Richmond Memorial Library

After a lack of heat closed Richmond Memorial Library for the first part of this week, it looks like the Ross Street facility will have a warm re-opening on Thursday, Director Robert Conrad says.

“I was just in the office to pick up some things and the furnace seems to be repaired. Everything was toasty warm 70-degrees,” he said to The Batavian Wednesday evening. Although I’m told that they're waiting on some parts for a permanent fix, I’d consider it patched.”

Conrad oversees direct library operations, whereas the actual building and grounds at 19 Ross St., Batavia, are owned and maintained by the city school district. The library has been closed this week due to an aging heating/ventilation/air conditioning system not working properly. A repair that began on Tuesday required additional parts to make the furnace fully functional, Conrad said from what he’d been told by a senior custodian. 

The Batavian emailed questions to City Schools Director of Facilities Jason DeGraff and left a message for comment at the office of the Building and Grounds superintendent Wednesday. This article will be updated with any reply from the school district.

To Conrad’s understanding, city facilities staff was working with contractors and suppliers earlier Wednesday to obtain the necessary parts to fix the problem, he said. 

“I would have to defer any further questions to them, simply because the building/heating are beyond the scope of my training and duties,” he said Wednesday. “I doubt whether there will be an unexpected cost for the school district, as I understand that they budget to replace building infrastructure at the end of its useful life, which our heat system — as I understand — already was.”

Chilly temperatures aside, Conrad has other things on his mind besides a lack of heat. An upcoming Local Authors Fair will be happening in April, he said, with authors from Genesee, Erie and Monroe counties. Other exciting news is the debut of new library cards and a logo, plus a reading therapy dog. Details of both events are to be released in March and April, he said.  A library budget vote and trustee election in May, followed by the Summer Reading Program in June, round out the next five months of activities, he said. 

The library is expected to resume its normal hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 
 

Top photo: Robert Conrad, director of Richmond Memorial Library, is seen in a file photo taken by Howard Owens at the Ross Street library.

Press release:

Due to a mechanical failure of the library's heating system, we will remain closed through today, Wednesday, January 19.

Press release:

The Richmond Memorial Library will be closed today (Tuesday, January 18) while the building custodian and facilities personnel try to restore heat to the building, which stopped functioning overnight for unknown reasons.

Press release:

Join the Richmond Memorial Library in assisting families in need in our community.

The RML Teen Programming Group will sponsor a food drive collection from November 1st-November 19th, 2021 at Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St, Batavia.  Below are some suggestions of acceptable items. Please make sure all items are not past expiration and are non-perishables!  A donation bin will be located in the foyer of the library and donations can be dropped off during regular library hours.  Donations will be delivered to the Salvation Army.  Questions can be directed to Teen Services Librarian Felicia Cecere (fcecere@nioga.org) or at 585-343-9550 ext. 1516 or Library Assistant Ellen Brokaw (ebrokaw@nioga.org).

Suggested Items for Donation:

Boxed Stuffing Mix, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Jars of Gravy (or Gravy Mix Packets), Canned Yams, Cranberry Sauce, Canned Vegetables, Cornbread Mix, Canned Pie Fillings, Pie Crust Mix, Box Dessert Mixes, Drink Mixes, Coffee, Tea, Crackers, Foil Baking Pans, Paper Products.

Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross St in the City of Batavia. The library is open Mon-Thurs 9 am - 9 pm and Fri & Sat 9 am - 5 pm. For more about the library, visit batavialibrary.org

Press release:

Now in its third year, Richmond Reads is the community one-book program for the Richmond Memorial Library community. Meant to bring the community together through a shared reading experience, this year’s selection is The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin.

The 2021 Richmond Reads program is in full swing with a busy schedule of events and discussions centered on this year’s selection. A story of hope, found family and reconciliation, The Music of Bees is Eileen Garvin’s first novel and was published in April of 2021.  When three strangers find themselves thrown together by chance on a honeybee farm, they discover more than they ever expected- in the bees and in each other.

Copies of the book can be borrowed through Richmond Memorial Library or accessed through the library’s OverDrive app as an eBook or audiobook. Copies are also available to purchase at the library for $15, cash or check.

Programs and events:

The Music of Bees Book Discussions- Wednesday, October 13 at 9 am,  Saturday, October 16 at 10 am  or Monday, October 18 at 6:30 pm: Join us for a discussion of The Music of Bees!  The only requirement to attend a book discussion is to read the book! All discussions will take place at the library. No registration required.

Richmond Reads Reel Discussions- Thursday, October 14 at 6 pm:  Join us at the library for a screening of The Vanishing of the Bees (2009), followed by a discussion. This documentary “takes a piercing investigative look at the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee.” (imdb.com) No registration is required.

Virtual Author Visit! Thursday, October 21 at 7 pm: Author Eileen Garvin will visit from Oregon via Zoom. She will present a book talk and answer questions! Those who are unable to access Zoom from home are invited to watch the program at the library. Please register for either viewing option by calling 585-343-9550 x3 or at batavialibrary.org. Three winners will be randomly chosen from registered attendees to win a signed copy of the book! Winners or a representative must be able to pick up their prize from the library. Registration is required.

