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 workspace for projects and large-format digitization, and ultimately provide cold storage for photographic collections that are already digitized but need better environmental conditions. "We're going to have a 3 stage move into that space," Laura said, adding the site includes two windowed office rooms and a large windowless room that she described as appropriate for storage or digitization. She warned the space is not currently accessible to the public: "It's just not accessible. It's two very steep flights of stairs," she said.

Laura said the library lacks the digitization equipment and will need fundraising to buy scanners and climate-control upgrades: "That's going to require some fundraising because we don't have the equipment to do that yet." She also said staff must resolve utility and internet costs for the new location because those expenses were not included in the FY2026 budget.

The commission discussed integrating the Miller Drive site with the town's upgraded camera system; Laura said the site already has integrated cameras from a previous tenant and "it shouldn't be an issue to integrate what's already there with that existing system." Commissioners raised accessibility and staffing limits as constraints that will prevent use of the space as a public reading room in the near term.

Donations and conservation work were highlighted as drivers for the move. Laura described recent acquisitions that will need careful conservation and processing, including about 55 to 60 bank ledgers dated roughly 1880 to 1950 from the Whitmore family and an early-19th-century treasurer's book that may be county financial records. Because some of the materials were stored in an unconditioned building, staff placed items temporarily in freezers to halt insect activity while they arrange proper conservation space.

The commission also heard an update on the Thomas Balch Library Foundation. Laura said the foundation's new board approved participation in a petition to transfer the Balch Family Trust from Pennsylvania to the foundation in Leesburg and that the filing has been submitted to the Philadelphia Orphans' Court. "We received a letter from the Philadelphia Orphans Court that it is being filed in, saying that it is in process in court," Laura said. The commission did not take a separate formal vote on the foundation filing during the public portion of the meeting.

Other updates included ongoing work on local preservation projects (Saint James Cemetery is awaiting a ground-penetrating radar survey) and community programming tied to the town's Lafayette events, including exhibits at the Donaldson Cabin, a main-stage appearance on the courthouse lawn and associated public programs. Laura said interns are assisting with processing and exhibits and that a planned Lafayette exhibit will appear both at the library and at the Donaldson Cabin.

Formal actions: Commissioners voted unanimously to allow Commissioner Scott to join the meeting remotely and later voted unanimously to cancel the July commission meeting. The commission also approved the May meeting minutes earlier in the session. The meeting record shows the votes were taken by voice and recorded as unanimous; no roll-call tallies were provided.

Looking ahead: Laura said the library will present a survey summary in the fall after the current public survey closes, and staff will provide photos and more detailed plans as the Miller Drive move progresses. Fundraising calls may follow as staff identify the specific digitization, cold-storage and utility costs for the new site.

The commission will not meet in July and will next convene in August per the normal schedule.