Community Corner

Volunteers Help Long Beach Library Reorganize

Director George Trepp hopes to reopen the facility by the end of March.

Story and Photos by Chris Engelhardt

In an effort to help the Long Beach Public Library reopen after Hurricane Sandy, more than 50 volunteers assisted in reorganizing the building’s collection of 150,000 books on Saturday.

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The weekend event was a follow-up to a similar effort in February, when 30 volunteers assisted in wiping down shelves and preparing them so items could be returned to their prior places.  

“We put out a call for volunteers in Nassau and New York,”
George Trepp, the library’s director, said about how he solicited volunteers for Saturday’s event. “In Nassau, there’s a Directors Listserv, so we put out a call on the Directors Listserv.”

The library was looking for people who were familiar with library arranging systems, and Trepp’s wife helped by putting out a call for volunteers at her former place of employment, the New York Public Library.  

“We had so many people respond, we had to turn people away,” he said.

Many volunteers, including Long Beach resident Jessica Cantelmo, 25, said they decided to help reorganize books to support their community.

“I wanted to help out my city; you have to give back,” she said. “When I was younger, I would come here all the time. There’s a lot of us here today. We love our town.”

Charlotte Ibarra, 35, another Long Beach resident, echoed similar sentiments and noted the significance of uniting to help the library get back on track. “I saw something on Facebook about the volunteer effort,” she said. “And I love books, so I thought I’d help the library out. It’s really been a great turnout.”

After the hurricane, about 85 percent of the main branch’s book collection was salvaged, which, along with other library materials, filled 2,740 boxes that were stored in the second-floor auditorium, program room and hallway. Roughly 25,000 items, including books, DVDS, compact disks, and recorded books, were lost in the storm, Trepp said.

Non-print items, including DVDS, compact discs and recording books, have already been re-shelved, and when asked when the library would reopen, Trepp said: “I’m hoping by the end of the month. The service desk, reference desk, circulation desk, the bottom panels are not there . . . that’s a stability issue. There’s no chairs in the place; new chairs are coming. The quiet study and computer room, there’s no furniture. We’re waiting for that. We may open without some of that.”

Trepp added that the Long Beach School District, which owns the building, hired Delfor, a national remediation firm, to gut the first floor. They ripped out the carpet, cut the sheetrock and removed the wet insulation. Electrical outlets in the floor have been replaced.

Despite being devastated by Sandy, however, Trepp said that all services would be available when the library reopens. “Everything will be restored,” he said. “The only thing that may be a tad different is the quiet study. We’re trying to repurpose that into a multi-purpose room — a quiet study and a small meeting room.”

As to how the library’s proposed 2013-14 budget might be impacted by the storm, and what may have to be replaced through its funds, he said library officials are looking to keep the budget “as small as possible,” and that they don’t intend on using the spending plan for replacements.

“We got an insurance recovery of more than $400,000, and we’re hoping to get a state grant,” he said, noting that it would be a matching grant in which the state would provide $100,000, and the library would match that number. “Between the two, we’re looking to cover all the damage costs.”

Trepp stressed the financial significance and importance of the two volunteer efforts, which he said will probably save the library approximately $14,500, that amount it would have cost to use professional movers. He praised the volunteers for their commitment to reorganize the library and save taxpayers money.   

“The response from the community has really been positive,” he said.

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