The Foundation urges Tolland residents to attend the June 11 public hearing at 7:30 p.m. at town hall to urge the town council to give residents a chance to vote on the proposed $2.6 million library expansion project.

Here’s a statement the Foundation’s board of directors has issued about the project:

We, the board of directors of the Tolland Public Library Foundation, have urged the Tolland town council to approve the exciting expansion of the Tolland Public Library into the old Hicks gym at Town Hall.
We hope residents will also support the project, which Town Manager Steven Werbner has proposed in the five-year capital budget plan.
The library is already the only town building routinely used by Tolland residents of all ages, and we believe the expansion will allow it to evolve into a true community gathering place.
Some residents may underestimate the role and potential for a modern library to be an information center and a community hub.
They may not know that already, many unemployed people – from their 20s to their 50s – spend their days at the library using its computers because they can no longer afford to pay for cable or Internet services at home.
There’s a lively buzz in the library on weekday afternoons when students gather in its safe setting to do their homework and work with tutors.
The library is a vibrant place for parents to take their children to share the adventure of reading with them. It is also a comforting place for seniors to come to relieve the isolation of living at home.
With technology changing rapidly, the library is more valuable than ever as a place where trained professionals can guide residents of all ages on how to make sense of social media, the Internet and computer software.
Demand is high, for example, for e-books, and the library and Foundation directors have held several demonstrations of how to use e-readers and computer databases funded by the Foundation, such as Ancestry.com and Consumer Reports. Without the library, some residents would have little knowledge of how to access this changing landscape.
The library is evolving, and residents can evolve along with it if this project is approved. For example, the project would provide for expanded patron seating and increased access to the library’s books, computers, films, music and magazines.
There will be more room for children’s and parents’ programs and materials, giving families more opportunities to learn together.
The expansion would provide a permanent area for the sale of used books, which can bring in revenue for the library.
It will include specialized spaces such as a coffee bar for residents of all ages to gather and space for businesspeople to charge their phones and use the free wi-fi service.
The project would also provide meeting space for community groups, tutoring sessions and study groups, so those patrons can talk in the library without disturbing other patrons.
The library staff holds dozens of programs each year and circulates thousands of books each year.  The current layout and program room, however, are major impediments to holding even larger events.
The program room has a legal capacity of 40 people and is only 800 square feet. The Foundation, therefore, has had to move popular events into the main room of the library to meet the demand for residents. For example, more than 60 people attended a session in October on how to pay for college. Demand was so high, another session was held in December, attended by 30 people. Still more people want to come again, so another session was added for April 10.
Holding such an event in the main part of the library is disruptive to other patrons who have come in for a quiet place to read or conduct research.
The larger program room in the plans would be 1,200 square feet – a size that would allow the library, Foundation and Friends of the Tolland Public Library to hold larger events in the proper setting.
The current library is cramped, outdated and smaller than libraries in similar towns. Here are some comparisons to other public libraries in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut State Library:

Town                          Population                          Library size in square feet

Tolland                           15,052                                13,348

Ellington                         15,602                                 28,000

Colchester                       16,068                                 20,000

Seymour                          16,540                                18,000

Stafford                           12,087                                17,500

Suffield                           15,735                                 14,299

Mr. Werbner tells us the project’s cost will have a minimal impact on the town’s debt burden and will not require an increase in the tax rate. With interest rates and bidding on contracts at low levels, now is an advantageous time to take on such a project. The design also includes an elevator, which will make the town hall fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
For all of the above reasons, the Foundation would like to be the town council’s partner in gathering support in the community for this expansion.

