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Samuels Public Library details higher usage, $500,000 Mellon grant and new makerspace/memory lab
Summary
Library director Erin Rooney reported increased circulation and reference use, 8,860 volunteer hours (valued at roughly $295,747), and a five-year Mellon Foundation grant (~$500,000) to fund a makerspace and memory lab with equipment, a coordinator, a sound booth and a planned soft opening Sept. 21.
Erin Rooney, director of Samuels Public Library, presented a six-month review to the Warren County Board on Aug. 13 covering usage statistics, programming and a multi-year Mellon Foundation grant for facility upgrades.
Rooney said the library recorded more than 401,859 total checkouts for the year, ran 542 programs and welcomed 27,751 visitors over the reporting period. She highlighted 8,860 volunteer hours — which she said equates to approximately $295,747 using Independent Sector valuations for Virginia volunteer time — and reported a 3% circulation increase and an 8% rise in registered patrons.
Rooney described sharp growth in reference-question activity (up 62%) and a 33% increase in usage of library databases. She walked supervisors through services including Brainfuse tutoring and job-help resources, Ancestry library access (which requires on-site use), Gale legal forms and newly available genealogy subscriptions (Fold3 and newspapers.com) added under the Mellon grant.
The grant, Rooney said, will fund a combined memory lab and makerspace — including digitization equipment for VHS, photo negatives and slides, a sound-dampened booth for oral histories and podcasting, upgraded AV, a makerspace work area with tools such as a Glowforge and Cricut, and a Makerspace/Memory Lab coordinator position. Rooney said the library aims for a soft opening at SamiCon on Sept. 21 and a ribbon-cutting around Oct. 7.
Supervisors praised the outreach programming and asked clarifying questions about on-site access and timelines. No board action was required at the work session; Rooney invited supervisors to preview the new space and to participate in planning for the library's capital needs.
