Thomas Balch Library plans off-site storage, Foundation files trust transfer; commission cancels July meeting

The Thomas Balch Library Advisory Commission on Tuesday heard a wide-ranging director's report that outlined building repairs, new off-site storage and preservation plans, and a foundation filing in Pennsylvania — and the commission voted unanimously to cancel its July meeting.

Laura, library director, told commissioners the library hosted "well over 3,000 people" in May and has continued a heavy schedule of programs and exhibits while completing several building repairs. "They did replace the carpet...in the meeting room and lower level hallway," she said, and crews have been repointing and caulking stonework, painting the exterior and repairing plaster damaged by recent HVAC leaks. The HVAC vendor is covering plaster repairs, Laura said.

Why it matters: The library is moving from maintenance into active preservation and access work that will require additional funding and new workflows. The off-site storage, if implemented, will let staff triage and digitize fragile materials off-site and free space in the main collection for repairs and public programming.

The director outlined a planned three-stage move of collections to an off-site suite on Miller Drive that would begin with basic storage, create…