of our community and county.
Unfortunately, our library is once again facing drastic limitations that may be imposed if our North Dakota Legislative body passes the latest library bill. SB 2307 is very concerning as it will affect the ability for families to freely use all areas of the library as they see fit. It will prohibit the library from hiring high school students for part-time work. It will most likely eliminate most if not all of our digital resources, including the Libby app since the bill proposed requires a method of age
verification and the library could not afford to have those types of systems in place. This bill will also take the authority of our Library Board to determine resolutions for challenged materials out of their hands and into the hands of our States Attorney if a person wishes to challenge the decision of the Library Board. It will also call for library funds to be suspended if the library does not comply with the States Attorney’s decision and for a misdemeanor penalty to anyone determined to have not followed the law. In response to this bill, Right to Read ND is organizing a “READ-OUT” event on Saturday, March 1 st , 2:00 – 2:30 pm. The event will take place at a library near you! So, the VCBC Public Library is looking forward to seeing your support during this event. Join me and others on the sidewalk around the library on Saturday at 2:00 pm! Bring a book to read in silence, a lawn chair if you like, and show your support for your library and your right to read. Please help us show our representatives that we do not need this bill! Visit www.legis.gov for more information or visit your local library.”
Anita Tulp, Valley City Barnes County Public Library director.