Mississippi Library Association

Hancock Libraries reaching for new heights

Almost four years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the Hancock County Library System is poised to begin an exciting new era of rebuilding and revitalization as the library system strives to reach new heights in service to the communities of the Mississippi West Coast. Thanks to the cooperation of local city and county officials, the Library Board of Trustees and an energetic new library director, Patty Furr, a wave of construction projects are set to begin that will repair two of the library system’s branches and replace two other libraries that were destroyed by the storm surge of Katrina.

The next few months will see the beginning of the repairs to the Bay St. Louis and Kiln library branches and the ground-breaking ceremonies for the Waveland Public Library. County officials are also considering a project to rebuild the Pearlington Public Library and a totally new library facility for residents of East Hancock County, Fenton and Diamondhead.

Repairs will begin shortly on the flagship headquarters building in Bay St. Louis to remedy wind and water damage caused by Katrina. Although the building may not appear to be significantly damaged from the outside, damage to the roof, windows, sheetrock, insulation, exterior walls and doors will require extensive renovations and or replacement. The Library Board of Trustees has contracted with Flagstar Construction of Brandon, Mississippi to complete the repairs in both the public areas of the library and administrative areas of the Bay St. Louis space. Library Director Patty Furr is hoping that the library will be ready to reopen in November just in time for the library’s annual Tree Gala celebration.

“While we know it is difficult for our Bay St. Louis customers to wait another few months while the repairs are taking place,” said Furr. “We believe that the new library space will be worth the wait. New heating and air conditioning units have already been installed, and the repairs that will begin shortly will put the library back into tip-top condition.” In addition to the hurricane-related repairs, Furr is hoping to update many of the interior furnishings thanks to private donations from library supporters. “We have some funds for the project, but we welcome help from anyone who would like to help us replace some of our fourteen-year-old furnishings.”

While the renovation and repairs are completed to the Bay St. Louis library, customers can still find many of the same services are available in the temporary library in the double-wide trailer next to the library building. ”We know the public misses having their spacious, comfortable main library,” Furr said, “and the staff is eager to provide the full range of library services in the newly renovated space. We can’t wait to give the newly repaired Bay St. Louis library to the public as a wonderfully timed Christmas present.”

The Kiln Library is also scheduled to undergo the final repairs needed to bring the building up to its pre-Katrina condition as well. Several of the exterior doors will be repaired or replaced, ceiling repairs will be completed and the library meeting room will be repainted as well. Thanks to a grant to the Library Foundation of Hancock County from the Leo Seal Family Foundation, new multimedia equipment will soon be added to the Kiln meeting room. The new equipment will provide Internet access and graphic displays from DVD’s and computer presentations. Director Patty Furr comments, “This new equipment has been selected for its ease of use even by those who are not as tech-savvy as they would like to be. We thank the Leo Seal Family Foundation for bringing our Kiln library up to 21st century standards. Their support of technology projects in our libraries has already been so beneficial to Hancock County residents, and this meeting room project again will help us provide the latest technology to our communities.” The Seal Foundation has also provided the funding for the same equipment in the Bay St. Louis Meeting Room, and it will be installed and in place as soon as the building is reopened in November.

Thanks to the leadership of officials from the City of Waveland and the Hancock Library Board of Trustees, the new Waveland Public Library is set to debut on the corner of Coleman and Central Avenues sometime in late 2010 or early 2011. Groundbreaking for the new 8,000 square foot building will take place on the site on July 31 at 10:00 a.m., and construction is estimated to take 12-18 months. The new building will feature special areas for both children and teens, a ten-foot deep front porch with space for rocking chairs and a porte-cochere in the back of the building for passenger drop-offs.

“We are also very excited about opening the new Waveland Public Library in the fall of 2010,” continued Furr. “The furnishings and décor will be very reminiscent of the former space and reflect the coastal lifestyle that Waveland residents have always loved. When we are closer to the opening of the new space, we will be looking for donors to help us replace the wonderful beach-themed artwork that made the Waveland Library such a delight to its users. This building will be a wonderful place for current users and new residents alike to enjoy.” The Waveland Public Library is now located in a temporary trailer as part of the Gulf Coast Libraries Recovery Project through a grant from the Bill &. Melinda Gates Foundation, administered by the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET), which has recently been renamed LYRASIS. The temporary facility is a full-service library that holds approximately 5,000 items, including adult and large print fiction and non-fiction books, movies on DVD, books on CD, and a variety of children’s books. Library Board Chair Toni Larroux is grateful for the support from the Gates Foundation. “We can’t thank this organization enough for helping us restore library services and allowed us to have the latest technology in our temporary facilities. The library is such an important part of the rebuilding efforts there, and the support provided by the Gates Foundation has been invaluable in providing a full-service library for the residents.”

