New library opens in Copake

COPAKE — By all accounts, Saturday was a good day, especially for those present to see a decade of planning and hard work come to fruition with the opening of the Roeliff Jansen Community Library.

“It was a glorious day. It would have been a glorious day even if it were snowing, but we were lucky because there was glorious sunshine,†said Meg Wormley, co-chair of the library’s capital campaign.

About 150 people attended the ribbon cutting for the new library and community room, which will serve the towns of Hillsdale, Copake and Ancram. In addition to the throngs of residents investigating the aisles of books, new computers, framed artwork, reading nooks and spacious rooms in the 7,500-square foot building Saturday morning, there was a ventriloquest/comedian/magician and a musician singing children’s songs and performing for the youngsters.

“The kids were all wrapped up — it was great,†Wormley said. “The parents brought their children just for that.â€

In the evening there were performances by the Karl Easton Jazz Group, the Taconic Hills Jazz Band and the Taconic Hills Drama Club. Many returned on Sunday for a presentation by David Nasaw, from East Taconic, who recently wrote a biography on Andrew Carnegie, famous for funding public libraries. Author talks and other lectures will be a regular happening at the library once its schedule is set; other community events will also be encouraged at the new space that boasts not only book shelves and a community room but a children’s library, play area, conference room, study hall and tutoring space, and also space for its historical collection and oil paintings. The building can fit the previous 1,000-square foot library inside many times over. The old library is not going to waste, however; following some renovations, the circa 1925 building  will be used as the new Hillsdale Town Hall.

The attraction of the new library, and its allure as a gathering place to area residents, is something those involved in its creation couldn’t be happier about.

“It’s such a lovely place,†Wormley said. “This is going to be a place where people can come to see each other to chat and say hello. It says something important about a community that it has a library. And the fact that this community, that the people of Hillsdale, Ancram and Copake donated so far $1.4 million, speaks very well of the library and that it’s important to them. If reflects on their past, present and the future.â€

Stimulus money also contributed to some construction costs. Funding amounting to $320,000 paid for paving the parking lot with a porous concrete that allows the rain to seep through and filter through the soil before entering the Roe Jan Kill, which feeds into the Hudson River. The funding was part of the Green Initiative Grant Program, to help protect the watershed area. The parking lot is actually the largest area of porous concrete in New York state as of this moment.

The building meets other “green†standards: It has solar panels on its roof, is positioned to take full advantage of the sun’s heat and has light shelves to bounce the light off the south side of the building so less artificial lighting is needed to illuminate the building both inside and outside.

There is still some work being completed on the new library, but it is fully functional and open to the public. Its hours of operation are Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays, noon to 7 p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sundays. The library’s mailing address is 9091 Rte. 22, Hillsdale, although it is physically located in the town of Copake. Its phone number is 518-325-4101; its website is roejanlibrary.org.

“I hope that it will be continually busy, and that it will be used for many new purposes and contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of the area,†Wormley said, adding that the library is still fundraising to help pay off “very high interest†on loans it took to construct the building. To make a donation, go to rjclcapitalcampaign.org or call 518-329-0182.