Good Times & Tough Times for Tivoli's Library
by Frances Sandiford

The Tivoli Free Library, located in the center of the village in the Watts DePeyster Firemen's Hall, is the place to go for preschool story hours, book discussion groups, senior computer classes, or just for a quiet place to peruse the latest issue of the New York Times.

With the popularity of on-line access to information over the last decade, libraries have had to go through a major transformation. The governing library systems--in Tivoli's case, the Mid-Hudson System in Poughkeepsie--have directed that even small, rural libraries must upgrade their offerings to accommodate for the age of the computer, while not compromising their services. This has not always been easy. While it's usually been hushed up, some long-time librarians have given up in tears. But under the deft hand of Library Director Bonny Corrado, Tivoli has met the challenge very well. Today, bestsellers by Sandra Brown, Jane Smiley, Da Chen, Stuart Woods and others are displayed in their bright jackets on cabinet tops, while nearby, computers sprout knowledge at the touch of a keyboard.

What are Ms. Corrado's views for the future? Talking to me across her cluttered desk, she said her primary goal is to serve the needs of her patrons. Every year, she distributes a survey in which library patrons can make suggestions.

For the elderly and/or the housebound, Ms Corrado makes home deliveries of books on request. These deliveries, which one might call "Books on Wheels," are a godsend for people who cannot face the difficulties of coming to the library in person. Board member Celia Bland and Board President Teresa Buso both praise Ms. Corrado for her accomplishments, and the village for its support. At a recent village reorganization meeting, the Mayor presented Ms. Corrado with the VICTORY award for her dedication and for successful library programs like Chess for Kids and Homework Help.

But a new challenge has emerged. The same library system that directed the libraries to upgrade has now cut their funding by 15% because of New York State Budget cuts. Although the individual libraries receive little direct aid, they depend on the library systems for important services they could not afford on their own: home library and interlibrary circulation functions, delivery, rotating collections, staff consultation and training, on-line public access catalogue, and many more.

In view of these cuts, the Tivoli Free Library is launching a massive ongoing fund drive that will take advantage of local talent. In March, local resident James Warhola volunteered a book signing of his new children's book Uncle Andy's, raising $300. In April, the Black Swan Pub hosted "Words of War," an event held during the midst of the war in Iraq and featuring readings by local writers Scott Spencer, Peter Tractenberg and Celia Bland. The occasion was attended by about forty people, all who made contributions to the library. It was a quiet, respectful event, with readings peaceful and somber by Anna Akhmatova, W.B. Yeats, Bruce Springsteen, Walt Whitman, Randall Jarrell, and original poems by Spencer, Bland and Tractenberg. One reading was from a diary of a soldier on the frontline.

In May the library held a plant sale in the firehouse parking lot next to the library at One Tivoli Commons. Local nurseries, home growers, and landscape consultants and contractors donated plants, seedlings, cut flowers, garden related supplies, and garden services.

"We all have our work cut out for us! These difficult fiscal times threaten all of us at the library," said President Teresa Buso. We hope that under the supervision of Ms. Corrado, as many services as possible will be retained, and that the Tivoli Free Library will continue to be at the core of village happenings.