Author Dawn Metcalf

TOLLAND – Have you ever dreamed of writing a book for young adults? Are you a fan of dark, fantasy novels? Then the Tolland Public Library Foundation has a program for you.
Author Dawn Metcalf will speak at the Tolland Public Library Saturday, June 8 about “The Wild, Wonderful World of Writing Young Adult Literature.”
Her talk, which will be held at the library at 21 Tolland Green at 11 a.m., is part of the Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series and its “Year of the Young Adult” initiative.
Metcalf, who describes her work as “dark, quirky and sometimes humorous speculative fiction,”will discuss her writing career and offer valuable advice on the publishing business.
A Chicago native who now lives in northern Connecticut, Metcalf is the author of “Luminous” (Dutton, 2011) and “Indelible,” which will be published in July by Harlequin Teen.
Her books – and her talk – are aimed at teens over 14 or anyone interested in writing for that age group.
“Luminous” features a Latina teenaged protagonist, Consuela Chavez, who learns she has the power to slip out of her earthly skin and craft new skins from water, fire and air. Metcalf said her character grew out of the question “why aren’t there more minority superheroines?”
Her latest book follows the story of Joy Malone as a dangerous mistake plunges her into “a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep and a life that will never be the same.”
The free talk is open to the public, but registration is required. For more information or to register, call the library at 860-871-3620.
The series, funded by the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment, has previously brought writers Denis Horgan, Susan Schoenberger, Jeff Goldberg, Lucy Anne Hurston, Jane Haddam and P.W. Catanese to town.
About the Tolland Public Library Foundation
The Foundation was established in 1996 to receive donations to benefit the Tolland Public Library and to enhance library services beyond what the town budget provides. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the Tolland Public Library Foundation, Inc., 21 Tolland Green, Tolland,
CT 06084.
About the Year of the Young Adult
This initiative by the Foundation is aimed at bringing programs and materials to the library that will be of interest to children aged 11 to 18. It is made possible through grants from the Foundation’s Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment. The Foundation has already held college admissions workshops, purchased software and books geared to young adults, hosted authors an astronomer and held the library’s first poetry slam for teens.

Poetry slam winner Alianora Reilly, left, with second-place winner Kate-Lynn Walsh, center, and the third-place finisher, Julia Rose Gottier.

TOLLAND – Teenaged writers will perform original poems and compete for prizes on Friday, April 26 when the Tolland Public Library holds its second poetry slam.
The Tolland Public Library Foundation is sponsoring the slam for students ages 14 to 18 as part of its “Year of the Young Adult” initiative. The competition will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in conference room A at Town Hall (across from the Hicks gym) at 21 Tolland Green.
The Foundation is sponsoring the slam with the help of the library staff; Ivy Morrison, head of the Tolland High School English department; high school librarian Cheryl Stevens and other teachers and students.
Students will be performing up to two three-minute poems, which will be judged by a panel that will include THS Assistant Principal Margot Martello; THS senior Amanda Danielson; young adult/children’s librarian Ginny Brousseau; library assistant Irene Pudelkiewicz and Foundation Secretary Kate Farrish. A top prize of a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card and other prizes will be awarded.
The slam will be hosted by James MacArthur, a Tolland High English teacher.
Entry forms are available at the public library, the high school library and from any THS English teacher. Students must return the forms to one of the same places by Monday, April 22.
Poets must bring five copies of each of their poems to the public library by Wednesday, April 24 for the judges.
The slam is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, please call the library at 860-871-3620.

TOLLAND – A ventriloquist and a retired police sergeant recounting amusing tales from his years on the beat will visit the Tolland Public Library as part of a new “Lighten Up @ the Library” series.
The series is being sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation through its Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth King Eaton Endowment.
Library director Barbara Pettijohn came up with the idea when she decided library patrons needed more laughter in their lives.
“With so much bad news in Connecticut and around the world, we wanted to give Tolland library users a chance to come in, relax and share a laugh or two,’’ Pettijohn said.
The series began March 16 when Laura Le, a certified “Laughter Yoga” instructor taught a class at the library.
It continues on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. when ventriloquist Larry Noiva of Tolland will entertain adult visitors to the library with his gang of puppets, Howie Rose, Sal Monella and Aunt Edna.
Noiva was named best male stand-up comedian at the Connecticut Comedy Festival and was the winner of the first Connecticut Comedy Idol event.
On Tuesday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m., Craig Elkin, a retired Middletown police sergeant, will speak about his recently published book, “A Cop’s Tale: Amusing Short Stories Written at the Expense of Others.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.
Both events, which are intended for adults, are free and open to the public and will be held at the library at 21 Tolland Green. Registration is required. To register, call 860-871-3620.