A Work in Progress: The JCOGS Library in Stowe, Vermont

It has been a busy summer here in Vermont, and my blog posts have been placed on the back burner for awhile as I tackle several fascinating projects.  One of these has been my work in helping the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe (JCOGS) get a library of Judaica up and running for its congregation.

Several years ago, a generous collection of books was donated to the JCOGS congregation to found a library which would serve their community.  After a room was set aside and furnished,  JCOGS decided to call upon my services to complete work on this exciting new library. My mission was to establish an online catalogue, train volunteers, and determine how to accommodate the growing collection within the space available in the building.

The collection was housed at the bottom of the staircase on the lower level of the building.  It offered a warm, family-friendly space enhanced by comfortable furnishings and a pleasant color scheme.  The only difficulty was that the existing shelves were already filled, and more books were stored in boxes waiting for attention.  With the collection growing,  the shelf space would be quickly maxed out, yet the addition of more shelves would risk the loss of some of the features (such as the sofa) that made this room so welcoming.

 A conference room was located just down the hall from the library, making some in the congregation wonder whether that space would be more suitable for the library as it offered considerably more wall space. 

Others in the congregation were concerned that the conference room was less welcoming and wouldn't afford enough space for recreational use, such as the book and film discussions which regularly took place.  Here are photos of the conference room at the time of those discussions.

After looking at the pros and cons of each option, I proposed that the library use both rooms:  the original room as a "community space" for book and film discussions, as well as for Jewish fiction, cookbooks, children's materials.  The conference room would then house the scholarly collection including religious texts, history, biography, and reference materials.

 My aim was to "warm up" the room with the addition of attractive shelving, and allow the scholarly collection plenty of room to grow.

The shelves were built by a local contractor, using my specifications for color and materials.  They are bolted to the wall for safety.  The conference table doubles as a study table, and there is a plan to add a reading chair as well.


There is still more work to do, but a great deal of progress has been made toward launching the JCOGS library and its online catalogue in the fall.   I'll post again when the project is finished!