Groundbreaking coming for library expansion
The Bella Vista Library has always belonged to the people of the city, and, thanks to their support, the library is about to expand. In 2011, the library board of trustees hired the Fayetteville firm of architect Marlon Blackwell to design an addition to the building. Now, after years of fundraising, the library is getting ready for a groundbreaking.
The library was started by a group of Bella Vistans in 1981. For a decade it was run entirely by volunteers, although the POA provided the space. In 1996, the volunteers had raised enough money to build a 7,000-squarefoot building. A volunteer board of trustees ran the library as a nonprofit with a handful of employees and many volunteers.
In January 2014, the city took over operation of the library, but the nonprofit Library Foundation maintained ownership of the property. Bentonville has a similar arrangement with the Bentonville Public Library, library foundation chairman Susan Santos said.
At the time, Santos explained, the city couldn’t afford to buy the building. The foundation was already fundraising for an expansion. Since the city doesn’t own the building, it can’t help with the money to expand, she explained.
The city does own the furnishings and collections, Santos said, and it has committed to buying
all the new furnishings needed for the additional space.
In 2011, when the board saw the plans for the additional space, the price tag was $4 million. That price included a large events space, a children’s area and an expanded parking lot.
Santos formed a fundraising committee and started applying for grants. Some of the organizations that had helped build the original building were contacted, but only a few small grants came through. Soon the board realized it would have to do without the major grants.
The Friends of the Library raised $155,000 with basket auctions, used book sales and sock hops.
Letters went out to ask for private donations. Eventually, the board went back to the architect to talk about downsizing. The board has $1.8 million committed and it voted to start the building process.
“All the elements still there,” Santos said of the new plan. There is still a quiet reading room, two study rooms and a larger children’s area. The one component that was the most requested — a large gathering space — is still part of the plan. The space will have its own entrance, so it can be used when the library is closed, she said. It will seat 120 people.
By moving the children’s department and giving up the current gathering space in the periodical department, there will still be plenty of room for more shelves, she said.
Santos estimates the board will need an additional $150,000 for contingencies, but that can be raised during construction. As soon as the addition is complete, the board will begin raising more funds for a substantial addition to the parking lot. The architects have assured her that there’s enough space available for that.
In spite of the crowded conditions, the library has been growing, Santos said.
In the four years between 2014 and 2017, the library showed significant gains. The number of library users went up 5.6 percent, or from 72,551 to 76,850 people. Circulation went up 38.5 percent, from 92,656 items checked out to 150,616.
Library programs also grew, with an increase of 67.5 percent from 3,354 to 10,323, and children’s programs did even better, with a 74.5 percent discount, from 1,060 to 4,161.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that libraries are becoming obsolete,” she said in an email. “People flock to this library in ever-increasing numbers. And our circulation numbers tell me that people still read a lot!”