Richmond Reads Review Contest: Write a review of The Music of Bees for a chance to win a copy of the book signed by the author and $50 to a local restaurant! All rules, information, and the review form can be found at batavialibrary.org/richmond-reads or at the reference desk at the library. Firm submission deadline: Monday, October 18 at 5 pm. Submissions will be reviewed anonymously by the Richmond Reads Committee and two winners will be chosen. Winners or a representative must be able to pick up their prize from the library.

Richmond Reads is sponsored by The Friends of Richmond Memorial Library.  For more, visit batavialibrary.org/richmond-reads. Questions about the program can be directed to Community and Adult Services Librarian and Richmond Reads coordinator Samantha Basile at 585-343-9550 x8.

Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross St in the city of Batavia. For more events and information, visit batavialibrary.org or find us on Facebook at Richmond Memorial Library or Instagram @batavialibrary.

Nioga Library System personnel have gone above and beyond to provide essential services in the face of a global pandemic that continues to rock our way of life.

That’s the message conveyed Monday by four Genesee County library directors and the executive director of the 21-member Nioga Library System, who appeared before the Genesee County Legislature’s Human Services Committee to seek the same level of funding in 2022 as in this year and to articulate how they have responded to the challenges to meet the needs of their clientele.

The committee received a letter from Kimberly Gibson, library manager at Haxton Memorial Library in Oakfield, asking the legislature to sustain the current 2021 level of $41,680 to support the purchase of library materials for county residents.

County funding covers about 13 percent of Genesee’s six public libraries budget for materials and technology, such as computers, books, music, movies and magazines – including downloadable information, Gibson wrote.

“As we work to maintain our levels of service to our patrons during these difficult times, we face rising costs across the board and, for some of our libraries, we are working with a budget that was drastically cut from the prior year,” the letter continued.

During the meeting, Gibson reported that her library’s budget was slashed by 30 percent and the Byron-Bergen Public Library’s budget was cut by 20 percent.

Nioga Executive Director Tom Bindeman said the network, as a whole, has suffered budget cuts over the past several years.

They were joined at the meeting by Robert Conrad of Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia, Josselyn Borowiec of Hollwedel Memorial Library in Pavilion and Diana Reding of Corfu Public Library. The Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy is the county’s sixth public library (and all are part of the Nioga system).

All of the state’s libraries closed around March 17, 2020, because of COVID-19 and many were closed up to 16 weeks.

Conrad said the six county libraries were able to coordinate their reopenings for limited service around June 1 and it wasn’t until June of this year when they were able to drop most of the other restrictions.

During that “down time,” librarians followed all of the Center for Disease Control guidelines, Gibson said, including social distancing, mask wearing, temperature checks of employees, frequent cleaning, purchase of Personal Protective Equipment, putting up of plexiglass and computer keyboard protection.

“We did whatever we had to do to get to the place where we could reopen,” she said. “Keeping day-to-day safety last year and into this year has been our priority.”

Contacted yesterday, Conrad said that Richmond Memorial Library staff was able to open for browsing and checkout, “but our restrictions included no general seating and, consequently (and ironically), no reading as well as no in-person programs and only essential computer use.”

Libraries conducted programs, such as the Richmond Reads author visit, children’s story times and movie streaming via Wi-Fi, Conrad added.

Broadband connection to the Internet is critical to libraries’ operational success – a point brought up by Bindeman at the committee meeting.

Noting that 40 percent of Genesee County does not have Internet access, he urged lawmakers to do what they can to provide access to its residents. County Manager Matt Landers said they are aware of the gaps in coverage and have a plan to address the situation as money allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act can be used for broadband.

Bindeman also mentioned that many people, young and old, don’t know how to use a computer or smart phone, and he hoped to institute a plan where libraries and municipalities could provide more training in that area.

Libraries have been up and running for several weeks now and are offering their complete range of services.

Gibson said the computers continue to be “social distanced” and face coverings are required for those who have not been vaccinated.

“We’re grateful to learn that when we reopened how much we were actually missed,” Gibson offered, adding that a silver lining was that the Oakfield library was able to build its social media presence during the shutdown.

At Richmond, masks are required as long as the county's rate of transmission is at substantial or higher, and in the Children's Room until a vaccine has been made widely available for school-aged population.

Conrad said that he believes the 2 ½ months or so that all of the libraries were closed in 2020 represent the first time in the state’s history that its people were not served by libraries of any kind.

The Byron-Bergen Public Library and Haxton Memorial Library are looking to forge agreements with the B-B Central School District and Oakfield-Alabama Central School District, respectively, over the next couple years to be able to receive funding from property taxes as voted on by the public.

Hollwedel Memorial Library in Pavilion became a school district-supported facility last year, joining Richmond Memorial, Woodward Memorial and Corfu Public Library.