County officials are also considering restoring library services in a permanent facility for Pearlington residents, and a new facility for the residents of Diamondhead, Fenton and East Hancock County.
Along with the building and revitalization of the system’s facilities, a new emphasis on library programming will begin in the fall. Two new series are planned to appeal to a wide range of library patrons including working parents and those unable to attend the library’s traditional day-time events. The first series starting in September will be “Top Tips for Tough Times,” and will feature practical tips on how to save money and keep more of the paycheck that families now earn. Some of the topics offered will include “Depression Era Secrets for Cooking Low-cost Delicious Meals;” “Saavy Shopping Secrets for Buying More and Paying Less;” “Decorating on a Dime by Recycling Items from Estate Sales and Thrift Stores;” “Finding a Home You Can Love Without Bankrupting Your Budget.” More information about these and other programs in this timely series, which will be offered in the evenings starting in September, will be available in August.

A second series planned for 2010 will feature local artists who will share their particular area of expertise with beginners who are interested in learning a new craft or skill. The programs, which will be called “You Know, I’ve Always Wanted to Do That!” will feature close-up demonstrations and hands-on instruction in many different kinds of arts and crafts. Some topics that are being considered for the series include pottery, print-making, ceramics, working with stained glass, water color painting, sculpture, photography and even some cooking techniques like making home-made pasta and crafting sushi from scratch. More information about these classes, which will be held in the Bay St. Louis-Hancock County Library beginning in January, will be available in December and again shortly after Christmas.

The library system currently hosts its monthly Authors & Characters @ Your Library each month and the Kiln Public Library hosts the Second Friday Book Club each month as well. These programs offer those who are available to attend programs during the day with a forum to learn about current books and discuss them in a group setting.

Even though the library system is still largely in temporary quarters, over 3,000 people a month visit the various locations, and those figures will likely increase as the new library spaces become available. Thanks to a gift from the Gates Foundation, a final, large technology grant will become available shortly that will benefit just the Katrina libraries in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast and some of the libraries affected by Hurricane Rita as well. Director Patty Furr is excited about this final Katrina grant, “The Gates organization has asked us to evaluate our existing technology to see what needs to be replaced, and what new systems might benefit our customers the most as we bring the libraries that were lost in Katrina back. I will be proposing a new PC Reservation system with automated printing services that will allow patrons to reserve a computer at the library ahead of time from home, as well as an automated system for Internet printing. We also hope to get children’s computers with preloaded educational games for children from the age of pre-schoolers up through the upper elementary school grades. We want everyone to be able to find the technology that they need here at the library. It is one of our most important missions.”

With all of the new building projects and plans to revitalize library services, there will be many exciting developments ahead for each of the libraries that make up the Hancock County system. As each of the library branches begin to come back online, corresponding services like library programming, more computers for patrons and technology classes at libraries will begin to be offered again. The return of each of the Hancock libraries will likely give those who are considering a return to the Coast just one more good reason to come back home. Director Furr comments, “We consider these libraries to be part of the economic engine that will help spur new growth and encourage former Coastal residents to come home to Hancock County. I will be working each day to push the projects to completion as quickly as possible because they are so important to the communities they serve.”

Countywide public library services are provided with funding from the Hancock County Board of Supervisors and the Cities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland. The library’s webpage can be found at www.hancocklibraries.info.

Photo by Mary Perkins

Bob Garrett, left, Hancock County Library System Technical Services Department, and Jason Bans, HCLS Automation Manager, pack books to begin the Hurricane Repair Project at the Bay St. Louis-Hancock County Library.

Photo by Mary Perkins

Joel Johnston, Hancock County Library Service Maintenance Technician, stacks boxes of books begin packed by library staff to begin the Hurricane Katrina Repair Project at the Bay St. Louis-Hancock County Library.

Photo by Mary Perkins

Joseph Gelinas with John Fayard Movers load boxes and furniture into the truck to be taken to climate controlled storage.

Submitted by:
Mary M. Perkins
Public Affairs/Development Officer
Hancock County Library System

Entry Filed under: News
Posted on: July 17th, 2009