Just about 100 years ago, Mrs. Russell Sage spent a tidy sum of money building a library for the Village of Sag Harbor and environs. She even stocked the new library with books and other materials that formed its early lending and reference collections. She was a believer in using the best materials and artisans [...]
Posts under ‘Libraries’
Not Every Good Idea Is…Well, a Good Idea
Sometimes I get an idea, and at first blush it seems like a world beater. Fortunately, I’m a bit of a procrastinator, so I usually don’t act on these brilliant insights immediately. Usually, over the next few days, I’ll share this idea with friends or colleagues, and they gently (or sometimes not so gently) point out the the things I’ve …
Is This the Land of No?
Sometime it feels like we’re living in the Land of No. There are quite a few things in recent memory to which one or another Sag Hampton group has said (or tried to say) NO!
Many folks said no to the NYS Department of Transportation a few years ago when they proposed a roundabout at the wharf end of Main …
Library Conundrum
I was in Montauk yesterday, and, as always, was impressed by what a unique and lovely place it is. I wanted to write about that today — y’know, something upbeat and charming. Unfortunately, after reading yet another ill-informed opinion piece about the John Jermain Memorial Library’s expansion plans in last Thursday’s Sag Harbor Express, I just can’t do charming. It’s not that Lorraine Dusky’s viewpoint was unreasonable — in fact, I agree with her main point, about it being our responsibility to protect the character of our community — it’s just that when talking about the library, she reiterates a few old arguments that I thought were long ago laid to rest.
The Good (Next: The Bad and maybe The Ugly)
OK, so it’s the week before Christmas (Hanukkah’s already underway) and I’m pretty grumpy about how slowly grind the wheels of progress around here. But grumpy is just not an appropriate way to be feeling at this time of year. So, I’ve made myself a deal. Today, I’ll make a list of the positive developments in the Sag Hampton area in an attempt …
Step Three
The Library Development Committee (LDC), of which I am a member, and the Board of Trustees of the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor held the third of a projected twelve public forums this evening. I think of it as step three of a twelve step program to win back the public’s trust. It was a very contentious meeting. Some of the people there, who are apparently opposed to the two …
Local Hero, Part I (With aplogies to Bill Forsyth)
You may know that a group of twenty-odd people worked for about a year, trying to figure out how the John Jermain Memorial Library could expand so as to offer more and better services to the community. This group was known as the Community Library Committee (CLC), and was appointed by the Library’s Board of Trustees, after the defeat of …
Bad Manners
Most times living in a small town is great. Sometimes it’s not. Generally, local people like to point to the summer visitors as the source of all the bad behavior we see in these parts. All too often that turns out to be true, but the some-are people do not have a monopoly on bad behavior. We manage just fine on our own.
Libraries Matter
December will bring the second anniversary of the resounding defeat of the proposed new library to be built near Mashashimuet Park. There’s been a lot going on since then, with people who care about libraries, architecture, historic preservation and Sag Harbor Village signing up for committees, having discussions, doing research, and writing reports. As you probably already know, all this …
Safe Routes to…the Library?
My friend and fellow EETC and CAC (East End Transportation Council and Citizens Advisory Committee) member, Ken Dorph has been traveling hither and yon trying to stir up interest in a very fine program called Safe Routes to School, which is sponsored by the federal Department of Transportation. I promise to write about that program in more detail at a later date. However, I was reminded of it today when reading part of the final report of the Community Library Committee…
